Borough Council - Regular Meeting

Thank you very much. This is the regular meeting agenda of the government body of the borough of Bloomingdale, Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at 7 p.m. We're going to call the meeting's order to salute the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands,

One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Senator Cotto?

Here.

Councilman Rockway?

Present.

Councilman Catalan?

Here.

Councilman Graziano?

Here.

Councilwoman Dagan is accused.

Councilwoman Schubert? Here. Councilman Cassidy?

Here.

We also have our municipal clerk, Brianna Smith, business administrator, Michael Sonnenmeier, and borough attorney, John Sullivan. This meeting is for the pursuance and revision of the call for public meetings on adequate notice of the meeting was advertised in Carol News on January 19, 2026. Copyright is provided to the local news media and posted continuously in the municipal building. The copy of this notice is available to the public in the file in the office of the municipal clerk.

Ask for a state fire code.

I am required to acknowledge that there are two emergency exits in this council chamber. The B exit will be managed through, and the secondary exit will not be where I am seated. If there is an emergency, walk forward to the exit, exit through the door, downstairs, and out the door. If there's any questions, please raise your hand. Seeing none, we do not have any non-agenda items tonight, so it's now the motion to open up for public comment.

So moved. Second. All in favor? Aye.

Anyone wish to come up and talk to a general item, please come up. Charles . There's four items here.

I really want to thank the council for moving on them. I'm looking forward to seeing more information on your population survey, because you're .

The other ones, the health care resolution is important. that both the municipal side as well as the school side and the highland side. So thank you for taking the time to research and move on. You're welcome. You're welcome. Thank you. Anyone else who wants to respond to agenda items? Hello. Hello. Just got to send your name and your address.

Oh, I'm .

Yes, your addresses.

Oh, we are and we are working on a project on our silver wood. So then you're getting a- Home address.

We just need your home address. Just need your home address.

Give them your home address real quick.

Where do you live?

Oh, .

You just moved here. Very good.

Okay.

Go ahead. We would like to install an interpretive wildlife sign at Boca Park. The purpose of this sign is to educate visitors about the local wildlife and natural habitat found within the park. Many residents and visitors enjoy spending time at our park, but they may not know about the animals, birds, plants, and ecosystems that exist around them. An interpretive design would provide interesting facts, identify common species, and explain the importance of protecting our local environment.

This project will benefit the community by increasing environmental awareness, encouraging appreciation for its local wildlife, and providing educational resources to families, students, and visitors. The estimated cost of designing, producing, and installing the design is approximately $2,000. We are respectfully requesting the board's approval of this project. Once approved, Abelaine and I will begin fundraising efforts to cover the cost.

Although we believe this project will create a lasting educational resource that residents can enjoy for many years while helping people better understand and protect the natural environment in our community, thank you for your time and consideration. I would be happy to answer any questions you

I have a couple questions. Obviously, this is a Girl Scout project. Is your whole Girl Scout troop going to be working on this, or is it certainly you guys? It's just us.

I don't think we are going to have a problem because you want to put this up as a playground of both.

Anybody here? I have a question.

I know locally they have a sign that I don't know if that's the county. Does the county have any grants or anything to help them with that kind of, you know, with the environmental club? Can they help?

I know at one point in time, back before D.A.

took over as D.A. for environmental, they had discussed habitat signs for Oakwood. And there might be some knowledge there. I mean, I have environmental. There's been a net transfer of information. But I would think that if you're going to be doing fundraising, obviously the council will stand behind you and support that. And we've got some of the Boy Scouts and their projects. They're a library. Library of the flood. I'm sorry. Correct.

Just library. Let me ask you a question. I think since this is a Girl Scout project, correct? and I think part of your project is raising the money, that's part of your, right? And I can only equal to, of course you have to go over to Eagle Skyward where they have to go out, they have to solicit, they have to come up with a project and complete the group, but help however you guys decide to run it.

I think it's great. I believe we'll be 100% in favor of it.

