City Council - Regular Meeting

Okay. Mayor, I'd like to call to order the special meeting of the Elwood Park Mayor and Council for April 23rd, 2026 to order at 4:00 p.m. On roll call, we have council members Fellow here. Oswald here, Samson present. Sheridan here, Troy here, Council President Peline here, Mayor Kleti here. We have a quorum.

Thank you. Thank you. How's everybody doing here today out there? Okay. Welcome to our special meeting which will be dealing with introduction of our budget. Uh with no further ado, let's get started. Uh whereas chapter 231, the public laws of the state of New Jersey require at the commencement of every meeting a statement of compliance be read by the presiding officer. Now therefore, be advised that the meeting requirements for this meeting have been met by publishing a special meeting notice in the record in Herald News and by posting such notice on the burrow website as well as in the office of the burrow clerk and in a public place within the municipal building. Also by notifying interested citizens said notice was transmitted and posted on April 20th, 2026. Okay, at this time we have the following ordinance. Resolution R-162-26 introduce ordinance number 26-14 on first reading. Be it resolved that an ordinance entitled calendar year 2026 ordinance to exceed the municipal budget appropriation limits and to establish a cap bank NJSA48 col4-45.14 be passed and adopted on first reading and be it resolved that a final hearing on said ordinance will be heard in the municipal building on Thursday May 21st 206 at 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as same can be heard at which time any persons interested in said that ordinance can be heard. be resolved that the burough clerk being and she is hereby authorized to advertise a notice of introduction and final hearing as required by law.

May I have a motion on the ordinance? Some move. Second. Any discussion? Call the roll, please. First by Council President Pel Green, second by Councilman Samson. On roll call, we have Council Member Bristool. Yes. Oswald, yes. Samson, yes. Sheridan, yes. Troy, yes. Council President Pellegrine. Yes.

Motion carries. Resolution R-163-26, introduction of the 2026 municipal budget. Be it resolved that the final that the following statement of revenues and appropriations attached here to constitute the local budget of the bureau of Elwood Park, Bergen County, New Jersey for the year 2026. Be it further resolved that the said budget be published on the burrow's website at www.elwood parknj. us on April 24th, 2026 and that the hearing on the budget will be held at the municipal building on May 21st, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the matter may be reached. Be it be it further resolved that the governing body of the Burlwood Park does hereby approve the following as the budget for the year 2026.

May I have a motion on the resolution? So move. Second. Any discussion? Yes, mayor. Are we going to hear um anything about this budget before introducing it? Speak up. I want to know what the the tax percentage increase is that we're introducing in this budget. Um you know, you have the public here. You're just going to pass it. I mean introduce it. So protocol is yes. The public does not have a say on the budget this evening. However, Rambell answer what you want through the mayor. Thank you.

Um but that's It's an introduction only. The public hearing is on May 21st. That's when the public will have it say uh for the introduction. Um 44 years the introduction there's no uh back and forth with the public. It's they have their say the public hearing. That's what it would be done. But I'll answer questions from the D. Let me get you a microphone. Yeah. Are you satisfied with that? No. I I want to hear the information of the budget that is going to be introduced. Councilman, I'd like to I'd like information about the budget that we're introducing. This way I know how my votes going to be.

Could you be more specific?

Yes. The percentage of tax increase on the municipal level that's being presented tonight in this budget since we had zero meetings as a council before introducing a budget. But please all right Mr. Rubic so the increase on a household which is now been reval as you know the revaluation is complete that was a court order that was not done by the finance committee nor the mayor and council. you were ordered to do a rebal. As a result of the rebal for the one-third of the homeowners in Elwood Park, it's safe to say that the homes have gone down in taxes because the burden of many of the homes were on the commercial establishments uh were on the homes. So, the homes have gone down on the reval. Approximately one/3 went down, one/ird remained the same and one/3 went up. The shift went from uh the homeowner to the commercial. Your homes are now selling or the average assessment is $632,000 a house. Doesn't mean you're going to get that money, but that is what the comp showed the courts. Your tax point is now $441,000. Your increase in this budget is three line items uh that make up the entire amount. Those entire amounts um are reflected with the group insurance which is up 36%. And if you notice in the newspapers, you haven't seen many towns do an introduction to the budgets. We're one of 12 that I'm aware of right now in Burton County. We were very successful through to the chief, the BA and the

