Borough Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening everyone. Good evening. This is a regular meeting agenda of the governing body of the burrow of Bloomingdale, Tuesday, February 17th, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. Close means order.

I 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. Roll call. Mayor here. Councilman Broner present. Councilman Catalano here. Councilman Braziano here. Councilwoman Hagen here. Councilwoman Schubert here. Councilman Gazi

here. We also have our municipal clerk, Brianna Smith, business administrator Michael Sander, and burough attorney Dawn Sullivan. This meeting is called to presume into the provisions of the open public meeting law. Adequate notice of this meeting was advertised in the Herald News on February 8th, 2026. Copies were provided to the local news media and posted continuously in the municipal building. A copy of this notice is available to the public and is on file in the office of municipal clerk. As per state fire code, I am required to acknowledge there are two emergency exits in this council chambers. The main entrance which you enter through and a secondary exit to the left of where I am seated. If there is an emergency, walk orderly to the exit, exit through the door, down the stairs, and out the building. We do have a presentation tonight. So, I'm going to ask Councilman Graciano to join me up in front of advance. And also, I'm going to invite the Buck Mayor Ryan Martinez to join me also in advance. So, I'll kick us off here because tonight we're here to honor five members of the Butler Running Company. I believe you guys were a club a little while ago when I was a company, right?

So, you might see that a little bit changed up in between what we printed out versus uh versus what what you guys are now, but for really a truly remarkable feat that you guys did. These young athletes are from Butler and Bloomingdale and not only achieve greatness at the local level, at the count, not just the county level, not just the state level, but at the national level. uh placing high among some of the best competition in the US. We know you didn't achieve this through luck, right? But through a lot of months of dedicated practice and excelling um in your meets leading up to the National Junior Olympics for cross country. I've seen some of your practices and I can attest to the rigor and toughness you have to have. In fact, I heard that you guys did you run through the snow in a national competition? Is that really true? Did that happen? That's remarkable. I can't believe that. All right. If it's uh over 32 degrees, I don't really go outside, let alone run. But before I turn it over to Mayors Martinez and Damato, please know the extent of how proud we are of you, how proud the Burrows of Bloomingale and Father are of you. We really look forward to cheering you on for what I'm sure is going to be years to come. Congratulations

for me as a mayor and I'm sure um Mayor Martinez is in agreement when our our youth um achieves any award and this is to me one of the biggest things that we have seen especially with John said you know the nation and and representing our local towns. So we as a town and a community for both Butler and Bloom are very proud of what you guys you guys accomplished and at such a young age. I was looking at some of the times through there and might not look but I ran cross country for one year when I was in high school and I quit cuz I couldn't do anything you guys. I'm just being honest with you. I went to an easy thing. I went to a chess club. So all right. I wasn't very good at that either. But uh we are proud and we're really happy to have you guys here tonight with your families to to acknowledge what your accomplishments are. You're not going to believe this guy never ran. It's true sor as council president said we're very proud of all of you. This is not something everyone can do. This is a special honor that you guys reach. So to get to this level and to perform as you can, it's amazing. So congratulations and we're very proud of you guys. Thank you.

Without further ado, we have you guys come up one time and all right. So this is a certificate of recognition for Leo FORGIATION of your outstanding achievements in qualifying for and competing in the National Junior Olympics for cross country December 13, 2025 representing your community among the top young athletes from across the United States. After advancing through regional competition in Pennsylvania, you competed under challenging winter conditions of cold, snow, and ice, demonstrating determination, perseverance, and sportsmanship by completing your race with distinction. Performance time 164 out of 209 2000 meter time 10 minutes 6 seconds. So, your dedication and resilience are a source of pride to your family, team, and community. given this 17th day of February 2026 jointly presented by myself along with the mayors John Demato and Ryan Martinez and Council achievement in qualifying for and competing in the National Geics for Country December 2025 representing the community among the top young athletes from across the United States. After advancing for regional competition in Pennsylvania, you compete under challenging winter conditions at cold snow and ice demonstrating determination, perseverance, and sports with distinction. Uh your performance was given at 3:14 meter time 12:15. Your exceptional performance contributed to 910 boys age group placing third in the nation bring great honor to state. your dedication and resilience and your source of pride

