Council - Special Meeting

Good evening everyone on behalf of the Patterson municipal Council, I welcome you to the special meeting of July 21st 2026 at 5 o'clock p.m. The meeting is now called to order. Madam clerk please call the roll.

Councilwoman offered here. Councilwoman. It's president vice president that the president. Councilman Jackson is absent at this time Councilman Kelly. Councilman Mendez is absent at this time Councilman Omar. And Councilman the lines is absent at this time Council president means here. And we have a quorum.

Could you please read the special me meeting notice in the 48 hour notice.

In accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act and JSA 10 colon 4 dash 6 at SAC, adequate notice of the time and place was included in the special meeting posted on July 13th, 2026 and updated on July 17th. said notice was posted in City Hall's bulletin boards posted to the city's website and transmitted to the official newspapers designated to receive such notices in addition to any other publication duly requesting such notices.

Thank you a flag salute will be led by vice president Councilman Davila everyone please stand for the flag salute.

flag of our country salute I pledge allegiance to the flag the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all

So to the general public before we get started. We did speak to I spoke to the OEM coordinator to ensure our safety and the public safety before meeting and they said and he gave the green light for us to go that's why we're still meeting on tonight. Madam clerk we will begin with our first item on the agenda.

Resolution item number one is a resolution to amend resolution number 26 calling to to 4 and resolution number 26 calling to a one this is authorizing a budget revision to the CDBG program. For fiscal years 2024 2025 and 2026 for the reallocation of funds this is stemming from community development and his resolution 26 3, 1, 3, so most.

MOVED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT MEMS AND VICE PRESIDENT DAVILA, SECOND BY COUNCILMAN KALEE. JUST A BRIEF DISCUSSION. I WILL DO IT ON A SECOND BY COUNCILMAN KALEE DISCUSSION. JUST QUICKLY, THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE DID MEET last week to discuss these items. This first item is the allocation of funding to the Broadway library and the amount of 243,000 to the South Patterson library in the amount of 381,000 to our new rec center on 52 front street of 50,000 and a new fire ladder truck for the fire department for 1.3 million dollars. We met, we approved this item, and the second item, the second item just in advance will be for 14 new homes through Habitat. Roll call, Madam Clerk, on item number one.

Councilwoman Alford.

Yes, I just wanted to say I was happy to see that there was monies put up for the ladder trucks. I know that that was something that was a huge concern for the chief, as well as the fire department. So yes, and as well as the library. My vote is yes.

Councilwoman Cotton.

Thank you madam. I think this is the item that we have for has a habitat is this one this is a. This is just for the library okay, the second one is habitat, but I know that. We did have the meeting and can be in development and I know that. Sometimes people don't understand how hard it is to get equipment. Sometimes you don't understand how long it takes for them to build a fire truck. It's not easy it takes a long time so when we vote on something today it might take another 2 years before we can get it but at least we know we're on the on the road for with that is that matter but my vote is yes.

Vice president, I love my vote is yes. Councilman County.

Thank you madam clerk, I just want to make a point that when it comes to our public safety police or fire. This council body has always has always supported their initiative. I just want to point that out that's all my vote is yes.

Councilman Omar, thank you, madam clerk, I'm happy to say that we are getting a new fire truck with these monies and also money is being allocated to the South Patterson library. My vote is yes.

Council president means my vote is yes, madam clerk.

We have 6 yeses 3 absences item passes.

Item number 2, madam clerk.

Item number two is a resolution to amend the Home Improvement Partnership Grant Program budgets for fiscal year 2017, 2020, 2021, 22, 23, and 2024 for the reallocation of funds. This is also from Community Development and is Resolution 26-317. Okay.

second move by Council vice president double a second by Council president Mims as they all say second on second by Council McCarty roll call on item number 2 this is for 14 new habitat homes on Hamilton have and some history roll call item number 2, madam clerk.

Councilwoman offered yes. Councilman cotton.

Thank you madam clerk. I just want to say to the community of it this year has been empty for the last 25 years. We have to make sure that I can say that we put this in the past and habitat. And I know I just posted something about to put the application out now for if you want to buy food for the new homes that they're building. So please, I think the application opened up today. Go to Patterson Habitat, which is on North 1st Street. Do an application, and they can walk you through the process also of helping you get your credit correct so you can be able to apply. And just remember one thing. When you get a home through Patterson Habitat, it's zero interest. NOT GOING TO FIND NOWHERE ELSE THAT YOU CAN GET ZERO INTEREST SO I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE I PUT THAT OUT THERE FOR YOU MADAM CLERK THANK YOU PATRON HABITAT AND THE COMMUNITY FOR SEEING THE NEED TO HAVE THIS THIS AREA HAS BEEN EMPTY LIKE THAT FOR 25 YEARS MADAM CLERK MY VOTE IS YES MRS PRESIDENT DAVILA I AS WELL AM VERY HAPPY AND I'M MORE HAPPY SEEING THAT THE FOURTH WARD CONTINUES TO DEVELOP AND THERE'S MORE GROWTH TO COME MY VOTE IS YES

