City Council - Regular Meeting

Mayor, I'd like to call to order the regular meeting of the Elmwood Park Mayor and Council for July 16, 2026 to order at 7 o'clock p.m. On roll call, we have Council Members Fasolo, absent. Oswald?

Here.

Sampson? Present. Sheridan? Here. Choisy?

Here.

Council President Pellegrin? Here. Mayor Colletti? Here. We have a quorum.

Thank you. Thank you. Welcome, everyone, this evening. It's nice to have you here with us. Some old friends are joining us this evening, which is going to be a very great moment. But before we go any further, I want to make sure with our BA that it's cold enough in here. Of course, we all know what happens when he gets heated up. But we do have some Gatorade back here, Mike.

Okay.

All right, with that, could everybody please stand for our prayer and flag salute? Oh, God, our Father, we ask you to bless our meeting, which we entrust to your fatherly care and protection. Please remove all selfishness and prejudice from our hearts and implant therein a keen sense of justice and a greater love for you and our neighbors. guide us in our deliberations so that our decisions will always please you and bring peace and happiness to our community amen 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 whereas chapter 231 of 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 notice in the record and herald news and by posting such notice in the office of the borough clerk as well as in a public place within the municipal building. Also by notifying interested citizens said notice was posted and transmitted on January 2nd, 2026 and published on January 8th, 2026.

First up, we have the approval of minutes. We have the June 4th, 2026 work session and executive session and the June 18th, 2026 regular meeting and executive meeting.

May I have a motion to approve the minutes?

So moved. Second. Any discussion? Call the roll, please. First by Council President Pellegrin, second by Councilman Sampson. I will call behalf Council Members Fasolo, Absinthe, Oswald.

Yes.

Sampson. Yes. Sheridan. Yes. Choisy. Yes. Council President Pellegrin. Yes. Motion carries. At this time, we have a presentation from the Residence Assistance Program to Aziz. I would like to call forward Mayor Colletti, Council President Lorraine Pellegrin, and Borough Administrator Chief Filigno.

After we come back up, we'll get council comments.

Okay.

My lady.

Okay, thank you, sir. You keep getting these awards, you're going to need a bigger building.

And we've got a vision here for a building as it is now, because we're going to have to expand it. It seems sometimes we sit and pat each other on the back. And it seems like we never stop doing that. But think about it. When you've got people who are totally dedicating and giving and earnestly giving, not just doing it for the immediate quick response they're going to get from their peers, but if they're doing it from their heart, you can just take a look at the faces up here. They're all pure. I don't see no evil on them. So it gives us a... Great moment here, especially the way you've tied yourself with this young lady here who deserves a hell of a lot of credit for keeping it going. It's not an easy thing in government. Sometimes you're dealing with a little politics, but that should be the least of what we're dealing with. The energy should be put towards what we're doing here this evening. And it gives me great honor to take this, which is going to need a bigger building. And present it to you with our deepest appreciation beyond you. The years of service and dedication to our community. Thank you, thank you, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

Well, we're going to get the whole council, but I just want to say a few words first to a couple other people. So, I have to tell everybody that I don't know. Tammy and I met nine years ago in a Uber. She was my Uber driver. And we started talking on the way home. And she said to me, what do you do? And I said, I'm a counselor. And she said, we work with a lot of municipalities, our church, and we do volunteer work. And so we started talking. We had a meeting with the chief. And we decided that it would be wonderful if they could come come. And that was nine years ago. They've been faithful to our community for nine years. for our residents in need that can't do it anymore, and for disabled, you know, residents also. And then they do the cleanup for us. Sometimes one year, definitely one year, and sometimes two years. It just depends. And they come in force with 48 volunteers with a smile on their face. each and every time. I'm sorry Angela's father isn't here tonight, but Angela works just as closely with all of them as I do, and so does the chief. So I don't think I'm gonna tell you how happy I am that this partnership is still going strong after nine years, and I know it's gonna keep going strong for many years to come. And we are blessed, our Hamel Park community is so blessed to have each and every one of you working with us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

It's a pleasure working with you guys, great people.

Not only are we blessed, but we're going to be blessed because now they are residents in our department.

