Borough Council - Special Meeting

You're live. I didn't realize.

This special council meeting is called to order in accordance with the open public meetings law. The special meeting was provided to both newspapers in accordance with chapter 231 of the public laws of 1977. This meeting of December 29th, 2025 at 5:00 p.m. was published, I'm sorry, was provided to the Curry News and Star Ledger and placed on the Burrow's website and Bolton board at B Hall. A copy of this notice is available to the public and a copy of the statement shall be included in the minutes of this meeting. Mayor Brian Gallagher here. Council members Theresa Bonner here. Andrew Ki here. Glenden is excused this evening. Randy Pittz here. Gina Stravik is excused this evening. Roger Ver

here. Please stand for the salute to the flag. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Okay. Uh, at this point I'll ask for a motion to open the meeting to the public. So moved. Second. Discussion. Roll call. Council members. Theresa Bonner. Yes. Andrew Ki. Yes. Randy Pitts. Yes. Roger Verm. Yes. Public portion is now open. Please state your name and address for the record and please address your comments to me.

Yes, sir. Ron Shaggala, 18 Fieldstone Drive. I've been a resident of Somerville, New Jersey for 25 years and snow removal has been one of my pet peeves and I actually commend the mayor and the council for their contracted services this year. However, I do not believe that every resident is aware of the ordinances of sidewalk cleanup, off- streetet parking during snowstorms, uh which may not actually impede their own driveway but their neighbors driveway. And most importantly, corner apron cleanup. Since after the snow plows come through to make this town walkable, they're often left unattended to. Um, reminders need to be sent or signs put up and ordinances enforced. Uh, whether that be through warnings or tickets. Not all residents actually receive emails or check Facebook. So many new residents in Somerville aren't even aware that these ordinances exist. And I think the hope for the 50°ree weather today to melt, it all never materialized, leaving this town less safe for pedestrians, children walking to school, and cars on our burough roadways. On my way here, I noticed at least half of the corners were not cleared. Um, and I thank you for your your attention to this matter.

Thank you. Any other public comment? Hearing none, I'll ask for a motion to close. So moved. Second. Discussion. Roll call. Council members Terresa Bonner. Yes. Andrew Ki, yes. Randy Pittz, yes. Roger Ver, yes.

So, first of all, thank you for coming out. Uh, we don't get a lot of folks uh uh actually giving kudos to council. U So, thank you for the kudos and and I don't disagree with you on on anything you talked about. I I'll tell you, snow removal is one of the most difficult times. I used to love snow. I don't like snow anymore. Um because it it's it's a challenge. uh because you have folks who complain when the plows come through and they plow everybody back in in their driveways and then the same well I shouldn't say the same folks the the other half of the folks will complain that it's not curb to curb so you know it's a very difficult situation. I think our contractors are doing a good job this year. Um they've slowed the speed down uh significantly. Um this was an anomaly storm. This was a weird storm. Uh didn't we didn't get what we what was predicted which was a lot of snow. Uh we got a lot of ice. Um and unfortunately it was one of those storms where you couldn't plow it, you couldn't snowb blow it, and you couldn't shovel it. It was just one of those oddball storms and and we get those every now and then. Um as far as enforcement, uh we we do enforce. It's I I don't I didn't get the numbers from PD as to uh as to how many tickets they've given out, but um during storms they are out and they are ticketing those that don't comply. They may not get everybody. Um, you know, it's limited staff. Um, but, uh, but they do give tickets out. Um, as far as education, yeah, I I think there's it's almost like we have to re-educate everybody every snowstorm, which is, um, interesting, but I I think maybe working with I'll work with Jason, who's our OEM coordinator, and and we're going to come up with a short sheet that just it's the basics. This is what needs to be done. Um, and you know, maybe we'll work with the schools. We can get it into the hands of the kids in the schools, post it at the library. Um, and as well as social media, but a short one sheeter

what to do, what not to do, and what to expect that don't shovel until your driveways until the plows are done. Um, you know, the these are common sense things. So, but thank you for coming out. Appreciate it. Um, no other public comments. Uh, we do have one resolution. It is a walk-on resolution. We did not anticipate um uh taking any action uh after uh our executive session. Uh however, we are under uh uh mediator time constraints uh that we have to have uh some direction down by December 31st. So um this is all in relation to our affordable housing uh plan uh which we filed back in August September I believe it was. Uh and then there were strict timelines throughout this entire process. Um the affordable housing plan allows us to create a plan moving moving the burrow forward which will be uh um immune from challenges. Uh that means a developer can't come in and say I want to build x amount of uh affordable housing in one location. Our plan contemplates um a uh a very fairminded and thorough approach to to our affordable housing under those time constraints. Um there were certain benchmarks that had to be had to be met. Uh and if a if a challenge was filed within that time frame, it had to be addressed by December 31st. Well, lo and behold, of course, uh we had two challenges. Uh, one was, uh, Fair Share Housing, uh, which is the, um, what would you call them? The the

advocacy group. The what? The advocacy group.

