Borough Council

BOROUGH OF WESTWOOD PUBLIC MEETING OF THE MAYOR & COUNCIL FEBRUARY 16, 2021 AGENDA 7:30 PM CLOSED SESSION/8:00 PM PUBLIC MEETING ZOOM REMOTE MEETING https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89027825051?pwd=NzBCSThWQUsyNU1vZk9vdVNyeWNOQT09 Meeting ID: 890 2782 5051 Passcode: 702885 By phone: +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) 1. Opening of the Meeting: This meeting which conforms with the Open Public Meetings law, Chapter 231, Public Laws of 1975, is a regularly scheduled remote Borough Council meeting. The Annual Schedule of meetings was published in the Record on January 14, 2021, posted on the Borough website and on the door of the Borough Hall in conformance with N.J.A.C. 5:39-1 et seq. 2. Roll Call: Committee Assignments: Mayor Arroyo – Present Councilmember Bicocchi – Present Land Use Councilmember Collins – Present Police & Emergency Management Councilmember– Montana Present Recreation & Public Properties Councilmember Hodges – Present Health & Hospital Councilmember Murphy – Present Fire & Ambulance Council President Dell - Present Finance, Administration & Capital Projects; Shared Services Borough Attorney Huntington – Present Interim Administrator Elenio - Present Borough Clerk Hughes – Present 3. Resolution #21 - 60: Executive Closed Session Motion to Approve Resolution #21-60: Council President Dell Second: Councilmember Murphy Roll Call: Councilmember Bicocchi - Yes Councilmember Collins – Yes Councilmember Hodges – Yes Councilmember Montana - Yes Councilmember Murphy – Yes Council President Dell – Yes 4. Reopen the Meeting: Councilmember Murphy Second: Councilmember Dell Voice Vote: A voice vote was taken with all present voting in the affirmative. The time was 8:02 pm. 5. Roll Call II: Mayor Arroyo – Present / Councilmember Bicocchi – Present / Councilmember Collins – Present / Councilmember Hodges - Present / Councilmember Montana – Present / Councilmember Murphy - Present / Council President Dell - Present / Interim Administrator Elenio - Present / Borough Attorney Huntington – Present / Borough Engineer Boswell – Present / Borough Clerk Hughes – Present 6. Flag Salute Mayor Arroyo led those present in the salute to the flag. 7. Certificates of Achievement for Soccer Champions – Dragons U10 Girls Soccer Team 8. Resolution #21 - 61: Appointment of Deputy Clerk Motion to Approve Resolution #21-61: Council President Dell Second: Councilmember Montana Minutes Page 2 Public Meeting of the Mayor and Council February 16, 2021 Roll Call: Councilmember Bicocchi - Yes Councilmember Collins – Yes Councilmember Hodges – Yes Councilmember Montana - Yes Councilmember Murphy – Yes Council President Dell – Yes Mayor Arroyo administered the Oath of Office for Deputy Clerk to Jean-Marie Vadovic. 9. Resolution #21 - 62: Appointment of SLEO Class II Motion to Approve Resolution #21-62: Councilmember Collins Second: Councilmember Montana Roll Call: Councilmember Bicocchi - Yes Councilmember Collins – Yes Councilmember Hodges – Yes Councilmember Montana - Yes Councilmember Murphy – Yes Council President Dell – Yes Mayor Arroyo administered the Oath of Office for Special Law Enforcement Officer Class II to Daniel Snyder. 10. Engineer’s Report 1) Biweekly Report Dr. Boswell reviewed the biweekly engineer’s report, a copy of which is attached. 2) Landfill Dr. Boswell advised that the Borough is waiting on the DEP to schedule a meeting at Westvale regarding the landfill. Councilmember Montana questioned whether it was for the methane monitoring. Dr. Boswell said it would be regarding the methane recovery system. 3) Kaufman Drive Mayor Arroyo said the patch on Kaufman Drive is not performing well. Dr. Boswell said bond can be used to fix it but the weather is currently too cold. 11. Reports of Committees and Officials, As Needed: A) Mayor’s Report 1) Appointment of Judge Mayor Arroyo announced that he is nominating the current Judge, Al Fazio, for reappointment. All agreed to add a resolution to the Consent Agenda. 2) Covid-19 Vaccine Mayor Arroyo discussed the difficulties people are having with registering and obtaining the Covid-19 vaccine. He announced that while the Borough would be willing to set up a POD (point of dispensing), due to the lack of available vaccine the Borough will be working with the hospital to register and vaccinate residents. B) Council President’s Report Council President Dell is happy to hear that the Borough is working with the hospital and thanked all those involved. 1) Celebrate Westwood Council President Dell said it was nice to witness the recognition of Celebrate Westwood by Downtown New Jersey through its 2021 Placemaking Early Action Award for Small Minutes Page 3 Public Meeting of the Mayor and Council February 16, 2021 Organizations. 