to your family to community. On behalf of the council, myself, mayor and council president, we want to thank very much. One more time in recognition of your outstanding achievement in qualifying for and competing in the national junior Olympics across country on December 135 representing your community among the top athletes across the United States after advancing competition in Pennsylvania challenging condition of cold snow ice perseverance and sports extension performance 279 and 377 4,000 me time 650 performance contributes to 910 bring great dedication and resilience and source of pride to your family to the community. On behalf of the council, myself in recognition of your outstanding achievement in qualifying for and and competing in the National Junior Olympics for cross country on December 13, 2025, representing your community among the top young athletes from across the United States. After advancing through regional competition in Pennsylvania, you competed under the challenging winter conditions of cold, snow, and ice, demonstrating determination, perseverance, and sportsmanship by completing your race with distinction. Your performance was 46 out of 314, 3,000 m with a time of 1225. Your

dedication and resilience are a source of pride to your family, team, and your community. The end of the 17th day of February, 2026, presented by myself, John Damato, and Mayor Ryan Martinez, and Councilman Graciano. CONGRATULATIONS.

Pretty good basketball player, too. Must be a card. Sounds like the same stuff, but the times are okay. in recognition of your outstanding achievement in qualifying for the and competing in the National Junior Olympics for cross country on December 13, 2025, representing your community among the top young athletes from across the United States. After advancing through regional competition in Pennsylvania, you competed under challenging winter conditions of cold, snow, and ice, demonstrating determination, perseverance, and sportsmanship by completing your race with distinction. Your performance was 232 out of 300 for a 3,000 meters for a time of 14 16. Your dedication and resilience are a source of pride to your family, team, and community. Given the 17th day of February, February 2026, presented jointly from Mayor Martinez and myself, Mayor Damato and Councilman Rosel on behalf of the entire council. John Well done. CONGRATULATIONS. SOUNDS LIKE AN athletic group. Fantastic. Fantastic. As again, thank you all for coming out. We're very proud of what you guys accomplish. Keep up the good work. And I'm sure once you guys reach the high school age, you'll be running and setting more records, maybe some high school records, which be great. Any baseball players?

Runners with basketball. That's right. Little bit of basketball. It's good to use all sports and just get to do what you like and enjoy being out there and competing. We're proud of you. Thank you. Thank you. picture themselves. So just as um as Mike has said for for the parents and the time that you give to your children to accomplish what they and drive to Pennsylvania back, how many trips was that?

Oh, and Indiana. In Indiana. In Indiana. And you drove from here after there. Yes. And Pennsylvania. And Pennsylvania. So you guys also put a lot of time in. So you guys have great parents for what they're doing for you to make your achievements, you know, an accomplishment. So they I know they're proud of it. You're proud of your parents, too. So, thank you.

Good job. Can I ask you? You guys come on down here. Hey, what? Show me skin. Show me.

Thank you. Well done.

Okay. Finish up. Okay. Uh, we do not have any non-aggenda items tonight. Like to open up early public comment. Can I have a motion, please? Second. All in favor? Anyone wishing to come up? Seeing no one want a motion to close. Second. All in favor?

I. Okay. Report of committee. Zie. Um, mayor, uh, I went to the tribal meeting and their numbers for January were 154 calls. Uh, Trib took 126. Uh, they covered um, they missed 10 calls that they had a 92% average. The county took 18 calls. Mutual aid took 10. and um total and calls for December were 191. So the calls for January were a little less. Um they all they do want everyone to know that on March uh 22nd um they're sorry they're having their uh craft fair and um and breakfast. Uh it's $10 per person and it's at um 25 Baroli app. That's $10 per per ticket for the breakfast. It's from 8 to 1. Now to attend the craft fair, you don't have to pay. It's free for all and there's going to be over like 60 vendors and they're going to be there from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Um, if you want to reserve a ticket for the uh breakfast that she is pre-selling, but you could also buy that day. Uh, Lee is selling them and her number is 862 uh 2570226. The other event that they're holding is their April 18th is the trio first states wide um annual beef states and um fundraiser. That's April 18th and that's going to be at the Bloomingale Fire House. Um that's