That's what I was going to say.

But I hope you can collect the taxes. They're great people. We work with them very closely. They are an asset to the community. and like councilwoman said they come deep there's like 80 people that show up everybody's got a smile they they're here to work and they're here to serve the community and we appreciate the partnership and thank you guys for everything and we hope that this is

I was also very happy and thankful to have met Lorraine and the way that I did.

And very thankful that through the partnership, Elmore Park has been able to be our neighbors as well as our community and family. And I was very excited to share with Elder Alex, who actually serves as an overseer at our church, that, hey, I met this amazing council president.

She has an amazing program where she helps people compete.

And this is exactly what our problems used to do. So we were very excited to get groups on the ground and to start with a program at Homeward Park and through this, we became family.

Okay, thanks Gary. Thank you everyone. Thank you Councilwoman, Chief and Mayor. We're always happy to be here and we love Elmwood Park. We love you guys and we're extra excited because By the grace of God, we're so thankful we're able to purchase and we're getting ready to move into the church that's on 21 Church Street. So yeah, you guys have been wonderful neighbors and now we're really going to be neighbors. So we're really looking forward to being more active and involved in the community. And we're so thankful because, like I said, Elwood Park has been just so wonderful and the people here and the government and everything. So also,

isaac ko he's coming to the location so he was in pagoda and uh he's moving from that location to the element park location uh to help serve the community here so uh isaac thank you yes thank you for inviting us and then my name is isaac i'm serving in the church of god in will be in elmo park and i'm really honored to be part of this beautiful family in this community And I think and I believe the true church is the church that serves the community with the heart of Christ, not just studying the word of God. Also, we really want to put our hands into our community so we can make sure we are strongly connected through the love of God. Thank you so much.

Thank you.

Okay, council, can you please all come down for a picture together? Sure.

being that your neighbors now our door will always be open and they're going to do more community work right way more all right let us know if you want us up here or down there up here i think come on everybody come on come up again Yeah. You see that going? Oh, everybody can see me great. You can do windows. So Alan, you can go to the side, actually. Go to that side. Yeah, everybody fits perfectly. You want to roll? Yeah, right there. Yep. Awesome. Big smile on three. Ready? One, two, three. Azaz. Azaz. Azaz. Big smile.

Awesome.

Good job, everyone. Thank you. Thank you. You've got to come by . Absolutely. All right.

So just wait for comments, and then you guys can do it.

I'll have to go now. We're going to have council comments later. Oh, council comments?

What did you say?

Council comments.

I'll take care of it.

Me and Mike.

Thank you. They told us.

It was a little sudden, but they're still people. They're wonderful. It was. It's good.

Okay, we're going to allow the council to make some comments on what they just saw. We'll start off with Joe.

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Appreciate that. Guys, welcome to town. We do this a lot. We love community events. We love people that give back to our community. Everybody that's up here is part of a community organization. It is one of those things that makes a town a town and separates us from the thousands of other villages and cities around this nation. We've got one of the best police departments. We've got some of the nicest churches and some of the best schools. So you're in good hands, and I hope that you will take the mayor's words to heart when he says that we are here to help. If you need anything, our doors are open for you. So welcome to town, and thank you for all that you do.

Again, thank you for everything that you do. It's always good to hear about your activities and see. Also participate in your cleanups. And all you do for our borough. Excuse me. What I'd like to say is it's great to hear that the building on Church Street there, 21 Church Street, is going to go to what I'm going to call a good use or a good purpose. Because there's developers that will put 150 apartments there in a second. Yeah. Yeah. The heart of our borough is our people and our existing buildings and the town feel that we have. So welcome to Alma Park. As you've heard before, anything you need, you don't have to come here. You can call us. You can reach out for us. We have cards. Lorraine can help you, whatever the case may be. We'll always be here to help you. Welcome to Alma Park. God bless and thank you.

Thank you, Councilman. Councilwoman Sheridan.

Thank you, Mayor. Back four years ago when I first started, I had the option of going to see you guys in your church. It's beautiful. God bless. Welcome to Elmore Park. And like everyone said, if you need anything, we're here for you.