finance committee behind me where we made cuts upon cuts through the finance committee which is the proper way we do it here in Elwood Park, those who have the control right now. And those cuts got us into the cap. That cap is still not being born in many of the communities. As a result, layoffs are being done through silver service. the 45day layoff notice is being done, but not here in Elmer Park. Your finances are fine. And with that being said, the average increase is $400 on a house for the assessed value of $632,000. Um, Miss Roy, is it safe to say that if we haven't been been plagued like we have been in the last three years with enormous increases in in the health insurance, uh, garbage collection, recycling, uh, that we'd be flat right now. There wouldn't be no increase.

You would be flat. And to be transparent, less than $100 to cover everybody, mayor. I think that's more than fair. So, so basically what that's telling me and should be telling the public out there is that that this ship is being run right financially, 100%. And I can prove it just with the surplus alone. We are building up that surplus again, Mayor. So, in this year's budget, we decreased the water utility surplus by $831,000. from last year. Your surplus itself has been reduced another couple hundred,000. You're already preparing for next year's budget today.

Yeah. And and just for the public's edification, I have some items here that I asked our BA to to give me some numbers on on things that during the course of the year we do work on. It might interest some of you to hear it. Uh, for instance, our fleet, our vehicle fleet, switching from Enterprise to 911 leasing all American Ford resulted in saving $190,000. Cleaning services, we went out, put it out the bid, we saved $9,000. Uh, department operating budgets, each department, we went into each department, said, "Trim your budgets a little. See if you can curtail your spending." and we got $5,000 back from each each department which resulted in $55,000. And there's a host of savings here from our police department that goes into half a million dollars. That would I would it would take me two hours to explain it. Uh in addition, we have our Department of Public Works. Two employees resigned, one retired, resulting in a total salary savings of approximately $25,000, replacing all three positions at an entrylevel salary would only cost us $135,000. So, we're doing our job here. We're not falling asleep at the wheel. And also, an item that this council worked on recently was putting a moratorum on the matching grants. These grants are meant to go dollar for dollar with the town and are useful if you need the item. We've been pretty pretty well involved in in taking care of all our parks to pretty much all up to speed safety wise, aesthetic wise. So, uh we don't need no matching grant right now. That would force us to put money out where and foolishly spend it.

Roy, could I just get a um you said $400 on the average is 632 or 441? 632 010 the average assessment on a one and two family home. Okay. Average. What is that as a percentage to the m the municipal budget?

It's well it's doubled on the reval. So your home went from 331 to 3 632. The I'm not sure what you're asking. the percentage, the tax increase in a percentage. Um, well, last year I do have that. So, last year average home went up 268. This year we're going to 396. So, it would be safe to say that this is a 16% tax increase. Well, if you're using the percentage uh on the amount to be raised, it is. But the homeowner is not going to see that kind of an increase.

Correct. But it's going to be the commercial establishments. Correct. But if my house went down, let's say $1,000 in taxes and my value went up to, let's say, 800,000, right? Then my taxes would be going up about $600. No, 400.

$400. Right. Okay. Moving along. I just just as a as a to the council because I I appreciate the job that Roy does and that our BA does on getting the budget done and and I know it's extrrenuous work. Um that's why I didn't get into finance. I'm not um you know in love with numbers. Roy, I know you do this for a lot of years. You must love numbers. But um I I just want to say as a council person and to this council that if you have been here for more than three years, this is not the budget process that I'm used to. This is not the budget process that this council should be getting used to as a council. We usually sit at a table and I and I could quote Councilman Golbeck last year that we are just going to keep doing this every year and every year that now this is three years in a row with a double-digit tax increase. Um year after year that we're sitting here and just accepting what's presented to us. And I don't appreciate that as a homeowner. Um it is not the burough employees fault. It is this council in a smoke and mirror budget. That's all I have to say.

