Council - Regular Meeting

for the four-way stop. Did you hear me, Madam Clerk? Number five will go for Yes. Number six will be on consent. Oh, no. Number five is the second reading for four weeks up. Council President, what what did you say? Number five. We'll go. I have I have that. You have it. Okay, we're ready. So, um you were saying something else about number six. Okay. Yes. Six is consent. Okay.

Good evening everyone. On behalf of the Patterson Municipal Council, I welcome you to the workshop session of March 3rd, 2026 at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is now called to order. Madame Clerk, please call the role. Yes. Roll call for the workshop session of March 3rd, 2026. Councilwoman Cotton. Councilwoman Dava, present. Councilman Jackson, Councilman Khik, Councilman Mendes. Good evening, Pis. Press on the clerk. Councilman Omar, Councilman Uden, Councilman Vez, Council President.

Uh, Councilman Khalik is out sick. Councilman Uden will be late. Councilman um Omar is uh breaking fast. He will be right upstairs. Madam clerk, my vote is yes. Thank you very much. We have five present at this time and four absent.

Madam clerk, please read the statement of compliance. Statement of compliance with the open public meetings law 2025 2026 March 3rd 2026 time 6:35 p.m. Adequate notice of this meeting was compiled and disseminated in accordance with the open public meetings law in the following manner. The annual notice of regular meetings and workshop sessions of the municipal council was compiled for the year 2025 2026 on or about July 1st 2025. A schedule of the regular meetings and workshop sessions of the municipal council for the year 2025 2026 was duly transmitted on or about July 1st 2025 to the North Jersey Herald News the record the Arabic voice the Italian voice the pose county pulseana news laiskea international lispiel the patterson press the city post news tap into patterson the weekly bangala Patrika. In addition to any other publication duly requesting such notices, the schedule of the regular meetings and workshop sessions of the municipal council for the year 2025 2026 was prominently posted in the lobby of city hall first floor in the place reserved for the announcements of this type. The schedule of regular meetings and workshop sessions of the municipal council for the year 2025 2026 was duly filed with the municipal clerk. A copy of the schedule of regular meetings of the municipal council was mailed to any person who requested and paid the fee authorized by the open public records act. Council president.

Thank you madam clerk. So as stated item number five which is a four-way stopway stop control will move forward. Item number six is for uh Liberty. Uh was stated earlier, we'll go on consent. Um I also want to say welcome back to Council Member um from your surgery. I'm happy that you're feeling better. Um madame clerk, uh number seven um will be on consent. Number number eight is regular. Number nine is consent. No consent. Did you put the procedures on?

The procedures. Yeah. Okay. Okay. 8 8 and nine regular. Well, 7, eight, and nine regular. Madam clerk, 78, I'm sorry. Yes. 78 and nine are consent. Regular. Regular. Okay. Yes. Councilwoman Dava. Council President. 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 renewal junkyard lices as well as licenses. Your mic your mic is off. Yeah, you could repeat.

My apologies if I may repeat again. Uh items 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, and 21 are items that are renewal uh for um junkyard licenses, motor vehicle junkyard licenses, renewal uh of um coin operated uh licenses for Laundry Express, Uh if my colleagues are okay within their awards, respectful awards, if these items can all go on consent, these are renewal licenses. Council President, what about 17? Mr. 17. She said 17

17 as well. Consent to Yes. Uh council president. Yes. Councilman Veles. Uh thank you, Council President. Um Madame U VP, um you just stated all the items by number, but at the same time, you explain the public what is it. Uh it will be beneficial that when we move any item to consent or regular at least read the title because uh the viewers out there we know they know what we talking about. Okay.

Uh just to put on the record because on some of them going to say what is that 10 what? And they don't have the agenda at home. At least they could uh listen to the title and at least they familiar what we move into regular or not. Uh just to keep it on the record and have the record clear.

So so thank you very much Councilman Velis. Uh, council president, if I may, uh, as I stated, you know, these this agenda is here for anyone that would like to look at it. And for the viewers, I will quickly just say that item 10, uh, resolution addressing renewal of motor vehicle junkyard license for Hector Stefanelli, HNA, Auto Parts, 16 Bloomfield Avenue in the sixth ward. Item 11 is resolution addressing the renewal of a junkyard pocket license, John Cruz. Item 12 is resolution addressing the renewal of a motor vehicle junkyard pocket license. John Cruz. 13, resolution addressing the renewal of a junkyard license for Frank Nemoth United Patterson Enterprises at 157th Street, Fourth Ward. Item 14, resolution addressing renewal of a coin operated license for MZ Ventures LLC, uh, known as Ziggies Laundry Express, 202 Straight Street, Fourth Ward. item

they it just said here fourth word. So okay so is that first? Okay. So madame clerk if item 14 can please be changed to indicate that it is not the fourth ward but the first. Okay. Uh but just so everyone knows that it is for the laundromat to get their renewal license. Item 15 is resolution addressing renewal of a coin operated laundry license for bubble bath laundry. That's 450 Chamberlain A in the first ward. Item 16 is resolution addressing renewal of parking lot license for progressive parking. That's 79-81 Prospect Street. Um I believe that that is not the first ward anymore. Uh Councilman Jackson, that's the fifth ward, right? Where? Prospect Street.

Yeah, that's the fifth ward. The fifth. Okay. So, madame clerk, if you can please through the chair, if you can please update to reflect that 79-81 Prospect Street is in the fifth ward, not the first. Thank you. Item 17, resolution addressing renewals of coin operated laundry licenses for the following licenses and Pagano known as Union Union A laundry 389 Union A. That's the second ward marked through your laundry room 21 LLC 21 Mil Street. That needs to reflect uh madame clerk that it is not the first ward but the fifth ward. Thank you. Uh thank you council president.

Item 18 I'm sorry not that one. Item 19 resolution addressing renewal of a junkyard license for Barbara Barnes for a pocket license. Item 20 is a resolution addressing the renewal of florist licenses for the following licences. Archangel Flowers LLC 5212 a in the sixth ward. Home Depot number 095975 McLean Boulevard third ward union 5 and10 Inc. 392 Union AB second ward and item 21 resolution addressing renewal of a coin operated laundry license for Hod Hood Corp. known as Lily's Lingerette 300 Park AB in the fifth ward. So Madame President, if items 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, and 20, and 21, if they can please go on consent, if my colleagues agree to that.

Yes. Consent, Madam Clerk, Council President, Council Member Le, and then Council Mot. Yeah, Council President. Uh and it looks like you know uh it's not correct in the records because there's a lot of uh public viewers that do not know was 10 was 11. So it's not just challenges. So so to just to keep the record clear it's fine to read at least a title. Thank you council president and council IP. You're welcome. Um councilwoman Cotton. Thank you madam thank you um council president. U madam clerk uh number 13 that's 157th street. So that is the fourth ward. I think it's East 7th Street. I'm sorry. That is the fourth. It's the fourth ward. It is the fourth. Number 13. Yeah.

Yeah. That's not the one that we asked to correct. Or which one you It was It was number 14. No, number 14 is 202 Straight Street. You said that. That's No, initially Councilwoman Cotton thought it was first, but she's correcting to say that it should be fourth. Which one? The one you're saying? Yeah, it should be fourth. It should be fourth. is fourth. Number 14, which is the one on Straight Street, is first. It's first, and that's what she was correcting. It's not fourth. Yeah, it's four. So, that's the correction. Yes. Okay, that's fine. Thank you, Council President. Thank you. Thank you. Um, Madame Clerk, number um Okay. 18. I don't see anymore. I'm sorry. Item number 18 is regular. Madam Clerk,

he said he didn't see the bunker healing. Health and Human Services items 21 through 20. Items 22 and through 24. You don't have it in. Okay. Sorry. Health and human services chair. Councilman Omar. I'm sorry. Items 22 through 24.

Good evening council. I have items 22 which is the resolution authorizing the share services between the towns of Bloomingdale, Clifton, Pake, Ringwood, Wayne and and the county POS for TB services. It's a renewal of the yearly contract where we provide services at our TB clinic. The item number 23 is a resolution authorizing award of contract for St. Joseph's Hospital which yes sir tuberculosis

at the board of health 176 Broadway. So, I mean, I'm just I'm just outlining because the way you uh described it, it made it appear as if we have a individualized clinic specifically driven for TB. Yes, we do. Mhm. We have a tuberculosis clinic within the board of health, but it's within the facility of the board of health. Correct. The same facility that had to be vacated multiple times this past month because there was no heat. If it's a separate facility, it's within the same building, Councilman.

Okay. So, what I'm getting at is Okay. So, here we are. We are taking on um responsibilities to render services for surrounding communities. And and again, or I didn't say I can't say again because I haven't outlined this yet. I'm not pointing the finger at you per se. I mean, you're not um responsible. Well, even though it is your facility, we should be making sure that we are capable of providing ongoing uninterrupted services that our employees that are being asked to render these services are working under um uh feasible conditions. M

so we had to vacate the facility our TB facility for multiple days this past month because of due to you know these uh weather conditions and of which the same facilities are TV facilities that we're going to have to potentially vacate in the summer because we don't have adequate air conditioning facilities there as well. So, um, just as an outline for this, how much is the, uh, how much are we is the grant for this thing here that we So, we do have a grant, but this share services, we're actually entering into it so we can charge these towns for the services. In the past, we did not have this agreement. So, we still have to service them because we are receiving a state grant. This allows us to actually bill the county of Pake for the residents of the towns that they serve as their health officer and the other towns that I mentioned because their residents do come here. In the past, we weren't charging them. This is the second year that we're actually doing this.

So, so we weren't charging them. So, does that mean we we we don't charge our own residents for the same services? It's a free service to our residents. We have a grant through the state. Okay. But although we're receiving the grant, we're looking to charge surrounding communities that are we have the ability to do so. Yes. Okay. So, we recuperate part of the monies for the things that you've just mentioned, the salary of our staff, the materials used. So, who exactly are we charging? The township. So, we're going to we're going to send a bill to the township. Yes. And they have been paid. We're not we're not charging the individuals. We're going to charge the the the

correct. Correct. because by law they have to have a contract that has those services provided. So, prior to the vote on this, I would like to get a report on what we've done last year because I'm not sure if it's this specific service,

but I am it has been brought to my attention that other services that we render and make available to other communities once we reach a certain number, which was a very small number in my opinion, let's say seven or eight clients that the staff was refusing to take on additional clients. I'll get more details on this because I definitely have some some information on that. But what I'm concerned about is um are we continuously running um uh uh equitable treatment and services to our residents or are they being turned away and saying no, no, we meet reach capacity for the day.

Yeah. Nobody gets turned away for TB services. We're required by law to provide those services. I'll get the details on that because I definitely appreciate if you can email that to me please. Thank you. And I would like a full report on on what we've done in the past year. Number of individuals served individuals served from which municipality which uh uh services paid for services that have been waiting to be paid um etc. Okay. Thank you, Councilman Mendes. Thank you. Director, you mentioned that this is the f the second year that we're charging.

Yes, the second year. Okay. So I would like to know we were servicing them because we have to but we weren't billing the municipalities and we're absolutely able to bill. So in conversation with our health officer we reached out to legal and we put this in place so that we can recuperate some of these monies. All correct. Correct. So if you could uh director before the next meeting if you could give us the the revenue that we've received from last year um from this program and the neighboring town that we serving. So, if you could include that on the on the report for the entire council. Thank you, Council President. Thank you. This item will be on regular item 23. Director uh uh Council President.

Um Councilman Blesz and Council Cotton. Uh director, I know that u Thank you. I know that this is not probably was under your uh leadership in the human resources uh human services department but the surgery in his eyes or something the board of health invested almost $700,000 in a mobile unit that we did a grand opening. It looks beautiful when that time, but what's the status of that mobile unit that probably has zero miles as we speak, but what's the status? Are we going to use it? How we could use it?

We still do have the mobile unit. Uh today, I had a conversation with the health officer. Uh if you recall about a year ago, there was an incident of vandalism. Um not only was the mobile unit vandalized, but also some DPW uh vehicles. So, we're in the process of getting those repairs done. Um, and then we'll have a conversation with the BA about the original arrangement of who was going to drive the mobile unit. So, those conversations are ongoing.

Correct. It it would be it would be um if nothing's going to be done through the board of health, any other programs. um see how um even a police could utilize it as a a mobile police station that they could put that in the street like to serve it's designed to be clinic if if you know to look at the positive way to use them if you if you're not going to use them moving forward to see if PD could even use it as a a police mobile unit to place it in different hospital area that it cooperate from there it will just an idea Okay.

But if if if you could move it forward for board of health, amen. But if not, other division could be using it for for detail crimes and and use as a operational unit for different wards. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. Councilwoman Cotton.

Thank you, um, Council President. Um I just want to say to um um director uh Ramirez um you know with this TV this is not people are coming there not with TV they're coming there because their job might require them to get a TB test. I know I sent you several people who needed to go into a shelter but they would not let them in unless they had a TB test. So to me this is not about people with TB. This is checking because some places not letting you come in until you can prove that you're okay. And with this here, I just want to make it kind of clear that this is what this does, too. For those that got to get a job and instead of having to go to a doctor and pay for a TB test, they can go to the passing health department.

Thank you, Council. Thank you. Item is on regular. Madam Clerk, I'm sorry, Council President. Councilman Jackson, it's unregular. director, just just for a point of clarity, is there any specific reason why this particular service and these particular um municipalities like why these municipalities I mean it what it seems is this is if if we're rendering a service and let's say who I don't think I saw on the list Wayne or uh some other uh Prospect Park. So if those residents come in, we're not going to build build those unless they're on this specific uh shared service agreements list. Council president

director, so the towns that you mentioned are under this shared services because they contract with the county of PI for health officer services. So they would be under P county. So we build P county, P county has a contract with them, but they pay us. Wow. Okay. So um so these other municipalities are outside of P County. No. So West Milford, Woodland Park, I mean you you those are the towns that contract with the county. So that's why the our share services is with the county of Pake. The county of Pake covers those towns that you just mentioned.

Okay. So All right. So let let me um let me redirect now. So basically we're not we're not because my initial question was were we going to build those municipalities? You said yes. Yes. So we're not building the municipalities. We're going to build the county for the towns that the county covers. Okay.

So like Bloomingdale, Clifton, Pake, Ringwood, and Wayne. They have their own contracts. The county of Pake covers other towns which are listed in the back of the resolution. You give me a second. The county of Pake has held in Prospect Park, Wanuk, West Milford, and Woodland Park. So, the county the county is only allotting specifically certain municipalities that they're willing to cover. They're covering the towns that have a contract with them for health officers.

Okay? So they they're required to have a health officer, but because they can't afford to have their own, they contract with the county, the county covers them. And because the county can't do this type of work, then the county No, I understand. They outsource it to us and we uh allegedly or um presumptively have the the capacity, right? But so for those municipalities that the county does not have that that don't fit into that route, that criteria, we're now solidifying an an outside this is going to be a separate agreement with those specific municipalities.

I think I understand what you're saying. So the count the towns in P County that are not part of this, they have their own health officer. They have their own contract, but they don't render but they don't offer TB services. they may through a contract with another town or a hospital. So these are the people that don't have their own contracts with other places who want to contract with us or who contracted with the county and the county then contracted with us. But all the other towns in P County are required by law to have this type of a agreement. It just doesn't have to be with us. It could be with anybody else. Okay. So I'm getting at another question. What I'm trying to do, what I'm trying to find out, yes, is specifically

within this particular service, right? We have an agreement with the county. What you're saying, these specific municipalities already covered because they don't have a health officer. So, we are their designated location for these specific kinds of services, for this specific service. Right? Now, for those who do have a health officer and yet still have an a a complication with rendering TB services, they can come here, but we will then turn around and bill them. We could, but we have not had any cases outside of these towns come to us. Okay. In SE County.

All right. So these are only then you're make you're you're being so so now we're we're going to specifically say these will only include those municipalities that do have the said agreement with the county. So we're not billing the municipalities. We're billing the county. We're billing the county for the towns that I read off as covered by the county and then the other towns who have their own agreement with us. But anyone outside of that, we don't see anyone from any of those other towns.