The only thing I will ask is once you design your sign, all right, on paper,

I will kind of instruct you to meet with light for myself and anyone else.

We just want to see it. And then we will come up with a location that you want to put it. I'll show you that part. You must have some type of ideas of where you want to put it. Okay. So I would just have one of us work with you and we will just give you the okay to put it in that spot. And the reason I'm saying that, Sometimes, wherever you want it, it might be blocking something's view, it might be, you know, we put a new document, it might not be, I don't know where you want to put it. But, you know, I'm sure it's going to look great, and I don't know if anybody else has any questions. I think we're just gonna give you the okay and do it. I think it's a great project, and you're gonna find a lot of stuff that you're gonna get, that you're gonna, you're gonna identify. And how long do you think it will take to do this?

Yeah, I would say a month because you can create, you can order a natural coat online and then have it shipped in parts and be able to go and sell it and so forth.

But you want to design it in person, I'm sure you're going to...

So we actually discussed this a little bit at the last environment meeting.

So then you can make changes when needed and put stuff in there. I would suggest putting, I think, that's on the bottom. How long? On there. That would be on there. Okay. Literature. Yeah. Okay.

I see mapping and stuff like that on there.

I think it's very fast. As far as I'm concerned, I think we're all in favor. Go with it. And once it's done, we'll just go through a presentation and we'll see. I'd really love to hear from what you're doing and recognize you guys for doing it. I think we all really appreciate what you're doing on this.

Well, it'll be used for a wall. Not that it'll sound like a viral question, but it's up there as well. It'll be maintained here on the wall when it's up.

I'm sure we're all helping you out. get you where you need to go. So we'll be part of your progress again. What else do you guys have? Thank you guys. Thank you. Great job. Thank you guys. Anyone else want to come up and speak to agenda items? I'm sure you do.

I got nothing to say. I'm good.

Hi, everyone. Aaron Essner, .

I was just wondering, you saw something on the agenda about surveys, so I was just wondering about how big on . Okay. I'll let Mike speak to this.

You know, what we're doing tonight, we're approving the funds to have the college go ahead and do the survey. It'll be in the fall. I don't know if we can have the lease on it, but we'll get on the schedule. We haven't done it this year, but we'll do it sometime this fall. The population really is a little bit low.

We'll be able to have it in there. Exactly. It'll be right here. It'll probably come up when we talk to them. Probably sometime late November or early December. once the leaves are all gone, you know, they even like to have snow in there when it happens, but they need to give it an intensity so we can actually do the fall drone flyover and then do them to complete them.

All down. All the green eyes. Yes.

And you really need to stay far.

Yeah.

Sure. I'll let you know when the drone is flying.

It'll be in the middle of the night, so.

I think they said they do it at night. Yeah. So. very useful.

Thank you. You're welcome. Anyone else? I see no one with a motion to close.

So moved.

Second. All in favor? Aye. Report to committee.

Mayor, for the Senior Center, they all calendar events are listed on the calendar at the really beautifully renovated senior center. I also thought my understanding that Pat Yancey, she will not be retiring. She's still very active in getting all kinds of events for the seniors. They have, in November, they have a trip to Newport, Rhode Island. It's from November 17th to the 20th, four days. And their yearly trip to their New Year's Eve day trip to, like, reaching in... in Long Island City. All these things are available at the Senior Center. Also for the main numbers for Triborough were 156 for May. Year to date they had 748 calls and Triborough had 129 calls. Their instruction for this month is about, it's called Graduation Fever. And if anybody would like to volunteer, definitely go on their website. They are always looking for people to help. And this Saturday we're having the fireworks. There's about 15 trucks that are coming. I'll let Mayor talk about the possible weather situation.