Let me ask you something, Mr. Fisolo. You say that we're not doing our due diligence here as a as a council. What would you change? I mean, these proceedings, that's what they're for, to break it down. This is only an introduction.

This is an introduction. But before we introduce a budget, as a council person for the last 7 years, we have always sat in multiple meetings to go over the budget. What are we cutting? What are we increasing? What what do our finances look like? And we just haven't had that, mayor. We haven't had that. And and it's not at a fault to the newest council people, to Joe, to Pam, to even Terry and and Eric as as veteran council people. and mayor, you've been here for double digit years, just like the tax increase, double-digit years. Um, this is just not how it's supposed to work. I feel blindsided. I know that we had the opportunity to meet with Roy on our own and I did. I went and I saw this and it just doesn't make sense to me as a council person that we get the budget, accept it, and move on. That's just not the way it's supposed to go. You say you had a uh meeting. You had a meeting with with with Roy.

Correct. And you're still complaining. I'm still Of course I'm still complaining. It's 16% tax increase and I had to seek out a meeting on my own with the not as a council to go over the budget. How is that even You're complain. You're complaining that you didn't have enough. Every time somebody says something's wrong with the way you guys do things, it's a complaint. First it was the 0% for two years. Now it's uh 16%. Last year was 12. Then the year before that was nine. All right. Well, just tell us what to do to change that. What would

When I go over the budget on my own, this is just an introduction, right? I will present ways we could cut the budget that would probably get that down to maybe seven or 8%. Who knows? But if I don't see it, if I don't see it, I can't help you. Hopefully, you're right.

Moving along. Mayor, Mayor, I just I'd like to I'd like to just say, Mayor, excuse me, that, you know, I'm not a fan of percents. So, you heard Roy, Mr. Riotano say that the uh average tax is going to go up $400. So, that's $100 a quarter. Nobody wants anything to go up. The factors that are out of our control limit what we can do. So, garbage, pensions, and benefits, insuranceances, totally out of our control. the state has has turned their back to us as far as um benefits are concerned. Pensions are out of control and again garbage collection that contract is coming up now. So keeping it at $100 a quarter for your average homeowner I think is commendable. I think this this budget is a strong budget and it speaks for itself. Thank you, Mayor.

Mayor, can I say something? Yes, please.

I would just like to say we had ample opportunity to meet with Roy. I know most of us did and we sat with him for a while. asked a lot of questions. Um, again, what Councilman Samson says and the mayor, there are always like four things that are responsible for the increase in the budget, and those are things that are out of our hands, like garbage, recycling. Those are numbers that we have to deal with. We have a contract coming up in July. Roy is going to bid for that and see where we are with that. Maybe the cost can go down. Maybe we can go with a different company. I don't know. But right now, we're in the middle of a contract, so we can't change that. Insurance, we can't we couldn't change that either. Okay. So, there's plenty of things. Health insurance, like we said, went up six uh million six. Correct, Roy? So, I mean, there are things that are in contract that we have no authority to change. We're all taxpayers here. We're homeowners. It happens to us, too. And our staff does the very best to keep it at a minimum cost for everybody. and they've worked really hard. And the last page that the mayor just read that we saved almost with the list you read, mayor, I think it was over $800,000. They found a way to trim the budget. So, nobody likes when things go up. Nobody likes when your public service goes up, when your gas goes up, right? But there are some things that we can't change. And this group works very, very hard to make it the best it can be, not to hurt our residents. We do the best we can. And I know the chief's been working very hard too with shared services. More shared services are coming in the future to also give us some relief. So we just want to say that we had ample time to talk to him. And I I get M council member Folo would have liked if he would have liked to have a meeting, he could have requested one. He could have said, "I'm requesting he could have sent an email to the mayor and council and said, I request a meeting with Roy. I know we

