City Council

Minutes of the Re-Organization Meeting of the Borough Council held January 7th 2021, at 7:06 P.M. in the Council Chambers, Borough Hall, 531 Speedwell Avenue, Morris Plains, New Jersey. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE, PRAYER AND MOMENT OF SILENCE Mayor Karr opened with a moment of silence and recognized “Friends of Morris Plains” who were lost during 2020. He welcomed Rev. Donald Brown from the Presbyterian Church of Morris Plains who presented the invocation. I HEREBY ANNOUNCE AND STATE THAT THE ADEQUATE NOTICE OF THIS REGULAR MEETING WAS PROVIDED BY THE CLERK OF THE BOROUGH BY PREPARING A NOTICE DATED JANUARY 5th 2021 SPECIFYING THE TIME, DATE AND PLACE OF THIS MEETING AND PUBLISHED IN THE MORRIS NEWSBEE, THE DAILY RECORD AND THE STAR LEDGER AND POSTING SUCH NOTICE ON THE BULLETIN BOARD IN THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING, THE FRONT ENTRANCE DOOR OF THE MUNICIPAL BUILDING, AND THE BOROUGH WEBSITE. I HEREBY HAND A COPY OF SUCH NOTICE TO THE CLERK OF THE BOROUGH OF MORRIS PLAINS FOR INCLUSION IN THE MINUTES OF THIS MEETING. ALL OF THE ABOVE ACTIONS BEING IN ACCORDANCE WITH N.J.S.A. 10:4-6, ET SEQ. NOTICE OF MEETING MORRIS PLAINS BOROUGH REORGANIZATION MEETING SCHEDULED FOR Thursday January 7, 2021 WILL BE CONDUCTED IN PERSON WITH REMOTE ZOOM AND TELEPHONE CALL-IN OPTIONS PLEASE TAKE NOTICE THAT the Morris Plains Borough reorganization meeting presently scheduled for January 7, 2021 will be conducted in person with social distancing requirements being observed and with REMOTE Zoom meeting and telephone call-in options from off-site locations due to the ongoing State of Public Health Emergency pursuant to the New Jersey Governor’s Executive Orders, COVID-19 public health concerns and social distancing requirements. The meeting will be held at Morris Plains Borough Hall, Council Chambers, 531 Speedwell Avenue, Morris Plains at 7:00 p.m. Formal action will be taken. To comply with the social distancing requirements established by the Governor through Executive Order, the maximum number of persons permitted in the Council Chamber is 25% of the maximum seating capacity, subject to a minimum social distancing requirement of six-feet between all persons. As a result of those requirements, ten (10) members of the public can be physically present at the meeting in addition to the Mayor, Borough Council, and Borough staff/professionals. To reserve a seat, please call the Borough Clerk at (973) 538-2224. Any documents that would be viewed or made available to members of the public physically present at the meeting shall be made available in advance of the public meeting for download on the Borough’s website, www.morrisplainsboro.org and made visible during a Zoom video broadcast of the public meeting. The Borough Council will follow its normal protocol for this meeting which means that there will be an opportunity for public comment participation. Residents and members of the public participating remotely will be able to ask questions or comment on the discussion when the public comment section is announced, either by audio and video in the Zoom remote format or by audio in a telephone call-in format. Until the public comment portions of the meeting, members of the public participating remotely will be muted. Once the public portions of the meeting are concluded, members of the public will be again muted. Please note that while muted, members of the public will still be able to hearing the Mayor and Borough Council conducting business. In advance of the remote public meeting, members of the public may submit public comments or questions to the Mayor and Borough Council in written letter form, or by contacting the Borough Clerk by email at rdenman@morrisplainsboro.org prior to the meeting up until 4:00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. All public comments and questions submitted in advance must include the individual’s name and address. If residents and members of the public encounter problems in submitting questions or comments remotely during the public meeting, they may submit such questions and comments to the Borough Council via email to the Borough Clerk at rdenman@morrisplainsboro.org. Questions and comments must be submitted via email by Midnight on the date of the meeting, in order to be included in the record of the meeting. The Meeting Agenda and Consent Calendar will be available at www.morrisplainsboro.org Morris Plains Borough Reorganization Meeting Time: January 7, 2021 - Meetings typically run two hours Regular Meeting starts at 7:00 PM There are two options for joining the meeting: 1 - Join Zoom Meeting URL from computer or mobile device with Wi-Fi: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87369332705?pwd=c3ZJOWt6N2p6WmNmaEszdWttaG85U T09 Meeting ID: 873 6933 2705 Password: 466475 It is recommended that you download the app on your computer or mobile device prior to the meeting. 