All right. So now here's here's my question. what I'm trying to figure out for other services that we are forced to render life support services such as Narcan uh or um uh repeative aid services for non residents right who who have I mean what I'm getting at is how is it specifically for this particular service we render lots of services, our fire department, which there should be some type of understanding between the health officer, especi especially, we should have reports on how many victims we're providing um Narcan, I'm going just use Narcan for for an example. We spend a great deal of money every year on Narcan, right? So, why can't we build other municipalities for these other services that we're let's say if if it's for um you know, we we have a grant specifically outlined for HIV services and someone from outside of our from our community and we we we you know render those services to them.

So, for those services, we have federal grants and we cover PA and Bergen County. No, for HIV services. Okay. Okay. Well, I use it as an example, but I mean that's held under the police, which is uh the alternative strategies to policing. Um that TA Joiner can get you that information. I can have her see if she can provide you that. Well, I mean, more so than the data on on how much production we having relative to recovery

services that we're rendering that should falls under public health. you have someone that is that's in, you know, um in need of of life-saving, you know, uh uh services and we're continuously rendering them. We know that there's presumptive, it's not even presumptive, we we understand that municipalities are dropping off their people that have these drug addictive ser uh uh ailments to our community that we're forced to deal with. Is there a way and maybe you know through legal we can figure that figure that out. What my question is, why TB services? Is it because specifically we have an agreement with the county? Because even though we have an agreement with the county, we're saying, "Okay, we have this agreement with the county, but those of you that do not fit into that criteria, we're going to bill you directly. Why are we billing for all of the other services that we're that we're fulfilling?" So, and I think that's a conversation that we could have a little bit more extended conversation and maybe meet with our health officer because we get grants from federal and state where we're mandated to take care of anyone that comes in for those services. Now, I guarantee you people are not coming to Patterson for those services. They're not coming from Bergen County for those services.

For which services? For STD services. People aren't coming here to get STD tested at our board of health, but we offer it. And if somebody walks in, we have to provide it. There was just a young man that lost his life that was hit with a hammer in a homeless um encampment, right? Yeah. The majority of the people that are living within the homeless encampments, they are not Patterson bonafide residents.

Correct. Your office should have inventory on all of these individuals that are living here. And therefore, there should be some sort of services even from the standpoint of inventory. Even from the standpoint of, you know, um uh uh our our uh uh uh feeding them through uh food banking and and things of that nature. there. These are these are services, right, that Patterson residents are being reduced from because we're servicing other communities situations. So my point is, listen, if we if there's a creative measure to where we're billing you for a service such as TB, right? There's an enormous amount of services. I mean, yeah, maybe someone may not come here specifically to be tested for for an STD, but we definitely know that there is contact amongst these individuals from outside the community. Now, a bonafide resident has to then come in there and get services. So contact from a drug uh you know related uh uh contact situation can result in additional expenditures that the city's taken on. So my point is these individuals that we talk about this all the time. If we can't figure out ways to be creative to say okay Ocean County you sent us 32 13 individuals in 2025 and we spent X Y and Z. We want to now be able to render, you know, um cost for or bill for for cost of services rendered. I don't know if it's Listen, I'm maybe it's a little bit above what we're what our focus is, but I think that I I drive past on all these encampments in the in on on the Riverside, right? And is there a report on from your office on what we're doing, the individuals that are there? You know, we

just lost a somebody lost a life there. It was a Patterson resident that got hit in the hammer, hit in the head with a hammer. So these are the circumstances that we're dealing with, right? And not maybe not your but the public the health officer should at least have some have a fingerprint on unfortunately council to council president. Unfortunately that doesn't fall into the mold of public health. That doesn't fall into the scope of the health officer's job. Homelessness is has nothing to do with public health. I know that

wait hold on. So individuals who are severely addicted to drugs who are defecating, urinating in the w public water systems doesn't fall. Individuals that have that have that that are taking food from food pantries, taking food down into those areas where then rat infestations continuously, you know, begin to populate. That's not a public health concern. Homelessness is not a responsibility of the public health officer. So why why were you why are you on um I I've seen you many times on Route 19 and over I get involved because

I've seen you I've seen you there vacating people who are in have encampments on the highway, but we're not doing that on on the side. When a complaint comes in, I go out and assist and I connect people and I use the county resources and I call state resources and I call nonprofits. But if you look through my budget, I have zero dollars allocated to anything homelessness. I have zero dollars allocated to any staff to deal with homelessness. Yeah. But but I do it because, you know, the work has to get done. We got to try to do what we can.

No, no. I I'll say this and listen, I apologize in advance because when there's a blemish on the mayor because in in the main th vein of the city, the entrance, I've seen you there very consistently. There's encampments all over the riverbank that people are living in, you know, in in deplorable conditions. If that is not a matter of public health, then we we need new glasses. Our focus is not in place. If if individuals from our community, specifically young people that got to go to school at school 28, school 4, have to walk past people who are severely overdosing of drugs and and people that are defecating on the side of the river and things of that nature. If and and you talk about your budget, I understand your budget is extremely, you know, it's it's it's it's being uh burdened. But to my point, if we can figure out creative ways to look at these things and if we're not taking them to taking them to account, in fact, Mr. Gilmore brought up a phenomenal point the other day that he's been screaming for quite some time. We still don't have a heat map of the of the city of where those individuals, those of 600 plus individuals who lost their lives during COVID, where in the city are they located? That's a public health concern because in those areas we have overcrowding. So, not that it's it's not irrelevant to TB, but just the the method in which we're going about recovering the funding. We're spending a great deal of money on taking care of other people's issues. Your office along with I mean, I already know the mayor's office isn't it's not a not a not a uh a concern, but we should be looking to recover some of this money that we're spending. And if we're not spending money there, we should be because those those individuals are having a death a traumatic impact on our community. But I mean, listen, that's me. I look at things differently. Council

president. So anyway, I'm sorry. The item is going on by the council president. The item has already been allocated for right now. Council Councilman Mendes and then veles

and and I I'll definitely I'll be brief you know and and director understanding that that in your budget you don't have a line item dedicated for homeless but the reality that we facing in Patterson is that most of the homeless that we have like 90% of the homeless that we have up there they not from Pison and the reason why they come to Pisu is because we provide we providing services that they they don't find in those towns where they live and at the same time they come here and we allow them to pan handling and do all do and do other things but at the same time we're spending a lot of resources and the reason why I'm asking you that I would like to see the number the the budget how much money we received last year is to see how beneficial those program are because sometime we receive some some grant but we got to see how much money the effort that we putting in the manpower the staff and everything so we got to see how beneficial is to get into a sheriff services agreement with all the towns and see what are we getting because that's our fear and once they hear director you and I know that they become our problem. Uh they become our problem. Police and uh ambulance, we got to the whole nine yard and we got to deal with them and they're not from Patterson. So, so we we have to collectively not only for this program, I'm talking about in general what type of service are we providing the share services agreement that we have with other town. We got to see how effective it is and if it's not good for us, we got to start putting an end on that. Thank you, Council President.

Thank you, Councilman Veles. And then we're moving on to item 23. Please stick to the topic.

Thank you. Uh thank you council president uh director um first of all let me say thank you. Thank you because I witness when they call your office and you come out to assist with resources to those individual that are looking for resource in those encampment uh for homeless out there. you know, we cannot disregard the hard work even without money you've been doing and your staff have been doing and the referral that you get from there to your office to make sure the county also is accountable and responsible. So, I had to acknowledge that. So, you know, we need to demand more to the county. Uh we are the county seat. Everybody knows that the county has 60 municipality. If the county start doing satellite office in different part of the county, it probably alleviate how this resource everybody look for resource in Patterson. So, but that's a conversation we could have with a county and put their dollar tax dollar on work. I was looking here that we have 14 municipality that we going to serve or have the agreement with us. Uh who are the other two that is not in the list? No, no, hold on. Let me uh let me let me elaborate. Let me elaborate because this is going what I want to. We in your list you got 14 municipality. We got 60 municipality in P County or which are the two that do not need uh this kind of service.

I would have to look at our list. Okay. I don't have that information.

Now we have 60 municipality. uh based on this price uh this this fee or whatever. Um did we do okay did we have done a comparison with like Hudson County is a is a county seat for other municipality in Hudson County. Essex County is a county C for other municipality in Essex County and also Bergen County because they close to us to see if they charging close or more of what we charging in Ammon. For example, if we are the third largest city in the state of New Jersey and we sit in 60 municipalities and the service based on the data you have is well being expend. If the money that is reflecting here for those municipalities is fair enough and other other other city that our county see that use the same service because they don't have a health officer. um if they are comparison with this price. If they are not, we should put it to that standard or the same level or meet the same level of money for we could have the fair share of those spirits. A comparison how much Exis County and Newark are charging. if Nor is the one doing it and Hudson County if it's Union City or whatever Jersey City

you know things like that just to to be fair because when we go to apply other things in the council we always say can you look what Newark is doing with this can you look in Ex's county what the um Hudson County is doing and then we bring up council president why you this is a workshop I know they're not viewing you when you're making your movement of hands but this is a workshop And I'm bringing a valid request. Compare this fees with other municipality. If they doing the same thing, if we are low, we could move a little bit higher and and get a fair share of money back with the service that we are giving through the grants.

Thank you, Council. Thank you, Council President. And for the record, I was talking to Councilman Mendes, not you. So, I don't know what you're talking about hand. Well, I got I got dark glasses. I could see you looking at me. I'll take the apology at any point. Item 23. Um um director, it is our annual renewal with St. Joseph's Hospital for STD medical services. Okay. Gotcha. Um this can go on consent. Madam clerk, item 24, it is our renewal of RDE systems for the proprietary software that the Ryan White Council uses um for outcome measurements.

I'm glad we continue to do this. We didn't have this in place before. It helps us with the grant funding. Madame clerk, this can go on consent. Regular 234 regular. Um, our director of public works, please. 23 and 24 regular. In the meantime, uh, the two clerk items, item 33 and 37, can go on consent from the clerk's office. 33 and 37. Clerk's office items. 33 and 37. Director

33 and 37. director. Items 25 through 27. 25 is a contract for Continental Hardware. This is where we get our um lumber from for uh boardups and work like that. All our wood. This is a purchase of lumber installation and hardware. Council members, consent. Consent. Consent. Consent. Item 26. Director. This is a monitoring well. These are running the mills monitoring well between the city the clerk consent

consent authorizing site ex Oh, this is normal. Yeah. Item 26. Mhm. Which is the address. These are monetary wells. I'm sorry. Hold on. You need the address. East 11th Street and Fifth A. Yes.

And this but the uh What's just the whole details of of the uh project? Um, director, these monitoring wells are for when they're going to do construction. Anything that's going to be breaking ground, they got to monitor the dirt, the the the air quality. Um, any anywhere there's going to be construction, there's a monitoring well before. We do monitoring well uh resolutions um multiple times a year. Multiple times a year. And for this specific location is for a specific project. No, the we for any project that comes up in the city of Patterson, a monitoring well is done.

Okay. All right. I'm I'm good for right now. Let me detail. Item 27 consent, Madam Clerk. Item 27. 27 is for water contract to J&J electrical um construction design for electrical work for the city of Patterson. I got to read it. uh electrical work installation. Um council members also we want to put on the record council cotton is the chair of DBW and they did have a committee meeting consent council consent. Consent consent. This is for regular for item 27. Thank you councelor.

Thank you director. Madame clerk let's go to item number 38. 38. Council President. Council President. Yes. I'd like to speak first. Councilwoman Dava and then Councilman Menddees. Okay. I I do not believe that we should be doing resolutions like feel-good resolutions that mean absolutely nothing but just to say that you did something when it's really not doing anything. M item 38 is a resolution supporting just supporting saying I support reimbursement of towing charges that were imposed during the recent snow emergency and it's sponsored by Councilman Mendes.

Yes. The issue that I have that we cannot once an officer has uh uh issued a ticket you just can't say do away with it. You got to go through the process of going to the court and then from there you know they can settle it. the fact that we're doing a resolution saying we support it. It's like this is just a feel good resolution. So I'm not in support and I don't believe we should be moving forward with this item.

Council President Councilman VeZ and then Councilman Mendes. So, you know, uh, let me be let me be I I was not I was not in the chambers when Councilman Mendes proposed this. I know emotions uh sometime are in the roof and emotions sometimes

you say things that probably in the reality it cannot be. Uh but if I read the where as itself contradicts the purpose of the resolution. All right. So for example the where's act says number two whereas public notice were issued directing the removal of vehicle from certain public streets and specific hours from January 1st, February 2nd and February 4th. That will kill the resolution

because a proper notice was posted. Second There is something that we cannot get involved and I think when we took off we are the legislator body of the city of Patterson. There's a judiciary body in the city of Patterson. It's the courts. Police is part of that and there's administration part of that. So it's different branches. So I know that councilwoman Davis say a self a feel-good resolution. You know I think it would be better here resolution that and I know people going to laugh uh resolution supporting that going to reverse from my pocket the people that spend money in towing the car. That is a real resolution. But let's be honest we cannot do this. There's a system in place that people could challenge any ticket given in a in that particular moment. Anything they go to court, if they get dismissed and it's fair enough, they could come to the second floor and submit an application for a reimbursement of that toin. And if it's proof that it was a wrongdoing or it was not justified to do that.

Meanwhile, the second whereas speak loud and clear that whatever happened on that day or those days was suitable to do. So saying that, I just want to say that if if you want to put it on on on the committee, we could discuss it and then we could come back with another type of other feel-good resolution. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman Mendes. And then Councilman Odin.

Thank Thank you, Council President. And definitely this is the second way as it doesn't kill the resolution. You could read the entire body of the resolution. And let me speak about exactly what happening. something that never happened before in the history of this city. When the story happened the amount of card the city start to hundreds of car I'm speaking I'm I think I got the floor I allow everybody on my council college to speak this is the level disrespect that we're getting here so I was patiently so let me let me speak now so a lot of people start the city start to car left and right without a clear plan and before there was no option for resident to where to park the car they start to car left and right afterwards start to criticize administration after the fact they came out with a choice or you could park here, you could park there. Listen, we have people in the city that they are one paycheck away from being homeless. One paycheck from being homeless. A lot of people there was no sign in some of the area. There was a lot there was not a clear plan. There was not a clear plan. And we used the storm. We used this um snowstorm to attack and hit the most vulnerable people in our community. The most vulnerable people. There was not a clear plan. They started removing the snow left and right from one place to another one. People there was a lot of confusion, a lot of confusion. I went to places that there was no sign and they start to people's car there and they never pick up the snow. There was a lot of back and forth and people are coming here. This legislation is signing by legal. It's been re by legal. It's totally legal and we got to put some compassion in our resident. People are suffering in this community. I never see what happened. And there was hundreds of people that the car got to you know hundreds of people. So if you're not in favor you vote voted vote no. So that resolution is in the floor as a legis as a council have all the right to put a

legislation on the floor. It's a legal legislation and you vote against some people they're going to vote. They will vote against they will vote in support. But I'm going to be totally clear. This administration never had a plan for that storm. And they knew it way before. A plan, a effective plan is explaining the resident of the city how we're going to do the street cleaning. How we're going to pick up the snow before the storm. And and and let me be clear. How what will be a perfect plan? Press conference before the storm. This is what we're going to do. We're going to we're going to clean this section, this section, this section. Place to park is going to be here. That's what I'm talking about. Effective plan. We're going to replace the street cleaning to pick up removal. No snow. Every street in Patterson become one way. This is how we going to do it. It's planning the city the the a it's step by step how we going to produce how we're going to clean the city. That never happened. Never happened. We have we start removing storm from 6 6 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. A lot of people work two and three shift here. People they go home at 8 9:00. They don't see those signs. The plan never worked. We failed and we failed the resident of the city of Patterson. And we have a lot of people struggling. $400 is a big different. And let's not get a twist. I'm not talking about the violation. I'm not talking about the ticket. I'm talking about the amount of money that people pay to take the car out. I know a few people that they never took the car out because they didn't have the money on. We have a lot of people struggling in the city. We have people making $15, $170 an hour and they have to pay $2,000, $2,500 for an apartment. A lot of people lost their car. They couldn't take it out.