from 6:00 to 8:00 and those tickets are $75 each and there will be a small raffle and 5050. Um I just want to say also um and for the senior center um as always they're very busy there. Um, as of February 9th, all of senior center activities have been moved to the firehouse because of the um construction and um this week's activities um are located they do have a website uh page now on Facebook. You can look at the uh calendar as well as um well, you can look at Facebook. Um Tuesday, February. Um tomorrow, Wednesday, uh there is uh there is a trip there. There's no nutrition uh at the firehouse. Uh Thursday the 19th at 10:00 a.m. is balance class. Friday they have their aerobics. And um also uh today is the Chinese New Year. That's why I wore red for some kind of luck. And uh it's also first day of Ramadan. And last week on February 12th, we all attended um Nadia Hussein's uh sixth annual uh uh crescent lighting festivities and uh we all we all like most of us attended and it was really really nice. Um so that being one of the biggest turnouts I did, right? Yes, it was very big and it was all indoors cuz it was briefing.

I guess um couple things for tonight. It's the ordinance review met last Wednesday was there mayor me and we had discuss what we'll be introducing later for zoning chapter 92 walls. So thank you engineer who took time to meet with us to talk through some ideas as well as the planning board of this as well and give us their feedback. A lot of folks go into thinking these things through and making sure we get things right. So just appreciate everybody's input. On the economic development front we had our snowman contest from Lost Blizzard that came about. had three winners throughout the burrow and like to thank not only them for participating but also we had sponsors from local businesses that donated their prizes. So it was Magpie Bakery Clothing and Munchies as well. So thank you to the businesses for participating. It was a fun event to the community. And then last on the economic development front, we have the city county economic development commission coming to talk to us next Thursday. It's really just to brainstorm how we can work together to see what type of activities they offer and things that we can share with our local businesses. It's good that we're partnering together more and more to do the most that we can for our local businesses.

Nothing to report. I know that we discussed board had feedback on the original introduction of this ordinance. I know that the the ordinance review committee took that into consideration like John said is good and then it comes together. Right. Nothing.

Uh yes. So the environmental commission met on Wednesday the 4th and we are still looking for additional members if any community members interested in the environmental commission. We have the fishing event coming up at Bo Pond on April 11th, as well as townwide cleanup coming up, also at Bo Pond on May the 16th. The next environmental meeting will be Wednesday the 4th of March and the board of ed has their monthly meeting tomorrow.

Just with the um the cleanup day, we have to reach out to the organization so they know the date. So they come down that day with their with their people. Yeah. Also, the members of the school as well as the SRO and myself are participating in the Polar Plunge for Special Olympics New Jersey. That's coming up February 28th. And there's links to donate on their Facebook pages. And I believe TD is going on at 28. Uh Jim the SR but I think there's some other guys from here I think might be coming too. Jim's the only one getting

Jeff

uh let's see uh library the library library has if you haven't had a chance they've added a timeline to their Facebook excuse me to their uh website uh representing 100 years um uh how it started the library achievements over the years and uh three on March 20th is a New Jersey Makers Day that's a kids program that'll kicking off. Uh they are still doing really strong with their adult nightcraft. Um matter of fact, it would within open registration within 15 minutes it was booked. Uh the library board has been you know having an intense meetings you know working on their processes and pre procedures for the board members and future employees. Uh that was a long intense meeting but it was it was very very um successful and as previously mentioned um it's you know fine free no uh for late fines only they're having a really good um uh record with that more and more they've seen their numbers go up in the last month since they really kicked that off and also touring the Blizzard their their numbers for the Canopy which is their free streaming service uh almost doubled. So they're having uh they're really seeing a great turnout with all these new programs. Uh board of health screenings uh of course every Tuesday of the month from 2:30 to 4 uh located in uh council chambers. Um I have reached out for to see if they've confirmed the date for the hygiene program that they're going to be working for. So hopefully I'll have that date at the next meeting. As uh Evie mentioned for the crescent lighting was beautiful. beautiful uh program that was put together and very wellreceived. Uh I look forward to attending again next year. Um camping for the stars, we have uh Ref did reach out and said that um the baseball is