2 - Dial in by cell phone or landline (audio only): 1-929-436-2866 Meeting ID 873-6933-2705 Password 466475 INTRODUCTION OF ELECTED OFFICIALS AND OTHERS Mayor Karr welcomed James Gannon, Morris County Sheriff, John Bonanni, Morris County Administrator, Kellie Doucette, District Director for Rep. Mikie Sherrill, Frank Druetzler, former Mayor of Morris Plains, Assemblyman Jay Webber, Chip Robinson, Morris County Democratic Chair, John Krickus, Morris County Commissioner, Mark Maire, Superintendent Morris Plains School District, Steve Welsh, former Councilmember, Dave Schulz, Morris Minute Men and Board of Adjustment Chair, Tina Genest, Morris Plains Democratic Committee, Tom Villante Morris Plains VFW Post 3401, Valerie Dolan, Judge Michael Carlucci, Sue McCluskey, former Councilmember, George Coogan, former Councilmember, June Uhrin retired Borough Clerk, Debra Smith, Morris County Commissioner and Mayor Jeff Grayzel. He apologized if he missed anyone in this welcoming. Mayor Karr welcomed all members of the public who have joined this meeting remotely. He provided information about the Agenda and the Consent Calendar. He also shared guidance about the procedures of this meeting and how attendees may participate. INTRODUCTION AND OATH OF OFFICE Borough Attorney – Ursula H. Leo, Esq. Mayor Karr welcomed Ms. Leo and administered the Oath of Office. Mayor Karr presented Ms. Leo with a “Bag of Goodies” and welcomed her to the Borough. Ms. Leo gave a brief presentation stating she is very pleased to join the Borough and will assist it in any way she can. STATEMENT OF DETERMINATION OF MUNICIPAL ELECTION Rosanne Denman, Borough Clerk, read the following statement: “A Statement of Determination of the Board of County Canvassers, relative to an election held in the Borough of Morris Plains in the County of Morris and State of New Jersey, for the election of certain municipal officers for the municipality on the 3rd day of November 2020. The said Board does determine that at the said election: Name Office Term Salvatore F. Cortese Borough Council Three-Year Term Arthur J. Bruhn Borough Council Three-Year Term Were duly elected to the office and for the term above set forth. I do hereby certify that the foregoing is a truthful and correct statement of the determination of the Board of Canvassers therein mentioned and witnessed whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of November 2020.” Mayor Karr welcomed Laurie Fu, former Councilmember to this meeting. INTRODUCTION AND OATH OF OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBERS- ELECT Mayor Karr invited Councilmember-Elect Salvatore Cortese to be sworn in. He invited any family members and/or friends to join him. His wife Lisa held the Bible and was sworn by Mayor Karr as a Councilmember. Councilmember Cortese said he wanted to pray for our country; the country needs some healing. He thanked everyone. Mayor Karr next invited Councilmember-Elect Arthur Bruhn to be sworn. He invited any family members and/or friends to join him. His son Jack held the Bible and his wife Christy stood by as he was sworn in by Mayor Karr as a Councilmember. Councilmember Bruhn thanked his wife and son for all the support they have given him. He thanked the public for re-electing him a well as the Mayor and his fellow Councilmembers for their support and guidance. Present on Roll Call: Mayor Jason C Karr Councilmembers: Art Bruhn, Council President Salvatore Cortese Joan Goddard Cathie Kelly Nancy Verga Dennis Wagner Absent: None Present: Ursula H, Leo, Borough Attorney Leon Hall, PE Mayor Karr gave his Reorganization Speech for 2020: 2021 REORGANIZATION SPEECH Good evening, tonight at our annual Reorganization Meeting I will report on 2020 accomplishments and share our goals for 2021. Due to the fact that we have had enough negative as we can handle I will be as positive as possible. The Governing Body continues to work on and improve the Borough’s infrastructure. In 2020 we paved Granniss Avenue, in which we received a grant for over $110,000.00, Sunset Road, Sylvan Drive from Trowbridge Road to Mountain Way, Janeway Place, Fire Department ramp, and a small section at Watnong Park. Our largest