Councilman Kelly yes Councilman Mendez we are on item number two pass by the clerk I'm sorry I didn't hear pass from My vote is yes, madam clerk councilman Omar. My vote is yes Councilman Velez we are on item number two I This is resolution to amend the home improvement, a partnership grant program for fiscal years, 2017, 2020 through 2024.

This is for 14 new habitat homes in the fourth ward.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. I apologize. I came a little bit late. As you know, I arrived this morning from Brazil. Welcome back. Thank you. Madam Clerk, I think everything is good. Regarding this, it's not the first time we've been doing it. We've been supporting the fourth ward in this new redevelopment, especially the families that have been benefited for this type of program. Hopefully, we can get more money to invest in our community, especially those that are really needed. My vote is yes on this.

Thank you president and now from and that's just.

I think about it or I see that on on this item item number 2. We cost of late in our year 2017, 2020, 2021, 2022, 20, 3, 20, 4, because of the all those number for the budget I have a lot of faith on on that is to have the for humanity they have done an outstanding job. for years in our community and and we all know that you know uh the need of affordable housing is is is a crisis in the city of paris and i'm definitely looking forward to support this entity and see them growing also with more projects like this what i've been saying my body just by the clerk thank you president mims yes okay eight yeses one absent this item passes item number three madam clerk

Item number 3 is a resolution authorizing the award of contract to Denville line painting Inc for the you easy thermal plastic striping project for the traffic and lighting division of the Department of Public Works, this is resolution 26 call in 3, 1, 8, you know by Council of the last second by Council McCartney, you know you can roll call so the second.

Okay, more by Council of the last and Council McCartney second by the P Davila roll call item number 3, madam clerk.

Councilwoman offered yes. Councilwoman cotton, thank you.

I want to say to the director, this is the company that puts the lines in for the stop sign I need to look at Mercer and Lawrence Street. They put the stops is the line on it on the street, but there's no stop sign. On the pole so the lines are there but Mercer and Lawrence Street never had a stop sign So I don't think that when they paved it. I'm not sure if that was a guy who did it who paved it or I'm not sure because that area never had a stop sign. All right. Thank you madam clerk. My vote is yes vice president Avila I

Before I vote on this, I am going to direct this to Director Rodriguez, because we're talking about stripping, right? And striping. As you are aware there was some more work done on route 20 and coming into East 43rd crossing from Broadway into to the left is Patterson Catholic. They did the lines again they did not put the arrows back they only did it on the outside but not and so you could just imagine the uproar since it's been since it was first paved that was a request because there's been numerous accidents and people still go on the oncoming to make the left onto broadway to go to elmo park so please i'm asking you respectfully the arrow going to the right only and the one going straight into towards um 11th half okay uh and definitely my vote is yes councilman colleague

Thank you, Madam Clerk. I just want to thank the UEZ director and the team for applying for this grant funding. This is all grant funding money and those stripes are being done in the UEZ zone only. My vote is yes, Madam Clerk.

Councilman Mendez.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. I got a question for one of my constituents about this specific item, and I mean, is this the right thing to do, utilizing UEC funding through public work to be able to improve the safety in our community through lighting? And with the director, I'm looking forward to have some conversation about stop sign that I need in the third ward, and so signal light that I'm missing, but I definitely am in full support of this. My vote is yes, Madam Clerk.

Thank you. Councilman Omer?

I want to thank the UEZ and DPW for working together to get this together. My vote is yes, Madam Clerk.

Councilman Velez?

Thank you councilman of 6 words for saying that because when you do an infusion of the 2 departments you get efficiency you get better it's also in the public will see the benefit on it is especially in money when we got the money there they say we could have it to you the VW and that's infusion that we wanted to see if you could locate money that we could work together. It will improve the quality of life, it will improve the service, and the resident will be happy on it. So I commend both of them for going to the table, speak, and make it happen. My vote is yes.

President Mims.

My vote is yes, Madame Clerk.

This item passes.

Item number four, Madame Clerk.

Item number four is a resolution authorizing the award of contract to IPL North America Inc. for purchase and delivery of 816 64 gallon omni carts under the HGAC contract for the recycling division of the Department of Public Works. This is resolution 26 colon 319. So moved.