Thank you, Councilwoman. Councilwoman Troisi?

I'd like to thank the volunteers who give their time to make Elmwood Park a better place. Your efforts make a positive difference in our community. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilwoman. Council President Pellegrin?

Yes, I kind of said enough, but I have to say one more little story, if I may. I was asked to speak at 21 Church Street a few years back. I'm not Presbyterian, I'm Catholic, but I was asked to speak and I did, and I fell in love with the church and started going every Sunday. It was like the love of my life. I couldn't wait to go to church. And then they had to sell the church, okay? And they gave a giant donation to RAP, and I love those people at that church so much, and I thought, they're selling this church, what's gonna go there? My heart was broken, and then I find out that you have purchased that church. So now it's another group of people that I love and I know are going to do so good for our community. So from an Uber ride to a church in our community to nine years of volunteer work, that's what came out of everything. And I think the guy upstairs had a little bit to do with that. So we welcome you. And from the bottom of my heart, I can't say it enough, you're pure people that only want to do good. Sometimes that's rare to find. So God bless you, and thank you for all you do for Elmer Park. We're blessed.

Couldn't ask for a better fit. This is like a miracle. I remember Bill Swinn, who was very involved there. And right now, he's looking down and saying, this is the right fit. And I've said enough tonight myself, but I haven't said this in a long time. Stay the course, damn the torpedoes, and full steam ahead.

Thank you. At this time, we have ordinances on first reading. We have Resolution R-225-26, Introduce Ordinance Number 26-18 on first reading. Be it resolved that an ordinance entitled Bond Ordinance to Authorize the Making of Various Public Improvements in the Acquisition of New Additional or Replacement Equipment and Machinery in New Automotive Vehicles, including Original Apparatus and Equipment and Buying for the Borough of Elmwood Park in the County of Bergen, State of New Jersey, to appropriate the sum of nine hundred and ninety thousand dollars to pay the cost thereof to make a down payment to authorize the issuance of bonds to finance such appropriation and to provide for the issuance of bond anticipation notes and anticipation of the issuance of such bonds 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, August 6, 2026, at 7 o'clock p.m., or as soon thereafter as same can be heard, at which time any person interested in said ordinance can be heard. Be it further resolved that the borough clerk, being she is hereby authorized to advertise a notice of introduction and final hearing as required by law.

Mr. Fligno, would you be so kind to break that down for us? Sure, Mayor. This is the introduction of a bond ordinance for the purchase of various pieces of equipment for several of the borough departments, and this is for items that are generally outside the scope of the normal budgetary process for bigger ticket items.

Thank you. May I have a motion on the ordinance?

So moved.

Second. Any discussion?

Call the roll, please. First by Council President Pellegrin, second by Councilwoman Sheridan. On roll call, we have Council Members Fasolo absent. Oswald?

Yes.

Sampson? Yes. Sheridan? Yes. Choisy? Yes. Council President Pellegrin? Yes. Motion carries. Next, we have ordinances on second reading. resolution r-226-26 introduce ordinance number 26-16 on second reading whereas the public notice has been given by the borough clerk that an ordinance entitled bond ordinance to authorize the acquisition of a new ambulance in buying for the borough of elmwood park in the county of bergen new jersey to appropriate the sum of four hundred thousand dollars to pay the cost thereof to make a down payment, to authorize the issuance of bonds, to finance such appropriation, and to provide for the issuance of bond anticipation notes. And anticipation of the issuance of such bonds was introduced and passed in a meeting held on Thursday, June 18, 2026, and that further consideration of this ordinance will be taken up at this meeting. And whereas all persons interested in said ordinance were given an opportunity to be heard concerning the same, now, therefore, it be resolved by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Elmwood Park that an ordinance entitled bond ordinance to authorize the acquisition of a new ambulance and buying for the borough of Elmwood Park in the county of Bergen, New Jersey to appropriate the sum of $400,000 to pay the cost thereof to make a down payment to authorize the issuance of bonds to finance such appropriation and to provide for the issuance of bond anticipation notes in anticipation of the issuance of such bonds passed on final reading.