paving project, Parker Drive, which we also received a grant from the NJDOT in the amount of $225,000.00 was completed. Moving forward into 2021, the approved paving projects are for Grove Avenue, Dogwood Road, Hillside Court West, Oakwood Court, Lindaberry Lane, 555 Speedwell Avenue parking area and Freight Station walkway. NJDOT will be paving 202 from Hanover Avenue to Route 53. Morris County plans on paving Route 202 from Route 53 north to Route 10 in 2021 which will make for a real nice stretch of road through Morris Plains. Hopefully all the logistics will fall into place. PSE&G has continued to upgrade older gas mains and house connections on various roads within the Borough and anticipate this also in 2021. As for the ongoing issues of flooding at the underpass, I believe progress is being made. With ongoing discussions and pump upgrades along with electrical improvements hopefully issues will diminish. Talks have moved forward on the issue of the permanent installation of a generator with at the very least a hook up for a portable generator for continuous pump operations. In early 2021, you will notice two electric vehicle charging stations located near the freight station in the center of town. The hope is people using the stations will patronize our shops and restaurants while waiting for a charge. Also, in the first quarter of 2021 we will be introducing a brand new web site. The new site will be easier to navigate with more and useful information along with online payment options and room to expand. Both the Council and I are very excited about this rollout and it has been a long time coming with hard work done by the Committee. Along with the Website Committee, a Business Advisory Committee was developed and is working with our businesses and owners on ways to improve business within the Borough. They will be working on attracting new business large and small and coming up with ideas and plans to implement to benefit all. The first round table with all is expected to be later this month. The Business Advisory Committee was developed as a result of the Borough lifting restrictions in place prior to the pandemic to try helping the restaurants and stores attract, keep customers and survive these difficult times to say the least. Again we are all excited about these new endeavors. We will continue to do what we can for them. All residents can help us and be part of keeping our businesses open by doing the most important thing they can……PATRONIZE our local businesses. Despite the pandemic, the three major projects going on have continued to make progress. The American on American Road, which Lennar, the builder of 96 townhomes and 60 condominiums continues with site work such as roads, storm drainage, utilities and the curbing. We anticipate building permits to start being issued during the first quarter. Also, on the same project, footings and foundations commenced this past December for the 125 unit apartment building. On the M&M property on the west side of Route 53, Lennar is building 139 townhomes and continues the site work for their portion. M&M continues site work for their apartments, retail/restaurant space, affordable housing building and hotel components of the development. A building permit for the Affordable Housing building is also anticipated in the upcoming first quarter. The last large project on the east side of Route 53 is for over 500,000 Sq.Ft. of flex space on the old Johnson & Johnson parcel. The developer continues to demolish the older existing building and address conditions of approval and the Developer’s Agreement. The Planning Board approved Uncle Giuseppe’s, an Italian specialty store, to occupy the large vacant space in the Kohl’s shopping center that Shop Rite previously occupied. The hope is for them to open by end of the year. I would also like to welcome to Morris Plains, a few new businesses, AAA, Geico, Cryoport, Red Line Athletics and Bolly World. The Planning Board worked extremely hard this year on moving business forward, hearing and approving numerous applications remotely and in person when possible, holding special meetings and as needed in larger spaces due to restrictions. This was not an easy task as these applications require public hearings, testimony, exhibits and plan review and to make it available to the public. Thank you for efforts. As for normalcy, there was none. Although, much to our disappointment, many events, activities, pools and facilities had to be cancelled or closed, we were able to continue with a few, such as our annual