have individual time with him, but I want a meeting. I've never saw an email requesting that. So, if you really wanted it that bad, I think you should have just requested it. Nobody's ever denied us a meeting, the chief, Roy, or anybody. So, that's my little take on everything. We're We're sorry that things go up, but that's the world and we're trying to get them down the best we could. Nobody's trying to hurt anybody. We're doing the best we can. And I'm very I'm not done yet. Please. I'm very proud of our CFO and I'm very proud of our chief and I know the mayor's been working with them too and all our department heads have been working very hard to trim their budgets. So that's where we are. That's my take on it and I know even in the future we're working on more things that when uh Major League Baseball comes in that's going to be a whole another thing with more revenue and taxes coming in. So, we have a lot of good things coming our way that can decrease some of these um increases. That's all I have to say right now.

Thank you. Every year that I've that this majority has been in power, I have asked for budget meetings and the budget to be reviewed in different ways. In different meetings and line by line and that has gone on deaf ears every single year. Where is your request? On tape or on an email? Show it to me because

I will get the last three budget hearings. Lorraine, uh, Miss Councilwoman Peligreen, I'm talking. Councilwoman Pelleigreen, I I am on tape requesting Mr. Golbeck, former Councilman Golbeck and I sat here for at least 45 minutes last last budget introduction with the same argument that we're making now. This does not change. This council has zero regard for the rest of the council in terms of looking at the budget in terms of trying to see where we could cut. They have they it predicting line by line like every year it's the same thing. I'm requesting a meeting and a different budget process every year and it's just not done by this council.

How far back do you say you go with this? At least three years. At least three. And I believe uh the majority of the council was different three three years ago. Yeah. You had the majority for three years now, mayor. Yeah. So it's at least three years. Prior to that everything was okay. I mean with the budget process was the budget process. We sat down and did the budget line by line. Yes. I don't I don't recall that. I do.

Councilman Fiso, you could talk about it last year what you have wanted to do last year and maybe the prior year, but why didn't you this year if it meant so much to you send out an email or at a work meeting or a public meeting say, "I want to pick a date tonight to sit down as a counsel and go over that." You did not do that. what you talked about last year or prior years is one thing. If you wanted to sit down with this budget this year, then why didn't you say formally at a meeting, I request, please pick a date, council, I want a date that we can meet with Mr. Rigotano, the chief, and the entire council to go line by line. You did not do that request this year. You did not. What you've done in the past is the past. If you if I know if I wanted a date for something and something was so urgent to me, I would say, "Mayor and council, what date are we picking?" because I want to go over this before we have the meeting on the 23rd. You did not do that.

Councilwoman, you were on this council for a long time and and you know on a different party at certain times, right? Yeah.

Okay. When we when you were sitting on the other side of the majority, now that you you know went on the other side of the majority, so you're still in the majority. Um, how did we used to do the budget? How did we used to sit down? We didn't have to ask to go over the finances, the finances, the finances of the bureau. Our duty as a governing body is to review the finances of the bureau. And that has not been done in the past three years. D, if you're so I'm Last thing, mayor. Sorry. I'm very passionate about this because if I want something, I sit in front of the council. Let me finish now.

I'm I'm letting I'm Okay. You don't have to bring up what parties I was in. Everything. All you have to do is say, "Mayor and counsel, I want to pick a date now before the meeting on the 23rd. I felt this way last year. I felt this way the year before. So, I don't want to go into this again. I want to pick a date." You did not pick a date because you know why? cuz you want to complain about it. You don't want to do something about it. You want to complain that we didn't have a meeting because if you wanted a meeting, you would have requested a meeting in writing. So, you had it in writing that you requested it.

Last time I requested for a meeting, Last time I did this, and I did request for a meeting, I was told you could have called the CFO on your own time. Why didn't you call the CFO on your own time? So, I did this year. So, no, it wasn't. It was a tax increase. So, I did. and I met with the CFO this year because that's the process that you guys and the majority have offered us. Okay. Well, you did have that opportunity. Of course. All right. Moving along. Any other discussion?