going to work with us with the dates that we were looking at which is May um 16th early evening into the early morning of the 17th. And um we'll be setting up meetings to discuss with the fire department uh PB and DPW and also reaching out to search and rescue tribal and get some great programs as the uh for that evening and scouts also would like to be involved and um as we get closer you know more events we'll be updating a mayor. Uh yeah, we had four water main breaks over the last three weeks here. One was on Glenn Wald and Hillside and we had Red Twig in Clark and in Elm and then recently in Nolles near Jeffrey Drive. So you'll see them coming up in the next couple of probably next meeting on some emergency appropriations there. Senior center started yesterday the construction. The guys came in and took all the plumbing fixtures out, ripped up the top floor and started taking up the floor of the main uh the finished floor, not the concrete floor yet. In the main building, uh the mayor and I and Councilman Broners, we talked to professor from Browardan Valley Community College about the deer culling uh program and his part in it or the school portion of that and they they come out and do the survey. Uh it looks like it's a roughly we decided to move forward with that. It'd be right around $3,000 to have the entire town surveyed by drone to get us the uh population of the deer currently here. They probably won't be able to get to it till December though because they're heavily booked right now and it has to be when leaves are off the trees to get the heat from the deer itself. Uh so they don't do the donor summer stuff. So they got up to about April and then it starts back up again the end of November. So he figured

we'll probably do December if we want to move forward. So more to come. We'll talk about that in the next meeting about that. Just want to get it out there.

Also, uh after the last meeting, we did do the letters of intent to open space county open space grants for the Walt Bergen circuit fitness circuit area and then also the museum. Um we've heard back from them that we should move forward right now at the Walter T. Bergen. Uh, so I have the engineers putting together the true application now and all the cost and stuff that go with that. I have not heard back on the museum yet. And we also uh got the letter in for uh the local recreation improvement grant, the LRI. Uh we had Millennium fill out that application for us. Uh we got it in last Friday deadline. So we're waiting to hear back from them. Hopefully knock we get some money from them as well to help out program probably as well. That's all I have. CJ uh J uh CPT uh Tom is going to put in we have a meeting on the 4th of March with the county uh and talk with the mayor and Captain Broners was there talking about doing the uh flashing lights at the three corners um Kathleen and Glenn Wild

Bob's Barber Shop Bob Barber Shop and then the one up by Elizabeth and Main Street. That' be the pushing time cuz there's already flashing ones at a couple of those but they're not push time con that active. They just come they flash all the time.

It's the same ones we have down on Main Street that are working very well right now. Um people are really paying attention to them and when they brighten up traffic just stops and we've had several requests I guess you could say by Elizabeth and Main Street bother crossing up there uh for a traffic light. This will get us closer to that. Um we have a police officer there there every day twice a day for for kids crossing to go to school. Um it's it's a nightmare Star Lake and to get into the fire parking lot. We thought that would be good and then we had a request from somebody up on Capitol Lane to do the same thing at Capine and and Glennwell which is a lot of I went up and kind of looked at it myself. there's a lot of blind spots across there crossing um to go up in a development or go to school. So, we thought that would be a a good place to uh to put another set of flashing lights where people have to stop safety stuff throughout the town that I believe we need to do.

I just want to recognize Okay, go ahead. Yep. um just a one water man break on helm and and and that is where we're going to replace all the water lines over this was a 2in galvanized pipe. So it just shows the need over there. First of all, the two galvaniz has to come out anyway by our standards and we're we're complying with the um

with the state to remove all that type of pipes. But there's the galvoiz pipe will just run it through and I believe it was only pushing maybe an inch and a quarter board through it to begin with that's inside is deteriorating. So that project will start I'm assuming as soon as the weather breaks because there's equipment up there already which will be good and there's some storm water up there which will help our flooding issue hopefully on Elm and Charles because the water should be pushed in a different direction. So, that'll take care of some other flooding issues in our town. Um, I do want to recognize Jen All who has been on the environmental commission. I'm not sure how many years she's been there, but she's a former council woman, but she has resigned from the environmental commission. So, we just like to thank her for her time and service to the community. Um, she'll be missed. We wish her the best.