That's what I'm talking about in this legislation. Thank Council President. Whether you say yes or you say no, we have a few before you, Council Member. Councilman Odin, Councilman Jackson, and then I will speak. All right. Yeah, Councilman Odin.

Thank you, Council President. Um, Councilman Mendes, I totally respect whatever you put into it, but I'm trying to make it sense that where are we heading to? Um, so I'm talking about my personal experience first and see how you feel. And so before even this snow situation happened, one time there was a car was towed mistakenly for whatever situation happened by the citywide from Union Avenue. I sent the individual to corporation council. Corporation council gave the person a form to fill out and they found out that that was mistake. So money was reimbured. So there is a system in place already. That's one thing I want to tell you from my experience. Second experience I want to mention about when the Toro Avenue was was uh clean uh cleanup was taking place special operation. I was there with the police officers about 2 hours before cleanup starts. They were honking horns and knocking doors to make sure that people remove their cars. There about five cars they were parked from the first snow until until the second one I would say about the second third day fourth day. Nobody even cleaning their own car. Isn't it responsibility of the residents to clean up their car remove it? A city cannot move forward with a uh just the help or seriousness of a government bodies. A city moves forward when we all come together, even the community members. When we putting a resolution like this, are we encouraging people to break close? Are we encouraging people to disregard any signs on the street? Where are we heading to? It sounds great

that if we can help those people, I'm 100% on to it. If anybody's car was towed by mistake illegally or there was no sign, of course, I'm 100% for it. 100% for it. But someone was lazy, was relaxing at home, was not cleaning their own cars, and we are encouraging them to continue doing such. I'm not for it. Again, I believe that we all have some responsibility to take care of this city. As an elected official, we do have duties of course, but as a resident, we all have the we all have should should have the feeling that this is my home. Cleaning up of my front yard, backyard is my responsibility. Cleaning up of my own car is my responsibility. We all have to create that sense. We have to have this sense. Councilman, I do respect. You can move forward if you want to. I mean, I'm not I'm not saying just stop it here, but I don't think we should support or encourage certain things to happen. Multiple occasions and you know about cleanliness situation and I'm fighting for it and especially I'm still talking about B pickup situation. We need to talk about it. We need regular B pickups. That's 100% I'm for it. But when someone is driving and I'm talking about the very recently even last week I was driving someone was throwing trash from their car. Should we encourage them to continue doing this? We have to make sure that make everyone accountable everyone. So

thank councilman I I respect I I love your intention but there is a system already in place. If anybody admittely feel that that was a mistake, that was wrong, they can come to the corporation council in the second floor. They can fill out the form. If they are right, they'll get their money back. But randomly, make give everyone's money back. I don't I don't think these are right decision. Thank you.

Clean up. Think about the another situation. We talking about the snow. Snow already melted. Snow is gone. Regular cleanup. Street cleanup. Cars parked on the street. people don't remove their car cuz you know that there was no inspectors at the time to issue tickets. So what happened? People did not even remove their car. I understand this our fault because we have to enforce that. But at the same time people need to understand that this is a cleanup time. We need to remove our car to make sure that cleanup takes place properly and efficiently. Thank thank you so much Councilman Jackson and then uh Councilman BZ and then Councilman Mendes. Are we going to continue that because I need to?

No, this will be it. After uh I'll make a final comment and then we'll move on to public portion.

So, first of all, Councilman Odin, you going to have to make up your mind. Like, are you here to support the residents or you here to to hold the residents accountable for being lazy? Like you had almost 2 feet of snow falling. I doubt people were sitting inside saying, you know what, I'm just being lazy. There was no clear coordination or communication. Just because you was knocking on doors on on Total Avenue doesn't mean you understand what goes on on Main Street. Doesn't mean you understand what goes on on Market Street. Main Street, you're not knocking on what doors you going up into every single building. When the young lady Jaylen was out there doing a doing a video in a building that has over over 150 units, were you did did you go inside a building with 150 units knocking on every single door? Did you witness police officers going in every sing single unit knocking on every single door? No, you did not. That wasn't That didn't happen. That didn't happen. So, the mere fact that you would sit here and say that we can't support laziness of residents, what what does throwing trash out the window have to do with a a a single mother who has children to to to to feed whose car is being towed because it was illegally targeted. Now, here's the issue. I mean, I have I I have some issues with this piece of legislation as well, but to sit there and call residents lazy and say that they're non-deserving of a refund, they're non-deserving of a refund because they were too lazy to go out and move their car. I mean, did you not say that? I mean, it's it's on videape. Did you not say that? Is that what was that not your words? You didn't general generalize like how you saying

that wasn't your words. You said you said residents is being lazy. So residents don't deserve to I mean I guess I guess shrinking a a handicap parking space from from 18 ft to 14 ft if it to 12t or whatever is a more notable effort than making sure the hundreds of residents that got their cars towed the hundreds of residents just based on $300 per per car just in one single day alone. you think that it's not worthy of this council addressing. That's a concern. That's a concern and it should be a concern to all of those looking forward to support him in this upcoming election when he's referencing people being lazy as opposed to people being illegally targeted. What's up, director?

Now, here's my my bigger question and concern. Councilman Mendes, who wrote this document? Um, you cannot He hasn't Well, I can't respond. I ask him a question. We ask four people before him. You can respond after a question. Who wrote the respond? No, there's four people that asked for the floor before him. I don't need a whole long sentence. Did you write this document? I'll get back to you. He's asking you to say yes or no. He just he said he'll wait. I know you didn't write. All right, council president. So, let me allow to respond. I've been de I've been requesting and demanding this piece of legislation for how long? Listen, I didn't ask how long have you been requesting it. See that's you got to you got to comprehend the question. I sit down with legal we

so who wrote the document the legal the legal department. Okay very good. So the mayor and his office and the legal department wrote the document and that's why Councilman who doesn't have a very high level of under you know of of of you said for your education.

No I'm not I mean whe whatever your education is we know you didn't graduate from high school but that's not the point. The point is that you were even capable of understanding the fact that legal ran a circle around the councilman because he didn't even understand the piece of legislation that you allowed them to put your name on for it to say whereas the public notice were issued. You should have had a immediate problem with that because although public notices may have been issued, were they issued with a significant amount of substantial amount of time because there is a time requirement based on law on how these issues these notices are supposed to be put out. But because you're incapable of writing your own legislation, you had to lean on legal to write it for you. Then you allowed them to put your name on it. They ran a circle around you. The third whereas whereas the towing of vehicles by the private contractor under contract with the city of Patterson resulted in in the impossession of towing fees unauthorized by the Patterson code. So basically the third whereas is where the real problem is because what legal did they wrote in the third whereas where it says the towing of vehicles by the private contractor that was contracted by the city. That's letting you know it was authorized because it's a private contractor that was contracted by the city. And then it goes on to say uh towing fees authorized by the city. So when this piece of legislation is going to be presented and they go before a judge and the judge reads this and says these fees were authorized by you,

a city representative, the member of the body that has equal power of the of the administration. You allowed them to let to put your name on this. All right. Did you sign this thing? No, he didn't sign it as of yet. But they just ran circles around you and you allowed them to put your name on this that gives no authority or no justification for a reimbursement on any of the toe. Council President,

what you should have outlined, you should have specifically made sure that it was outlined that there was not significant notice that was presented because that's really the underlining factor. The city has the right and Councilman Odin, you should pay attention here too because whatever it was you rambled rambled off on, you have no idea what was happening. This is this is a class session. You should be learning. So what this is showing what this is showing is that the city's authorized to do so. What you had to do, sir, was prove why this action was unjustified and it was unjustified because there wasn't proper notice. Councilman Udin then goes on to say he validates this the the the administration's point and says that residents were lazy. So when a resident goes to take this before a judge and corporation council then takes this document and whoever serving this as a prosecutor is going to pull up the footage of a sitting councilman saying that the residents that had their vehicles towed was told because they were lazy council

just be patient man. I mean I know you over there squirming in your seat. What we could do is talk about how we could correct this document. And if you need to, Councilman Mendes, you can come sit with me because I don't sit with them. I write my own legislation. I make sure I do the research myself. I don't rely on people to tell me, "Hey, this is good. This is legal." What's legal about this? Council Press, can you when you speak again, go line by line and talk about how the authority of this document is going to empower a resident to get a refund.

Talk about go line by line and explain how the authority of this document, this this piece of legislation that you wish for us to support cuz I'm I'll second it for you. Like if you could prove how it's going to empower the resident to get a refund. I mean council president I got listen reading is fundamental but comprehension is essential. You didn't comprehend what they wrote transcribed for you and that's embarrassing cuz this a one-page document. It's very simple. You could have put this you could have did a councilman. You could have put this through chat GPT and it would have told you that it wasn't going to work. Correct. Council

President President. Okay. Councilman Bles, Councilman Odin. And then So, so let me and this is the

So, thank you, Council President, for giving me the floor. So, first of all, let me set the record clear. The Patterson Police Department when they out there, I witness how they run plates to make sure the resident live around there. And now some of them are out of town or live in the other side or they was party and they left the car parked there and um they forget but they run place. They knock doors because I see them. Okay, this is serious. They knock doors. They go places and a legal reason to tow a tow a car. It's not a legal reason to tow a car because somebody's at a park because they don't live in just outlining the ignorance. It's not illegal to to a car because they don't live in the city. I'm not talking about the lazy part of my colleague. I'm talking the operation of the police to go a step further to not tow a car. So, they try to do the best. Now, as I say, the second whereas killed this resolution, the fourth whereas kill it more. Let me tell you why.

Let me tell you why. And uh I get criticized for using GTP, but I'm glad that everybody's using it now. Um although the New Jersey Constitution generally denies municipality the authority to make payment to private parties that means residents in a stance where such payment are made legally required. So they made the payment required legally they made the payment to take the car out. They agreed that they have to take the car out. they pay it legally. Now, the resolution, the the good resolution has a Patterson code and the Patterson code reads 5-30B. It say section 530B allow the mayor with agreement from the business administrator and the corporation council to ex s ex exe can somebody spell that name for me that's I needed help always uh and settle the city claims of $30,000 or less without without the necessary separate council resolution. So in other words, in other in other words, if the administration is telling the residents the same step that I just say before, if you think that your car was to illegally and you plead not guilty to

that ticket and you go to the court and the judge dismit the ticket, you could go to the second floor and make a claim to the city less than $30,000 and the administrator, the mayor and the corporation council will look and review it or outside uh uh uh agency that work for to review those claims will approve it and they will refund the money back to them. So it says there that the chapter 530-30 says that you don't need extra resolution for that. So if you want to keep on fighting for your resolution, you could do so. But I would say council uh Mendes, we here to just learn to each uh from each other. Let's try to get a nice beautiful event and call all those individuals that got caro and say we doing this event for you. We refunding you the money in our behalf not the city because the city has a different process. Thank you president.

Thank you. So these are the last comments. Prayerfully they're very brief. when this item it you know sometimes it's not funny what happens but when this item came to the office I said the same thing that Councilman Jackson is saying but I was asked to keep it on the agenda

so I try to do it behind the scenes before it comes out because you have to be able to understand that there's three fundamental areas of government you have the executive branch the legislative branch which we are in judicial we cannot go into the judicial branch and tell them to give give their money back. There's a process called tort claims. If there's a ticket that was presented, it was not presented properly. They come down to our legal department on the second floor. They fill out a tort claim. The process is done. Many people have done it. They've come in. Corporation council and their team does a phenomenal job. We just had a gentleman who's um was blocking a driveway and went through our new process called the community court program that uh corporation council established in the city. And it took it took a couple of weeks because they had to go through the process, hear it before a judge and that's how it happened. But I I agree there's some commentary that's been made by our council members and it's the same thing I said when I saw it before it came to the agenda. But it is here tonight. I'm going to allow uh Councilman Uden very briefly, Councilman Mendes and then right after that um

Councilman Jackson take thank before he goes 39 will be on regular. It's the Bangladesh American Wheat. Thank you, Council President. And then we're going to move forward.

Uh, Council President, thank you very much. Um, again, let me let me uh be very clear. Um, Councilman Jackson was mentioning that I called the residents lazy which totally uh wrong information is stated publicly. I said because of some some of the residents are leaving their car on the street for days after days. uh and and and that particular way I mentioned lazy when you're generalizing it it totally you are misinforming people sending my message in different ways which is totally wrong but let me let me just um read some of the messages that I was going through councilman and that's the that's the experience of the regular people when uh we we are cleaning street the PW um team or on the street clean up was taking face. Some of our residents were throwing the um snow back on the middle of the street. And it question is why are they doing it? Because it's easy to throw back on the middle of the street instead of putting on the carve.

That's not uh No, no, it's not relevant. Everything comes comes along with it because how it is important for all of us for everyone to mo to be part of city's progress. That's exactly my point when you're talking about the snow situation. Um some cars were left very close to the intersection and there are multiple fire last last two few three four weeks you saw how many fires took place in our in our city in many occasions that fire truck were not able to make turns because people left their car on the wrong wrong spot for for for days. We have to see for one or two people in each block is degrading the quality of life on each section. That's exactly was my point. Councilman, I understand and I'm I'm talking to the resident directly. Even two days ago, there was a message came from a young lady um from the first board that there was a car parked and she actually sent me the picture of the car that park card from the beginning of the first snow, second snow and until now. The same car in the same spot why this car was not towed or ticketed. I'm talking about this kind of scenario. Councilman, we all have to be part of it. We need enforcement and we all have to part of the progress. Think about the situation where many occasions car part um hiding the fire hydrants that that that that happened in many occasions. We cannot encourage people to keep doing this and that's why we need to make people feel that this is our home. We all have responsibility along with the government

agencies. That's exactly my point. If any any government any administration council member feel that just with the effort of the governing body will move forward that 100% wrong and misleading Patterson. The resident has to feel welcoming. The resident has to be part of the city. This resident has to feel that this is my home and this is our home and progression is our responsibility. The city will move forward at that point and they will make the governing body accountable at that point. Some people do not care what their council members or their mayor is doing because they don't even care at the place they're living in. When they will start feeling the importance of their own home, their own city, they'll make the elected official accountable at that point because they will start feeling the importance of participating election or vote or come to the council, talk about the council, call council members and find out what's happening. That's exactly what my my stand councilman.

Okay. Thank you. And councilman you are you are the first word councilman and you and I I'm I'm talking about my recent work I don't want to actually cuz it's election season I don't want to feel that I'm trying to portray something different even last time when I was uh right before we u repaid the colonial avenue in that section we were knocking on the door we're talking to people that you know we are we are going to repave the street trust me many residents there said they did not any of the council members. I'm including myself. Maybe I'm responsible too. I'm not just blaming you as an at large. I should have I I should be there and I felt that we all need to be part of the progress.

Councilman Udin if I may. And you're correct as at large every every large represent all of the the wars.

It's really hard to go to every single door, but we tried. Councilman and Councilman if you recall when I was elected in 2022 on the second week I sat down with you I said councilman the uh redwood revenue was not repaid for years can we repave and uh can we push for this and the response he gave me I don't want to highlight here was not very satisfactory but I emailed the DPW director to make sure that we we repay red revenue and we have done that in the earlier 2023 and and this this is What we are talking about we need cooperative before he can run against each other. He can run with each other. No problem with this

politics do our side not in the chamber when we are pushing people's agenda forward. Thank thank you Councilman Odin and Councilman Jackson and that's your two times Council Mendes Councilman Mendes and then Councilman Jackson and then we're going to move on.

Thank you. Um well I I think that politic play a big role and that that is the reason why there's so much push back on this just election time and I understand that and quite honestly uh uh councilman I don't I don't need to use chbt or whatever you want to call the difference between you and I mean that I'm a type of person that I could I don't need to like the person to work with the person that's the difference between you and I you think that you could be on your own that's the reason why you don't accomplish anything that legislation be signed by legal I never And all the time that I have at this council, I never present a document that is not signed by legal. That's a big difference between you and I. I know how to work with people. Now, in the four-way ask, I'm going to have to read the resolution. In the four-way ask, spec specifically say the towing fee impose a hardship on many with some of those effective stating that they have not received a specific actual not when the vehicle has to be moved. Now at the end of the the statement of purpose this resolution express support for assets and payment to legitimate individual claiming for reimbursement of toin fees is clearly stated there legal would not put something on the table that is not that has not been signed by him and it's been properly authorized. Now I know it's election time. I know it's Alex Bendis putting the legislation. Listen I don't need to do this to get you know u the support of the people. I'm not here for that. But listen, if you if you don't agree that people going through a such a hardship in this city, I mean, I don't think you live in Patterson. You have senior that they cannot leave their apartment. They have to they keep their car for two, three or four days. You don't know what's going on with a lot of the family. We have senior that they got their car with torren because they have to go out two and three day after the storm. Okay?

