Township Council - Regular Meeting

Hey sir, that is what question you want to ask. What is it?

Thank you. That's about right. That's what I'm assuming.

The district in charge. Oh yeah. I haven't repl

Just bear with us a few more That's folks. We're just uh waiting for our clerk to return with some uh literature and we'll start the meeting. Thank you. This is awesome. vocal.

Ready. Before we stand for the pledge of allegiance, I just want to recognize uh we lost one of our K9 officers uh last week. Uh K9 officer Opus. Uh he was a dedicated narcotics detection and apprehension dog and uh he hung up his patrol gear after nearly a decade of service. Uh Opus and his handler, Corporal Jesse Moore. They both retired back uh in November. Uh, Opus had joined the agency in 2016 and was cross trained in narcotics detection and apprehension, tracking and playing a crucial role in numerous drug investigations and apprehensions. During his tenure, Opus and Kemp Moore conducted K9 demonstrations of various community groups which were highlighted as some of the most enjoyable experiences for the duo. And uh like I said, we're going to have a moment of prayer for for K9 Opus for his dedicated service to Howell Township. So, please rise for a pledge of allegiance and a moment of silence for K9 Opus. 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.

Thank you. We have a proclamation this evening. Sue, you want to always go up or you just want to May from here? Whatever you prefer. Are they here? Right there. Yeah. Okay. Wonder

[snorts] Yeah, come stand next to us.

Okay, we're going to acknowledge World Parkinson's Month, April 2026. Whereas Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurological movement disorder of the central nervous system, which has a unique impact on each patient. Symptoms can range from tremors and rigidity to depression, sleep disorders, and cognitive decline. And as approximately 1 million Americans are living with Parkinson's with nearly n 90,000 new diagnoses occurring each year, it is the second most common neurodeenerative disease. And whereas Parkinson's is the 14th leading cause of death in the US and men are one and a half times more likely to develop the disease than women. And whereas although new medicines and therapies may enhance life for a while for some people with Parkinson's, there is an urgent need for continued research in prevention, treatment, and ultimately a cure. Whereas education and advocacy are of the utmost importance in combating this progressive and devastating disease. Now therefore, the governing body of the township of Howell does hereby encourage all residents to increase their awareness of Parkinson's disease and to support research for medical advancements to treat it.

Thank you. Yes, that's my husband. My dad, actually

he's good. Thank you. Thank you. Yeah. Okay. Thank you. All right. Acceptance of minutes, please. Make a motion to accept February 10th and February 24th minutes.

Second. If I may, we need we do need to do them separately only um because there were uh couple of people absent on at the different meetings. Uh make a motion to accept February 10th, 2026 regular and exact. Second. Councilman Nadell. Yes. Councilman Rubel, yes. Deputy Mayor Fischer, yes. Mayor Leio, abstain. Motion. Motion to approve February 24th, 2026. Regular minutes. Second. Sue. Councilman Nadell. Yes. Councilman Rubel. Yes. Deputy Mayor Fischer. Abstain. Mayor Leio. Yes.

All right. reports from the township uh departments officials. Mr. Gross, I have nothing to report this evening. Kaylin, uh mine's real quick and it's pertaining to tonight's meeting. Uh we have a couple of resolutions that were not complete on the agenda. Our clerk uh finalized them after our executive session tonight. There are copies up on the desk up here. They're also available online through the links, but it's uh resolution 2617, resolution 2617A. Um they they're just designated the block and lots that were left blank. Um and those are going to be voted on tonight.

All right, on to hearing of the citizens public comment. Um Jamie

Jamie Ellers how I was here on February 10th and I'd like an update on the TNR program. Um we are getting into spring and female cats will be having kittens and we're going to be in fullblown kitten season. We have come so far on the sign program. I did send in an email. Um, and we have to continue or we're going to be inundated with stray cats, people screaming and yelling. You know, there's people out there that need financial help also. and program we had was phenomenal and I know they did overcatate.

Yeah, we'll update it after everyone public okay comes up. All right. Thank you. That's how we do it every meeting.