Yes. Yeah. The advocacy group that's working with the courts to uh, uh, to implement this uh, statewide. And, um, they filed, I 200, 250, 300, how many challenges to municipalities statewide? At least a couple of hundred. Um, and Somerville was one of those. And then there was another challenge um which we we will be dealing with uh after the turn of the year. Um but um we seem to have developed a settlement uh along with the uh courtapp appointed mediator uh with fair share housing and uh uh Chris Angaro our redevelopment council and our fair share housing council is here to talk a little bit about um what that process was to this point to tonight, why we have to uh enact a resolution tonight supporting this settlement and and what it means numbers wise. Um and uh so I'm going to turn over to you Chris.

Good. Uh glad to be back before the council. That's correct. So the timeline that we've been working through over the last several months is in June 2025. The council approved a housing element in fair share plan or endorsed it which was submitted to the program. There were two months for any challengers to submit materials to submit challenges. uh two challenges were received in August and we have been working through the past autumn and early winter to resolve those challenges. We've appeared before the program on multiple on multiple occasions and only in the last week and a half would I say that there has been real traction to reach a settlement agreement and that's why we're here today. Uh so there were really two items that have been uh that we've been able to reach a settlement around. Two primary questions that were left on the table. Uh one was how the plan would address the mechanisms that met a prior round and a third round obligation. So these were um existing uh existing rounds of affordable housing. Um and there was a question of what mechanisms we could identify to show that we are in compliance of those uh those prior rounds or that we've provided opportunity during those prior rounds. And then the second question was about one of our mechanisms in our fourth round plan uh which is the plan for years 2025 to 2035. Uh so what we've presented to you is the settlement structure that we've met reached with fair share housing center um to resolve these questions and we have um at exhibit A compliance plan that identifies a swap of two of our mechanisms uh the senior complex uh for a um a 100% market to affordable conversion project. So that will allow

us to swap uh the same amount of units um which clearly slots into our fourth round plan. Everything else from the compliance plan has remained the same. And then we're also we've laid out an agreed upon structure that identifies the units that are in place existing units in place to meet our to show that we are are in compliance with prior uh affordable housing cycles. uh the one item that uh we're many municipalities who participated that are addressing their third round might have to carry over. There might be certain aspects that are not met from the prior round that have to be addressed during the fourth round. And what we've done is uh we have a 37 units from the third round. Uh family family units that we'll have to provide over the next 10 years. We've reached an agreement to um meet those through what's called unmet need. You don't identify the mechanisms now. You identify over the uh coming 10 years, you're going to provide there will be um zoning in place to try to uh capture those those units. In the burough's case, you have a set aside ordinance that will capture affordable housing going forward and that'll be the way that you capture these units over the next 10 years. In the new year, we'll come before you to uh present any necessary uh any remaining documents uh to memorialize this. We'll address the uh remaining challenge at that time. And what we're looking for is the um authorization to present this compliance plan uh this amended structure to the program before the before December 31st. We actually have a uh a date on the calendar to do so. December 31st is the statutory deadline to reach a resolution. And that's why, you know, that's another reason why we're here today. So, and some of these prior rounds date back to what the 80s and 90s.

That's right. Um, late 80s. Yeah. That began. Your first round. Uh, first round ran till 93. Your second ran round ran till 99 and then your third round ran until 2025 and we're at the beginning of the fourth round now. So, and what we've done is is um captured uh all I shouldn't say all but most well maybe it is all of the uh the housing that we have in the burrow that would be compliant with those uh previous rounds uh that has been implemented over the years. That could be a gapy house. It could be some of the other group homes. It could be so various elements that we've articulated in order to meet those those uh prior round obligations. Okay, that's great.

All right. Um any questions from council? All right. So, I will ask for a motion on resolution 25-1229-340, which is author authorizing the settlement of the burrow of Somerville's fourth round housing element and fair share plan. So moved. Second discussion. Roll call. Council members Terresa Bonner. Yes. Andrew Ki. Yes. Randy Pittz, yes. Roger Roger Fern, yes. Okay. Uh, with that, I will ask for a motion for adjournment. So moved. I was leaving the option open on this one. Second [laughter] discussion. All in favor? I

opposed. This meeting is adjourned. Good job, Chris.