We don't know none of the stuff. I'm I'm speaking council president. A lot of people have the chance to speak and I want this on regular. people choose whether whether you vote against or or in support. I did I follow the step for this legislation. So now this is a this a in this resolution there's compassion of this piece of legislation. You have no idea what $300 make what different $300 make for some resident that live in this city. And I'm going to say this again. We have people that are one paycheck away from being homeless. And what we did on the storm, we used the storm to take advantage and take money out of people's pocket. The administration, the police department got direction from the administration. There was no a clear plan. This administration never had a plan on how to address this. A few ways after the storm, they start to car or like let's get the downtown clean. And you don't do that. P was going through the same thing, but it was a big different with Mayor Lauren P. They have a specific plan. We removing snow in the middle of the night. How easy is to scheduling everything during the day when people are out of work. By the time they come back, the street is going to be clean. People they going to find a place to park. Every street was one way street for close to a month in the city of Patterson. I know people have some short memory, but they're not going to they're not going to forget that. Every street in Patterson was one way street in Patterson. There was people fighting for for parking. Why not putting the resources on public work to do the snow removal with the street cleaning schedule during the daytime? How difficult was that? You know when that happened when you have a effective plan to clean the city. That's when it happening. The mayor was criticized because he start towing cars with without giving people a choice where to park the car. Everybody remember that the first time they start there's no removal. There was no plan. There was no choice. Then after that he opened the public the department the parking authority in the school after the fact. After the fact I know people that was

were crying. We have a lot of people that they use those the minivan of the car that they have to do Uber dash Uber E to make a little bit of money to pay the rent. So you think that this is a crime putting a legislation to encourage the administration to reimburse the funding. I'm not talking about removing my parking ticket from the police department. Let's not let's not confuse the public. This is the legislation on about compassion and it's legally drafted and it's here and the forward I said it clearly and the statement of purpose on the bottom it's called legitimate I already read it thank but it's election time and and it's sad so so all I'm saying is Patterson uh I never said this before you cannot use the storm or any mother nature situation to take advantage of the resident of this city and that's was what happened. There was hundreds of car being torn. Hundreds a lot of those cars are still there because people have no job in the city. People are struggling and they couldn't make the money to take those car out.

Thank you. So, so in closing Patterson just Patterson resident just pay attention to this conversation. Pay attention how people vote. Pay attention to this conversation. That's all I'm going to say. We are definitely doing it. Councilman Jackson, I'm going to try to be as brief as possible. Um, Council President, well, according to the rules of Rob, according to the process, we get two opportunities to um debate.

All right. So, what's what's what's alarmingly disappointing, Councilman, is your uh effort to take offense and get defensive in it. And often times when people don't understand how things work, oh,

their defense is to get defensive. Nowhere did you outline, you didn't go back over your document to outline how the second whereas legitimately service the public nowhere. You didn't go back in there to validate. See, you talked about how this legislation was written with compassion. You don't even know that because you are you're not the person that wrote it. Someone else wrote it and they put your name on it. But more importantly, if you were concerned about the public's best interests, when you talk about when you reference DPW resources, there was a night when the assistant director Oha came to the to the podium and we specifically outlined how over $4.6 million was saved by DPW by doing the in-house uh bulk pickup. Nowhere did we come together collectively to force the mayor to hire additional manpower for DPW so those services can be fairly rendered. We didn't do that. We outlined how those DPW workers was forced to work overtime. They had more than 25 plus vacancies in DPW. See, see that's the job of a council person. Councilman Uden outlining how he walked the neighborhood and the residents feel like the council person I understand our residents are so frustrated a great deal of them don't clearly understand who's responsible for what. So you walk through the community outlining how you're going to do things that the council seat doesn't empower you to do. I don't do that. What I do is I remain diligent here and I do the work against these things and I do it from a legal

perspective. Councilman Mendes, there is no motion tied to it. It's a legal p perspective. I do the research based on the law on how we can do certain things. So I don't agree fully with council president when you say that we don't have the ability to interject or intervene in the third portion of the uh of of of governance with with um the judicial because if the ticket was issued illegally then the courts have an obligation and we have I've gone there and said listen the council has has written legislation that allow allows homeowners to block their driveway. There should be a refund on not only the tow but the ticket written. So there is a process for the council to intervene through the jiu-jitsu process when something is done improperly. Now Councilman Odin who is putting his flag on supporting the residents and then you want to double back on what I'm going to do. I'm going to put together an edit of your words of you saying residents being lazy and then you retracting it. Just apologize. Don't say that I'm outlining you in the wrong painting you in the wrong light.

You the one you're the one said that the the residents was lazy and I'm telling you that that has no legal bearing on what was done improperly. But I'm going to tell you what you did not support. In fact, none of you supported. the legislation that I wrote for the illegal charging of residents of these apartment buildings and and people who can who are not authorized by something that's already legally written. It's already in our code. It's in our charter that res that owners are not eligible to charge their residents for parking. Not one of you would support that. Not even Councilman Mendes. If you care so much about the residents being illegally charged, there's residents that's being charged for parking every single month and you wouldn't I would let you I would let you write the the legislation. I don't mind sitting in on a co-sponsor, but you're going to say that it never got uh signed by legal. The fact that you as a legislator believe that a piece of legislation that you write needs a signature by legal just outlines your further uh delusion of what the what the powers outline you to do. You don't run for office to say I'm going to convince legal to sign more legislation than Councilman Jackson. You run for office to say I'm going to be a legislator. You don't need a an attorney to sign off on legislation for it to be legal. That's not how it works. If if someone chooses to challenge legislation that we approve that corporation council doesn't uh sign off on, there's a process for that. They go to court and they challenge it. It's not required. Nowhere in the charter, nowhere does it say within Faulner, nowhere does it say within Robert's rules that you need a signature from corporation counsel. But you

taking advice and consent from the mayor's councils allowed him to run circles around you on this one and and it's showing. Now, let me tell you what I did. Let me tell you what I did. I'm sorry, council president. I'll wrap. I'll be less than two minutes. What I did was when I showed up over there and and and I definitely call around. I called around different favors to say, "Listen, can you help me get this vehicle out?" Cuz you know, I I'm I'm I'm constantly calling. But what I do is I pay for those vehicles myself. I go into there and you can validate that. Go down to the to to city city citywide and ask them not only do I pay with my Apple Pay that I can show you on my phone. I pay cash. I go in there. There was a gentleman that his to his car got towed on Main Street. I paid for the entire toe.

So if you really concerned about it, put your put yourself to work and you know make sure that Yeah. Sure you did. Sure you did that. Now, relative to fire trucks, I don't need to do a video not being able to make uh uh turns.

Well, if we didn't allow for the comm for these neighborhoods to be so grossly overcrowded and overdeveloped and we didn't allow for developers to charge for parking that's forcing their residents to park on the street, now he wants to walk away. Then we'll do then we'll make progress. But he wants to call the residents lazy while he's too afraid to support legislation that's going to make developers do what they're supposed to do. Let residents park on the sites that they've been allowed to build on. I mean, I can go all night, but I'm going to stop it there. Thank you, Council President, for the

You have had twice to speak. Council members, after Councilman Cotton, we're moving forward. Council member Le, you have spoken twice. We have to follow robber orders of rules. You have spoken twice. Counciloman Kai President Counciloman for the floor. I'm not breaking the rules. You spoke twice. Counciloman K. No, but that don't means I I'm cautioned to talk three, four times. Yes. I I if I ask the floor, Councilman, I just want to do one second. Councilman to make it look No, we're not. Council the floor. I'm not Councilman. Point of order. Point of order.

Where's the point of order? The point of order is there is another council person that has the floor. You have spoken twice. After she speaks, after she speaks, we are moving past this item. We have the police director. We'll go through his items. We have payment of bill so the public portion can speak. So, so council president Councilwoman Cotton requesting the answer. No, Councilwoman Cotton, please. You put a point in order. Councilwoman Cotton has the floor. I didn't call your name. Can you come back to me, please? Council McCarten. Thank you. What they um Thank you. Um um C Madam

Council President, I just want to say with the resolution here that Councilman Mendes um put together um you you you do not have in there um of reimbursing the residents um where the money was going to come from to to reimburse the residents. I don't know where the money was going to come from. He don't But what I need to understand, let me tell you something. And I said, um, I'm going try to be quick, but that dollar a day insurance is killing people in this city. A guy tore up four cars on my block, $140,000 worth of cars, and he only had $5,000 in coverage. They said, "Well, what do I do?" I said, "Only thing you can do is go after them on a silver suit. Otherwise, if you don't have full coverage, you don't have no car." So, some of the laws things got to be changed. But Councilman Mendes, I know you want to um you know, put this, but you should have thought about how it was going to get uh how were you going to be able to reimburse the um people with the

He didn't how they going to be reimbured, but and not mislead you. Not all of them were not for snow either. Some of them was not was for not having registered vehicles and insurance and insurance. So, that's all I need to say. If you're going to put something together, council woman legitimate towing. It's within the day counsel. No, no. I'm just saying I'm just putting it out there because

uh like I said before, you know, I mean it should have been you should have clearly put it inside the resolution how you were going to be able to how are you going to determine who gets the money, who don't get the money, people who didn't have registration, people who didn't have insurance, um people who was blocking driveways, people who was parking, people handicap spot, all those are are in there, too. All those cars are in there. So now, how you going to be able to determine which ones were which? Got the bandage. Thank you, Council M. Council President. Madam Clerk, Madame Clerk, we have our police director here. We're moving on to items 28 through 32. We're not discussing this item any further. Council Good evening, everybody.

Yes. Good evening, director. Director, with your respect, director, director, we're moving past this item. The the quorum of the council had to be set. It has been said Robert order Robert order of order point of order a member of the council point of order the floor through the council president the president had the knowledge councilman bles it is not doing the right thing you cannot speak unless the council president point of order council president councilman Jackson

point of order first of all I don't know where he's getting that rule from the rule does not say that if I request person. No, the rule of debate. The rule of debate is that you get there each council member is entitled to two opportunities. Absolutely. To to debate and you have two rule of debate the discussion. There's no discussion. There's no rule of debate that says he a council person must be acknowledged. The council president controls the controls the floor. Who's acknowledged? Wow. Thank you, Councilman Jackson. To our director, director, good evening everybody.

You have five orders. Before Before you go into mine, I don't know what each of you may think of this, but you know, every time as the former sheriff, when I ride by that empty lot, you know, if you look in other towns, they take the snow, put them into the dump trucks, and they pile it. And guess what? Your roads are empty. We wouldn't even be discussing half of this. I don't know why we don't use that lot and load it with snow until it melts because they don't have a plan. Nothing council member you don't have there's no plan director.

So director that wasn't the item that we were discussing. There was an item about towing. So we have nothing but you know. So you have Yes. You have five items. Give me an idea. Director you have five items. You have three items for um purchase of equipment with confiscated funds and two items to purchase um new computers and equipment for the new complex. Council members, this um has been discussed. Do you have any issues with the uh P police department complex? We're we're merging the two uh for the public safety complex. That's that's the one where they're doing the communication center. Yes.

With the fire department down on Pennsylvania Avenue and eventually that's probably where communications will be stationed so that fire, police, OEM can all be in one roof, underneath one roof. Which which item which number is that? Uh I don't know that that's on here. Which number is that, Council President? That's item 30.

30 is is just uh for purchases of computers and monitors for the police department. So that's going to that's going to include uh vehicle computers, you know, like when we run plates, things of that nature. Uh when we redo our IT, our operations center with the drones and all the new technology we're using. So that's what that is for. Okay. So So that's just in general. That's not for specifically for this uh

No, not specifically for a project. So when we come for the specific project, fire and police are going to get together and then we'll decide how that'll be done. Whether we use state money, whether we use federal grant money, there'll be a lot of different things, whether we use a combination of asset forfeite funds, you know, that that's still in the making. Councilman, this this item number 30, you um do we have an outline? Uh, do we have exactly what it is we're purchasing? No, it's going 30.

This is going to be for computers and monitors for the police department. It's only $51,000. Um, as I said, this will be for the computers, the monitors for the police department. So, $51,000. How many computers and monitors are we buying? We replacing all the computers and monitors in the field.

No, that's not even close. computers today with the monitors and especially when you get into the computers in the cars, you get into the monitors in the cars, they're much more expensive because we're using, you know, we use a computerated dispatch system that's got to telecast it. We got to be able to telecast back. It's not it's not your everyday computer. So, one, um, computers are not as expensive as they used to be. They're a lot They're a lot less expensive now. These are a lot more rugged, Mike, you know what it is? So, what I'm trying to figure out is like, you know, inventory, quantity,

how much specifically are we purchasing? Like, this is just a blank check. I can I can get you that and I'll have them send that to you. But as I said, this is for equipment that is is much more robust and more for All right. So So director, no no no no disrespect to you, right? Because this definitely has nothing to do with you. I've sat here and I've listened to people give us quotes for $1.7 million for cameras.

Sure. that we still don't have, by the way. And when I asked them for the model number so I could look up these robust pieces of peripherals, right? You wanted to know how much it's not worth half as much as what a fraction of what is outlined. I I can assure you, I'm going to need I'm going to need a detailed list. I'll get you a detailed list. I want to know I want to know model numbers. You got that? I want to know specifics. How many units? Yes. I want to know for what division, where are they going? We can't I wouldn't be able to give you that because why not? Because that's kind of

No, no, no. I don't think so. That's not to to to know to know if there's creative division. It's going to depend on if it's a plate reader computer. I I'm not. First of all, computer all computers do all computer work. There's no specific computer that just I can go outside and make a phone call to it and tell you. No, no, no, no. We have another week before we vote on this thing. So, I don't need you to do that right now. Here's what I'm worried about, and this is my concern. I came down here tonight because I want to make sure these get passed because we have a public safety meeting on Friday, and if I didn't get these passed today, I'd be waiting into April or May to see the cars. And

I'm confident you got eight strong support uh uh individuals that's that's not interested in some of this information I'm interested in. Yeah. I want to know the specifics. I just like I said that how much we're paying holding up all these cars of the computers. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I'm sure. And then I'm waiting till May. So So So how many cars how many cars do we have currently that don't have that's not outfitted with computers? No, they do. We have new cars that are coming in. We have 10 new cars. So Okay. So that's why if I if you let me make a phone call, I will give you the information. No, because I want I want the information provided to me in writing. I want it.

Okay, I'll let the BA handle that. I want to provide it in writing. Please keep in consideration that if you hold my computers up, you hold my cars up and then in the summer when I don't have cars on the road and you're looking for police cars, I don't have computers. Respectfully, director, as the person who's responsible for spending taxpayers dollars, yes, individuals who are responsible for this dollars, every dollar that's spent in this city is taxpayers dollar. This is not a taxpayer dollar. Every single dollar is not every single dollar. This is drug forfeited funds. Drug forfeited funds that was taken by whom?

Taken by a drug dealer. That was taken by whom? Federal government. And we get a percentage of that back. Okay. whole career that that is taken by individuals that's paid by taxpayers to do a job. So their performance of their job produced revenue whether it's through drug forfeite whether it's through seizures however those individuals you're being misguided I'm not being misguided at all. You are being misguided because I worked this my whole career in the DEA. Did you work it for free? No.

