Mayor & Council Special Meeting

MINUTES Mayor and Council Special Meeting Monday, May 18, 2026 7:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER – A Special Meeting of the Mayor and Council of the Borough of River Edge was held in person in Council Chambers of the River Edge Municipal Building located at 705 Kinderkamack Road, River Edge, NJ 07661 and virtually via Zoom on May 18, 2026. The meeting was called to order at 7:00 p.m. by Mayor Thomas Papaleo. SILENT PRAYER – FLAG SALUTE Mayor Papaleo asked for a moment of silence for those who have suffered from any type of religious prosecution especially for those involved in the shooting in San Diego. Councilwoman Malellari then led those present in a salute to the flag. STATEMENT – Mayor Papaleo read the Statement of Compliance into the record as follows: Statement of Compliance with Open Public Meeting Act: This meeting complies with the Open Public Meeting Act via the May 30, 2026 Sunshine Notice containing the location, date, time, and access information which was sent to the Town News and the Record and by posting of same on the municipal bulletin board and Borough Website and filing a notice of the same with the Municipal Clerk. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Council President Kinsella, Councilwoman Montisano-Koen, Councilwoman Malellari, Councilman Glass, Councilman Feffer and Mayor Papaleo. ABSENT: Councilwoman Dhariwal ALSO PRESENT: Borough Administrator Lissette Aportela Borough Attorney Sabrina Santamaria, Esq. PUBLIC COMMENT Motion by Councilman Feffer, second Council President Kinsella, and all members present voting in favor, to open the floor to the public. Phyllis Angelo, 594 Elm Ave, inquired as to the definition of a Special Projects Engineer. She extended an invitation to a program being held at the Library regarding Holocaust denial and antisemitism. Motion by Councilwoman Montisano-Koen, second by Councilwoman Malellari, and all members present voting in favor, to close the floor to the public. Borough Administrator Aportela that a Special Projects Engineer handles projects such as roads, sidewalks, ADA ramps, stormwater, parks, and any projects dealing with infrastructure. She added that special projects are defined by the governing body. She then detailed the responsibilities of the Borough Engineer, noting that the duties of this role are defined in the Borough Code. CLOSED SESSION – On a motion from Councilwoman Montisano-Koen, seconded by Council President Kinsella, and all present voting in favor, the meeting was adjourned to the Closed Executive Session via Resolution #26-155 at 7:05 p.m. #26-155 Resolution to Go Into Closed Session and Exclude Public WHEREAS, the Open Public Meetings Act, NJSA 10:4-12 permits the exclusion of the public from a meeting in certain circumstances; and WHEREAS, this public body is of the opinion that such circumstances presently exist. NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of River Edge, County of Bergen, State of New Jersey, as follows: 1. That the public shall be excluded from the May 18, 2026 special meeting and discussion of the hereinafter specified subject matter: A. Personnel – N.J.S.A. 10:4-12(b)(8) 1. Interviews – Special Projects Engineer 2. Formal action may/may not be taken. 3. Minutes will be kept and once the matter involving the confidentiality of the above no longer requires that confidentiality, then the minutes can be made public. ADJOURNMENT – There being no further business to come before the Mayor and Council, on a motion by Councilwoman Montisano-Koen, second by Council President Kinsella, and unanimously carried, to adjourn this meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:31 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Anne Dodd, RMC Borough Clerk