So moved. MOVE BY COUNCIL VICE PRESIDENT DAVILA AND THE LAST SECOND BY COUNCIL MEMBERS AND OMAR ROLE CALL ON ITEM FOR MADAM CLERK.

I'M CALLING FOR DISCUSSION.

DISCUSSION.

THIS OF COURSE HAPPENED BEFORE I CAME ABOARD. YES. SO I WOULD JUST LIKE AN EXPLANATION AS TO HOW IT'S BEING USED.

SURE. SO DIRECTOR IF YOU WILL COME. ALSO THERE WAS A COMMITTEE MEETING DPW COMMITTEE MEETING WHERE THERE WAS A DISCUSSION AS IT RELATES TO IT. DIRECTOR IF YOU CAN COME AND GIVE INFORMATION ON ITEM NUMBER FOUR.

Yes, it was it was it was it was just.

That really last year.

I didn't know she was just want to understand what this is where she wants to know what is used for what was going to be given out to the to the residents of Paterson once we get them in we'll have to give away like we did before every on resident be able to get one if they haven't gotten one already. The 816 was the amount we get underneath the contract we have right now with the government.

COUNT ON THANK YOU WELL COUNCIL MY COLLEAGUE.

WHERE IS THE MONEY COMING FROM A RECYCLING RENT. SO THE GRANT FUNDING. YES THANK YOU.

ROLE CALL MADAM CLERK I DON'T KNOW BEFORE COUNCILMAN ALFRED YES COUNCILMAN COTTON YES. VICE PRESIDENT DAVILA YES. COUNCILMAN COLLEAGUE YES. COUNCILMAN MENDEZ YES. COUNCILMAN OMAR. COUNCILMAN VALLEZ.

Of course what was yes.

President Mims.

Before a vote to our director, I know in the past that you allotted some of the recycling cans to the council members, I'm not sure what the capacity will be this time, but if you can do that this time as well we get a lot of calls from our residents that are in need of a cycling cans by the time they get to the locations they are gone so we can get a certain number allocated to each council member that would be great. My vote is yes. Madam clerk this item is adopted. Item number 5 madam clerk and just to update it there are sponsors on item 5 and 6 that are not listed here so we can read those sponsors into the record. I number 5.

Item number 5 is a resolution recognizing August as National Minority Donor Awareness Month in the City of Patterson. This is from the City Council and it's resolution 26 colon 320. And this is sponsored by Council President Mims. And I will pull.

So moved.

Second. Thank you.

Moved by Council President Mims, second by Councilman Mendez, Council Vice President Dabula, and Councilman Omar. Roll call on item number 5, Madam Clerk.

Councilwoman Alford? Yes. Councilwoman Cotton?

Thank you, Madam Clerk. I just want to read, you know, um... The month of August is Donors Month, and I think that sometimes people don't realize the amount of people that we have, even in the city of Patterson, that are donors, that have received transplants, whether they're double lungs, whether they're heart, whether they're eyes. And I just want to say to everyone out there, the lady's name is Denise Peoples. She's a double... a double lung transplant survivor for over 20 years. And she's going to have an event in Vera Ames Community Park on August the 8th from 11 to 2. And the event is called live healthy, live healthy, eat healthy. So you can be healthy and have a long life. So if you're not busy community come out on August the 8th for the live healthy move free community event Saturday at Barbara Park the 8th and this lady her name is Denise Peoples. I've been I've met her four or five years ago, and every year she does this event along with her other partners. And I say this sometimes, people don't realize the amount of people that live in your own community that you don't know that have received a transplant from something and still are here. So we need to thank God that we're healthy and the ones that are healthy are the ones that can live long with a transplant. With that being said, Madam Clerk, my vote is yes.

Vice President Davila? Yes.

Yes, she does it every year.

Councilman colleague.

Yes.

Councilman Mendez.

Yes, Madam Clerk.

Councilman Omar.

Yes, Madam Clerk.

Councilman Velez.

Does she want to be on it? Any form or fashion of donation of body, anything that you want to do, it will produce life for other people. And I believe this is good. So creating this awareness week or month is a blessing for everyone. So my word is yes.

president Mims yes, and I know miss peoples is watching. We will make sure this is presented and on frames on that day there is also community day for Maria Magda on the same day so we will work out the time so we'll make sure that we are not missing any one of those events, madam clerk my vote is yes.

This item is adopted.