May I have a motion to open to the public? Anyone from the public here to speak on this ordinance and this ordinance alone? If not, I will close the public portion. May I have a motion to adopt the ordinance?

So moved. Second.

Call the roll, please. First by Council President Pellegrin, second by Councilman Oswald. On roll call, we have Councilmember Sposillo absent. Oswald?

Yes.

Sampson? Yes. Sheridan? Yes. Choisey? Yes. Council President Pellegrin? Yes. Motion carries. Next, we have Resolution R-227-26, introduce Ordinance No. 26-17 on second reading, whereas a public notice has been given by the borough clerk that an ordinance entitled, An Ordinance Amending Borough Code Section 2-32.2, Appointment of Public Works Department Head and Superintendent to Address Superintendent Classification Options, was introduced and passed in a meeting held on Thursday, July 2, 2026. and that further consideration of this ordinance will be taken up at this meeting and whereas all persons interested in said ordinance were given an opportunity to be heard concerning the same now therefore it be resolved by the mayor and council of the borough of elmwood park that an ordinance entitled an ordinance amending borough code section 2-32.2 appointment of public works department head and superintendent to address superintendent classification options passed on final reading we have a motion to open to the public

Anyone from the public here to speak on this ordinance and this ordinance alone? If not, I'll close the public portion. May I have a motion to adopt the ordinance?

So moved. Second. Call the roll. First by Council President Pellegrin, second by Councilwoman Sheridan. On roll call, we have Council Members Fasolo, Absinthe, Oswald.

Yes.

Sampson. Yes. Sheridan. Yes. Troisi. Yes. Council President Pellegrin. Yes. Motion carries. Moving on to our consent agenda, we have the following resolutions. Resolution R-228-26, approval of payroll. R-229-26, approval of bills list. R-230-26, capital budget amendment. R-231-26, resolution to refund shop right. R-232-26, NJSA 48-11-6, emergency contract. R-233-26, approval of items of revenue appropriation, NJSA. 40A, colon, 4-87, R-234-26, authorized vacation buyback, R-235-26, resolution to refund tax exempt veteran, R-236-26, resolution authorizing tax exemption for disabled veteran, 364 East 54th Street, a.k.a. Block 1103, Lot 9. R-237-26, Appointment to Public Works Repairman, Department of Public Works, Provisional Status. R-238-26, Resolution Appointing Superintendent of Public Works. R-239-26, Resolution to Amend Resolution R-198-26. R-240-26, accept sidebar to collective negotiations agreement, white collar slash blue collar. R-241-26, approve 2026-2027 new and or used car dealership licenses. R-242-26, renew liquor licenses for the 2026-2027 license term. R-243-26 Resolution to Resend Liquor License Renewal Walter Ventura 0211-33-011-012 R-244-26 Appointment of Special Officers R-245-26 Resolution to Appoint Firefighters R-246-26 A Resolution Authorizing Inclusion in the Bergen County Community Development Program r-247-26 a resolution authorizing the execution of an agreement with the county of bergen to supersede the cooperative agreement dated july 1st 2024 and amendments thereto establishing the bergen county community development program r-248-26 approval to submit a grant application and execute a grant contract with the New Jersey Department of Transportation for funding from the FY2027 Municipal Aid Program for the Main Avenue from 54th Street to the dead end of Main Avenue roadway resurfacing project for $431,940. R-249-26, approve handicapped parking space, Falmouth Avenue. And R-250-26, resolution to approve the consent agenda.

May I have a motion on the consent agenda?

So moved. Okay.

Any discussion?

Call the roll, please. First by Council President Pellegrin, second by Councilman Oswald. On a roll call, we have Council Members Fasolo, Absinthe, Oswald.

Yes.

Sampson. Yes. Sheridan.

Yes.

Choisy.

I'm going to recuse from R-245-26, yes to the rest.

Council President Pellegrin. Yes. motion carries next we have departmental reports we have the board of health meeting minutes from may 11 2026. we have a motion to accept any discussion all in favor okay thank you mayor this concludes my portion of the meeting i will turn it over to you for a council report okay let's start off with mr oswald

Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Appreciate that. And good job, Shanae. You always get those agenda items out in perfect order.