Okay. Joe Riley, Mayor Lejo, members of the council, Mr. Gross, and professional members of the township. Um, of Joe Riley, a jumping bush way. I'm sorry. Um, I'm here tonight to talk about uh comments, questions, and concerns about a pole barn that has recently been constructed at 126 Darian Way. Um, little history. In March 23, that property was purchased. And from March 23 until last summer, there was very little activity at that house. In fact, sometimes we wondered if anybody was even living there. Um, that's the way I would get to Route 9. I go on Princeton Drive and I can get to the intersection of Darian. I could go left or right to get to Route 9. Other neighbors have done the same thing and we've all said, "Is anybody living there?" Once in a while, we would see some children out on a Friday night with some women. Very seldom. It changed last summer when all of a sudden we noticed that a huge swing set was erected in the backyard. I would say it was probably about 20 20 ft wide. I said, "Oh, maybe a family's moving in with some children." Great. Then in the fall before the weather changed, a lot of construction in that backyard. The entire backyard from what we can see has been concreted. All concrete. Last month truck pulled up and all of a sudden the framework went up for a pole barn. Next day, walls went up, roof went on, windows open for both sides, and a door, regular size door, not a barn door. So,

I wrote to the mayor, I copied the council members, wanted to know what was going on. Is it going to be a office building? Is it going to be a school? Is it going to be a building for religious purposes? None of which, I believe, are zoned for residential area. The building is huge. I mean, it's it's as big as the house that's on the property itself. It is probably only about 20 ft away from the property from the house. So, Mayor Allejo referred my concerns to Mr. Gross and also to zoning board. At the same time that this happen, a a story came out from Manchester Township where their zoning board denied application from a resident to convert a private house to a mikvah. Now, I'm an Irish kid from Manhattan, so I didn't know what a mikvah was. So, I looked it up online and basically a mikvah is a Jewish ritual bath containing living water connected to a natural source like rainwater used for spiritual purification, immersion, and rejuvenation. Primarily used by women depending on their situation. But what's interesting is that it's considered so important in Jewish law that building a mikvah takes precedence over building a synagogue. So then I looked and I said, "Geez, I wonder if we have one in How Township." Did a query and came up. But while there is a project in development to build a maha in How Township, currently residents typically utilize nearby facilities in Lakewood or surrounding areas for immersion. The community is actively fundraising for the Mikvah Tahara of Howell to establish a local permanent facility. Coincidence? So then I looked and I said, "Geez, can a mikvah be placed in a pole barn?" Yes. Could go in a house, could go in a pole

barn. Basically, it can be erected. So I then got a response from Justin Yoast um with response to my queries. And I quote verbatim, "This property owner applied for and received a building permit to construct an accessory structure/polebar for personal use." So I went back to Mr. Yost and I was like, "Personal use is pretty ambiguous. Could it be a school? Could it be a religious building? What do we do then?" I never got a response. So I then went online and I looked at all the applications that would be needed for a poleb barn. Looks like you would need an applications for um uh land use and planning. Um because the building is big. It's bigger than 300 square feet. an application for construction and also engineering would be involved. I don't know if there's any plumbing. I don't know if there's any electrical work being done on there, but Mr. Yos came back and said that the construction is being monitored and looked for, you know, being monitored for observance to all the rules and regulations. I find it hard to believe that this was even allowed. Um, I'm wondering who actually gave the final approval. I think I know and I think because of other circumstances that I'm not going to get an answer anyway. Um, but this went through three different applications and they all signed off on it.

It's been five minutes. Thank you. Thank you very much. [applause] Paula,

Paula, Samarell Heritage Point. Trivia question. What does Nort, Camden, Patterson, and Jersey City all have in common? All of their public school districts at one time or another were taken away were taken over by the state of New Jersey. and recently a takeover of the Lakewood Public School District has been initiated. Another similarity, all either currently or at one time or another have had development projects built under the New Jersey pilot tax abatement program or as some see it, the New Jersey school tax evasion program as no tax dollars are contributed to the public education of our children. Many feel that these pilot programs are a fiscal catalyst that leads to state takeover of public schools, stripping parents of their right to control their children's education. The question of how damaging pilot programs can be to our public school systems is nothing new. In 1999, a b a case study of city budget versus school budget was performed on a pilot approved apartment complex in Jersey City. The findings resulted in a negative impact on the school systems while forcing residents to absorb any financial shortfall. Why is why is this type of legislation still in effect? In some cases, municipalities have lost local control over 30-year tax exemptions decisions as developers leverage mandatory affordable housing requirements to secure approval backed by state legislation. We need to break the cycle of school education funding being ignored due to pilot programs. We need to stop the diverting of public school education tax dollars for transportation to out of district schools. I'm not saying that the children that attend private schools should not have access to busing. What I am saying is that the state needs to shift the financial burden of outofd busing from local property taxpayers back to the state level 100%. State Assemblyman Alex Sowiki of the 12th