On this on this item corporation Council item number 5, can you add Council McCott and and and Council member less and VP that love. Thank you item number 6, madam clerk.

item number six is a resolution honoring stacy coleman wheeler for the 30 years of dedicated commitment and professionalism at passe county board of social services this is resolution by the city council number 26 colon three two one second and sponsored by president mims and councilwoman cotton

Second. And vice president davila should have been up there. Moved move by council president man second by. That that will the last roll call on item number 6, madam clerk.

Councilman offered yes, I wanted to say congratulations to Stacey Stacey has been a dedicated and consistent leader at the board of social services so we're looking forward to celebrating her this weekend for her retirement and job well done Stacey my vote is yes.

Councilman on.

Thank you madam clerk, I want to say congratulations to you Stacey on your retirement. GOD BLESS YOU. ENJOY YOURSELF FOR THE REST OF THE YEARS AS WE SAY WE HAVE LEFT HERE ON THIS EARTH. WITH THAT BEING SAID, MADAM, MY VOTE IS YES.

VICE PRESIDENT DAVILA? SO IT GIVES ME PLEASURE AS WELL, YOU KNOW, TO CONGRATULATE AND TO SUPPORT THIS RESOLUTION. I AM SOMEONE THAT HAS First of all we're neighbors now but her and I met she was interested in running for office and whenever I needed or even told just recently to have someone be assisted she was always present so like you said Councilwoman offer you know she definitely Has been a staple in the Department of Board of Social Services. She's going to be missed But it is your time to continue the next level of whatever it is. You want to do travel stay home do nothing You deserve it. Congratulations, Stacey My vote is yes Councilman Kelly my voted.

Yes, ma'am Councilman Mendez

And I don't ever say for a place with this Stacey Coleman for that he is a service of 7 our community with love and compassion of the board of social service that you're you retirement would have to say my voice just for the clerk.

Councilman Omar.

Thank you miss Stacey Wheeler for your dedicated 30 years, congratulations and please enjoy your entire my boat is yes.

Councilman of the last.

Good work, Stacey Coleman-Wheeler. Serving others and serving the underserved is really important. And that department understands what's the problem with Patterson. And for 30 years, it's really commended that she did a great job. So my vote is yes to the letter.

president Mims.

So to my classmate from the great the side high school might it goes. Congratulations on the great work that you've done to my secretary, the Cedric and we frame this in green please to have ready before Friday to present to her at her celebration. I voted yes.

This item is adopted.

Item number 7, Madam Clerk.

Item number 7 is a resolution authorizing the solicitation of bids for the 2026 UEZ Road Resurfacing Program. This is for the 6th Ward, bid number 26-24 for the Division of Engineering under the Department of Public Works, and it's resolution 26-322. So moved.

Mo by Councilman Omar and Council vice president that the last second by Councilman colleague and Council president men's roll call item number 7.

Councilwoman offered yes. Councilman cotton. As president that we love yes. Councilman colleague, yes.

Council and then does that think about a clerk director, I know that we as as we all remember we hire a company that that put together a study about the priority on how we're going to fix a row that we remind of 4th Avenue, you know we mentioned of the longest. east 22nd uh east 23rd and east 25th from fourth avenue to the second please i need you help adding that on the list i've been requesting i've been making that request for the for for the longest and then i'm not against the six war uh resurfacing project i always i'm in full support resurfacing because we all live in the city of paterson and we drive in our you know around our city so i want to see all the city of paterson fixed uh but keep in mind that in the third war on the riverside section i need help with that all right my body chest monocle

Councilman Omar.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. I am happy to work alongside the administration and my fellow colleagues to continue to advocate for the Sixth Ward, East Railway, West Railway, California, Kentucky, Buffalo, and Lehigh. They're all in dire need, especially East Railway. I can go back before my time and before others that it was definitely needed. So this is definitely something to look forward to, and we are one step closer to repaving Sixth Street. Thank you to my colleagues for supporting this, and thank you to the administration. And my vote is yes, Madam Clerk.

Councilman the last perfect sample of fusion of 2 departments working together and you easy and the PW to then to fight the needs of our community and making sure the money is available for those project. The only thing I got to say is up and I called the mayor for this. The funding. Yeah. I texted the mayor and I spoke to him over the phone regarding, and I believe about two grants that we have for street. Can you look into that, director? Is Madison Street and B Street, that's surrounding. And I believe we approve it. And that's why we stopped to install the stop sign that we had in every street until we repaved the area. So it's Madison Street and B Street between 20th Avenue out to Market Street that I recall that we vote for it about two years ago. So let's keep on paving. Now, last but not least, BA, we need to send a message to the utility companies to see how they could merge together schedule if they need to fix to fix it before we pave it because we wasting the money on it um you know going back and forth on pavement uh saying that uh madame clerk my voice yes

Thank you. President Mims.