Okay. And you appointed McMaster. Yes. Yes. Mike Masatello will become the environmental commission president. Chairperson president. Okay. Um that's pretty much all I have. All right. Um going to move on. Resolution number 2026 2.6 consent agenda. Do I have a motion to accept the consent agenda? So move second. Any questions? Roll call. Yes. Catalano, yes. Rosiana, yes. Bacon, yes. Schubert,

yes. Gassy,

yes. One other thing under me. Um, on March 7th at 3:00 at the Blue Methodist Church, Christopher Wild will be receiving his Eagle Scout Award. We have been invited to I will be attending that to um issue him a certificate on his achievement. So we are all invited to that at 3:00 and there's refreshments after this March 7th. March 7th at 3:00 Tuesday it's a really nice um service or ceremony a child reaches their Eagle Scott age and their accomplishments. Um so okay like to join me for that. Okay new business adopts the resolution number 2026 2.13 transfer and reserve budget appropriations. Do I have a motion? Some second. Any questions? Roll call.

Yes. Gradiano, yes. Hagen, yes. Schubert, yes. Gatsby, yes. Broners, yes. Item B, adoption resolution number 20262.14, payment of the bills. Do I have a motion? So move. Second. Any questions? Roll call. Braziano. Yes. Yes. Schubert. Yes. Yassi, yes. Broners, yes. Catalano, yes.

Item C, introduction of ordinance number 2-2026, amended chapter 7, traffic um parking proity. Uh before I ask for a motion, this is just something really simple. It's up on Pearl and Capital the I believe the north side.

Yeah. Um we're going to go to parking on one side of the street. We cannot get the parking on both sides of the street. We cannot get emergency vehicles down that road at all. They don't fit. Um so it was brought to our attention by traffic and um fire. So, we're going to do one side of street park there. It's very tight. There's also problems there when school functions are happening. There's cars all over the place. We had an incident this past summer up there where there was cars blocking fire hydrants. So, we just kind of take care of a problem before it actually happens. Portion of picture and the lower

the lower portion of that's correct. It's a lot of blind spots when you go turn bike up towards Sally Street. one side. Okay. Do I have a motion to read my title? Second. All in favor? An ordinance of the burrow of Bloomingdale County State of New Jersey amending chapter 7 traffic section 7-11 parking prohibited at all times on certain streets of the code of the bro. Our section final will be March 3rd. notice the residents.

They will they will get noticed. I don't know if we do by mail, but we're going to put signs up. The police will put their electronic sign up on what's coming. Um, so there they have a a warning that they can't do anymore. And of course, when it starts, if they do park in the wrong spot, we'll just talk to them and educate them. There's like a street there's like four homes over there. And then on on Pearl and Capital, there's probably 10 homes, five on each side, and it just it's too tight. It's just But they will be once it's all in place, they'll be

and I'm sure Michael will get some. Item D, introduction of ordinance number 3-2026, amended chapter 7, traffic and stop intersections. Um this is usually we don't explain this but just so the public knows Dave and I um spoke to people up on Nolles Road and they had issues when they come down Nolles and Rafkin on the I'll call it the the lower end of Rafkin towards the reside. There's been several times where people almost gotten me in access while people are coming out of rakin and people coming down n you can't see in either direction and there's been several times where there's almost been people hit or an accident going on there. So all they're going to do is make a hallway stop sign so you can stop and then go about your business.

Yeah. A lot a lot of residents treat it like that now and if you don't it could be a hazard for sure. Well, it's a little tricky because at stop sign it's white stop with a person. It's like you're only supposed to stop person the right. Okay. Motion to read by title. So move. All in favor? I I

an ordinance of the burrow of fluingale in the county of PA state of New Jersey amending chapter 7 traffic section 7-29 through streets and section 7-30 stop intersections of the code of the burden item E introduction of ordinance number 4-2026 chapter 12 affordable housing do I have a motion to read by title Second. All in favor? I

an ordinance repealing existing chapter 12 affordable housing of the code of the burough of Bloomingdale in its entirety and replacing it with a new chapter 12 affordable housing, providing comprehensive regulations for the administration of affordable housing and addressing the current requirements of the Fair Housing Act and the Uniform Housing Affordability Controls. regarding Bloomingdale Burough's affordable housing fair share obligation. Yes. Second final and adoption will be March 3. Yeah, this will be at the planning board next week.