Bonfire. Instead of our normal Halloween Parade, ghosts and goblins were able to walk by the firehouse and receive a little something from the Fire Department. Instead of graduations like we are accustomed to, Borough School organized a parade from the center of town to Borough school. It was police escorted with flags of congratulations lining the Avenue and the Fire Department was in front of firehouse blowing sirens. There were a lot of pictures, videos, smiles, waves and tears as the graduates paraded by. What a great evening. The summer concerts continued with more added to the schedule, fireworks were live streamed, an outside holiday concert in a parking lot in October. Instead of Halloween window painting, we painted parking spots with chalk. The Farmers Market was a huge event all summer with people being able to get out. It actually started early with the ability to order fresh boxes of produce and put in your trunk when picked up. This is just a short list of out of the box thinking by volunteers and employees. Thanks to all who helped. During 2020, there was also a town wide pulling together for those in need. An example is a Morris Plains high school sophomore at the time, Sophia Manley, organized a food drive on April 16th for the Morris County Interfaith Food Pantry. It was roughly a 3 hour event in Simons Park which yielded 3,508 pounds of food and nearly $1,400.00 in donations for the pantry. Congratulations to you Sophia and thank you. Along with Sophia, the Morris Plains’ Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary held two food drives, the Morris Plains Soccer Association, and others also made donations to the pantry. Again, thanks to all of those who volunteered and donated, it truly takes everyone. Our school district has exceeded all safety protocols to keep our kids in school, safe and healthy. Thank you to our Superintendent Mark Maire, our Principals, Andrew Kramar and Christine Lion-Bailey and the entire staff of Mountain Way School and Borough School. I would also like to recognize Larry Ripley and all the volunteers of the Morris Area Community Blood Program. For the very first time in its 50- plus year history, they collected of over 1000 pints of blood in a single year. On December 26th, at its 13th blood drive of 2020, Jim Patella, a donor for over 40 years became the 1000th blood donor of 2020. Congratulations to Jim and thank you to all! We truly are “The Community of Caring!” This past February we recognized the 100th anniversary of New Jersey ratifying the 19th Amendment of the Constitution giving women the right to vote by shining a purple light on the front door of the Municipal Building. In mid July, the Council authorized a resolution to apply for a grant from the Morris County Open Space Trust Fund to purchase a 3.29 acre parcel of property owned by Trinity Lutheran Church on Mountain Way alongside the brook, to be preserved as open space. We were awarded the $204,000.00 grant from the Morris County Freeholders in late November and will be closing on the open space soon. Everyone has heard by now about the new ladder truck that the Fire Department took delivery on earlier in the year. I am happy to announce that it has now been in service for several months, with at last count 20 members were fully trained on operating the apparatus. The Police Department has recently taken delivery of our very first Ford Explorer Hybrid patrol vehicle. I for one am excited about this vehicle and understand it is a little faster than our current ones so don’t try to outrun it. During 2020 the Police Department conducted a very different kind of hiring process called Zoom. After the entire process we were able to hire three great Officers and I would like to welcome Officer Joseph Kohl, Officer Vincent Zarrillo and Officer Kelvin Preciado to Morris Plains and wish them the best of luck in their career here. I would like to recognize two Officers on a life saving incident. On August 2nd, Officers Heinz and Cerrato responded to a residence for the report of an unconscious 21 year old female. The female was located and observed to be semi-conscious and incoherent. The Officers initiated medical care and during this she became unconscious and a short time later lost her pulse and ceased breathing. The Officers began CPR and then delivered one shock from an AED device. Due to the efforts of Officers Heinz and Cerrato, the patient regained a pulse and resumed breathing on her own. It is clear that if it were not for the quick response and prompt action of Heinz and Cerrato, this