City Council

BOROUGH OF HIGH BRIDGE – COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Date: September 24, 2020 – 7:30 p.m. – Location: Zoom online Council meeting CALL TO ORDER: BY MAYOR LEE FLAG SALUTE: LEAD BY MAYOR LEE ROLL CALL Councilman Columbus absent Councilwoman Moore present Mayor Lee present Councilwoman Ferry present Councilman Strange present Councilwoman Hughes present Councilman Zappa present Also present were Attorney Barry Goodman, Administrator Bonnie Fleming, Clerk Adam Young and eleven members of the public and press. PROCLAMATION A. Proclamation 007-2020 – Recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month - Mayor Lee read a note from Erin Delgado about National Hispanic Heritage Month and read the Proclamation. READING AND APPROVAL OF MINUTES: REGULAR 09/10/2020 Motion to dispense with the reading of the September 10, 2020 regular minutes: Zappa / Strange Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent Motion to approve the September 10, 2020 regular minutes: Hughes / Strange Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent PUBLIC COMMENTS: 5 MINUTES PER PERSON: NONE PUBLIC HEARINGS: A. Ordinance 2020-041: Bond Ordinance to Amend Ord. 2019-017 – Various Water Utility Improvements Motion to open the public hearing for Ordinance 2020-041: Zappa / Strange Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent Councilman Zappa spoke about the intent of the Ordinance to bond for funds for various water utility improvements and some past water main breaks which lead to a pressing need for these types of repairs. Motion to close the public hearing for Ordinance 2020-041: Moore / Ferry Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent Motion to adopt Ordinance 2020-041: Moore / Ferry Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent B. Ordinance 2020-043: Amend Code - Chapter 75 Motion to open the public hearing for Ordinance 2020-043: Strange / Moore Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent Councilman Strange spoke about the intent of the Ordinance which allows for the creation of a new position, the Special Officer, for the Police Department which allows for flexibility of the force at a lower cost than a regular Officer. Recording started at 7:52 p.m. Motion to close the public hearing for Ordinance 2020-043: Strange / Ferry Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent Motion to adopt Ordinance 2020-043: Moore / Strange  Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent C. Ordinance 2020-044: Refunding Bond Motion to open the public hearing for Ordinance 2020-044: Strange / Moore Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent Administrator Bonnie Fleming spoke about the Borough being able to save money on existing bonds due to available lower rates. Motion to close the public hearing for Ordinance 2020-044: Hughes / Strange Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent Motion to adopt Ordinance 2020-044: Strange / Ferry Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent D. Ordinance 2020-045: Sale of Borough Property and Enter Into Agreement Motion to open the public hearing for Ordinance 2020-045: Hughes / Strange Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent Councilman Zappa spoke about the intent of the Ordinance for the sale of a small piece of Borough property near the Commons on the Wye. Motion to close the public hearing for Ordinance 2020-045: Strange / Ferry Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent Motion to adopt Ordinance 2020-045: Hughes / Strange Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent E. Ordinance 2020-046: Amend Code - Chapter 12-11. Approval of Vouchers Motion to open the public hearing for Ordinance 2020-046: Strange / Ferry Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent Administrator Bonnie Fleming spoke about the intent of the Ordinance to have more flexibility for signing P.O.’s Motion to close the public hearing for Ordinance 2020-046: Strange / Ferry Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent Motion to adopt Ordinance 2020-046: Hughes / Moore Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent DISCUSSION ITEMS: NONE INTRODUCTION OF ORDINANCES: NONE CONSENT AGENDA RESOLUTION # TITLE Resolution - 210 - 2020 Professional Service Contract - CGP&H Resolution - 211 - 2020 Chapter 159 Resolution - 212 - 2020 Amended E-Ticket Lease Agreement Resolution - 213 - 2020 Amend Professional Service Contract - Maser Resolution - 214 - 2020 Refunding form and sale resolution Resolution - 215 - 2020 Approve Electronics Recycling Event Resolution - 216 - 2020 Updated Borough Events Motion to approve the consent agenda as amended: Strange / Hughes Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent A. Resolution 204-2020: Social media policy Motion to re-open the discussion of Resolution 204-2020: Hughes / Strange Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent Councilman Zappa spoke about the supporting documents version possibly being the original but referenced the provided red line copy, asked what the definition of unified means in the policy, spoke about having the designees set by Mayor and Council, asked about any cost components to the policy, asked that Mayor if her page is official, asked about the process of having an official Facebook page, and asked that it be verified that any back records can be retrieved in order to protect the Borough before voting yes. Mayor Lee stated that the word “unify” is to cover multiple accounts as to have a unified message from the Borough, that there may be a need to have other designees administering social media pages to cover the work load, that she does not support spending the funds to have a service maintain the records as this isn’t an issue, that comments can be hidden on Facebook as a method to moderate pages, stated her Facebook page is an official page, spoke about how to get an official page, spoke that she would like a more official Borough page which is more inclusive with more events, and suggested voting now and then discussing further how to proceed. Clerk Young spoke about the need to maintain public records under the Open Public Records Act which is required from the State of New Jersey which can be done with cost through a third-party vendor. Councilman Strange suggested that the Administrator and Mayor be the designees, spoke that it is the right of