Thank you.

I am very excited to be a part of this town as always. My son's going to be playing bomber football soon, so I'm really glad that we have a really good sports program that includes making sure that all families can afford to have their kids play. I also got to participate in the Ruck Walk on the 12th. There was a lot of people that showed up. It was a nice warm day. It was a beautiful day for a walk, so I encourage Anyone out there, if you see something like that happening, to just please come out and support us. These are community activities. It got big enough to turn into a little mini parade. So Elmwood Park Pride definitely was on display. A little bit of a sad note. A member of our community passed away during the last heat wave. His name was Ian Abernathy. He contributed a lot to high school sports. a good decade or so ago. And prior to his death, he was nominated to be in the Elmer Park Sports Hall of Fame. And the Hall of Fame Committee has since notified everybody that he will be posthumously admitted to the Hall of Fame. So if anybody is familiar with or knows Clara and Willie Abernathy, please pass your condolences on if you feel so inclined. Also, I hope everybody does show up to the borough Field for FIFA's World Cup Finals. The Rec Department and the Chief, along with the Police Department, did a fantastic job securing the field so that everybody can participate in this worldwide event. We're going to watch the finals. I believe the Chief has some games and stuff set up to teach kids how to play soccer in the beginning. So spend the whole day on Borough Field if it's not an inferno out there. There's also Peruvian Independence Day ceremony coming up at the Senior Center at 1 o'clock on Saturday. We're going to be honoring two veterans from our community, including our veteran liaison, Doc Shoup. This will be at 1 o'clock on Saturday at the Senior Center in honor of Peruvian Independence Day. And besides that, I would just like to remind people to please be mindful of this weather. Nobody try to be a superhero. Wear a mask if you can. Try to limit your outdoor activities. Be thankful for those who do work for you guys outside. Try to wear a mask and serve and drink water wherever you can. Thank you, Mr. Mayor Progress.

Thank you, Councilman. Councilman Sampson.

Thank you, Mayor. So we've approved the purchase of a new ambulance, and it's outstanding news to me. Thank you for your support and cooperation, everyone. Chief, thank you for your hardworking staff. They move mountains. To get this done in five months roughly is really, shows the dedication and the teamwork put into this. And that links to a situation that we had today right here in a borough where a fellow, so the situation, this incident is still under investigation. So the facts are, a fellow fell off a roof in our borough and he took over about a 30 foot fall and he was seriously or severely injured. He was transported by our ambulance, 448, and that ambulance was on scene in less than three minutes. Very good. In just a few years' time, a few years ago, if that fellow fell off that roof, he would have waited up to 40 minutes or 45 minutes, Chief, am I correct?

Right.

For an ambulance, if we could get one at that time of day or one coming from out of town. So our EMS program, along with the rest of our emergency services, is the best. Three minutes. uh the paramedics responded and they treated the fella and he's over in st joe's and like i said the situation is under investigation so i can't go any further than that but thank you for your cooperation we need to replace these ambulances and we took the first step very good news um as far as outside my outside activities i was out at the elks national convention at the beginning of this month from the third to the eighth My plans were kind of altered by United Airlines, but that's a little separate story. But I was out there, and I was installed permanently as an exalted ruler on the national level now, so I'm recognized here. Our Little Lodge also received third place in the nation for a lodge our size for what we do here, here in Elmer Park. Our Elks Lodge is commensurate with the rest of the associations and services offered to the residents in Elmer Park. And it's certainly something to be proud of. I see Linda out there, Linda Colombini, a homeowner's trip. She's running at 24th. July 24th, she has seats available. You can contact her and myself, and we'll get you on the bus. Mayor, as you can see, we're moving strong. We're moving steady. America through 50. And God bless America, and thank you. Progress.

You know, Eric, getting back to the ambulance corps, there was a time where... It was tough to get volunteers. And we had to take the bull by the horns, which we did, incurring the expense at that moment, which we neutralized. But it took character to make that move. And when you hear a report like you gave tonight about response three minutes, that makes it all worthwhile. It made it all worthwhile.