district has introduced legislation bill A2882 that does just that. And I would like to personally thank the Assemblyman for recognizing the importance of our children's education and acknowledging the need to relieve municipal taxpayers of this significant financial burden. Assemblyman Sha Ka of our 30th district shows support for this bill. Assemblyman Avi has not responded back to any of my phone calls. Senator Singer's office stated that when it comes across his desk, he will certainly consider it. If anyone would like a sample copy of a letter to send the senators and the assemblymen, please see me after the meeting. Mr. Mayor, town council, and residents of the How Township. We need to pull together. We need to act now and do what's best for the children that are attending our public schools now as well as those in the future. These children have the right to receive the best educational curriculum possible. curriculum that prepares them for life and careers once they leave our schools, including vocational training, art classes, music classes, and sport related activities. We ask the mayor and town council to deny 30-year pilot programs that do not contribute to our public schools. We need to form an ad an advocacy group, contact our legislators, and tell them to abolish any legislation that takes money away from our public schools, including the unfair pilot tax abatement program, and to approve bill A2882, block, vote if necessary. We need to keep informed about what is going on with our public school budget. We are stronger when we work together. Howal is full of sharp, intelligent people with solid ideas and I expect nothing less as stat statistical reports show that New Jersey ranks among the top 10 states in the country for having the smartest people. Let's keep that legacy going for our children. Thank you. [applause]

Anyone else from the public like to come up? [clears throat] Okay, I'm seeing none. So, I like to make a motion to close public. Motion to close. Second. All in favor? I. Mr. Gross.

Good evening. Uh, just to give an update on the TNR program, that's the trap, neuter, and release program. Um, the program that we've had u successfully implemented over the over the years remains intact. Uh we are still doing business with the uh Mama County SPCA and uh if if if that should change in the future certainly we would take every step to make sure that the TNA uh program remains intact as it is and it's been a very successful program. We agree and we're going to make sure that that continues. Um in terms of uh our process right now we are required to go out to uh bid on this uh we are putting together process of putting together the RFP for that process and I would expect that realistically it's going to take at least 60 days. The the Mama County SBCA has agreed to extend their agreement with us uh until we go through this process. They've also indicated that it's their intention to bid once we do uh put together our RFP. So those are the facts as we know them today. Um no one should be concerned at this point uh that that today's activities are changing any different than what it was previously. Um moving forward again we we commit and understand the importance of making sure that this program um remains intact and and better if possible. That's the only one you're going to respond to.

Um I I'll I'll I'll respond to um the question about the pole barn. Uh which is more of a statement than a question. Um the the my understanding of that is is that they did receive permits. Uh and I know that the um engineering department is continues to review. Uh I am reviewing our zoning um to see uh the what the what impacts our zoning has on this type of of construction and what and we'll and will be making some recommendations to the governing body moving forward. Um again in reference to the question uh about a pilot and busing um our only comment is is that I you know I've heard your concern and uh certainly take it in under advisement to see whether there's some something that we need to do in reference to that. Kayla,

no. The uh the the only thing I have to add is that, you know, we're looking at the the zoning regulations, including regulations regarding design and to certain elements for accessory buildings. So, you know, those can be potentially tightened up going forward. Michael professionals covered everything. Yeah. So,

I just want to comment on Paul's um about the bill that you brought up in the state. The state is really messing up. Uh placing these these, you know, these these burdens on the school districts. I think that's something that I saw that I saw the same proposal. Um that would be a dream come true. I I just have a bad feeling it's not going to happen in the state we're in and with the new administration in Trenton. Um something definitely to bring up at the board of ed meetings, make them aware, make, you know, get the parents involved. Um because it's just it's unsustainable. So I I I I agree.

I can't I can't hear. I'm sorry. I said I think that a lot of people don't know about this bus transportation um transporting students to schools. Um so I don't know if you want to Well, my my recommendation would definitely if if you could even um attend a schoolboard meeting um and let them know about this um because it's it's going to affect their budget.

Thank you. Well, Jamie, he our manager answered your question, so hopefully you're satisfied with that answer moving forward. It's, you know, meeting mating season obviously. So, uh, yeah, we're, you know, I was advised something else, but they're only for emergency, not No, that's false information. Okay. So, we will we have no reason to lie to you. Okay. We're we're on record up here. There's no reason to

I will check and know I spoke with the director today because I heard had someone call with that same same information uh for us today and the um the director of the Mammoth County SPC. I reached out to reached out to that person um Mr. Mr. Litra reached out to the to that resident and assured them that they were um acting in full force.

Okay. Thank you. All right. And Mr. Riley, we're aware of what's going on. And like the manager said and our attorney said, uh, you know, zoning practices, you know, in the town, we need to look at, uh, the minimums and the maximums of what could be built as an accessory building. And that's something that hasn't been looked at, I'm I'm assuming, in years. Past administr administrations and past managers, you know, didn't feel the need to address that. But um I think in the R zones it needs to be addressed. Shouldn't you know a building shouldn't be put up that's bigger than the house and the usage. There's a lot you know the owner of that home signed off on the usage of potentially what's going to be there. And if that's not the usage then the town will be returning to the home with inspectors to to uh to check on what's going on. So um you know Facebook is really really causing a lot of problems. Sure.