people to communicate even if people disagree with items on social media, suggested that Resolutions can be amended in the future if there are any issues, spoke about grammar errors currently included which affect the reading and understanding of the policy. Attorney Goodman spoke to first amendment rights needing to be observed and administrators needing to be careful as it comes to administering comments on the social media accounts. Discussion ensued about protecting the Borough, the possible need or non-need for protecting Borough documents, and the need of diligence to be done on the part of the Borough, Motion to adopt Resolution 204-2020: Moore / Ferry Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent B. Resolution 205-2020: Updated Boards and Committees Motion to re-open the discussion of Resolution 205-2020: Moore / Strange Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent Mayor Lee spoke about the amendments to open up spaces on some Committees for new members. Motion to adopt Resolution 205-2020: Moore / Strange Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent C. Resolution 216-2020: Updated Borough Events Motion to remove Resolution 216-2020 from the consent agenda for discussion: Strange / Ferry Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent Councilman Strange suggested amending the events list to include other types of events and believes the Borough should try to have more events before the end of the year. Councilwoman Ferry spoke about working to consider some other events in October. Mayor Lee discussed how this Resolution opens the door for having these events. Motion to adopt Resolution 216-2020: Strange / Zappa Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent COUNCIL COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS Councilman Zappa - Department of Public Works / Engineering StreetScape update is underway and is mostly on schedule, filing for another grant on River Road, getting quotes to work on the Main Street water main, DPW has been putting down blacktop, trimmed back bushes at Stop signs, installing more water meters, mowing grass, sewer pipe clean outs, replacing street signs, removing old black top from the Commons, sewer reports, readying for leaf pickup and brush pickup, and noted Gronsky's being named top seven for pork roll egg and cheese. Councilwoman Hughes - Public Health / Environmental / Solid Waste / Recycling County electronics recycling this weekend, a new event on Oct 10 and 21st to accept electronics and batteries in cellophane in the Commons with no broken glass from screens. Councilwoman Moore - Finance Spoke about the refunding Bond, financing opportunities for the West Main Street water main project, tax collections are on pace, tax sale being held electronically, tax bills having been mailed and are due November 1st, no rebate for homestead rebate, and property tax reimbursement will be decided at a later date by the State. Councilman Strange - Emergency Services / Education / Open Space / Recreation Read the Fire Department statistics, read the Police statistics, spoke about the request to put up goals, about minor trail issues being resolved, thanked those recreation volunteers for their hard work, and spoke about prospective individuals for filling the Recreation Committee. Mayor Lee stated that recreation in the Borough has changed and the need to be flexible with moving forward with this in the Borough. Councilwoman Ferry - Website / Newsletter / Historical / Special Events Spoke about Halloween house decorating contest, Halloween family friendly movie being worked out, possibly adding another resident to help with events, possible reopening of the Solitude House by Historical Committee members, preparing for an electronic historical archive system, and spoke about planning Music on Main event. Councilman Columbus - Golf / Economic Development Committee No report at this time. Administrator Bonnie Fleming - Administrator’s Report Spoke about communicating with concerned residents about the vacation of alleyways, working on the reopening of the Solitude complex on October 1, the Borough’s hazard mitigation plan being updated, proceeding with the refunding bonds, applying for a new bond rating, monitoring the StreetScape project, and GoHunterdon offering a bike rack for the Commons on a test basis. Mayor Michele Lee - Executive Services Report Spoke about Bike Hunterdon offerings, challenges and logistics with having Borough events, waiting to hear guidance from the State about Halloween, golfing with the Fire Department to help them raise funds, working on forming the Diversity Committee, and conversations about 100 West Main Street to begin moving the process along. PUBLIC COMMENTS: 5 MINUTES PER PERSON It is the policy of the Borough Council that all public comments on an issue shall be limited to five (5) minutes per person. No debating between residents. Comments should be addressed to Mayor and Council at the public microphone. LEGAL ISSUES: NONE COMMUNICATIONS A. Tax and Finance Reports B. Water and Sewer Dept GIS Services Proposal C. E-Ticket Agreement D. Hydrant Report E. Administrative Agent Proposal F. Resident Letter - Mayor Lee spoke about shifting interactive video platforms at the last minute which was needed, the importance of not allowing side conversations at meetings, the chat being included in the meeting minutes but the intent that this was not needed for future meetings, and the move to go to in person meetings in the future. Councilman Strange asked Attorney Goodman how electronic meetings are handled and thanked the Clerk for his work. Attorney Goodman spoke about Judges considering how the meetings work and that he is comfortable with how the meeting proceeded. Councilwoman Moore thanked the Clerk for his efforts. BILL LIST Approval of Bills as signed and listed on the Bill Payment List. Total Amount: $580,978.82 Motion to approve bill list: Strange / Moore Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent ADJOURNMENT: PRESIDING OFFICER ASKS IF THERE IS ANY FURTHER BUSINESS Motion to adjourn: Moore / Strange Roll call vote: Columbus, absent ; Ferry, yes ; Hughes, yes ; Moore, yes ; Strange, yes ; Zappa, yes ; Motion passes: 5 yes, 1 absent Next Council Meeting: October 8, 2020 - 7:30 pm, Elementary School, 40 Fairview Ave. High Bridge NJ 08829 ATTEST: Adam Young Michele Lee Municipal Clerk Mayor