You didn't work it for free. You got paid. You got paid by taxpayers. One person worked there. $20 million was seized. And guess what? We got 20% of that or 30% of that. If you took the officer's salary, guess what? It's a smither like you took 15 cents of his salary that you got $20 million. Okay, council president. And if and if that not where you're that individual the officer and you're getting the same amount. No, you're getting 2 million times more

in asset for this $51,000. If it's if it's 2 million then then maybe see that's some things that we have to check upon cuz maybe maybe we need to be more accountable to those individuals who should be out earning us more than 51,000. But what I'm talking about is all the time they have I'm talking about is being responsible in spending, right? They are listen. If I'm walking down the street and I find a hundred bucks, do I just give it to my kids, say, "Don't worry about how you spend it cuz I found it." No, it's $100. Let's be responsible on how we spending the money. I want to know.

I think I've been very responsible with spending money. And what like I said, I've dealt with asset forfeite. I've seen Well, let me let me just put it this way. I've seized over $500 million in my career. My

Has Patterson residents has Patterson resion? Patterson residents have benefited from it because when I was a county sheriff, that money was shared with Patterson. That money was shared with the other municipalities. That money is shared. I started the Patterson post to duty with the Drug Enforcement Administration. We didn't even have one here in this county. And guess what? Because of that post to duty, we get a bigger take on the asset forfeite funds. So I know I know my

Let me let me give you an example why it's important what I'm doing. If another municipality takes the forfeite money and they spend it responsibly, you know what that does? It reduces the burden on the taxpayer. They don't but if other municipalities don't even get a nickel but if P spends it irresponsibly then when we need something else the taxpayers have to pay for it. So whatever you need the Okay. So if you if you allow me to finish right if you allow me to finish because the the the part of the responsibility is as I'm being asked to vote for this it should already be included.

Please don't. as I'm asked to to support how many computers I mean for a bill for computers. I should No, I will walk outside and I will call and tell you in five minutes exactly what it is. So, director um madame clerk uh that was item 30. It will be on regular just to all the items just counc can we have we have a discussion I know one second to that item please send the information and email it will be on regular the yes council Mendes Councilman Uden and then Councilman Bles um thank you the director item 2A so the 10 cars so what is the it they will they all 10 will be for patrolling director

yeah there there 10 Ford interceptors and if you see Uh right after that, the gold type business machines for purchase of equipment and accessories. That's the lights and the different the radios, all the things that are going to be needed. Some will it'll be where they're needed at the time. So most of the time we're needed in patrol because they get more in accidents because they're out there more. The unmarked cars sometimes will replace them if they're older and then we'll put them down to patrol as well. Correct. Correct. Correct. The reason why whether they're marked or marked, I just want to see more I just want to see more new car in the in the in the road. And listen,

I would say a good portion's going to be marked. You

I get this I get this concern from my third world resident. You know, the east side area, we close to the highway. Yes, sir. You know, people that come in, they try to get in and out of town when they do the legal activity. So I need police presence in the third war director. We need we need police presence. And there's there's a Crown Vic. I don't know who drive that Crown Vic in our Piso Police Department. If you could replace that car, it's like from 1980 here. I know. And the last question for you that I have, director, now I hear that you was talking about technology. I was having a conversation with my council colleague at the same time, but I I have a question for you and it's um you remember that we approved um with through one we have $1 million we approved the purchasing of 80 cameras 80 plus cameras. Um Mr. Air Bossy was in charge of that program. I I asked for I request uh multiple report. I never received it. Who's who's in charge of monitoring those camera? The police department is monitoring those camera. Yes, we have a and I I want to be careful about how I talk about this. We have an operation center 247 that has high-tech cameras, infrared, everything you can imagine. We can be anywhere in the city within a minute. And yes,

it can be one. No, no, this is for cameras he's talking about that can see, can do. So yeah, that's all through the operations division and the internet technology people, but that is manned 24/7. There's somebody there now. There's officers in there and a supervisor. I I I know I'm not part of the public safety committee. They remove me from public safety, but I would love to have a conversation, director, because come over and see it.

I'm extremely concerned about you those camera that that dumping people. So they just continue dumping garbage in the same place. I check I mean I see uh all the illegal activity and we don't have to get into location. I see I see all those activity. People are frustrated. We're using a system that I don't want to call I don't want to say the name of it but we're using a system that ties your ring camera, our police camera, our county camera, my body camera. I can see it all if I walk over to police headquarters right now.

So I I definitely have to do I need to just go and do a visit. So and go do a walk through for that director because I really need to know as a legislator my only my responsibility is to go through the program. Even though I was totally against Bosi to run that program that was not his expertise but my after I I after I voted approved the project I I I really hope and my expectation to make sure that listen it's working. It's changing, you know, you know, it's stopping crime, you know, doing what we need to do. But, uh, really, we need to have a conversation about that. Thank you. Thank you. You should.

So, to my other council colleagues, that what he's discussing is not on the agenda. So, those are requests that have to be sent in. So, we don't need to have a dialogue because we're discussing the items that are here. That particular information could be emailed to the council members. Council members, please stick to the agenda items. Yes, correct. Councilman VeZ and then Councilman Uden. Thank you, Council President. uh director. Yes, sir. I know you since 1999, so I know how hard you work. 2829, if I put it together, 20 resolution 28 and 29. Yes. Uh each vehicle is going to cost $76,445. Yeah. Right.

Uh the 46,000 the vehicle and uh 29,000 for the equipment that go into the vehicle. Right. So, I'm good with that because, you know, thanks T thanks got a J GTP uh the the vehicle range on 46 to $50,000. And uh yesterday I expressed myself to the attorney general. Uh all the concern the resident brought forward was um the amount of calls respond etc etc. And one of the things that I pointed back to that to her is that our police department is under staffing. Yes. With our equipment, especially cars. Yes.

And and threaten our technology. Right. And knowing that this the the state took over the operation, not the police, the operation of the police department. I see that the two items are tagged as a T funding T. Uh uh um Silva is not here but but I believe that T stand for transitional aid. I don't know if it's if it's if that fulfill money falls into that but the the account that they taking it from the T account. Uh it's not capital it's T account. So I don't know if that falls into transitional aid. TA doesn't have a separate account. It could be it

TA does not have a type of account. transitional aid does not have that's no it would it would it's probably gonna be the asset for Javier is here Javier you you identified the funding from from the T what T stand for is the asset forfeite T is a trust account and that's a trust account now okay for for now now that we go to the trust account

um where did the state um u finance falls into those $10 million uh uh we instead instead of burning that uh count to supply. I know we need him, right? So, we have to get the money from somewhere, but can the state assign money for more cars? Uh, you know, we got $10 million last year. Look, I I can't answer for the state, but the state gives money to the police department for certain, you know, operational components, whether it be the command center, whether it be drones. I I don't know exactly what items they're purchasing, but with asset forfeite, it goes through the chief, myself, and then obviously uh the CFO, and then once we sign off on it, that's the rules with the federal government and state, and then pretty much we do it. But as far as where they decide, I don't think that I don't know if it's an insurance issue, a liability issue, why they don't buy cars.

They pretty much spend their money, but the cars we have always done with. So those cars, those car that involve in motor vehicle accident, thanks God our police officer don't get that serious injured, but some of them does. Um, do those cars go after a traffic investigation if it was fault of the person that hit the car, not the pop because they got the sirens on and whatever. Uh, do they do they comp they compensate back the city through motor vehicle uh accident reports or whatever claims? A police officer is not charged. No, no, I know money. But if let's make believe uh the police go in the right

if a police officer is reckless or negligent in their driving then they would be disciplined. No, no, I know that would go through the district. What I'm talking is if if if they are respond to an emergency and they had the lights on or whatever and the other person did not uh by law the the yield the yield whatever the the issue is this, you know, look, being in law enforcement for 42 years, you have to realize that just because you put a light on and just because you put a siren on doesn't mean

they're going to stop. that somebody that's got a green light is going to hear that, may have their music on, may not see it. So, it's very difficult to say you should have stopped at a green light while we were going through the red light with the sirens on. It's It's almost like a no fault accident. Attorney would have to speak to that. If the car is not total wreck, right? Yes. uh uh the uh motorpip we will have somebody we repair them all the time. Correct. But

it's it's not so much it's more of the mileage because they're 247 running so you have to replace So last but not least, council president is fair enough. I know you run also the um the taxi division, correct? uh they be operating with their own personal cars. They want to do more but they don't they don't want to risk their cars in different areas. If any chance I know we did it before we identify cars that we could give them to see if we could equip those inspector with vehicles.

I I have been working with our new BA. We have been discussing the electronic vehicles and that's what we're trying to get hold of to get them just one of the vehicles or perhaps with the purchase of these new vehicles we may be able to push one down

correct start through the chair through the chair Mr. DA I have noticed uh those vehicles parked in um in the board of health. Okay. And uh uh employees from Border Health have been using their own personal car and being reimbured for the mileage and gas. So if those cars are parked there, the deficient taxi, they bring a lot of revenues. Okay. So if you could spare three cars, not one because they need three. They're not two actually. You got two inspectors, right? Uh and you could uh lend them two of those cars until they get a permanent car. It will be sort of

We've been working together. Me and the BA working very councilman. We the director and I have talked about this. We talked about this in cabinet meetings with other departments there and hopefully we get the resolution. We're going to get we're going to get to the bottom of it. Council. All right. Thank you. Alise, you're going to wait for your car. Thank you, director. You're fine. Thank you, everybody. Have a wonderful Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you, director Jerry. I got I had a question. You have one second, director. Councilman Jackson and then we'll come as before. You have a question. I had one question. Councilman Uden C. Director Director Speizz Director Councilman Uden and Councilman Jackson and then we're going to go on to payment of bills and to public portion.

Thank you, Council President. Uh director, sorry to uh bring you back. So, I'm in full support of public safety. I want our public safety department to be strengthened over, you know, definitely. A question regarding all four items 28 29 30 and 31 and all four items I see only one biders one vendor's information is there how much was bid my question is there's no other bidder participated in those bids we go through the Bergen County co-op okay

so because you have the Bergen County co-op we go with the vendor that they use but if they had if B the Bergen County co-op may have Dodge Durango opposed to the Ford Explorers. However, we may have to wait 7 months for the Ford Explorer versus the Dodge Durango. So, we always try and go with what can we get our hands on the quickest, which is the same. And a lot of times that's the reason why we follow the bid process according to the state guidelines. And that's the only reason. No reason. We don't know anybody, you know.

So when you say it's open bid, not not other vendors can participate into it or this is I guess you would explain it better. Yeah. The co-op.

The the co-op does the bidding on behalf of the members of the co-op. So, whatever the item is or the service that that uh members are are are interested in, the co-op um follows um you know, bid procedures just like a municipality does. And um and and basically um um by participating in the co-op, the co-op has done the solicitation and they're required to get the lowest and best price for whatever product or service one of their members is looking for. So that that us being in the co-op is the the so you know they the co-op does all the bidding and provides the best prices for specific products and then we're able to go direct. That's that's the process.

So I have I have additional question u Mr. Bier when you're saying the quad providing the best u best amount or the lowest bid how do I know there there was other bid or how much was other bids taking place? There's no information provided point of order council president as a member. Point of order. Point of order. Councilman Jackson.

So relative to the item that's on the on the agenda that we're discussing, if Councilman Odin, which is further disappointing me, after four years, if you don't understand the process of procurement, Mr. Sales is our purchasing agent, he can outline all of the details with within procurement. We're taking up time from the director. We're taking up time from the public for you to have a a session on education on procurement which is not fair to the public and is and and relative to how we're discussing agenda items. You're asking the BA now question that has nothing to do with this specific item.

Well, Councilman, I I'm not sure what exactly um what you are trying to refer to. uh when you're saying I'm I'm taking sir sir since I'm speaking now I think I I should have chance to complete my sentence

when I am addressing a question to the director a director um extend that question or refer to the BA I think I should hear from both individuals when you're when you're saying that I'm spending time from the uh director and the public I don't know what exactly you're saying the reason of clarification is when I saw just want bidder's information mentioned. I want to make sure that that was open bid that was taken properly and as BA mentioned there's a co-op and they came up with the best one. I mean this is not just for my understanding. Public needs to know why there's one bid or one bender's information there. That's exactly councilman Jackson. We need some questions to be publicly asked and publicly answered. So intention should be behind it. When you're saying sorry sir sorry let me finish you. When you are saying that you are spending time from the public, think about go back to the videos. How much time you speak and repeat yourself on the same thing you talk talk and ending up with nothing. When asking questions, the director is spending time. I'm not sure exactly you're talking about. I am on the agenda. I don't talk outside the agenda ever. So, thank you. and and and councilman when you think that you understand more than everyone or you understand everything that's another problem cuz when you know that you know everything there's no way you can learn something new so always there's always a way and always there's a room to improvement for all of us and I appreciate that and I respect that councilman and I want exact same respect back from you thank you

after Councilman Jackson's commentary we'll go into payment of bills And then the public portion. He has one question. Director, one moment, please. Sure. So, very quickly, what what I'm trying to outline to the councilman is you're asking the director of public safety to educate you and outline for the public the process and the process of procurement.

One, he's although he may be knowledgeable as the public is because Councilman Morris has given dissertations on this for many, many years of which you probably never paid attention to. As he may be correct, it is improper to expect him to give an expert opinion on something that he is not an expert in. Harry Savala sits here night in and night out. If you need to be educated again and after four years, if you don't understand the process of procurement and specifically when it comes to uh uh this particular process, that should be something that you should take time on yourself to learn. And I'm sitting here, I don't ramble. I'm I'm I make attempts to educate you as well as the public on specific processes based on the facts of the law. If there's ever anything that I ever state

that is inaccurate, all you have to do is point out the inaccuracy of what I'm stating. You don't have to say I'm rambling about nothing because it's something that you don't understand. just point out how it's inaccurate and then I will make the correction. I'll apologize anyway. Director, mo most importantly, I need a report because as we're talking about the purchases purchase purchasing of 10 new vehicles and peripherals, I want a detailed report on how many officers ranking officers already been in the works that have take-home vehicles. It's already in the works.

It's already in the works. You already have it. I have it. Yeah, I have it here. Yeah. Yeah, that was done. That was already done. You have a I report. We already did that, Councilman last month. Yeah, this is where you said last time you asked when you said I didn't get anything. I reforwarded you what I did. All copied on it. Take home vehicles. Um certain sensitive information is not releasable but as much information sensible sensitive information like where these vehicles are traveling to like where the address Yeah. The address of police officers is I don't need addresses. I need municipalities. Fair enough. Review the report that's in your email. If there's any deficiencies, let me know and we'll do our best to

Yeah. I need a list of m I need a list of municipalities. Very good. That's under excellent. Thank you. The agenda is completed. Um almost payment of bills.

The payment of bills for tonight. I'll make a motion. It is in the amount of 25,94,762.58. The bulk of this is um in payroll. We have double pays inside of this payroll. You also have items in here for sewer, emergency sewer repair, and dispatch items. We have um payments to uh various vendors. I make a motion for payment of bills in the amount of 25 million. Second. Discussion. Discussion. Second by Councilman Vez. Discussion. Councilman Veles and then Councilman Mendes.

Uh thank you uh Council President. I know we in the payment of bills, but um I I don't know if this is part uh do we have a payment for um garbage dis uh for the contract for garbage in this one? Mr. CFO is there uh garvis disposal filco anything and to the viewers out there if you see me with my beautiful sunglasses not it's medical just the person that just making fun out of me on Facebook that's good no council

no okay so it's it's not I'm a happy camper though so um it's it's not part of the bill but I just want to bring this forward. Um I I don't know if you could bring clarification uh corporation council on my statement but I was aware I they made me aware that um Philo saw the company and the contract that we uh approved was for Philar filo company to fulfill that contract. Um, we don't know if this new company, um, I know they they they speak highly about them and they have more trucks or whatever. I don't know if they went through, uh, a process of evaluation if they could fulfill that contract, but I don't know uh, m Mr. uh, um, legal uh, uh, Mr. bougie if

even that the contract was honored to Phil but Philo went into selling his company to this new company they don't supposed to come back to us and ratify the contract to honor

the new company the contract or at least uh who evaluate or did evaluation of that company to fulfill the contract and the service that we supposed to receive in the city of Patterson. I just want to make that a question to see I if because the guy sold the company uh that transaction we was not involved. Now they inherit a contract from another company that say they could have fulfilled the contract but what about the company even that they speak highly about that company and they got more reputation but we want to know if they could fulfill that contract that they had with uh Filco because I see diverse trucks we don't know who to blame when they don't pick up the garbage you know because they change company Okay. And um and I just want to set this record clear. Uh Mr. Bushi, are you going to get the

Oh. Oh. Okay. So, tell me the legality of it if in the middle of of a of a watered contract. They saw the company. Who evaluate that company taking that contract to make sure that they fulfill uh uh the the memo of understanding of that contract? So just there so oh the agreement agreement the agreement of the contract

to councilman Mendes and just a recommendation to the BA and to our chair of DPW there that when you're in if you transfer comp the ownership to another company doesn't need to come back to us as a municipality but I do have a recommendation to our BA madam chair for DPW perhaps in the DPW committee you can invite them the whoever the new uh entity is into your meeting. recommend. Um, we have to we have to validate first if it was sold. Um, we have to make sure it's accurate and if it is sold, I would make that recommendation, Madame Chair Cotton, if if possibly if it is sold to this new entity to have them come in so they understand the expectations from our DPW.