Good. Okay. John. About a week ago, Mayor, Mr. Fondemeyer, myself, Michelle Reynolds from our Economic Development Commission, as well as a couple of business owners, we walked main street with a gentleman from the new jersey business action center so he's a state employee as well as a director of the state county economic development jean carlo steve menardo and the intention there was to look what we have going on on main street what our zoning is what are things that we can do that are more business friendly they were exploring different types of grants that we might be able to apply for we're really just explaining what are the benefits that we have and what are some of the hindrances that we have I know one of the big ones we discussed was the floodplain rising up two feet over the past couple of years. And both representatives in the county and the state seem to see what we all know, and that is a bit unnecessary.

We have a kind of a restriction in how much it can hurt us downtown.

So anyway, they're going to come back to us with some suggestions and additional materials and simply give a study from the state for things that we might be able to action on. So I'm looking forward to receiving their responses and seeing what we might be able to do with that. But it was a good, productive walk. It took about an hour. We went up and down. We even met with certain business owners that happened to be there at the time so they could share their input and give their feedback. So I want to thank you both for coming, as well as Michelle from the UBC and the county and the state for their time and attention.

Yeah, it was kind of educational, but I think from what

we got out of them, they're getting the same complaints of the problems that we talked about from other municipalities with the flood issues and that stuff and people being almost hand tied because the state wants you to build and then the other side says you can't build.

So they need to walk it out on the same page and hopefully with the gentleman from the state, he will relay that message to the next step to try to

help us out with what we have to do to get these projects moving forward. We'll see what happens with more of them. Tom again?

Tomorrow night we have a funding board meeting and I believe the summer camp for REC is now underway. So I hope all kids are out there enjoying those rainy days today. There will be a soccer camp this summer as well as a volleyball camp available. Obviously the Concert Center Park is looking forward to the rec. But I think that is it for right now. Feel free to sign up for those via the website.

The Concert Center Park, we were asked about the concert down there if we just need to start advertising dates so people can start playing. Yeah, July 22nd is Clementine's Basement, the first one I know about.

Is that being advertised anywhere on our website? We advertise it on the I'll check and find out whether they've put it in any of the cells yet.

The first one is the 22nd.

That's the first one that I have on a note for the line office. The 22nd is the one I have a note for. So tomorrow

Wednesday, the 24th, is the Board of Education meeting.

And then the following Wednesday, July 1st, environmental is meeting.

Even though the Senior Center is done, we've decided to keep the meetings occurring here in council chambers. So that has been updated on the borough website that the new meeting place for environmental meetings is in this location. That's all. Okay. A couple of things, the glacier playground is ready for the surfacing. Crook is all in, the pavement out front is done. That should be coming within, as soon as you can drive.

Then out back, you see the pad for the shed for the police is ready to be poured. Again, as soon as the rain stops, they'll pour that, and then they'll let the shed deliver, get them up and running for their, say, for their accreditation process.

And you can stop that picture.

Just a couple things from me. I attended both the Walter T. Berger School graduation and the Butler High School graduation. It all went very well. Very well organized. It was pretty impressive how I use the Berger School. The plans were outside and they weren't sure, but everything was organized and very well inside. Set up was nice. The program was great. Butler was very nice and I didn't notice but their class seemed to be big. It was 146 kids in a high school graduation class, which I thought was a pretty big group, so they went really well. Soil Park Fest was well attended, a little bit hot in the beginning, and once the band started playing and it cooled down a little bit, we had a really good turnout. The band was great. Food trucks all seemed to be moving, It was very organized from Sally Brazil, Evie, and Jen, who really ran with it and organized it. So that went really well with us. The other thing for me is Fisher and the Leisure Place in Hamburg Turnpike, where the two cars hit the guardrail on the Colbert Crossing from Fisher Street to mid to Hamburg Turnpike. Within the next two weeks, the county will be starting that project to do the repairs on it. They're going to start putting up signs along Amber Turnpike that construction will begin on or about base. To do that, which is going to cause some adequate traffic, it's going to be about a month to get the project complete. They have to work on both sides of the culvert. to do the repairs, so I'm assuming once the construction starts, the sidewalks will be closed on the north-outside of Cambridge Roadway. On that, so it's going to be a problem with a little bit of traffic. They want to wait until school got out, so they need to deal with bussing and everything in the early morning. So, but it's gonna be a pretty big project to do those repairs from what I've looked at and what's underneath. So that's gonna start hopefully within the next two weeks. I did a couple rides through Ann and Elm of the work that's going on in Memorial Court of Torrance. It's coming along really well. It looks like they're going to start doing the piece work of the curving. It's going to start on Ann Street and then they'll work their way through to get to Elm and hopefully within the next two to three weeks the main part of that project will be done which will be curving. I think the water's done, the drainage is all done. So the curfew will have it set for a while before they actually take you through there. So that project is coming along with us. We are gonna do a grand opening for the new playwright of the leisure. And I hope everybody from the council will be there when we schedule a date for that to open it up. Some people thought it was open already before they put the fence up and put it in there. So we had to close it up.