Yes. I just have a couple of quick questions if you don't mind, Mr. Mayor. Um, I just noticed that on the revenue and appropriation summary, I mean, it's I guess it's only this one sheet, so we can only go off of what we see. So, I apologize that I can't hone in on it. There are, as Councilman Pasol said, there's no line items, but I did notice that it saw 2020 25 to 26 uh revenue loss of 1.73 million and a loss of surplus of half a million. So that's 2.23 million, but taxes on line item 4A go from 23.6 million to 27, which is about $4 million increase, 18%. Um, I just wanted to know, do we know why we lost that much in revenue and why taxes have to go up by 4 million? Is it because we also lost the revenue or is it only because of those other increases you're talking about?

We also lost some of the revenue as well, $2.2 million in one year. Um, $800,000 was uh we reduced the surplus for the water and we reduced the fund balance by 635. So it would be a million5 surplus that we are saving for another day. Where is that reflected? I apologize. I'm not seeing this million five. I would go to page page 13 of your packet. I don't have 13 pages in my packet. I'm sorry. It's an unlucky number, too. Okay. I'll have to get it to you.

Yeah. I mean, this this is the only thing that I'm being presented with to vote on today is this one page of revenue and appropriation summary. I know that the public's going to get their chance to look at this, but I mean I I'm I'm I'm I have to agree with Councilman Fisol. It seems really strange that a council of six elected plus a mayor elected would choose only to discuss this in finance committee and then expect that other members of the council should have to beg or ask for these meetings. It should just be a sign. There should just be a a scheduled meeting like this. I mean, it's it's I get that that this is just an introduction, but I mean, you get actually 15 seconds to really introduce somebody to something and by then you've already made your decision. So, I get that, you know, we could have individually or one-on-one met with the CFO. I mean, maybe individual residents could have also done that. But the fact is, you know, I I looked back through through past uh meeting summaries on YouTube and and AI does a very good job at summarizing YouTube videos for you. If you go back and you look at every budget meeting the past few years, Councilman Golbeck and Councilman Pollo did bring it up. As a matter of fact, it's half of the transcript in those last budget meetings the past three years where the minority party people had requested a little bit more information, a little bit more time, not at the very end of the time frame when we have to by law passed this budget after we already agreed to pass a temporary budget in the beginning of year, which in and of itself was a little bit unprecedented. Maybe it wasn't. I've only been up here a couple of months, but if I am looking at this and I see you're raising taxes by $4 million, 18% and it was like that last year and it was like that the year before, then the idea that the stewardship of okay, okay, we moved a little bit in our surplus. I mean, m double digit taxing increases three years in a row. Yes, maybe it's it's insurance and all that other kind of stuff, but I mean, that doesn't sound like we're planning ahead for it. I'm I'm just wondering why we are just going

to eat a just an expected to eat a $2.2 million revenue loss, not be told where that revenue loss comes from, a $4 million increase in the local taxes, not to mention what these folks are going to have to pay when library taxes and school taxes kick in. You know, we're already telling people to pay 50% of their mortgage in a tax bill every month. And yes, it sounds small to say $100 per quarter, but that's $100 per quarter on top of the thousands of dollars. Melma Park already ranks 10th in in tax increases and we're probably going to rise up there after this. So, uh um as much as I I appreciate that this is just an introduction, I'm going to have to side with Franchesco here and say that I can't vote yes on this and I know that it's going to pass on on that issue alone and I apologize for anybody that disagrees with me, but I I spoke to voters and I spoke to people and they don't like this the past 3 years. It's been different. Um, you can tell me all you want that I should have been more proactive, but at the same time, this is a public uh organization. This is a council who gets their power from the people and are voted on by that. The fact that this budget was kept only in finance committee and that we would have had to make special requests to see it. That doesn't that doesn't hold water with me and I I appreciate the work that the I appreciate the work that the the CFO has done. I did get to meet with him for a couple hours before this meeting and I did get to request a meeting three weeks ago and he was unavailable for three weeks prior to this and I guess um maybe that's on me but the fact is I do not know what any of these numbers come from. You could have handed me a piece of paper that said revenues and appropriations for Toys R Us and I would have to accept it because it is I'm being not forced to.

