City Council

COUNCIL CONFERENCE MEETING MINUTES MAY 13, 2008 CITY HALL – 5:00 PM A Conference Meeting 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. Council President announced that adequate public notice had been provided to the public specifying the time and place for this meeting in accordance with the Open Public Meeting Act. FY 2007-2008 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 June 21, 2007 by Resolution No. 07-316. The agenda for this meeting was mailed, posted and filed on May 9, 2008. ROLL CALL: PRESENT: Messrs. Bethea, Coston, Ms. Lartigue (arrived at 5:17), Mr. Melone, Mr. Segura, Ms. Staton (via phone), Mr. Pintella – 7. Council President Pintella – Welcomed Councilman Bethea on his return, and gave his condolences to him and his family for their loss. He also gave his condolences to the family of the young lady that passed away in the fire on Walnut Avenue. He asked to be joined in a moment of silence in memory of Ms. Qua-Daishia Hopkins. PRESENTATION: 1. Gun Resolution: (1st Presentation given on April 29, 2008) Appearance: Joseph J. Santiago, Director of Police Sgt. Pedro Mendez Karen Marut, Purchasing Agent Police Director Santiago gave an explanation on the process they went through for the purchase of new guns. • The Police Department started looking into purchasing new guns in 2006. • A committee was formed to look at different types of guns and to test them. • They requested the purchase of new guns in the Capital Budget for 2007. • First bid went out in October, 2007 and was resubmitted because of problems; new bids were advertised in January, 2008. • Mr. Santiago was notified sometime in December, 2007 that Glock wanted to replace the guns as a trade for new ones (this was an unofficial bid). • Both Guns were tested and the majority of the officers preferred the Springfield. • Third bid was done based on this recommendation for the Springfield. • Glock wanted to trade a 40 caliber at no cost or 45 caliber at $25,000.00. City Council Conference: Minutes May 13, 2008 1  Sgt. Mendez gave a brief summary and description of the committee that was formed to investigate and test the guns. Fifteen officers tested the guns. Ten out of the 15 officers picked the Springfield the remaining officers picked different guns. A detailed discussion was followed by a question and answer period. 2. School Budget: Appearance: Rodney Lofton, Superintendent of Schools and Staff Juan Martinez, Bruce Williams, Sharon Lemore, Patricia Lucas, David Weathington, Jayne Howard, Alma Salter, Everett Collins, Dwayne Mosley, and Katherine Smallwood Johnson Mr. Lofton asked Council to be placed on Councils meeting schedule every 90 days for an update. He stated that he would give as much information as possible on the Jefferson School issue. He read a prepared statement and answered some of the questions Council submitted to him prior to meeting. The following issues were discussed and mentioned in the presentation: • School Budget Request – 2008-2009 • Human Resource matters – vacancies, and promotions • Jefferson School • Daylight Twilight School • Kilmer School • Sherman Avenue School • Maintenance Updates • Academic Achievements • Restructuring of the High School • Uniform Policy • Upgrades to schools and security issues Mr. Dwayne Mosley, Director of Construction spoke on projects under the Capital Budget: construction of the track, locker rooms for both girls and boys, parking lot repairs, rest room restoration in both high schools, camera replacement and new ones added, football field being replaced. Mr. Everett Collins, Executive Administrator of Buildings and Grounds, spoke on the safety of the school buildings and repairs needed for the safety of the students and staff. Ms. Jayne Howard, Business Administrator, spoke regarding the State Audit that was done for the school years 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 and the $8,000,000 that was inconclusive. They are looking into other ways to bring money back into the district. City Council Conference: Minutes May 13, 2008 2  Dr. David Weathington, talked about the things that are going on in the school system and letting the members of the communities know by having town meetings to notify the parents. Ms. Patricia Lucas, Assist. Superintendent for Human Resources, spoke on staff issues and the hiring of qualified individuals. Ms. Alma Salter, spoke on job vacancies and what the board is doing to fill them. She mentioned what is being done to make sure that the students are getting the education they need to pass to the next grade. A detailed discussion was followed by a question and answer period. Council recessed at 7:43 p.m. and reconvened in open session at 7:50 p.m. All members were present. PUBLIC COMMENTS: Melvin L. Kelly – Spoke on the gun issue and working to help the residents of the City Patricia Stewart, 679 Lamberton Street – Spoke on the City’s bidding process; asked if K Hovnanian was coming to speak about the Champale Site; gang issue and the little girl dying. Dion Clark, 323 Walnut Avenue – Spoke regarding the loss of the little girl on Walnut Avenue on Mothers Day, asked how many more people had to die before something gets done about the gang problem. Bea Perry, 26 Sylvester Avenue – Commended Council Members and the Police Department for the job they have done; weeds have to be cut and areas cleaned for the Spring; thanked Councilwoman Lartigue for the questions she asked on the presentation. Larry LoBue, 270 Cummings Avenue – Spoke on the problems they had in the past with Jules Tavern and the parking issue. Janet Sobon, 270 Cummings Avenue - Spoke on the problems with Jules Tavern. Carl Peters, 301 Cummings Avenue – Spoke on the problems with Jules Tavern. Paul Harris, 137 Centre Street – Thanked Council Members for listening to the people who come to Council meetings; a dry City sounds good; school uniforms are a good idea. City Council Conference: Minutes May 13, 2008 3 CIVIC MATTERS: Councilman Coston – 1) Asked Administration about the status of the Police and Firemen Insurance Association payroll deduction for those who wanted to participate with the insurance plan. Councilwoman Lartigue – 1) Stated that Council should establish a web site of their own, so they can provide Council information to the public. Councilman Melone – 1) Asked the Acting City Clerk about the releasing of the recorded tape of Council Meetings. 2) Requested an update on the investigation being done on Garfield Avenue where a gentleman was found dead. Council President Pintella – 1) Advised Council Members that the Annual Notice would be reviewed and discussed at the next Council Meeting. 2) Asked the Acting City Clerk for a brief update on the Zoning Board and the Parking Authority advertisement for open positions. The meeting adjourned at 8:57 p.m. Respectfully submitted ___________________________ __________________________ PAUL M. PINTELLA JUANITA M. JOYNER CITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT ACTING CITY CLERK City Council Conference: Minutes May 13, 2008 4