Thank you Mayor you're absolutely right and you know we did it the right way through again through the hard work of the chief and his staff because there are very few especially down in South Bergen here there are very few ambulance corps so to speak around anymore and it's the easy thing to do is just to go to a contractor like a major health care provider there's a couple of them out there you get you have no local control you have no people that you pick and select you know again just no control so We took the initiative. The chief took the initiative. The police department took the initiative. And I'm gracious and thankful to lead this as the commissioner. And as we know, it's full circle for me because I started this crazy journey of mine when I was 16 years old as a youth squad member at Garfield Ambulance. And all I can say is thank you.

Very good. Thank you, Councilman. Councilwoman Sheridan.

Thank you, Mayor. First, I'm going to do my fire report. For the month of June up to last Thursday, there were 68 emergency incidents, which takes over 400 manpower hours, which everything is volunteer. We had 18 drills, one department meeting and three special assignments. One work detail that added up to 912 volunteer service hours. Okay. We also had 18 fire alarms, 15 gas leaks or odor investigations for motor vehicle accidents for down power lines and for carbon monoxide incidents. We also had the neighboring communities four times and received a mutual aid on four occasions. 100% emergency incidents resulted in no reported property loss. We also had a live fire training exercise at Bergen County Fire Academy. If you know anyone that would like to be a volunteer fireman, please let um greg thompson know or let our fire official steve know um he can be located um at the municipal building here um the phone number is 201-796-1457 extension 2027. getting back to sunday or rock me i want to give a big thank you to our chief our fire department our police department ems was there our recreation um this all started a short story there was three people that were sitting in dunkin donuts figuring out what can we do for 250. everybody was going crazy trying to figure everything out we finally got a plan together i called up the chief at 10 o'clock in the morning and i said chief can i have five minutes of your time he's like yeah sure i said all right meet me at dunkin donuts he showed up in a matter of 20 minutes this was over done with and in three weeks we got this run together i mean a big thank you to doc the chief his team i mean it was great we had a good time we had a lot of people we even had motorcycles i mean it was just a great great event we should do it every year instead of just for 250. chief okay maybe well it doesn't matter when it comes to veteran it doesn't matter on the weather they're in any kind of weather so to them they were they were running along trotting along as if it was just a regular day for them councilwoman when you refer we should do it each and every year is that the event or meeting at Dunkin Donuts both okay

Get them done.

Yeah, we need the caffeine, we need the donuts, and then we think better.

Okay, now I got it.

Exactly. I also want to put out there, if anyone is getting rid of a refrigerator, we're opening up a pantry over at the VFW, and our refrigerator went yesterday. So we're in the process of trying to find a new one. So if anybody out there has a refrigerator they want to get rid of, just let me know and we'll be more than happy to take it off your hands. Also, the concerts. Mayor, you've been at two concerts. We're so excited to see you there. I am doing the 5050. I am not putting up a new monument. I am refurbishing one, which is over by the high school. I say by the high school, it's not the one in front of the high school when you walk out the doors. No, it's the one closer to the gas station. If you walk down the sidewalk and walk right smack in the middle by the telephone pole and turn around and you'll see this stone in the ground, which is disrespectful. So I came up with the brainstorm idea that I want to refurbish it. I want to raise it up and give it respect. And the next concert is next Tuesday, and it's the mayor's concert. I'll let you talk about that part. That's all I got, Mayor. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilwoman. Councilwoman Troisi.

Thank you. The Spray Park was closed today due to the air quality. I'd like to echo the Councilman's comments about staying indoors. Do not go outside if you do not have to. It's rough out there. So we're canceling games. I hope all the other sports organizations make that same decision. Registration for the 2026-2027 school year programs are currently open on community paths for returning families only right now with children in grades kindergarten through eighth. And then due to the forecast on Saturday, July 18th, the movies under the stars has been moved inside the rec center gym. The barbecue will still take place outside at six and the movie hoppers will start indoors at 8 p.m. The admission is free, but space is limited. For my Board of Ed update, I'd like to remind everyone about the summer meals program. It will continue through July 30th. Children and teens 18 and under can go to the middle school twice a day from 9 to 9.30 for breakfast and then from 12.30 to 1 for lunch. They must consume it on the premises. And then lastly, I would just like to thank everybody who participated in the Ruck March. I'd like to give a special thanks to the PD for the T-shirts. I really liked it. And I agree with Councilwoman Sheridan. I think we should make it an annual event. And that's it. Thank you. Thank you, Councilwoman.