But that's kids.

That project was down there and took some pictures of where we are today. So that'll be another project between us and the county. All right, resolution number 2026, 6.10 consent agenda. The work group consent agenda, I just want to recognize just like mentioned mary mazzola is leaving us as of the end of august mary has been a dedicated employee to our our url she's been one of the long-term dispatchers dispatchers i know mary for a really long time so we wish her nothing but the best and on her retirement from his fashion okay um

Do I have a motion to accept the consent agenda? So moved.

Second. Any questions?

Roll call.

Brockers?

Yes.

Catalano?

Yes.

Graziano?

Yes.

Schubert? Yes. Gassi?

Yes. Any items?

Adoption of the 2026 municipal budget. Yes, Ms. LeBurke to read session two.

Can you see it resolved by the council members of the Borough of Bloomingdale County of the State that the budget hearing before it's set forth is hereby adopted shall constitute an appropriation for the purposes stated of the sum therein set forth as appropriation and authorization of the amount of $9,827,238.70 for municipal purposes. $181,952.58 for open space, recreation, farmland, and historic preservation trust fund money. And $453,705 for the minimum library tax. Okay. Resolution number 2026.6.20.

Document 2026 for this little budget. Do I have a motion? So moved. We just want to take a moment, while I was not in attendance for the last meeting, I did review the meeting minutes and I have reviewed the budget and as frustrating as this budget may be to all of us here and to the taxpayers, I do think that our budget committee did the best that they could with the cards they were dealt. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Okay.

I do, for the people that are hopefully watching this live, I suggest that if people have any questions, they go back to the last meeting and watch our website and look at the budget presentation our business administrator presented to us. And it explains a lot of where we are, where we were, and how we got to the resolution of this budget. And the constraints that we have, both controllables and uncontrollables. I always urge anybody that has any ideas from this council to please meet with us and give us any ideas that you believe that can help us with any budget that we do. But as being part of this, and Ray and John can talk about this if they'd like to, but we worked on this budget very, very hard and looked at it line by line with our CFO, our business administrator. They sat down with our department heads, and we got the budget to the best place that we can with all the issues that we're forced to handle as a borough. And what I think the presentation, if you look at it, explains pretty much everything and how we got to where we are today. So I thank everybody for their participation in this. Heather's not here tonight, she was here last meeting. And to the question of Mike and Heather, you guys did a great job. I really appreciate what you did with the budget. So thank you all.

Okay, item B, second file reading public hearing

bond coordinates number nine, that's 2026, various road groups.

Let me know if it's safe, please. So motion to read by title. So moved. All in favor? Aye. Onwarding and providing for the reconstruction of various roads by and in the borough of Colonial County today in New Jersey, we're creating $415,000 there for inclusive of an NADOT grant in the amount of $331,080 and authorizing the issuance of $415,000 bonds for those of the borough to plan to go through that.

Do we motion to roll out public hearing?

So moved. Second. All in favor? Aye. Anyone wish to come up? Seeing none, the motion is closed.