I think at the right the next one will go to the board. Okay. Item F, introduction of ordinance number 5-2026, chapter 92, zoning schedule of regulations. Do I have a motion to read by title? Second.

All in favor? Hi. an ordinance amending the land use ordinance of the burrow of Bloomingdale to amend chapter 92 zoning um article 7 schedule of regulations to amend the bureau's inclusionary housing districts consistent with and designed to effectuate the burough's adopted 2025 round four housing element and fair share plan and 2025 aviation agreement with fair share housing center this will go to this will be referred to the planning board and we'll be back for a good second final reading with the council on adoption on March.

This is just simply get us in line with the state so we can meet our deadline of March 15. Yes, technically it's March 16th, but in the statute is March 15. So that's what we're going by. Item G, introduction of ordinance number 6-2026, chapter 92, zoning and walls. Do a motion to read by title. So moved. Second. All in favor? I.

An ordinance of the Burough of Bloomingdale County, state of New Jersey, amending chapter 92 zoning section 26.7 walls of the code of the burrow of Bloomingdale. This one will also be referred to the claim board. We have the 45 days. It doesn't have So this will be scheduled for second final reading and adoption for April 7.

Okay. Have a motion on delay public comment. Second. All in favor?

That one gentleman that came regarding his leasing and they increased his talking about rent. Oh, but but they public comment could be anything, right? Not for us. Okay. Go ahead. Ask your question. No, it's okay. I'll ask. Okay. So, my question is if with the new regulation with the affordable housing and the new regulations, whatever you're going to come up with. Um, is that something that we could put on the table for?

No, one has nothing to do with the other. The affordable housing act is for new development coming into town building x amount of residential dwellings and a percentage of them have to be 20% of set aside. So we have to comply with the state regulations to meet the state standard which we've been working on for probably the past few months with the courts in our meetings that we had last year

to set the standards for our obligation of how many affordables they believe that moving should have. So every time a new development goes in for housing that's what this is all about. This is not this is not existing has nothing to do with rent control. Despite the despite the term affordable housing, this is not rent control. It' be separate topics altogether. Okay.

So, as a separate topic, I you know something some kind of uh like a chat should take a question to that. So something to focus on protecting. I guess in the future you can discuss that.

Well, you can look into it. Um the gentleman that was here since he is having an issue with his landlord, he needs to well correct me if I'm wrong, he needs to take that up whether he has an attorney and it's between him and his landlord. Has nothing to do with us. We can't get the violent and that's pre-existing. Even if we were putting the law on books today, that is pre-existing. So he has to deal with his land. Okay.

No, let me just do it again. Um motion open up the public. So move. All in favor? I. Okay. Anyone wish to come up here address? I'll pull it out if you want. All right. Erin 30, you want to take the microphone out, make it more comfortable for yourself. Yeah. Um, just wondering about um any update on I'm going to turn it over to Mike. We we just talked about this before you got here early probably. All right. On the video tonight.

Yeah, this is all recorded so you can see when you go home because we're we're actually live now. So, but go ahead. So we met we had a conference call last week with Dr. Telly I believe his name is of the Radon Valley Community College. I asked him his his involvement with the program of the deer calling. Uh he does the survey of the town explained how I'm sorry myself, Councilman Broners and Mayor Demato that were on the call with him explain to us the process of how they set up drones that come in at night uh and they do your whatever you want done. Uh it's 55 cents I think he said an acre. So it cost us about $3,000 or so to have all the lumadell population done. They can only do it during certain times of the year and that's pretty much now. So January to like April and they are totally booked he said and then it could start back up again like November December. He says he can definitely get us in if you want to go that route council uh at the end of the year and do our survey November December time frame. uh and he said it'll probably take a couple of nights uh to go up and do the nine something acres or n something miles that we have in town and that's the start where we're at we have an issue or not tell us at that point where we stand