Council President Pellegrin.

Yes, just a couple short things. The new Elmwood Park Chamber of Commerce update on July 21st, they will be hosting a free REV 250th event celebration from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Parkway Lanes in Elmwood Park. free bowling for everyone, $2.50 for drafts and soda pitchers. The Chamber's trying to raise money for our new ambulance fund. This will be a great night of fun while helping a great cause. For more information, you can call 551-500-7810. My Board of Health update, there's no meeting in July. Their next regular meeting will be on Monday, August 10th at 7 p.m. And then events updates. I attended the concerts also. I know the mayor's going to talk about it, but it was really a feel-good event for the last two, and I'm looking forward to the rest of them. And the last concert, he'll give the numbers, but it was extraordinary how many people came out to enjoy the evening. It's such a wonderful thing that we have in our community, and everybody really loves it. So mayor will talk more about that. And he'll talk about the schedule, too. On July 12th, we celebrated the 250th anniversary of our Freedom in the Ruck event and barbecue, like everyone's saying here. It was a great event supporting our military and our great country. Thank you to Doc Shoup, our Elmwood Park PD, our Elmwood Park Fire Department, and our rec team. And thanks to all our veterans who participated and all our residents. It was a beautiful celebration. And I have to say, lastly, one more thing that I forgot to mention before. I know I thank the police for the help with the ZEHS and the Residence Assistance Program. But just think about all the events that we have in this community, right? We have tons of events. Every one of them is basically managed by our police team, our chief and our team. They never say no to anyone's idea. and then they practically run it and get all the hard work done. So I just wanna give a shout out to all the fire, the police and everybody, our rec team, our EMS, but really, I'm sorry, but it starts with our police team. Everybody goes to them first and then everybody else joins in and help because you can't get these events done without help from everyone and it's a team, but we are truly blessed in this community with all that we have. But I'm telling you, I'm telling you, I've been doing this a long time. It starts out with Chief Filigno and his team. And it's really great what they do for this community. And I just wanted to have the opportunity on tape to thank them for all the hard work they do. And they've never, ever said no to any one of us. And they make it happen. And they make it happen in a great way. They don't just do half little job here they do it with their heart they go out and do everything the right way and they make success events so from the bottom of my heart and everybody else up here we want to thank you and your team it means a lot to us and it's not unnoticed all that you do thank you thank you mayor well i'd like to say that we're blessed having you on this council

Classic example, the organization that was in here tonight starts off in an Uber drive. If you look at their establishment, this is no small organization. It is a large, beautiful building. And they managed to come into Elmwood Park. You plant a seed, and now we've got a tree growing. So you should take a moment within yourself Just be happy because you really, really, really start something and you finish it. Getting back to the concerts on Tuesday evening, perfect evening. The temperatures were dropping from 90s, about 8 o'clock, it was about 85 and there was a breeze. You thought you were on a tropical island, I swear. It was just beautiful. The sound system, And I complimented the sound man. It was so balanced. They had horns. Usually, it's out of whack. Too much horns, too much vocals. When you listen to the band, it sounded like a record. And we had the second best thing to Neil Diamond, which was this gentleman who does Neil Diamond. And I'd say 90% of the time sounded just like him. So it was a great event. We've got another great one coming up. They're calling it the Mayor's Concert. I don't understand why, but it's just another concert as far as I'm concerned. But we have one of my favorite groups coming in. And I know it's Lorraine's favorite group, too. I don't know about Pam, because I don't even know if you were born when this group was around. The Happenings, Pam, are you familiar with them? I am familiar with them.

That's not my type of music.

I knew I was gonna get some pushback on that one.

We're gonna get ACDC next year.

