City Council

MINUTES COUNCIL CONFERENCE MAY 1, 2007 CITY HALL 5:00 PM Council President Paul M. Pintella, announced that adequate public notice has been provided to the public specifying the time and place for this meeting in accordance with Chapter 231, P.L. 1975, approved on October 21, 1975 and effective January 19, 1976. The FY 2007 annual notice was mailed to the Times and the Trentonian Newspapers, posted on the first floor bulletin board in City Hall, and filed in the City Clerk’s Office on July 1, 2006 and amended on July 21, 2006 The agenda for the said meeting was mailed, posted and filed on April 27, 2007. A Conference of the City Council of the City of Trenton, New Jersey, was held on the above date at 5:15 p.m. in the Council Conference Room, City Hall. The meeting was called to order by Council President Paul M. Pintella, on roll call, the following Council Members were present: Messrs. Bethea & Coston, Ms. Lartigue, Messrs. Melone & Segura, Ms. Staton (arrived at 5:22 pm), Mr. Pintella – 7. A portion of this meeting will be set aside for public comment. 5:00 p.m. Subject: Docket Review: Appearance: Renee P. Haynes, Chief of Staff Dennis Gonzalez, Assistant Business Administrator Motion was made to go into Public Comment by Council President Pintella and second by Councilman Bethea. PUBLIC COMMENT: Jackie Blakey, 15 Fell Street – I would like to know how many of you here from Administration and Council know what streets are owned by the County. Can that information be made available to the residents so when there is a problem they know who to contact. The lot on Pritchard Street owned by Ewing Township needs to be clean. Reading Center seniors wanted to buy a 48-inch TV so they could have movie night at the center. They were not allowed to buy it. I would like to know what are the seniors allow to do or not do. Council members, Administration and the Department of Health and Human Service discussed the circumstances and the matter in which the TV was being purchased. The City Attorney gave a brief description of the laws regarding the purchase of such an item by the seniors and who would be responsible for it or own it. Dion Clark, 323 Walnut Avenue – A few months ago the City was talking about licensing cats where do we stand with that. He thanked Councilman Gino Melone for an outstanding job done. He stated that he did some research on New York City and found out that they are paying 90 percent of the inspector salary with fines and liens that the city collects. Maybe Trenton can do something like that. Walnut Avenue is out of control. The problems there are the rental properties. MAY 1, 2007 Patricia Stewart, 679 Lamberton Street – President of the South Area Resident Society along with Mr. Dion Clark, I would like to thanked Councilman Melone for his help in the past. I want to comment on the taxi driver that went to Dunn School to complain about being picked on by the police, they are breaking every traffic violation out there and they should be ticketed. Last Saturday I was out by the Donnelly Page Homes and a young guy tried to sell me drugs. There were no police officers around there. We need a police officer there not downtown on Market and Broad Streets. Why would we need a police officer there and not at the Donnelly Homes? What is coming out about the Board of Education is appalling and I would like to know what is being done about it. Councilwoman Lartigue – She had some questions regarding the school issue and Dr. Lytle’s tenure here. Councilwoman Lartigue asked Mr. Joseph Alacqua, Special Counsel, if City Council had the authority to subpoena the School Board in its’ entirety. Because they are autonomous, except in matters that affect the City as a whole and this is effecting the City. Also can we subpoena an employee that has been suspended? I would also like some legal advice as a Council member if this can be considered theft by deception I would asked Council members to bring criminal charges. Councilman Segura – I believe we should have an Executive Session to discuss this matter. I asked that someone from the Board of Education come in and explain what is going on. I do not think we should be approving this Budget for $21,000,000.00 without an explanation. Councilman Bethea – Wanted to know if Mr. Lofton had rescheduled his presentation. Paul Harris, 137 Centre Street – What is a Legislative Body and what does it mean. It seems to me that every time I come here you are micro managing something, today it was a TV. I think that you should be concerned with the City as a whole not with a TV. Wanda Scott, 1416 Stuyvesant Avenue – She expressed her concerns about the problem with the Board of Education. Councilman Melone left meeting at 7:00 pm. Donald Brokate, 104 Cornwall Avenue – Stated that he was a licensed realtor. He presented to Council copies of reports of properties that the city had sold for rehabilitation and resale to owner occupants. They were put on the market for sale without being repaired. One had a sign in front of it advertising three luxury apartments and one office. Coreen Grooms, 1469 Edgewood Avenue – Talked about a copy of a document that she gave to the City Clerk for Council members. The document was about a school incident that occurred at Joyce Kilmer School involving her son. The School did not file the forms and documents needed within the 48 hours mandated. She asked Council members what they were willing to do and able to do. Anthony Johnson, 816 Centre Street – He came to Council to complain about Ms. Dawson, Principal of Joyce Kilmer School. He also stated that when he went to the School Broad meeting to complain, the board members laughed at him and did not take him serious. Motion was made to close public comment by Councilman Bethea, second by Councilman Coston. MAY 1, 2007 Subject: Docket Review: Appearance: Renee P. Haynes, Chief of Staff Dennis Gonzalez, Assistant Business Administrator Motioned was made by Councilwoman Lartigue, to hold the Resolution for the Trenton School Board Budget, second by Councilman Bethea. The motion was carried by the following vote of the Council members present: AYES: Council member Bethea, Coston, Lartigue, Segura and Staton NAYES: None ABSENT: Council member Melone ABSTAIN: Pintella CIVIC MATTERS: Councilman Segura – Street Sweepers need to be cleaned or repaired. Sometimes they leave more garbage behind then, what they pick up. With the flood we had, does the city quality for Federal Aid. Also he mentioned that the computers in some of the police cars were not working, mostly in the west ward. Councilman Coston – Tax sale taking place are we going to utilize the Abandoned Property Act? Has the Take it to the Streets schedule been finalized? Is there an Acting Executive Director for the Trenton Public Library? Councilwoman Lartigue – I submitted something to Mr. Carabelli, about the Abandoned Property Act to see if we can make some amendments. Meeting Adjourned: 8:11 p.m. Respectively submitted ___________________________ __________________________ PAUL M. PINTELLA PENELOPE S. EDWARDS-CARTER CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT ACTING DEPUTY MUNICIPAL CLERK