that's where we're at and the I don't know if you know the meeting we had the congress we have the

well we yeah we did talk to that's where we got the name from talk to D about the whole program uh Jody you'll be after your last name from the DP. Uh she brought us through with some other people uh the whole program kind of how it works. The first step is this uh survey that we should get done to see if it is truly a problem. She was also going to reach out to the Northern Green Forestry Service to see if they can they just opened up the hunt again this year. Uh now she was asking to see if she's going to find out. She had a meeting scheduled with them and another meeting scheduled with the county because the county if they're safe was looking to do things at their sites as well that they have. They have same issue that we're talking about here. Uh she did not get back to us on how that went yet. I have to reach out to her to find out how to follow up on that one. Uh but she did reach out. They're going to try and open up a southern hunt on northern green. They did it like mid up north. They really hit all northern green and the southern is really what affects us. Uh so she was looking to see if she could push that with the uh forest surface to see if they can do that with the fish wildife. So that's where we are with that.

Did she say if she's done if we've done that before um in Northern Green? Like is this would this be a new thing or

No, they have hunted but they stopped the last two or three years. They stopped the hunt in Northern Green. Uh they've opened it back up this year just the northern portion. Uh so she's saying that if she talk to them it it would help us if they open up the entire thing especially the southern port which touches our borders and she also asked us if we should reach out and I know the chief police was going to try and find the commander whoever's in charge of Salvation Army to see if they would allow us on private property because that's 400 something acres right there that backs up to Gre uh that could also help with this if if they would allow us. So I know they're looking to that. But that's that's therefore we can't mandate they do that for this private zone by

commission kind of explained it to us if you have private areas like Starley Camp and say they have employees that that hunt they can allow their employees to hunt that land um and there's other areas in town um Tilot's area over there the lower end of town if Tilcon has employees at they have to give them permission to hunt on their property. So the employed they might they might open up to their own people and that would also help. So it's it's a long process from what she said and what she'll do once we get past where we decide the direction we got to go. She will come in and do a presentation with the public but we will probably do it at an environmental meeting if they want to be involved in this. So we'd have to schedule it. Probably won't be on a counsel night although she would come to the council meeting. Um so we'll keep you posted if if and when we do that. But the first thing is we have to find out do we have a problem. We do and where the problem is coming from. Opening up all of Northern Green might help big time because that shovels all down to Starland camp and then you know however they travel. I believe the drone process where they they'll track them. They'll see patterns and that how they're moving. That's what I kind of got out of the conversation. So, and the way they explained it, it's healthy to do, excuse me, to do this for the environment, for, you know, keep the population down. So, it it made more sense when we talked to her and how she explained it, which is, you know, we know how some people are going to react. I was wondering, you know, but um we're moving along to slow pace, but we are at the end.

Yeah. Thank you. And thank you council members for taking you know taking some action on this because again like when we started this conversation we fully expect like this is not it's not something that's going to get solved instantly but like if we don't take as a community if we don't take action now it's only going to get worse you know it's not it's exponential right so um glad to hear that that you have a little more confidence now after and they organize it but you really don't have Once you give the approvals and we have it all in order, they kind of take the ball around it, right? So, we'll see.

Okay, great. All right. Um, second completely unrelated topic that I just wanted to to maybe get some advice or or direction on. So, the property across the street from from us, we're at 30. Uh, 29 was the address directly across the street from us. Uh it's a sloped property and um the house there was empty up until the very end of October. I think about Halloween um new residents moved into the house. Um got the big white sits up on the hill.