2) Grand Opening Council President Dell noted that B&S Kitchen opened yesterday, and will be holding a ribbon cutting ceremony soon. C) Council Liaison & Committee Reports 1) Finance, Administration and Capital Projects: BD a) Finance Department Council President Dell reported that tax collection is at 99.4%. The Finance Committee is working on the 2021 budget. The plan is to introduce at the March public meeting and adopt at the April public meeting. She applauded CFO Frank Elenio and Councilmember Montana for paving the way with prior Finance Committees, however, there is still an unknown future due to Covid. b) Historic Preservation Commission Council President Dell reviewed the 2021 officers for the HPC. They are looking into a different Historic Consultant since their current one is no longer interested. Projects include tweaking the ordinance to make the HPC more grant eligible; touring the 84 Washington property; and dedicating the train station. 2) Fire and Ambulance: JM a) Fire Department Councilmember Murphy relayed a request from the Fire Department for residents to clear snow from the fire hydrants. The Boy Scouts have been digging them out but could use help. The Fire Department officers are working on organizing themselves and are taking free online training classes. b) Shade Tree Committee Councilmember Murphy explained the ordinance on the agenda that will allow shade tree volunteers to plant trees. One member is contacting tree nurseries to get price comparisons. The Committee is optimistic that their door hangars advising of the availability of shade trees will result in tree requests. They are hoping to double what they planted last year. c) Arts Amble Councilmember Murphy advised Creative Bergen is working on an Arts Amble that the Green Team and Celebrate Westwood are interested in bringing to Westwood, and Westwood For All Ages is interested in including senior artists. The purpose is to get people out and moving around the County to experience various types of music and art. 3) Health and Hospital: CH a) Covid-19 Vaccine Councilmember Hodges commented that it’s wonderful that the Mayor is engaged and understands what’s happening with the vaccine. She reviewed the issues with obtaining the vaccine and announced that the hospital is willing to work with the Borough to get residents, particularly seniors, vaccinated. She discussed what initiatives are being pursued. Councilmember Hodges asked the public to be patient and work together with the Borough, and Minutes Page 4 Public Meeting of the Mayor and Council February 16, 2021 thanked those who have stepped up to volunteer their services. b) Health Department Councilmember Hodges wished Health Director Sharon Blehl all the best on her retirement March 1st. c) Parking Authority Payment Councilmember Hodges reviewed the Parking Authority’s financial status which led to the request to the Borough to waive the annual payment for 2020 and potentially 2021. She suggests the payments be deferred to the end of their contract. 4) Land Use: RB a) Land Use Councilmember Bicocchi reviewed the ordinance to introduce the hospital zoning change. b) Library Councilmember Bicocchi discussed the various library programs. c) Phone Scam Councilmember Bicocchi advised of a phone scam where the caller claims to be PSE&G and threatens to turn off the power if the resident doesn’t provide a credit card. 5) Police and OEM: EC a) Police Department Councilmember Collins noted the auction resolution on the agenda and thanked the Chief and Lt. Foley for their work on the 1033 program. She reviewed the various 1033 acquisitions. Councilmember Collins congratulated Dan Snyder for his appointment as Special Officer. 6) Public Works and Recreation: CM Councilmember Montana commented that the 1033 program continues to be very beneficial to the Borough. a) Senior Advisory Committee Councilmember Montana said the Senior Advisory Committee has formed a subcommittee on pandemic vaccine solutions. He reviewed the various concerns and proposed solutions to getting a vaccination program for seniors established, from registration to availability to communication to transportation. b) Environmental Committee Councilmember Montana advised that the Environmental Committee reorganized and elected the 2021 officers. c) DPW Councilmember Montana reminded residents to work with the DPW during snowstorms. D) Attorney’s Report No report. Minutes Page 5 Public Meeting of the Mayor and Council February 16, 2021 E) Administrator’s / Clerk’s Report No report. 