So moved. Second. All in favor? Aye. This is simply where, this is for a DOT grant that we received for Hillcrest and Cookport to repay. Both rows, and it will be some concrete work that needs to be done, some curving that needs to be repaired. This is primarily grant money that we receive from the DOT. The additional amount that's in there, but you're not allowed to use it for engineering costs, and the engineer must do it. So that is our sections cost, that is called for our engineer, and any surveys that he needs, this needs to be done. But those two rows will be done as part of our next project. So we have a motion for adoption. So moved. Second.

Roll call. Graviano?

Yes.

Schubert? Yes. Gavity?

Yes.

Gronkert?

Yes.

Catalano?

Yes.

Okay, who's next? Item A, that's the resolution number 2026.6.21. Yes.

Yes.

Yes. Yes.

Yes. Yes.

Item B, introduction of ordinance number 10-2026, amended to Chapter 2, recreation fees. Do I have a motion to read by title? So moved.

Second.

All in favor? Aye.

An ordinance of the Borough of Toledo County of the State of New Jersey, amending Chapter 2, administration, section 210. dash 6411 fees for recreation program of the code of the Merrill-Coligno. Second final meeting and adoption will be scheduled for July 21st. Okay.

So motion by Blake Popcock. So moved. Second. All in favor? Aye. Anyone wish to stop and talk about any? We will. Person in here. I'm just wondering, the site next to the post office, what's going on with that? That's a good question.

The developer at this time has not, he used to file paperwork with several accountants. I believe a super authority. He has to work out the water hookup and the problem I think it is because the road over. The county didn't do that.

And they have specific rules. If the city opens it up, he's gonna pay for it to occur. That's part of the problem. We're waiting for him to get his final approvals through. The building department seems to file for us for this. It's right now, it's beyond us. That's the answer. Mike is in touch with them all the time to see what we're doing, where they're gonna start. But right now, we're not getting the results we want at this point, but the way the law works, there's nothing we can do. I know it's horrible that they took down those houses, but you cannot stop anybody from demoing, because obviously those renters have to come in and actually save them some money. But we have no control of forcing him to start for those. He has all the approval, smart planning for it. He came through, did all the processes, done a good thing. So we're waiting on him.

there's not much we can do. There's been a flurry of activity and then nothing for a long time now. It looks like the site working is probably not complete yet.

Don't say we're close to being complete.

I mean, our engineer has made it do certain things. You see the grass that's growing. He had a replant to make sure it stops the eroding. Somewhat, it didn't stop it completely. I know our property maintenance has been touching him to as recently to, you know, say big pile of woods and mine fence, all right, and to get rid of that debris. So property maintenance is doing his job to making sure that he's keeping it somewhat clean.

Anytime we have a problem with fence, he gets a phone call, and then we go to this response, and then our property maintenance takes us to the next session. But that's about all at this point we can do with that. Kind of the same problem down by Venus. When he wants to get nothing, I know that we spoke to him. He was one of the people that stopped with us the other day with the county and the state when we walked over Main Street. He came out and talked to us. He's itching to get started. He's waiting for all the DEP approvals for that project. So once he gets those approvals, he wants to put a shovel right there. So there's a plus on that side of the Main Street. The other side, it's very upsetting to me that every time you drive down and look at that, it's horrible.

you really were pointing out walking through that economic development like kind of against that yeah yeah i just you know these are the old property so our hands are running like that if the owner decides i'm not this is firing me into too much cost i'm just going to bail out on it is there any recourse or could the property just stay like that um i don't have that answer

That would be, between our legal team, we'd have to do the research on that, of what we're capable to do and not to do with him. To me, if he got to a point where he thinks he can not do it, I would assume he would try to put the property for sale. I would assume that. And then some people would demand that he do a general project, lesser cost for that project. But right now, our hands as a borrower . Thank you. Appreciate the question. Anyone else? I see no one with a motion to close the public.

So moved. All in favor? Aye. We do not have an executive session tonight.

Our next meeting is on July 21st at 7 p.m. We'll go to a motion to adjourn. So moved.

Second.

All in favor? Aye. Thank you all.