Well, Councilman Councilman, there's still time. This is introduction. If you would like to set up a meeting with our CFO, why don't you do it right now? Meeting with the mayor and council that we have an actual meeting, a public debate. I want to look at the budget. I want to see the line items. I want to see where all this stuff is going. Just like Franchesco asked, and if that requires making a formal motion and requiring a second, then I'd like to to see if you would vote along with that. Let's have another special meeting. You called this meeting two weeks ago. Two weeks ago, we were told that we were having this meeting. Come on, let's have another one. I'm I'm down for it. Well, you had the notice of two weeks, so let's If you have any questions, let's get them resolved. I I just I'll give you that much. We We should have our our questions resolved.

Anybody else on in discussion? Mayor, may I? Yes. Um I know that there's some concern about line items. Um uh uh Councilman Oswald, did you were you did you get a packet like this from the CFO? Um I believe I got one for me. You know, this is all I got. Okay. I'll share mine with you if you like. Provide counsel. Yeah, I had it yesterday, but you know, we had a cross with the timing, but it was prepared. I have it inside. I'll get it for you. Okay. No further discussion. Call the roll, please.

First by Council President Pellegrine. Second by Councilman Samson. On roll call, we have Council Member Bruce Folo. No. Oswald. No. Samson, yes. Sheridan, yes. Tracy, yes. Council President Pel Green, yes.

Motion carries. Notice is hereby given that the budget and tax resolution was approved by the council members of the Burough of Emerald Park, County of Bergen on April 23rd, 2026. A hearing on the budget and tax resolution will be heard at the municipal building on May 21st, 2026 at 7:00 p.m. at which time in place objections to the budget and tax resolution for the year 2026 may be presented by taxpayers or other interested parties. Copies of the budget are available in the office of Chen Mars Burough Clerk at the Municipal Building, 182 Market Street, EM Park, New Jersey. Phone number 201961457 during the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

May I have a motion on the res Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were finished. No, sorry. Resolution. You can't take a long pause in between. Sorry, I had to catch my breath. It screws me up if you take a long pause. Sorry. You got to you got to go without breathing. Just keep going. Okay. Uh, next resolution through you, mayor. I will read by title only. Resolution R-164-26, governing body certification of compliance with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's enforcement guidance on the consideration of arrest and conviction records and employment decisions under title 7 of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Now, may I? Yes.

May I have a motion on the resolution? Second. Any discussion? Call the roll, please. First by Council President Peline. Second by Councilman Folo. And roll call, we have Councilman Burf Solo. Yes. Oswald, yes. Samson, yes. Sheridan, yes. Troy, yes. Council President Pellegrine, yes. Motion carries. Mayor, this concludes my portion of the meeting. I will turn it over to you for the public hearing. May I have a motion to open the floor to the public? So move. Second. All in favor? Anyone from the public here to speak on anything they wish?

If not, I'll close the public portion. Thanks, Chief.

Hold on. Let me find you. My name is Doris Swatcher, 124 Philip Avenue. Everybody knows who I am. First question is, I had called yesterday about an agenda. I was told I couldn't get an agenda till tonight. I came in this morning, went to the to the office, and Angela was polite enough to give me an angenda. How come this agenda wasn't on that people could pick it up or on the website because it wasn't there? Why was this so confidential or whatever? Because, you know, it should have been able that we could get it ahead of time, not wait till the last minute to get it. And I luckily I was home from work today. Otherwise, I would not be here for 4:00. And that, I think, is another inconvenience because I had a couple people call me and say, "Why 4:00 and why not 7:00 like a normal meeting would be?" Can you tell me why he's made it for 4:00 and not seven?