Okay, well, yeah, that's right. Fair opportunity. So we got Bobby Miranda in the happenings, and it's ironic. And he'll bring it out when he talks. He started his career across the street in St. Leo's Church. They were doing a dance way, way, way back before they hit it big. And he'll bring that up. July 28, we got the Dr. K Motown music. August 4, the Chicklets and Bobby Wilson. We had them last year. They're an excellent group. August 11, the Bee Gees. I'm looking forward to that. Directly from Las Vegas. We're getting them coming right out of Las Vegas. August 18th, Pure McCartney. And we all know who that is, one of the Beatles. And then last but not least, 60s Mania, direct from Las Vegas on August 25th. So that's what we've got to look forward to. It's been a blessed night. I'm not going to linger any longer. We're going to move along. And with that, may I have a motion to open the floor for the public?

So moved.

Second. Anyone from the public care to speak? Kenny, you want to come up? To speak on any subject you wish, keep it to about 10 minutes. We'd appreciate it. All right, Kenny. Kenny, by the way, was at the concert. And Kenny, I just want to, before you go on, I want to commend... The two ladies on the end there for working the concert, they're there every week. Pam's working the concession stand. And of course, my dear Terry is working for the VFW trying to raise money along the line. Thank you. I'm sorry, Kenny. No problem.

Mayor and Chief, I have a question to ask you. I'm looking for a police officer from this town Because my cousin, my brother, just got engaged, and his, her cousin works for your town, works for the police. And named Patrol? Patrol. Patrol? Patron? Yeah. Yeah. Right. He's going to be my cousin now. Yeah. Yeah. My brother's girlfriend is cousin of his in town. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. My brother just got engaged. mayor that's great great yeah when's the party we all invited we don't know that's the thing we just know they just got engaged we got to see whether he's going to get married now you tell them the mayor and the council want to come to that all right all right i think the mayor should marry him right here tell your cousin all right the mayor will marry him right here all right maybe One day, maybe. Tell us about the concerts. I want to tell you about the concert. It was a very great concert. Very nice. Hey, Chief, can I ask you? Did all the cars have to have the lights on all night when they're sitting in the field? No, I just wonder why they had lights on. Yeah. And I won three cars. That's weird. And we're just sitting there doing nothing. I don't think so. No. And then the lady cop had a whole bunch of kids with bicycles going around behind the field in the stadium when they were doing the concert. And then they were there. He was patrolling all the kids in the car, in the bicycles. Yeah, I saw that too. And I didn't ask you, Chief, we still got a lot of trucks on that road, Mulberry Street, I mean Local Street, coming down and going down the road. There's a lot of trucks. Yep. Right. I don't know either. I don't like it either because it's... It's scary because all these trucks keep coming in and then, you know, one time they had two or three trucks in a row coming in. There was. And then I think a lot of more cars are still turning and going down the wrong way. I want to tell you that, too. I've seen a lot of times. And I yell at them all the time when I see them. I say, one-way street. One way, and you know what, go down that way. I do it all the time.

Kenny, do you know where that's going to stop if we get the chief to stand on that corner and they see him?

But you need them all the cops to patrol that area. That you don't have. You don't have that.

All right, let's see if we can put bigger signs there.

But they keep going down. I mean, you've seen it so many times. I yell every time I go out there. I say, oh, look, another cop is there. Another car going down. And they say, where are the cops? They're no round. I don't know. I'll find out. All right. But don't forget for me. Find out that person for me. Thank you. Thank you for everything. Chief, Mayor, I see you on Tuesday. I'll be there. What do you think? We might have some rain and thunderstorms. You come up by the stage and you'll come up with me. All right.

You'll do. You'll do.

I like that.

Anyone else care to speak from the public on any subject whatsoever? If not, I'll close the public portion. And I think with that, I need a motion to adjourn. No, go into executive, excuse me. Motion to go into executive? All in favor? Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

Whereas the open public meeting at PL 1975, Chapter 231 permits the exclusion of the public from the meeting in certain circumstances, and whereas the public body is of the opinion that such circumstances presently exist, and whereas the governing body wishes to discuss attorney-client privilege information, minutes will be kept, and once the matter involving that confidentiality of the above no longer requires that confidentiality, then the minutes can be made public. Now therefore it be resolved that the public be excluded from this meeting.