For the record, Council President, that's your recommendation. I would like to listen to the BA uh and and put on the record for uh make the resident comfortable uh about this trans transaction because people don't know who to who to clean if Okay, so you need to hear another voice. Okay, Mr. Ba to say the same thing. Okay, I didn't know that he was going to say the same thing. You you you stepping on his words. I don't know if he's going to say the same thing,

Mr. Ba. So, Councilman, I'll certainly look into everything you mentioned tonight. Um, I just see based on a quick search that it looks like Interway Services, IWS, acquired Filco in December. That's what it looks like. Um, so, um, I'll look into the contract that we have and what obligations are on successor companies that purchased them and so forth. But I agree with council president um, making sure that a representative has come in and it's possible those meetings have happened with our DPW leadership. It's very possible. But um I'll find out and if the council wants to have a a sit down with them and lay out expectations and so forth, raise concerns, we'll set that up. If I may, um Councilwoman Cotton Council President Council Mendes,

thank you. I think that we'll probably bring them in um at the DPW committee meeting, but once they I'm assuming, and maybe I should not assume that once they require another company, they have to follow through with the contract that's already in place. You cannot come back in and change a contract because somebody else bought that. It's like buying a piece of property. You have to make sure a person has a lease there. You can't break that lease. You got to wait till that lease run out before you can charge them another price. So that's the same thing for me to think that if they bought Filco, they have to honor the contract that Filco had with the city of Patterson until it expires. But I will make sure and we'll bring that out. So the other thing is Council Councilman Mendes.

No, no, no. when I'm going to speak more on uh okay the other question will be is if this company that purchased Felco participate in the same uh uh process of that bid you know probably was a low bidder in that time now you're getting a high contract you know you understand what I'm saying so in other words we we need to look into see if this company that inquired Phil participate in that RFP. Thank you. It looks like of course it matters because if he participate

council members if he participate in a RFP and he was high or low whatever you know what I'm saying and now he got it in a high number. Thank you buying the company.

Our our um DPW director is watching. He said that he will set it up for the DPW committee meeting. Council bled part of the meeting will be Thank you. Um I have a question on page 101 on the second phase after six or six. It's another page 101. Um I see a uh payment for for $1,254,000422. The description is is is uh it's a rec recreation center um for redevelopment dispatch and another um another number another amount is $111,000 for $149 discretion recreation center um and for redevelopment dispatch.

Huh? Second page one. This is the CFO after those. They're both payments for the dispatch center. For the dispatch center. Yes. Yes. But but under description it say recreation center. So what did that mean? That we moved that money from recreation center. Undercription it says specify recreation recreation center. If you could just do the reminder of the ARP dollars that this council voted on where that money went. Mr. CFO please.

Um I can send all that information. Um, originally we had I want to say somewhere around $20 million for a dispatch center. We moved that money around. We move I want to say somewhere around $9 million for a dispatch center. Um, $5 million or $4 million for road resurfacing. I I can email the rest of the amounts. Wow. But recreation center, that's what caught my attention. That means that that money was allocated for a recreation center and then we shifted into this into another project. No, we talked about a recreation center and then we decided on just a question just description recreation center. That's incorrect. That's incorrect. That's the description of the money and it's been allocated to this project.

That's Yeah, the description is correct. And my question was the reason why the rationale so um how do we move because we already spending based on what I see. Um so or what if so where we are with this I mean it's we're talking about $1.2 $2 million plus $111,000. Again, that's a clerical. It's 1 point almost$1.4 million that we're moving into repaying council press if I may. Mr. VA, please. That the word recreation is simply a clerical error. It shouldn't be there. It shouldn't be there. The word shouldn't be there. It should I don't know what the whoever it should have been, but that word, right? But it but it's is there. No, I I understand though. But to answer your question

and all I'm saying is I I see recreation center and it's 1,254,422 and recreation center description $111,000 $149, but I see that is being is going to be used for another project. So I really need some clarification on this. Uh it's a large amount of money to be paid and um I don't quite honestly shouldn't be there at the discretion but it's there. So

thank you. So um to the BA it has already been stated on the record. Can we just amend the clerical er error to put the correct statement the money is being spent on the communication center which this council has um and devoted upon but we need to um make sure that it's correctly identified. is the control number. Does that control number match the uh the communication center? Yes, it's like you can see there it says HNS construction close 111,000. We're paying HNS construction and it's for and I I can give you the backup of the BO so I can email that to everybody.

Also, um just just I know that um we voted on this uh communication center. Can you send information to all the council members of the exact total of what the exact amount was for the communication center, how much we have already paid and what is remaining. Could you just send that information? Okay.

That's the business incubator where we spent money from. I asked for the report from the PRC. We spent over 20 plus million dollars already there. So now we're spending another million dollars without reports on what's what's what the progress is, how much we spent there. It's on the agenda to vote for it. None of you guys supported it. When I asked for the report on spending for for millions and millions of dollars we spent what happened to the equipment that we spent over $15 million on. What What do we What happened with all the the refrigerators, the the ovens, stoves? We didn't get any reports on that. You guys are letting him stuff into the budget and he's acting like he found something for $1.1 million. We spent over $25 million in this place already and we don't have a report on it.

Council President, thank you. Roll call, Madam Clair. Council President, before Councilman. Um, uh, CFO, do we have a Sorry, Council. Council. Okay. CFO, do we have a credit card on file for Amazon? I we have an account with Amazon and Amazon charge through credit card or purchase purchase order.

Purchase order. Wow. And that's fast to pay to Amazon. you know how long it takes them to put a the paperwork and get paid right away because I see items in Amazon here that probably was in December and they're already getting paid. So we have vendors in the city of Patterson that are locally and they take months to get paid. So, you telling me do you have an account with Amazon? That's why I asked if you have a credit card, log into Amazon um app

because they're getting paid fast. Meanwhile, we have vendors in the city of Patterson locally that had to wait month to get paid. So, I want to be across the board to say the same way you treat Amazon, you treat the other vendors that put their uh payment through the city. Thank you, Council President. Thank you. Roll call, Madam Cler. Okay. Very good. Roll call, Madam Clerk. Okay. Roll call on the payment of bills in the amount of 25 million 94,762.58. Councilwoman Cotton.

Yes. Um I just want to say to the CFO, can you provide me the list of the streets that Montana did for the emergency sewer laterals? Thank you, Madam Clerk. My vote is yes. Thank you, Councilwoman Dav. Councilman Jackson. Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Before I vote, Madam Clerk, I'm going to need a favor, please. Can you please provide and and I know you sent it through email so we I can quickly do a search all the requests that I've made to the BA since the BA has been here. I'm I'm very clear and council president to be stated that I did not ask for a report from the PRC which I'm very positive I did which funded not only that but also this uh soccer initiative and all of the money that was spent at on the uh business former business incubator now turned to the uh communication center. Additionally, my concern is to Councilman Blesz's point, what could we possibly be buying from Amazon? What is a municipality buying from Amazon? I can't see somebody going on online and ordering something that's I'm sorry.

Yes. Very common. So, yeah. Yeah. So, I would like I would like to see the the the purchase orders list from from Amazon and everything that we purchase from Amazon and how that that those bills are being paid. Um, this is part of the reason why I'm I'm I'm extremely reluctant to support any of the bills list to have allocated an additional million dollars to this facility where we spent over 20 plus million dollars on already. And I think that's a short number. Um, Madame Clerk, obviously I cannot support this. My vote is no. Thank you, Councilman. Councilman um Mendes. Yes, Council Mendes. Yes.

Um thank you, Madam Clerk. I I think that I mean I I still going over the same question that I asked um on page 101 on the second phase of the budget. Um on the on the discretion line, you see outside service, you see um you know, ro resurfacing, whatever the money is allocated for. I see the first um allocation for recreation uh recreation center moving to the the dispatch project for 111,49. The second recreation center description of $1,254,422. I remember that we received $2 million for a recreation center. Um I'm very concerned with this. I'm going to need all the information as possible because we we're talking about $1.3 million that we moving from this description into this project and we still don't know how much money we have spent in total in this project. Uh it's extremely concerning to me. We all know how much we need a rec center in the city of Patterson. We all know how much how important is recreation for our children, building a safe place for our children to, you know, place sport and exercise. So, and and I I cannot see that money being shifted to another project uh if we have the opportunity to continue um bringing money to the city to build that rec center that we all want. So, I I cannot support this payment bill. My brother is not mad clerk. Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman. Councilman Omar. Thank you, Madam Clerk. I just want the same list, Mr. CFO, as Councilman Khan requested. My vote is yes. Thank you, Councilman Nen. My vote is yes clerk. Councilman Vez.

Well, the list of Amazon is listed here. All Christmas items uh for the celebration of Christmas in the city of Paris from Amazon. Um I think we have a lot of local store that could sell all those items. um the and I believe I don't know if the state of legislator um through district 35 is um allocating money uh for the future recreation center. No, they not lobbying for that council woman. No. Okay. But just in case the state will help us when next year some tax credit probably um payment of bills. Yes.

Thank you, Council President. Uh, you called me. He said yes. Yes. So, Council Member Le. So, let me let me be clear. Uh, our Congresswoman Nelli Poe advocated for $2 million,

but it was for a shovel ready, her and uh, Sen Senator Wimbley shovel ready project. This council voted on that. That money is connected to the partnership with NJCDC. Correct. Correct. That rec center will be built by this year, towards the end of this year. We're looking forward to our first recreational center which will be on 52 Front Street um with uh we we added some language to that uh theou which talks about our seniors having first rights and having the ability to have their special programs, their meeting space there and also partnerships with our schools. So our our students are able to go in and have different opportunities to go in to have workspace activities and so forth and so on. That's a part of the language for our first rec center. So I'm super excited. I believe the rec center cost about $14 million I believe the number is and that could be either off a little bit or over. But I'm excited that that $2 million was put towards that shovel ready um project. Um with that being stated to the public, our agenda is over. Um, after I vote on the uh public on this, we'll open a public portion where we have four speakers. Madame clerk, my vote is yes.

Thank you. The votes are five in favor, two against, two absent. Payment of bills is adopted.

Thank you. Uh to our public, it's time for public portion. Public portion is set to three minutes. There is a timer that is on. So, I'm asking as we um do our best to keep the quum on this side, right, Mr. Keys? that I ask on the other side that we do the same. Um, tonight has been great. There's a lot of things going on in the community. The list is out. It's always out an hour plus before. Um, and we um made copies of it. We kept it out till about 7:26 to make copies. She brought it to me. We watched. No one was here by 7:35 to It was even sitting on the um in front of the um the ledge right in front of Mr. Alveris. Right. Mr. Oliver on tonight. So, it moved around a little bit, but we want to hear from the public. Madame clerk, we have four speakers. Can we please set the timer? First speaker, Mr. Joel Keys.

Please state your name. Testing. Tonight, I speak to honor two towering figures in the struggle for community self-determination. I need to be safe. Can we please Councilman, can we please reset his time? Please don't interrupt the public. Councilman Veles, you got four people here now. You have five. Go ahead.

All right. Tonight, I speak to honor two towering figures in the struggle for community self-determination. Charles and Ares Baron in Brooklyn's East New York. They did not bend to speculation or surrender to displacement. They asserted community control and negotiations with developers and demanded that development serve the people who built the neighborhood, not those who arrive to profit from it. They were not traditional politicians. They were elected activists. They understood that public office is not a seat of comfort but a platform for struggle. They were unapologetic in advancing black power politics rooted in self-determination, economic justice, and collective empowerment. They warned us that black and Latino faces in high places do not automatically mean black or Latino power or black or Latino progress. Too often, it simply places a black or Latino face on policies that continue that same exploitation. policies that fuel gentrification while communities applaud representation. That warning echoes powerfully here in Patterson. In Manchild in the Promised Land, Claude Brown describes watching his father defer to a lawyer he believed must be brilliant simply because he was a Jew. Brown saw what his father could not. The lawyer was not on their side. He was fortunate. Brown wrote bitterly. quote, "Anybody could see that this cat wasn't so smart. No, he was lucky. Lucky that the world had dumb in it like dad." The tragedy was not ignorance alone. It was misplaced faith in someone who did not represent their interests. Tonight, I draw that analogy carefully but

clearly. The mayor and eight council members celebrated the Garden State growth zone outcomes as progressive, but progressive for whom? Like Brown's father, they or was it we the people who were hoodwinkedked by a master manipulator? They treated developers and centers as if they were guarantees for tenants. Meanwhile, Councilman Jackson stood alone in opposing participation in the growth zone program, recognizing that beautifification without affordability is displacement by another name. Like the Baronss in Brooklyn, he insists that power must be used in defense of the people. Across this country, as Charles Baron reminds us, gentrification runs rampant in cities led by black and Latino officials. Representation without resistance becomes accommodation and accommodation produces demographic erasia. The question was not whether development would come. The question was whether you would fight to ensure our people remain when it did. There's no affordable housing and people are losing their homes. So no, you didn't fight for the people to remain. Congratulations. Keep celebrating.

Thank you, Mr. Keys. Next speaker, Madam Clerk. The next speaker is Chris Small. Please state your name and address. Thank you. Good night everyone. Good night uh council president, council members, uh council secretary, and everyone else.

Once again, I'm Christopher Small. I'm an educator. I'm a teacher. I'm a coach. I'm an accountant. And I'm an advocate for the youth in the city of Patterson. And I'm here tonight in all five capacities. But uh before I say anything else, I'd like to first and foremost thank everyone. Thank everyone that went out in November 2025 and voted for me for Patterson Board of Ed Commissioner. And everyone that's been asking and wondering, yes, I will definitely be running again November 2026. So, I look forward to your continued support. You're more than welcome to stop by my office on 80 Ward Street so I can thank you in person and so we can talk about the 2026 campaign. And also, I am a owner of a tax office, so you can bring your W2 and your 1099 and 1098 and other tax documents down and I can help you electronically file your tax return. Once again, ASW Financial located at 80 Ward Street or you give me a call at 862-371-2404. Uh, also you can check out our commercial on YouTube. Uh, type in Small World Max Tax Refund uh for more details. You can also check out us on uh Tik Tok and IG. But enough about me and my business. I'm here tonight to talk about the Prosper program at Posea County Community College as it aims to support Hispanic and other minority students in earning a bachelor's degree through partnerships and funding and internships. Uh the Prosper program at PCC is vital initiative aimed at empowering students from diverse backgrounds to achieve their academic and professional goals through affordable education and practical experience. And I would just like to shout out the first two recipients of the ASW financial prosper program and that is uh Christopher Cologne and Nielli Ramirez. They've been working with my tax office for the past few months helping me with the intake process and administrative duties. So I know a few of my clients have asked me who is that calling. That'll be the interns that are working with me. They're students at Pose County College now part of the 3 plus one program meaning they'll do their third year their junior year at Pay County College then transfer to Ramipole College to finish their degree and uh graduate. And I also before I get out of here like to

shout out the young adults achieving uh program. Uh Tamika Davis is the founder of that. We'll be heading down to uh five H.B.CU in April, April 8th to April 10th. Uh we'll be having a fundraiser March 29th, hiphop bingo karaoke. So uh please support uh you can go on the site to find um uh more information about how you can support. Uh it'll be taking place March 29th, Athena Veterans Post in Clifton, New Jersey. And also, I'd like to thank uh Moa Teens and Coach Magazine at Eastside High School for helping me organize some students to uh make it to that trip. And I'm looking forward to being a chaperoon and helping to continue to push and support the students of Patterson towards their educational goals. Thank you. Have a good night.