situation would have had a much different outcome. Another incident involving a 2 month old infant, who unexpectedly turned red, started to turn purple and was unable to breathe. After the parents called 911, Sergeant Peter Rolph, Officers Guild, Kosakowski and Kohl responded within one minute and started to provide necessary infant CPR which saved the infant’s life. The child is now almost 5 months old and growing like a weed, according to the parents. We are also thankful for the training and professionalism of all of these officers. Thank you! I would like to congratulate Jeff Emge on being Morris Plains Recreation 2019 volunteer of the year. Jeff held many positions on the MP Soccer Association over the past 7 years and spent the last 2 as President. Congratulations and thank you Jeff. Of course this is only some of the highlights of 2020, but I sure hope this gives some sense of the hard work and dedication of all our volunteers, employees and organizations and the Borough Council during these tough times when everything takes longer to accomplish. During 2020, the Borough experienced the retirement of numerous employees and volunteers. I cannot begin to tell everyone the expertise, knowledge, history and dedication of all those who have moved forward to the next chapter of their lives. Starting with the retirement of Police Chief Jason Kohn early in the year and being replaced with Chief Michael Koroski at our April 2nd Council meeting, one of the first zoom meetings held in Morris County. Moving forward through the year we also saw the retirement of our Borough Clerk of 25 years and over 35 years as an employee, June Uhrin. June was well respected throughout the County and certainly within the Borough. Rosanne Denman has been promoted to the Clerk’s position and we all certainly wish her well. Our longest serving employee of 47 years is Joey Signorelli. He has been a staple in our DPW through his career and has spent the last 19 as our Superintendent. His final day will be February 26th and his successor will be his brother John Signorelli. I know John has been taught by Joey and we are in a good position with John as our new Superintendent. We also have the retirement of our Borough Attorney, Gail Fraser. Although not an employee, she certainly has also become a staple and part of the family within the Borough. Her expertise and guidance over the last 20 years, amidst some very difficult challenges has always proved well for the town. Gail is the only Borough Attorney to serve under two Mayors in Morris Plains. Sounds like a good trivia question. Gail is replaced by Ursula Leo who I know will also serve Morris Plains well without missing a step. Welcome Ursula. Also retiring was George Ross our Webmaster for over 10 years and Cathy Marshall who spent 20 years on the Board of Health and the last 10 as the President. Many of us know or may have even had Ginny Hussey who retired from teaching. Ginny has spent the last 20 years in the Morris Plains School District and was dedicated to the school community. Jim Myers has had the pleasure of serving on the Morris Plains Basketball Association Board for the past 14 years taking on various rolls and leaving as the President. Jim’s continued thoughtfulness throughout the years keeping the Borough, Borough School and all the basketball facilities at the top of his priority list as far as donating, upgrading and maintaining and adding new equipment for all to benefit from never went unnoticed and added to the continued success of the program. Thank you for your devoted service and numerous contributions that helped build the best basketball program in Morris County. I would like to congratulate Roman Gabriel for taking over for Jim. Thank you all for all your contributions throughout the years. Congratulations to Tracy Rooney and John Signorelli for their 25 years of service. Thank you for your dedication! At this time on behalf of the Borough Council and myself, I would like to sincerely thank every one of our dedicated, hard working employees for everything they contributed during this difficult year. All the adjustments they made to keep Morris Plains moving forward does not go without a heartfelt thank you. To our Police and Fire Departments, thank you for everything everyone has done to keep every resident safe and protected 24 hours a day all year. To the respective Chiefs, thank you for keeping your departments safe and guiding your members through this past year with all the challenges thrown at you in a professional way, without skipping a beat