12. Agenda/Public Forum: Motion to open Agenda/Public Forum: Council President Dell Second: Councilmember Bicocchi Voice Vote: A voice vote was taken with all present voting in the Affirmative. Lisa Bontemps, 136 Lafayette Terrace – will put an announcement regarding working with the DPW during snowstorms on the Westwood For All Ages website. Ms. Bontemps thanked Councilmember Collins and her family, and all the volunteers that helped shovel out seniors after the storm. She has compiled a list of reasonably-priced snow removal service providers that she will share on the Westwood For All Ages website. Ms. Bontemps said she has experience in registering seniors for the vaccine from her work with the Rotary in Emerson and is willing to help, as well as provide additional trained volunteers. Councilmember Montana said there are several groups in Westwood that he’ll be reaching out to for volunteers. Motion to close Agenda/Public Forum: Councilmember Murphy Second: Councilmember Bicocchi Voice Vote: A voice vote was taken with all present voting in the affirmative. 13. Ordinances for Introduction/Adoption Ordinances for Introduction 21-3 An Ordinance To Amend Article XIV, Chapter 195-128 H Hospital District BE IT RESOLVED that Ordinance #21-3 entitled “An Ordinance To Amend Article XIV, Chapter 195-128 H Hospital District” is hereby introduced by title; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Borough Clerk is hereby directed to advertise said ordinance with a March 16, 2021 hearing date in the official newspaper according to law. Motion to pass the ordinance on First Reading: Councilmember Hodges Second: Councilmember Murphy Roll Call: Councilmember Bicocchi - Abstain Councilmember Collins – Yes Councilmember Hodges – Yes Councilmember Montana - Yes Councilmember Murphy – Yes Council President Dell – Yes _____ 21-4 An Ordinance Amending Chapter VI Boards, Committees and Commissions, Article I Shade Tree Advisory Committee BE IT RESOLVED that Ordinance #21-4 entitled “An Ordinance Amending Chapter VI Boards, Committees and Commissions, Article I Shade Tree Advisory Committee” is hereby introduced by title; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Borough Clerk is hereby directed to advertise said ordinance with a March 16, 2021 hearing date in the official newspaper according to law. Minutes Page 6 Public Meeting of the Mayor and Council February 16, 2021 Motion to pass the ordinance on First Reading: Councilmember Murphy Second: Councilmember Collins Roll Call: Councilmember Bicocchi - Yes Councilmember Collins – Yes Councilmember Hodges – Yes Councilmember Montana - Yes Councilmember Murphy – Yes Council President Dell – Yes Mayor Arroyo and Councilmember Montana noted that the Shade Tree Committee is requesting an increase in the tree budget for 2021. 14. Presentation of Bills, Financial Reports and Resolutions: Council President Dell asked if there were any resolutions to add to the Consent Agenda. She stated that any Councilmembers who wished to remove any Resolution(s) to be voted upon separately could do so at this time, otherwise the Consent Agenda would be enacted in one motion. Resolutions n-p were added at this time. Resolutions as Consent Agenda: a) Resolution #21 - 63: Bill List & Statement of Cash b) Resolution #21 - 64: Authorizing Refund of Taxes – 259 Lafayette Ave, B503 L13 c) Resolution #21 - 65: Authorizing Refund of Taxes – 171 Westwood Blvd, B2001 L34 d) Resolution #21 - 66: Authorizing Refund of Taxes Due to Tax Court Judgement B909 L15.01 e) Resolution #21 - 67: Abatement of Taxes f) Resolution #21 - 68: Towing Licenses 2021 g) Resolution #21 - 69: Authorizing Stormwater Regulation Compliance Services h) Resolution #21 - 70: Authorizing Surveying Services for Minor Subdivision at DPW Yard i) Resolution #21 - 71: Awarding On-Call Electric Services j) Resolution #21 - 72: Rejecting On-Call Plumbing Services and Authorizing Solicitation of Quotes k) Resolution #21 - 73: Authorizing Solicitation of Quotes for On Call HVAC Services l) Resolution #21 - 74: Authorizing Housing Rehabilitation Program Budget for 2021 m) Resolution #21 - 75: Authorizing The Auction Of Certain Surplus Property No Longer Needed For The Public Use By Westwood Borough Utilizing The Services Of Govdeals, Inc. n) Resolution #21 - 76: Authorizing Execution of Agreement with Hospital o) Resolution #21 - 77: Appointment of Municipal Court Judge p) Resolution #21 - 78: Deferring Parking Authority Payment Motion to Approve Resolutions #21-53 through #21-78: Council President Dell Second: Councilmember Murphy Roll Call: Councilmember Bicocchi - Yes Councilmember Collins – Yes Councilmember Hodges – Yes, with recusal on Resolution j Councilmember Montana – Yes Councilmember Murphy – Yes Council President Dell – Yes 15. Adjournment: Motion to Adjourn: Councilmember Bicocchi Second: Councilmember Hodges Voice Vote: Voice Vote: A voice vote was taken with all present voting in the affirmative. The time was 9:21 pm. Minutes Page 7 Public Meeting of the Mayor and Council February 16, 2021 Attest: Karen Hughes, RMC, Borough Clerk Proofed by: Jean-Marie Vadovic, Deputy Clerk