Great job, Mr. Smalls. Next, next speaker, Madam Clerk. Yes. Next speaker is Zaniah Edwin. State your name and address, please. Thank you,

Zia Edwin. Um, thank you for hearing me today. So, I'm gonna address two issues. Um, firstly, I would just like to make a statement on nepotism. Um, I believe nepotism is often viewed negatively, but it is important to approach the issue with balance and clarity. Hiring or appointing individuals who have personal or familiar connections is not intentionally improper if the individuals selected are fully qualified, competent, and capable of performing their duties with integrity. Huh? What ultimately matters to the public is fitness, I'm sorry, fairness, transparency, transparency, and equal treatment under the law. If those hired, regardless of their relationship, carry out their responsibilities and impartially follow established policies and serve the community without favoritism or abuse abuse of authority, then public trust can be still maintained. The key standard should not be personal con connection alone but whether decisions are model made ethically qualififications are met and the public is treated justly. Accountability, oversight and transparency must always remain in place to ensure that any appointment serves the interest of the community first and foremost. So with that being said, I would like to address an issue that I've recently been having with the Patterson Police Department. And I'm not sure if you all were made aware, but I did make it public. Um, so I did email it to the district attorney after the meeting that they had yesterday in the fourth ward and I just want to let you guys know that I believe it was the in the best interest of myself and the community to make it public. The situation had a serious impact on me and my family and I believe it raises broader concerns about accountability, transparency, integrity, and public trust within our community. My purpose tonight is not to create conflict, but to ask for clarity and I'm sorry, clarity and action. I'm nervous,

so it's hard for me to speak. Um, when situation Thank you. when situations like this occur, the way that they are handled sends a message to the public about fairness, responsibility, and whether residents can feel confident that their concerns will be taken seriously and that their lives matter. I respectfully ask the council that you review the circumstances surrounding the incident, ensure that all the appropriate policies are followed, policies and procedures, sorry, and support any necessary investigation to determine whether corrective action is warranted. I also ask that you consider whether policy changes or oversight measures are needed to prevent something similar from happening happening again. Our community depends on trust between residents and local government. Transparency and accountability are not personal attacks. They are the foundation of a good governance. I am asking for your leadership in ensuring that the the matter is handled thoroughly and fairly. I ask that you keep the public informed about the steps taken so that confidence in our local institutions can be maintained and restored where necessary. I am sure I am not the first to encounter a situation of this magnitude. May be the first to thank you may be the first to speak up about it. Um secondly, I would also like to address a matter where um within the court system, I remember earlier you did say that you guys, sorry, you all don't have the power to go into the court system and make changes, but I would like to ask that you respectfully um pay attention to serious concerns regarding prolonged delays and procedural issues with the Patterson Municipal and Superior Court of New Jersey. Since 2022, my attorney, Gerard Nisavia, has been working to have my case heard regarding a lawsuit I filed against Broadshshire Insurance Group after I was injured in a motor vehicle accident on May 2nd, 2022. Despite our consistent efforts, the case has been repeatedly adjourned for nearly four years. I fully understand that the

court faces scheduling pressures and heavy case loads. However, a delay of this length without resolution has caused significant hardships and raised serious concerns about fairness, access to justice, and procedural transparency. In light of most recent experiences, what I've been through with the police that have reopened my concerns, I respect respectfully ask that you guys, I'm sorry, you all review whether there are systematic issues contributing to excessive delays in court proceedings. Ensure that residents can receive timely and impartial access to judicial judicial processes. Advocate for transparency and accountability when procedural irregularities may exist and also support any appropriate oversight or inquiry necessary to restore public confidence. Again, my intention is not to accuse without evidence, but to ask for responsible review and leadership. When cases remain unresolved for years, it undermines trust in the system and leaves residents feeling unheard and unprotected, especially me. I am simply seeking a fair opportunity to have my case heard and decided in its merits on its merits. I respectfully request that the council look into these matters to ensure that justice is administered efficiently, transparently, and without unnecessary delay.

Thank you. So, I'm going to ask corporation council if you could just get information from her. He'll come um and talk to you. Okay. Uh last speaker, madam clerk. Yes. Excuse me. The last speaker is Eddie Olivarez. Please state your name. Patterson, New Jersey.

Um, I guess I should start by congratulating you. I guess tonight you become official, Mr. Golbec. I hope I'm pronouncing it next week. Well, I either way I congratulate you, but I speak for the people of Patterson and I tell you that I hope that you prove us wrong. We It's not that we have little expectancy from you. We have zero expectancy. I hope you prove us wrong and to show us that indeed you do work for the people of Addison. I want to move on to Alex Pens. He is not here. Mr. Jackson, you got competition. You got Alex Mendes resolution supporting reim reimbursement of towing charges imposed during the recent uh snow emergency. For years and years and years you've been fighting on behalf of these people and all it takes is a campaign season and all of a sudden he's competing with you now. Anyway, uh finally I want to talk about um Joel Ramirez and people of Patterson listen to me. This is the problem that we have here in the city of Patterson. Joel Ramirez, the director of public health, comes here and says that homelessness does not fall under the umbrella, I'm paraphrasing, of public health. People of Patterson, this is ignorance at its best. And I'll go further. Uh, drug addiction falls on the public health. Prostitution falls on the public health. Rapes fall on the public health. Trash on the streets public health. I can go on and on and on and on. And here we have the director of public health telling us that public health has nothing to do with these issues. And you know who's to blame for that? People of Paris are listen to me. It's

because we keep on doing the same thing. These people are to blame. If we keep this administration, guess what they're going to do? We have Davila, Mims, Udin. We have these people telling us that they're going to keep on doing the same exact thing that we have been doing for decades. And somehow that's going to make the city better. Look in the mirror, people of Patterson. Don't look to your left or to your right looking for the culprit. Look in the mirror. The image in the mirror is the culprit. It's us. Because we keep on voting for these people. Um, we have this election coming up. The only person that is is is presenting us with a sound plan to change the city of Patterson in different direction uh to fix the city of Patterson is Councilman Jackson. That's why I am asking for his support. Or we have over here Luis Val is looking at me like uh you know just a couple of years ago you had a big fight with with the mayor. He got your wife a job in the city and everything was fine. Now, a couple of weeks ago, you were fighting with him again, and I I don't know what he offered now, but now you you're in bed together again. So, I guess he offered you something in exchange for his support. Thank you, people.

Thank you. Motion to close. Of course. Moved by Councilman, second. Councilman Omar. Roll call to close the uh public portion. Madam clerk, do I do roll call to close the public portion? Councilwoman Cotton.

Thank you. Thank you, Madam Clerk. I just want to say to all that came out tonight um to speak on the public portion. Um thank you for coming out, voicing some of your concerns. Um, I just want to say also that um um I want to wish also a good friend of mine that I've known for over 40 years is Dr. Fulmore. He celebrated 80 years. Um he was assistant superintendent I believe back in the late 90s early 2000. Um also I just want to say congratulations to a good friend of mine um Pastor Janelle York. um she will be celebrating 10 years of pastorial anniversary um this coming weekend coming up. Um there's a lot that has been said um but there's a lot that more can be said but with that being said madame clerk um my vote is yes to close out the public portion.

Thank you Councilwoman Councilman Jackson.

Thank you madam clerk. So, um, to the young lady who came to speak before us, uh, I'm not aware of the incident that you spoke about, you didn't give many details, so maybe I can be provided with it, but I will say this relative to you um, stating that you were nervous. You did an absolutely phenomenal job presenting your position, extremely articulate. um quite frankly you would you would serve serve this community much better eventually sitting on this side because you you you presented yourself in a much more professional fashion than some of the people who who sit in these seats do. So I I take my hat off to you. But I would like to know what the incident was. I'm not aware of what happened, but um you will have my support um especially if you were mistreated. And if not, I will do the best that I can to educate you on whether or not the circumstances uh were fitting or not. I'm not sure what they are, but I would love to speak with you um after we conclude. Um relative to the public, uh you know, it's it's obvious. We we watch what happens here every night in and night out. We watch um uh council members change their position. You know, the positions that we take is very critical. Not just during election season, not just on one week when it's one particular item, but night in and night out. If you're not going to be responsible on spending all the time, to be responsible on spending on one particular item doesn't really help us much because by that time, they've ran away with the bank. And in the case of the business incubator, there's been so much money that's been spent there. And I've been asking for council council support over the last 8 to nine years if not longer. This the PRC has squandered

millions and millions of dollars. We have spent and and in fact I think it it might have been over two or three years ago where I went on a tour of that building and yet the mayor just did a press conference the other day or he did a video over there the other day showing his progress. There's been zero progress made. There's still no drywall on the walls. The bu the the building hasn't been um uh wired specifically. If the director of public safety is coming forward saying he's going to come back at a later time to outline what specific electronic devices are needed, how can you wire a building if you don't know what what electronics are going to be needed? You have to know, well, we have we need cat 6 in this wall. We need C 5 over here. We're going to need additional power. You You're going to have to know these out these details well before you finish construction. It just talks about how backwards we are working. And I'm I'm reminding those members of the public, remember, I've I've been very consistent on these matters from as as far back as the $1.4 $4 million on the on the trailer park that we spent on trailers where everybody has come back and said, "Oh, you know, Councilman Jackson, you were right. You were right." But yet, we continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. And it's not mistakes, it's intentional. So, uh, uh, just as a recap, you know, those council members not willing to support the measure to, uh, prohibit developers to charge residents for parking, but yet want to draft legislation, um, parking that that wasn't that may not may or may not have been done illegally. So, I'm I'm not going to labor very long, Madam Clerk. I appreciate the opportunity. elections um do have consequences and we will have an opportunity to take our

community and move it into a completely different direction. One where we can deprivatize government, bring garbage collection in home, bring road resurfacing back home, create a a a a true garbage transfer station in our community. As the third largest city in the state of New Jersey, we don't need to be outsourcing these types of uh services. We need to bring these services home, create more jobs. This administration has created zero jobs. In fact, every single member of his of his uh cabinet, I think with the exception of one, do not reside in the city of Patterson. According to our city code, the employees of the community are required to be bonafide residents of the city of Patterson. These people don't live here. They don't give a damn about you. They don't care how your money is being spent. They do not care about the city is for an opportunity for them. And it's very clear. And the fact that the council does not um uh stand firm on it. And before you leave out the door, council president, I just wanted to make one note. I did not notice the item for the contract for the fire department on the agenda. It was it it's going to be on regular next week, you're saying? because it wasn't on. We never discussed it tonight.

I'll speak to it. We never discussed it tonight. There was a meeting last night with Council President, Councilman Udin, Councilwoman Davala, all promised those members of the fire department brass that that item was going to be on the agenda for a vote. It was apparently negotiated and approved by DCA. So, um I'm I'm very curious on uh uh why the council has not taken action on such items. and uh I you know we didn't discuss it. It was not on the agenda. So I wanted to make note of that. But madame clerk, my vote is yes. Thank you. Thank you, Councilman. Councilman Mendes.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Um first of all, let me say thank uh thanks to all the resident u of the city of Patterson for just coming into the chamber and express their concern. And I'm always say that in order for you to be an effective legislator, you have to learn how to work with people, how to work with everybody. And that's something that I haven't I'm willing to sit down with any person to find a solution for the problem that affecting our community and I've been very affected by that. Um but today I I I introduced the the resolution. This resolution is just a reflection of what happened on that storm. They use the storm to take advantage of the resident. I never see so many people getting their car towing. And even the the the director of the police department, I was I was talk she was talking about that. Even the director of the police department specified that they should have a plan. They should remove the snow and put it outside outside in a in in an empty lot and just make sure the people have a place to park. That was not that was not the case. The administration never had a plan and they decided to start towing cars without giving notice to the people and hundreds of people lost their car just because of that. I bring this legislation because we have a lot of people suffering in our community. We have people one paycheck away from being homeless and the legislation it speak for itself. And the last four where a where asked it say the towing fees imposed hardship on many with some of those affected um station that have not received specific actual notice on when the vehicle have to be moved and we're talking about legitimate people that got their car towing and that's something that I cannot stay quiet about that I cannot something that I will do during the storm I will put a plan together before the storm. I will inform the community and educate the

resident how we're going to do it, which street we're going to clean. I will use a street cleaning schedule to remove the stone during the day, not at night time. We have people that have one, two, and in and a part-time job plus a part-time job. They go home at 10, 11:00 at night. How they going to be able to see a sign? In some places, I visit those spot that the car were towing and there was no sign on those section. There was a lot of discrepancy on the plan. There was no plan at all. There was no plan at all. Every street in Patterson was oneway street because of the amount of snow. Every street in Patterson. So we got to There was no plan at all. And I specify how things should be done in the future. I'm looking forward to have this resolution on regular on the next meeting. It's something that it will definitely people deserve. People deserve that. People really deserve that. We're going through alliance the city of Patterson. In another note, we have a company that came to do a reval and out of 23,000 property over 11,000 property receive a reval without the the person going inside the property. Those property were assessed as the highest number based on market value. I was not aware about that. A responsible mayor will call this entity, this council, and say, "Listen, something is happening. Let's fix the problem. let's go back to the table, let's fix the problem and let's go back there and let's get the job done right. those company they they will get paid but without doing the job properly and I could speak my about my personal experience my property the assessment was wrong my taxes went out from 9,800 to 14,600 $5,000 increase and I'm not the only one there's so many resident that have that the taxes went out 5,4,000 and on the situation that we are right now people are struggling this situation is going to push people out of city out of the city high taxes and high rent are

pushing people out and how much a homeowner will increase the rent. It's almost impossible to be a homeowner in the city of Paris. So my recommendation to all the resident is to take action. Don't stay quiet please. The appeal you have until May 1st to do the appeal on the assessment. You could go online. You could go to NJ tax appeal and fill it out form 81. With that form 81 you will fill it up and we'll send it to the county. You don't have to do any comparable until you go to court. So, you got to take action now. We have to May 1st because that's going to be that's going to push a lot of people out of Patterson. If we sold 1,200 lean on the last uh lean tax sale, we're going to sell over 5,000 leans because when we have all those people that have no money to pay their bill, that's what happened. You get a lean on your property and you will have a uh you will have the chance to lose your property. You are risk to lose your property after two year. They could do a foreclosure on any property that has a lean. So that's mean pushing people out of the city. But we could fight back. We need to fight back Patterson. We're not getting services and we pay such a high tax and high rent that is it's it's heartbreaking. What I see people that living on fixed income, single family, two family, people that depending on that little money that they get from the retirement plan and getting hit by $3,000 increases on their taxes, not including the county, the school local and opening space. What are we talking about? We really we really pushing people out of the city Patterson. It's we really are. It's really time for change. My vote is yes, madam clerk.

Thank you, Councilman. Councilman Omar. Thank you, Madam Clerk. I'll be very brief. Um, I think it's easy to take a jab at someone when they're not in the room. So, that's one thing, but another thing is I just want to thank Director Ramirez for all the hard work he's done. He truly does go above and beyond. My vote is yes, Madam Clerk. Thank you, Councilman.

Thank you, Madame Clark. Um, first of all, thank you uh to all the public that showed up to the council meeting and made your voice heard. Thank you for joining. those who are watching us, thank you for staying engaged. Um, so we heard everyone's concern and one of the item that I need to talk uh, Councilman Jackson mentioned about yesterday's public forum with uh, with firefighters. Uh we I want to again restate that strengthening supporting public safety department is is one of my major um uh you know uh thing that I started from the very beginning. I never and I think no other council members was against of any items from public safety departments. And when we sit down with the firefighters and again before I even state about um the MOA that that's that's in place and we are uh looking forward to seeing the next regular council meeting. Uh we have to state the um the work they put into it every day. Our firefighters put their lives in line to save our lives, save our residents and their properties. So we have to make sure that we serve them well. But there was a lot of lack of communication or um understanding. It was falling apart. But I'm pretty sure that yesterday's meeting was very uh fruitful. I say we ended up in very nice way. Uh the present council members, we all promised that um this is going to be in regular meeting which is upcoming Tuesday. as chair of the public safety promised that she's going to uh discuss this item on Friday's committee and again I'm not in the committee however I definitely will check Friday's uh agenda to make sure that's the item on the agenda would like to look you

know make sure that we are voting on the item so it it is it is coming for sure um fire officers so we are and I'm talking about myself I'm I'm fully in support and we're looking forward to this again public thank you for joining us and uh my vote is yes to close the public question. Thank you, Councilman. Councilman Vez.