or missing any call for service. To the DPW, Joey and John Signorelli, residents never saw a day missed with your department. Work has been performed without hesitation and you have continued to make to town look terrific. Grass was cut, decorations put up, leaves picked up and roads cleared of snow. Nothing stopped in Morris Plains. As to all our essential workers, health care workers and first responders, everyone went above and beyond and continue to do so every day. They do their best to keep us all safe and healthy! A sincere and warm thank you to each and every one of you! This has been another year of firsts for many of us, including myself, but with the continued support from each other, our professionals and employees of this great Community, we are in good hands. Our Department of Public Works, Fire Department, Police Department, Employees and Professionals are second to none. The accomplishments and strides we made this year never skipped a beat and I am extremely proud! I encourage everyone to sign up for the Morris Plains Email Alert and Smart911. Links may be found on the Borough’s website. This will enable you to keep up with the happenings of Morris Plains and will assist First Responders in the event of an emergency. One thing that continues to make our Borough unique is the dedicated volunteers who keep “The Community of Caring” working. Anything that interests you, we have a position. This includes playing in the Community Band for all ages; the Morris Plains Volunteer Fire Department that you can join at age 14; the Morris Minute Men First Aid Squad that you can join at the age of 16; our Museum for those who enjoy history, the Garden Club, Beautification Committee and Clean Communities Program, for those who enjoy the outdoors; and the many sports groups and scouts. We can always use volunteers and there is something for all ages and interests. They all do a spectacular job; and our residents appreciate all that they do, whatever it may be. On behalf of the Borough Council, I wish thank all of the many volunteers on boards, commissions, committees and all citizens for your commitment to our town. This is what makes it truly special. We thank you for your continued trust in us. We are always available and always welcome your thoughts. I would like to conclude with a few last thoughts. One of which came from Lindsey Fu in an Editor’s Note in Plainstalk, and I quote: “The spring of 2020 has brought some unique challenges that none of us ever imagined we’d face. In a season we normally spend outdoors at sporting events, picnics, parades and barbeques, we’ve instead retreated to the safety of our homes. The picnics have been replaced with “virtual parties.” Spring cleaning has taken on a whole new meaning. At a time when we should all be going out and celebrating the warm weather together, we have been encouraged instead to stay (at least six feet!) apart. Hard times, however, have a way of bringing out the very best in a community. The Community of Caring continues to live up to its name. Food, homemade face masks, time, love, support - Morris Plains has given all this and more and this is only the beginning. The future is uncertain but, there is one fact we can always count on: in Morris Plains we take care of each other. I hope that you feel as lucky as I do to be a member of the Morris Plains community.” End quote. In closing I would like to leave everyone with a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson which I think is very appropriate for this year. “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” We are all leaving or have left a trail this year. Happy New Year, God Bless You and God Bless America. Mayor Jason C. Karr ELECTION OF PRESIDENT OF BOROUGH COUNCIL FOR THE YEAR 2021 Councilmember Bruhn placed in nomination the name of Councilmember Kelly as Council President for the year 2021. Seconded by Councilmember Verga. There were no further nominations and the Mayor closed the nominations asking for a vote. Roll Call Yeas: Councilmembers Bruhn, Cortese, Goddard, Verga, Wagner Nays: None Absent: None Abstain: Councilmember Kelly Mayor Karr congratulated Councilmember Kelly saying it will be a pleasure working with her during the upcoming year. APPOINTMENTS BY THE MAYOR Mayor Karr appointed the following persons to the office stated and the term specified: Office Name Term Planning Board Frank Druetzler, Class I I One Year Planning Board Stephen Augenblick, Class IV Four Years Board of Adjustment Doug McCabe Two Years Board of Adjustment Lisa Cortese, Alternate I Two Years Recreation Commission Michael Breslin Five Years Shade Tree Commission Lucia Gaudi Five Years Shade Tree Commission Rosemary Dougherty Five Years (to fill the unexpired term of Richard Ryan) Humane Law Enforcement Sgt. Jeff Hochman One Year Officer Humane Law Enforcement Det. Mike Kelly One Year Office PRESENTATION OF BADGES TO FIRE DEPARTMENT OFFICERS Mayor Karr advised the Fire Department officers are not at this meeting. However, he will recognize them now and a ceremony will follow at a later date.  