You're correct. What was the actual usage for? Um, I don't know. No, it's I understand what you're saying, but that's that's personal. That's his information and Mr. Yos can't share,

you know. So, I understand your concerns. All right. And then Paul, the same as Sue Fischer said, you know, we all pay a transportation tax out of our taxes every year, whether you're sending kids to the schools or not. And I in particular have a situation. My son goes to St. Leo out in Lraftoft, New Jersey, Catholic school. And how doesn't provide that busing to to Linkraftoft. So we get twice a year a stipen back from the board of ed because I drive them or my wife, you know, drive pick them up every day, you know, but in our taxes we pay a transportation bill. So kids that are getting bus to out of town or to other schools because we don't have those schools here. Those people that are paying those taxes are paying the transportation tax. So it's just this is more of a board of ed thing. Yeah. And then and as far as the S2 funding,

I was just saying like the pilot program, there's just so much. Well, there's a lot of stuff that crushes the taxpayers. Of course, we're not happy with it either. So, and I think we've addressed some of that stuff already. So, all right. Thank you. On to con consent agendas. resolutions um R-2611 through R-2617A. Is there any reason to separate? No. No. I'll make a motion to approve resolution 26-11 through 117A. Second. Councilman Nadal. Yes. Councilman Rubel,

yes. Deputy Mayor Fischer, yes. Mayor Leio, yes. The consent resolutions pass. On to resolution R-26-118. Motion to approve. Second.

Oh. Um, I'll back up real quick. I thought we were going to put on the record the correction for the affordable housing spending plan. John, did you want to run through that real quick for R26-15? Yeah, there there is a a correction for table three of the township of how affordable housing spending plan exhibit. Uh there's an error in table three in the table three spreadsheet regarding projected development fees. It is stated that the projection for collections is 3,111,294.75 per year for 11 years. The correct figure should be $311,294.75 per year for 11 years. There is also a calculation error in the total projected development fees. It is stated that the total was 3,111294.75 and the proper total is 3,424,2425. These errors led to two summary errors. The two funding source the the total funding source was calculated to be 16,931,8644 but it is actually 17,244,811.94. The projected balance available for future project and programs was calculated to be 3,759,00073644 but it is actually 4,72,686.94. The table three is hereby amended to these corrected calculations.

So for everybody in the audience, that more or less means there was a typo on one of the charts where there was an extra one in the numbers and when it carried over throughout the chart, it changed some of the figures. So, uh, manager Gross just corrected that chart on the record. So, you second 118 R2618. We don't have a second yet. Oh. Oh, second. Councilman Nadell, yes. Councilman Rubel, yes. Deputy Mayor Fischer, yes. Mayor Leio, yes.

All right. On to unfin unfinished business, public hearing, adoption of ordinances. Um, O-2603, an ordinance to exceed the municipal budget appropriation limits and to establish a cap bank pursuing to NJSA4A 4-45.14. Motion to open to the public. Motion second. All in favor? I. Anyone like to come up discuss this? Any issues with it? I'm seeing none. Close public. Motion to close. Second. All in favor? Motion to adopt.

Motion to adopt ordinance 2603. A second. Councilman Nate Dell, yes. Councilman Rubel, yes. Deputy Mayor Fischer, yes. Mayor Leio, yes. This ordinance is properly adopted. On to the next one. O-2607. Affordable housing ordinance and development fee ordinance implementing the fourth round housing plan element and fair share plan. Motion open to the public. Second. All in favor? I I. Anyone from the public? Seeing none, close public. Motion close. Second.

All in favor? I make a motion to adopt ordinance 26-07. I'll second. Councilman Nadell, yes. Councilman Rubel, yes. Deputy Mayor Fischer, yes. Mayor Legio, yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Uh for ordinance 02608, we're going to be pulling that under introduction of ordinances. We're going to be pulling that off the agenda today. Motion to table. Second that. Uh one I'm sorry. Okay. Uh to table. Councilman Nadell. Second. Council. Yes.

Okay. Councilman Rubel. Yes. Deputy Mayor Fischer. Yes. Mayor Leio. Yes. Thank you. The ordinance is tabled. This pass. All right. Our next regular scheduled meeting will take place on March 24th, 2026. Executive session will begin at 6 p.m. Regular session will be at 7 p.m. Uh, I thank everyone for coming out here tonight and uh voicing your concerns and uh you know, we appreciate you coming here and staying active in what's going on in the town. We we would like you to continue that. And um moving forward, I see no no further business. May I have a motion to adjurnn?

Motion to adjurnn. Second. All in favor? Okay. All right.