Uh, mayor, if I may, just about the agenda. It was published on the burrow website. I didn't see it. Okay. Under it. It It was When was it When was it put on though? It was put on on Tuesday. Okay. Um, can you tell me why the meeting was today at 4:00? I I didn't That I can't answer. I did not. Did somebody answer me why this meeting was called at 4:00 and not 7:00 tonight? So, I can answer that. Uh, it was just recommended from from the professionals and uh circulated to the mayor and council and everybody was available and agreed. Um, so that's why it's it's um this isn't a normal meeting date for us. So to get everybody on the same page, this that was the the time that worked for everyone.

Okay. Because a lot of residents are upset about it that it wasn't put on, you know, at 7:00 tonight. Okay. I saw a lot of arguing among this council. Mr. Fullo, Mrs. Peliger Green. We are all friends. Every one of us sits up here. We're all residents of this town. Everyone was elected for the residents of this town. Not for I did this and I did that and you did this and you did that. You are here all only for the town the residents. Not to put anybody up, you know, better than anybody else cuz you're not everybody's exactly the same. Lorraine, you know that we sat on the board of education for all these years. We're all the same. Franchesco, we've been through a lot of stuff. The Elks, everybody else here, we've all been the same. And that's what we're here for, for the residents. And this the money that you're saying, Roy, I know you're going to get mad at me, but $400. It's a lot for our seniors. You're talking a lot of seniors that can't afford now what they're paying and now you're asking them to pay another $400 over what they're normally paying. You know, it could there be something because I know citizen seniors that go strangers helping strangers to get food every week. you know, paying their bills, paying their medication, trying to get food on their table. It hurts. And when now this council is going to charge $400 more, it's a burden for them. I know how it is as being a senior citizen, what it's like to pay your taxes and pay, you know, everything else that you have to do. Bob, you know how it is, too. It's rough. It's not easy out there no more. Medication for people are very high. I think that there should be something that this council could do to lower the thing for the seniors. You know, even if it's $50, $100, make it $50 a quarter, you know,

do something for them. You need to understand what speaker.

Yeah, sure. Sure. You need to understand before we came here today, the finance committee, the chief and myself, that is the former government for the bureau. I meet with the finance committee first and with the BA every day. We would have had a much higher tax increase if it wasn't for the input specifically of the finance committee. So, we already went from six to five to four a layoff and that's what you're going to read in the next three weeks in the burden record layoffs and jeopardizing public safety which the chief is also the police chief as well and the utmost of the entire council is safety first.

No, I agree that that's where the money is. The money is in Mayor if I may. Doris, I just I just want to clarify. I I don't like percentages. I I started out when I said that and Roy is talking about 400 a year. So, it's a $100 a quarter, right? Okay. I just want to No, I know that's 400 $400, you know, a year, but that's still a $100 every three months that, you know, seniors don't have seniors don't have it. I get it. If they're going to, you know, strangers helping strangers and trying to make ends meet other places and not getting medications. I know people that are not getting medication because they can't afford to live in their houses, but they have no place to go if they sell it. Where are they going to go?

It's just the point that there, you know, there's got to be something done in this town. Doris, are you aware of the senior uh property tax freeze program? Yes. Okay. But what do you call it? You know, but that's my thing. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. Mayor, may I Thank you. Anyone else care? Mayor, what? Mayor,

um, it's actually a a question for Rory. Can can you clarify something? I understand that the uh average increase is $400 per household, but isn't onethird of the households already receiving a significant decrease. So even with that 400, the net effect is still going to be a tax decrease to, you know, a good a good percentage of residents. If I understood it correctly, that's why your finance chair

That's why your finance chair. You're absolutely correct. That $400 is not going to be the entire town. In fact, onethird are going to be receiving, and I know because I went through the taxes, some people going down as much as $3,000 a house. So the worst scenario is $400 for those that were assessed at a much lower rate for the last 20 years in Elma Park. So now the courts recognize that and they ordered us to do the reval. So you are 100% correct. Not everyone is getting an increase. In fact, a third are going down. Thank you. Any further discussion on that? Anyone else from the public here to speak? If not, I'll close the public portion. May I have a motion to adjurnn, please? Some move. Second.

All in favor? Thank you for participating.