Chief 1 Kevin Rongo Chief 2 Bob Webster Chief 3 John Downs, Jr. Engineer Donald Underhill Assistant Engineer Thomas Ragucci Fire Prevention Chief Chris Shay He congratulated all the officers of the Fire Department. ADOPTION OF RESOLUTIONS Councilmember Kelly moved that Resolutions 2021-1 through 2021-27 be adopted. Seconded by Councilmember Wagner. No. 2021-1 By-Laws No. 2021-2 Planning Board Representative No. 2021-3 Standing Committees No. 2021-4 Appointments No. 2021-5 Notice of Meetings No. 2021-6 Adequate Notice of Meetings No. 2021-7 Request for Notice of Meetings No. 2021-8 Minutes of Meetings No. 2021-9 Conference Meetings No. 2021-10 Depositories for Borough Funds No. 2021-11 Authorizing Officers to Sign Approved Checks No. 2021-12 Delinquent Taxes and Tax Installments No. 2021-13 Professional Services No. 2021-14 Execution of Vouchers No. 2021-15 Designating Official Newspaper No. 2021-16 Fixing Holidays - Borough Employees No. 2021-17 Fixing Holidays - Police Officers No. 2021-18 Council Appointments No. 2021-19 Temporary Appropriations for Operating Purposes No. 2021-20 Waiving Interest on Delinquent Taxes for Senior Citizens No. 2021-21 Waiving Interest on Delinquent Taxes for Disabled Persons No. 2021-22 Authorizing Tax Collector to Process Property Tax in Amount Less Than $10.00 No. 2021-23 Authorizing Borough Clerk to execute Hold Harmless Agreements No. 2021-24 Time Capsule - Morris Plains Library No. 2021-25 Time Capsule – Community Park No. 2021-26 Civil Rights Policy No. 2021-27 Enforcement Guidance Under Civil Rights Roll Call Yeas: Councilmembers Bruhn, Cortese, Goddard, Kelly, Verga, Wagner Nays: None Absent: None Abstain: None PRESENTATION OF AWARDS Annual Community Service Award Mayor Karr said this award is given to an individual or group “WHO HAVE MADE A NOTABLE CONTRIBUTION OVER A SUBSTANTIAL PERIOD OF TIME FOR THE BETTERMENT OF THE COMMUNITY OF CARING.” For 2020, this award is going to “ALL OUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS, ESSENTIAL WORKERS AND FIRST RESPONDERS.” He offered thanks from the Community of Caring. At the Borough’s next parade – this year or the next year – this very deserving group of people will play a significant part. ADMINISTRATION OF OATH OF OFFICE TO APPOINTEES Mayor Karr asked all who have been elected or appointed to office to stand, state their names and repeat the Mayor’s words for the oath. He asked all those who took the oaths of office to sign the appropriate forms. MEETING OPEN FOR REMARKS AND COMMENTS BY CITIZENS Mayor Karr opened the meeting to the public. Assemblyman Webber wished all a Happy New Year. He congratulated Councilmembers Bruhn and Cortese on their re-elections to the Governing Body. He also congratulated Councilmember Kelly on her election as Council President. He thanked the Mayor and the Council for everything they do to keep the Borough a great place to live and recounted some of the conversations they have shared over the past year. Mayor Karr thanked Assemblyman Webber for his kind words and said he appreciated their various conversations, too. He also thanked him for all he does for the Borough. Ms. Tina Genest congratulated Councilmembers Bruhn and Cortese on their re-elections. She spoke about some of the work she envisions will need to be addressed this year. She commented on several other issues. Mayor Karr recognized Alice Collopy from the Republican Committee. Council President Kelly extended thanked Mayor Karr for his guidance and assistance throughout the past year. Mayor Karr commented on Council President’s words. He also thanked everyone for all their help and support throughout the year. BENEDICTION Mayor Karr welcomed Father Michael Falgowski of Saint Virgil Roman Catholic Parish who gave the benediction. ADJOURNMENT Councilmember Wagner moved the Reorganization Meeting be adjourned at organization 8:01 P.M. Seconded by Councilmember Verga. Voice Vote. All in favor. ______________________________ Jason C. Karr, Mayor _________________________________ Rosanne Denman, Borough Clerk