Yeah. Shortly after um the house was reoccupied um in the evenings especially, we would occasionally get some smell of sewage, right? So I thought maybe there was some issue with the sewer line in the street, maybe, you know, coming up through the storm drain, something. Um, so I had called um the water and sewer department and they came out in mid November and examined the line. I said, "Nah, they didn't really see anything. Everything seemed to be fine." Um, flash forward into late December. I was still getting the smell mostly in the evening, like around dinner time, and I called the water department, had them come back out again. They checked the second time, couldn't find anything. there's no issue. Um they suggest that it might be an issue of uh line on one of the properties that it wasn't a um town related uh responsibility. My sewers run fine. Uh my neighbor next to me on either side runs fine, but none of us have had any issues. But um back when we had our first snowfall in January, it's when I really noticed what's probably going on um on the hill of 29. There was snow everywhere on the property except for, you know, kind of a strip next to the there's a garage at the street level. There's a strip next to the garage that opened up. Um and the snow melted in that location and nowhere else. um that caused me to think, hey, maybe something's going on. We then had this large snowfall that we're still is still here. And everyone here in the room knows it it's been below freezing. You know, it

never got above 20° for like 7 10 days. During that time frame, that same section of ground, lo and behold, although it was well below freezing, the snow melted in that location specifically. So, I I suspect what's going on is that their sewer line from their house to the street is broken and weakened in some way. And what I'm smelling is essentially the cess poolool on their front lawn that's melted the snow, right? As as you know, as the sewage breaks down, it releases the it melted the snow. So it it's not the sewer and water department's responsibility because it's on a residential property. How do we address that? I mean our health department has vended the Payic County. I tried calling them. They have been somewhat less than responsive and helpful. So what can we do about this?

Mike, go ahead. We've got our property maintenance social emails from he's already involved with this. Uh and I see one he copied Mark Moore from the board of health on it as well. And Mark copied us on we do testing and I know our water HQM does what? Pace. Pace that does our water test. We have to find a lab to sample. We have to find a lab to sample the earth. The board health does not do that. So we have to send it out to a different lab. We got to get somebody involved to do we need to get permission from the people to take care of their property. That's a question of the board. I imagine not the board of health involved and they're thinking says leave. So,

okay. So, we're working we're definitely working on and I I talked to you neighbors on either side of the same side of the street that I'm on. They both noticed it and thought something was going on and like I guess I'm the only one that took some action about it because like it's a little concerning sewage it flowing into the street across the street from

I actually have a email from Mark Moore that he sent to me today but he his response because I I sent photos I called repeatedly. I talked to him I talked to his colleague Wall-E um because I had gotten Mark Mora's name from Mark Redfield because I didn't know who to call. So, I called Mark Redfield first. Um, and Mark Moore's email to me at 10:54 this morning was saying, "I visited the location last Thursday. I investigated the area around the garage as was indicated in a previous email. No order no odors were detected at time of investigation. Well, it it might only be odors when they

they're not there during the day. The house is in say a county health department working hours. Just let's make aware of it. Okay. I just that was the email from him. He didn't indicate that there was anything further that he was going to be doing. So if I know Mark, he'll stay right with it. Yep. We'll keep it his boss. Yeah, we can take it further up past Mark. Anyone else? Thank you. See no one motion.

I thought she was car made a good point when you changed the parking regulations, you put out a notice to the residents. Is that correct? We we're putting digital signs out. Our police department traffic is handling notification. Okay.

A year ago, no parking popped up in front of my house. I got no notice, no digital sign. So, I think we really need to get in the habit of notifying the residents of the pending change so they can plan on that. Neither 25 years now. I can't park in front of my own house. So I think we need to think how your your neighbor next to you called me. I see them often told me the same thing. So our traffic officer is very well aware of that. Okay. I mean I can understand why it was changed. So I support the change but I think how it was changed. So I appreciate you're asking the question. How do we notify the residents? Okay.

All right. You mentioned that the on affordable housing 20% has to be affordable of the pilot any in the fourth round. in the fourth round. Okay, that's it. Thank you for clarif. Yeah. Okay, that was my two comments. Thank you. Yeah, thank you. That is statewide now. That's a mandatory um set aside regardless if it's a pilot or not. No, it's just 20% set aside. Nothing to do with tax. It's just the statement to do. Anyone else wishing to come up? Seeing no one motion to close. Second. All in favor? Okay.

We do not have an executive session tonight. Our next meeting is March 3rd. March 3rd at 700 p.m. Have a motion to adjourn. So move. Second. All in favor? Thank you all for coming out. Appreciate it.