Thank you, Council President. We I know we clos in the public portion uh but there's some some some comments made that have to be addressed and from the public portion and um because now people stay what they hear and it's not fair for us. It's not fair for us that we correct sometimes the individual that comes here and without facts and I sympathize with the young lady that came down here and express her concern. Um I took notes. My office is open. My secretary is here sitting and you could address uh come her and ask her for anything that come rush to the office if I need to talk to you. Okay? And I'll give you my phone number uh when we finish. But I just want to I I just want to put the record clear. There is 14 14 16. Oh my god. Is anybody hiding under the table? You know that they wouldn't run. But there's 14 councilmen at large. 16. Sorry. And I always say that mean saying this to the residents of Patterson. When you see people to utilize this podium to slander, to accuse without facts, to mock or make fun of us or the work that we do. I tell the resident, they not stupid. They're not naive. If you think that the resident, the voter, the serious voter that we have in Patterson are going to vote you in, you wasting your time. You are wasting your time.

Because if the three minutes that you be using instead of bringing concept, plan and comfort message for resident could say that we are doing it wrong and change us. then it's beneficial. But when you come to that podium and I respect your freedom of speech, but it's wasting a time when you don't bring concept to the podium. And the resident of Patterson is tired. You think they're watching? They they turn off the TV sometimes because they know that people come here without facts. Pointing fingers without facts. I have to keep this clear. I've been sitting here since 2016. I don't care what they do to me. I don't care they slander. I don't care if they accuse me. But one thing I could say is that I could sleep and go to bed and rest in peace. You know why? Because I know whoever put me here beside the voters was somebody higher than the people that comes and criticize me.

And I trust the work that he told me to do with the community. So those that are speculating why I am working, why I talked to the mayor or I talked to the BA or I talked to my enemy or I talked to this guy or I talked to the other. Listen, I don't hold grudges. There is a community in the fifth ward that voted for me to deliver to them. And we have to understand that we are the legislative body of this city. that we need to work with the people that put the resources to the people on the street. We could have differential problems with my colleagues. I could love him today and tomorrow I could hate them. I don't hate nobody, but we need to work together. And when it comes up to the needs of the community, I'm colorblind. I don't hold grudges and I raise my leaves sleeve and work for the benefit of those that brought us into the office. I always say and I stated in February 10 and I got to continue saying no storm, snow, tornado or any storm comes with obstructions. We had to create our own plan. We had to sit down and talk, leave our egos on the side and our power on the side and say, "Let's unite to work together." In the last snowstorm, the mayor did call the council to meet at the OEM office and we set a plan and

we gave our ideas and we move it forward. I could have discussed with the mayor. I don't probably don't like his jokes, but when it comes to benefit the residents of Patterson, no jokes aside, we have to work together. So, saying that, last but not least, I want to set the record clear. We do not authorize a re-evaluation of the property that was mandated by the task and the county towards us in 2014 I believe. So the only thing that we do is hire the company that is going to do that kind of revaluation of the property in city pass last council president Mr. BA corporates council. Um, I know I had this conversation with you regarding uh, and you you you told me the right thing and I like that because communication is there and I say we don't need to do a resolution for that. But I requesting through the chair if it's possible the administration could call the re-evaluation company to come and explain the council what kind of formula they use to evaluate this property, reevaluate this property, what kind of formula they use. Because for example, I cannot believe that a two family house in Patterson is more expensive than a two family house in Wayne. I cannot believe that. I cannot believe

a two family house in in in Patterson is more expensive reval higher than a house in Clifton. So if they could come and explain us what kind of formula they use to reval those property, it will be beneficial. Council President, I know it's not your idea. I'm giving it out, but just in case just to to to the because we get the calls, right, Council President,

what method do they use? So at least they're not telling you, they're not telling you, they're not telling me. They telling the residents what formula they use and probably there's a legal part on it that they could go after them.

So simple and probably this could be clarified before the end of the appeal process that the city have. So the rate is one thing, the value of your property is another thing. But I would like to know what methodology they use, what formula they use to say this house in Patterson worth million dollars and the one in Wayne that had more land, more quality of life is less. Uh I just want to say that uh did you took the note? U Mr. VA, you took the request about the company to come and explain what was the formula they used to revalue.

We are in um the property and those 14,000 property that they had the chance to go in why to explain us why they cannot do the perform the uh reval. And it's a fair question to be clarified and transparent of the process of the reevaluation. Last but not least, thank you madam clerk. You're closing public portion. I know you was listening to me. Thank you. Councilman the floor.

Closing the public portion. I'll come back and closing. My vote is yes to close. So to Madame Clerk and to the to Madame Clerk, when we are in voting, the timer should be set. I've stated it in the past. I will put it on the record again. The timer should be set to two minutes for the council members. When it's time to vote, it is time to vote. There's no extra extended conversation. There's no um asking additional questions. There's no rebuttal or there was no response. So after we close our public portion for final comments, there is two minutes. and beyond that they they continue to talk. We go on to the next person. Um because the agenda has been over over an hour ago. Two minute timer. Everything should have been said at this point. To all of our uh speakers that have come that are in person and watching, thank you so much. As I state every week, um to um Miss Edwin, I believe is your name. Um I'm not sure what the details of your concerns. I believe this is my first time even ever seeing or meeting you. Um, and I know corporation council took your information, but I commend you for coming in in regards to whatever the situation or the scenario is. But make sure reach out, get some um advice, reach out to Northeast Legal Services as well, if that's an additional resource or reference where they can give you help at no cost at all if that's going to help the situation. I'm not sure what it what what are the circumstances because you have not given it to us as a council. So, we don't know what they are. But, I want to commend you for even coming forth to um speak out um to uh the statement that was made in regards to um the MOA for the fire department. It is correct. Um it will be on the agenda next week. The email was already sent out. Um but like we stated last night they it will have to be seen in two committees which will be worked on.

Friday is public safety committee. It will be finalized for finance committee and it will be on the agenda. Um madam clerk which I already sent the email as she's aware the email was sent for it to be on for vote on Tuesday. So I don't have to be see I don't play election politics where is reiterated. I think she said I assume it's going to be on if I say it's going to be on the agenda, it's on the agenda. They could play politics. I do people totally different. Madame clerk, with that being stated, my vote is yes. Thank you, council president. The votes are seven in favor, two absent. The public portion is now closed.

Is there a motion to close the meeting workshop meeting Tuesday, March 3rd, 6:30? U moved by Council Mendes, second by Council President Mims. Roll call. Two-minute limitation for all council members. Roll call, Madam Clerk. Roll call to close the the regular meeting. Thank you, Madam Clerk. I um I just want to say that um I also have a property in my house and um I think that um Madame Clerk

I I think that u I want to say to my council colleague, you should have asked the reval company to come back in to inspect the properties. Now you're having them to go before a tax appeal. They should have asked the rebal company to come back in or to come back to inspect their property um to see if they're going to change the value of it. Um they did not come in my house the first time. I brought them in my house the second time

to let them know that I don't have a walk-in closet in my bedroom. I don't have a wet bar in my basement for them to value my house at that. You know, I wanted them to see what I actually had in my house. They you the Reval company wanted to come back in your house. They wanted to do that to see what the value is. Now, if I can suggest to everyone, go on the website of the reval company. Uh uh you have to hit the link that says property value or you can hit the link that says property taxes and you can take your entire block that you live in and you can see the entire value of everybody's property in your block and you can see what they value each and every house. And then you can also be able to see each each taxes that each property um pays yearly. So I just want to bring that to your attention. And for you, I would say call the reval company and ask them to come back in to do an inspection to reval your house cuz more than likely it probably would come down. I'm not sure. Um with that being said, thank you to all that came out. I want to say to the young lady, um she was at our meeting last night. Um she did she was at a meeting um at last night at a listening session with the police attorney general with our chief of police and with uh uh OIC and I'm I'm not sure she spoke with anyone there but she did come out and um I told her to um to reach out but I'm going to reach out to you too to see if they're going to be able to reach out to you too cuz I know you gave them some information at the listening session uh last night at school number six. Um, with that being said, everyone, God bless you all. You all have a good night. To my council colleagues, to my madam clerk, my secretary, my VA, all have a good night. God bless you. Any questions you need about the revals and stuff, I'm happy to tell you how to really go about getting it done. With that being said, God bless you. Have a good night, everyone.

Thank you, Councilwoman. Council, my vote is yes, Council Mendes.

Uh, thank you, Madam Clerk. Just quick before my vote, Patterson, um what really happened with this reval situation was that those over 11,000 property that were not assessed that were assessed without the person going inside the property, we never received that information. The administration never took action and to resolve the problem, never called the company back to the table to fix the problem and go back and do a a proper assessment. Now, the time uh window was uh gone. The deadline was on the 23rd. February 23rd was the last day for people to call the assess company the company to do an assessment a new assessment. Now what you have to do you have to call you have to get into you could go online and go to NJ tax appeal and fill it out the form A1. You don't have to do any compatible until uh a week before they in court but you have until May 1st for you to go online get the application on paper fill it up and submit it and it's the form 81. If you have any question, you could reach out to me at 973-9301436. That's what need to take place. But that a lot that was a lack of leadership. If we know that this problem is happening, we could fix a problem. There was a there was an opportunity to fix a problem before this is happening. Now this is reality. We're not playing policy with this. You have people like my property went out $5,000 at one shot. I submitted my application. It was almost impossible. The appraiser was inaccurate. the assess value that they did it was wrong because what they doing they assessing property based on market value and they're not going inside the property. So, uh encouraging everybody to take action before May 1st because that's going to push a lot of people out of the city. A responsible mayor will call the company back into the table and let's say what is the problem? whether is uh uh the lack of information, misinformation, let's fix it and let's go back to protect our homeowner because the whole idea is to protect our homeowner home owners because honestly we have people living this town every single day. That's the whole purpose of

that. And now we passed the line. Now we got to go through tax appeal, but we need to fight back because when you get hit with $3,000, $2,000 in taxes, your salary doesn't increase. They don't raise your salary and you at work or those people that live on fixed income, they don't get more money. You got you're getting less and less money and we pay more and more bills. You got more taxes and that's not included. That's only the municipal portion, the 2.261. That's not including the county school and open space. And that's what we face in Patterson. Lack of leadership at

at all time. May 1st is your deadline. Pison you have any questions reach out to me madam clerk um thank you so very much council president item 38 I know it's on regular I think there's no need to have more we don't need to have more discussion that's the right thing to do for our resident for our community um we have to put we have to think about with our heart what Patterson resident are going through it's really tough I invite people just to go out there just get into the neighborhood talk to people and you you will see how people are struggling we have people with two jobs and they still have to go to the food pantry. Look at those line at the food pantry. Patterson councilman to every every food pantry. That's not because they want to.

Thank you, Councilman. That's not because they want to. Patterson, people are suffering here. God bless you, Patterson. Let's pray for our city. M clerk, thank you. To our police department, thank you for being here with us. Our VA, uh, our corporation council, thank you. Um, council Khali Gudes.

Thank you, Councilman Noir. Thank you. Uh, madame clerk, I just want to I just want to say I I look forward to seeing everyone here tomorrow at city hall for our ifar. And I'm also extending the invite for Monday, March 9th at school 9. I along with uh our mayor, Assemblyman Delaziz, board of ed commissioner, president Joel Ramirez, uh, are hosting a community if at school 9 Monday, March 9th at 6 p.m. I hope to see you all there. With that being said, good night everyone. Um, Mr. BA, thank you. Corporation Council, thank you. To our council colleagues, thank you. Our public safety, our law enforcement, thank you. My vote is yes. Good night, Patterson. Thank you, Councilman. Councilman Luden.

Thank you, Madam Macs. Before um I vote, I would like to one more time uh restate what I have stated in the last council meeting regarding the assessment. And Mr. B, I I think we need uh you need more clarification on it. Why am I saying it? because what's happening right now um among the homeowners is creating more confusions. Uh confusion in in the sense that the current assessment is showing the property value is kind of near to double more than double I you say that is very alarming. It shows that last year's assessment something's not right whether with the last year's assessment or this year assessment right with that with that calculation. Now people are concerned not about the number it shows right here. They are very concerned about the tax rate. They're concerned what would happen if the tax rate changes. And I feel it's important for the administration and I say I think can step up on this to call the assess or whoever is doing it to come move forward come here and clarify the process the uh uh methodology they're using to assess the properties and also what would be the outcome if the uh tax calculation changes anywhere. I think that needs to be clarified. One thing is when we are advising people that um make phone calls to revisit or review your assessment uh in many cases they are not responding calls and one or two time two residents confirmed me they responded call and they said they can do a video call visit uh or they can come.

I think they gave two two options. So the point is how many if that happens two out of 10 residents got response back from the um from the bander then thank you important yes it's not a requirement for me to complete 2 minutes no minute two-minute limitation the important part is orders of rules two-minute limitation councilman everyone else has abided by it two-minute limitation this is important to be clarified. I understand. So that confusion, councilman, there was confusion. Two-minute limitation, council president, this is very important to finish it.

I understand there was a two-minute limitation per robber orders or rules. I stated it beforehand.

So this is this is very important. Uh Mr. VA the reason is sometimes we are using our own way of explanation which even creating more confusion to the community members so Mr. BA we want to see that you are stepping up on this whether you're bringing the assessor here and and clarify the process minute and also you have to clarify what would happen if the tax calculation or or the percentage changes anywhere I'm looking forward to your step into it thank you council president I think we all have to have opportunity to clarify the thoughts council president I understand that it's over 2 minutes but he cannot just blocked me just on two minutes. Not now not finishing my thoughts. Thank you.

So again, we respect you and I think we need to keep respecting each other. Thank you, Council President. Thank you. Thank you. Your vote is I'm sorry. Are you finished? I'm done. My vote. My vote is yes. Thank you, Councilman. Council President. No, Council Member Le. I'm sorry, Council Member. I'm so sorry. Thank you. Yes. So once again, ladies and gentlemen, um I got two minutes, but I'm going to try to keep it in the most important topic that we had. Now, thank you.

The revaluation of the properties. So, Mr. Ba, we had a conversation. You're going to make it possible. I know that. But who's going to be benefiting this conversation is both the administration, the council, and the resident getting educated uh in the process. Patterson has approximate 30,000 property a little bit more 30,000 properties between residential commercial etc. Um I want to know how 14,000 property would not reval it could be and this pro this uh revaluation of property it happened a week or a month ago. This is since last year they've been re-evaluating the property. If every councilman that received calls when they was receiving the letter instruct them the right way probably they could have see a notice that their property probably went down. Um approximately 7,000 property the value of the property went down. Nobody talk about that. So, what we need to know is the formula they use, how they use it, why they they didn't went into that property. And you'll be surprised how many people received the letter, did not made the appointment to get access to the house to get the proper reevaluation. So, now we're in the middle of this. Now, we could orientate them. Like Councilman Mendes say, you could appeal your taxes. He's a realtor. He know how to do it. He He telling you where to go. Just do it. Sitting back and not taking action is not beneficial. But yes, we want to know what formula they use is fair enough to say that Elmo Park property is less than Patterson property. Saying that, good night. Stay

safe. My vote is yes to close today meeting. Thank you, Councilman. Council President. Thank you. It's as easy as one, two, three. Patterson, let's stay safe. Let's stay healthy. Let's make sure our children continue to be blessed. To everyone here, ReadAcross America um has been going on. Please take the time not just to read to your children, but understand that reading is fundamental. Madame clerk, with that being stated, my vote is yes. Thank you. The votes are six in favor, three absent. The regular meeting, I'm sorry, the workshop session of March 3rd, 2026 is hereby adjourned.