So I'm going to put it on the record. I've been advocating for this for years. We paid Governor Street and we left off the lower part. I know that it's a sewer concern at the bottom, but I am putting it back on the record. We should before any more bids come out, the lower part of Governor Street has to get done. I'VE ASKED, NOW I'M DEMANDING, BECAUSE WE CANNOT PAVE THE WHOLE PORTION OF GOVERNOR STREET AND LEAVE ONE BLOCK. SO TO THE ADMINISTRATION, PLEASE, LET'S GET THAT BLOCK DONE. MY VOTE IS YES. IT'S APPROVED.

THIS ITEM PASSES.

SO, MADAM CLERK, ITEM NUMBER 8 AND NUMBER 9, YOU CAN READ THEM BOTH TOGETHER, DIFFERENT RESOLUTION NUMBERS, BUT WE CAN READ THEM BOTH TOGETHER FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT AND DANCE LICENSE.

I CAN READ THEM BOTH TOGETHER. I'LL STILL NEED TWO SEPARATE RULE CALLS.

Oh, you will. Okay, so item number eight, Madam Clerk.

Item number eight is a resolution addressing the renewal of dance hall license for Express Service Association, Inc. This is on 47 Goodwin Street in the First Ward. Resolution from Finance 26-323. So moved.

Moved by Council President Mims and Vice President Davila. Second by Councilman Mendez and Khalid. Roll call on item number, and Velez. Councilman Velez, welcome back. Item number eight, roll call, Madam Clerk.

Councilman offered yes. Councilman time. Vice president that event, yes. Councilman colleague.

Councilman and that's because the president of the council be before dressed in this matter and that is decided that to the gentleman what is just about her.

Councilman no more I vote is yes. Councilman the last president man, yes, my vote is yes this item is adopted. I'm number 9, madam clerk item number 9 is a resolution addressing the renewal of an entertainment show license for express service Association in the first Ward. This is from finance resolution 26 colon 3.24 so most.

Moved by so president and second by Council vice president of the first but move by men's and that was a second Bible as a man does roll call item number 9, madam clerk.

Councilman offered yes. Councilwoman cotton. Vice president that we love yes. Councilman Kelly, yes. Councilman Mendez?

Yes, Madam Clerk.

Councilman Omar?

Yes, Madam Clerk.

Councilman Velez?

I want to take the opportunity to congratulate Mr. Norberto Curitumae in celebration of his seed and his goals and his achievement on education. His birthday. Yes, and his birthday. Even that I was not here, I was looking at everybody's social media. It was beautiful. Let's use this place. People could go and knock the doors, and I know it's a good place to be. And we'll respect it. So my vote is yes on this.

President Mims.

My vote is yes, madam clerk.

This item is adopted.

Thank you so I just checked for public portion. There are no speakers for public portion can I get a motion to close public portion. A motion to close by council of the last second by a council vice president double and councilman Omar roll call to close the public portion.

Councilman offered. Councilman time.

Vice president Davila before I vote Council president, I know that we just closing the public portion, but I want to thank you for running an effective and meeting we all received our items we read everything this is what it's about coming here and doing the business of the people my vote is yes to close a public portion and then stand up for a minute.

Councilman Kelly, yes, madam clerk. Councilman Mendes yes, but a quick.

Councilman no more my vote is yes, madam clerk.

Councilman the less. Council president means yes to close the public portion public portion is now closed.

So to the public it is now 5.30PM all of the agenda items on the special meeting of July 21st are completed. Madam clerk. We will move after we do roll call to close the special meeting into a public here a budget hearing session was does not require public hearing. But we will be having discussions regarding the budgets of our various apartment heads which will be led by our finance chair, madam clerk can we call the roll to close the meeting special meeting of July 21st.

I need to move in a second.

We have a motion by a motion by Council on kind is there a second second by Council of the last roll call to close the special meeting of July 21st 2026.

Councilwoman offered. Councilman cotton. Vice president and that is absent at this time Councilman colleague, yes. Councilman Mendez.

Thank you, Madam Clerk. Before we close this special meeting and start with a budget hearing, Mr. VA and Mr. CFO, now that you guys are here, I have a request. I'm looking forward to put together on the floor whether it's an ordinance or a resolution to be able to help our homeowners. Let me explain to you what this is all about. In the last couple of months, we sold around 1,200 tax liens in the city of Paterson. When people are behind on their taxes, whether the sewer bill, we don't allow the homeowners to make a partial payment. But we sell those liens to those private entities that charge 18% on their own interest. It's almost impossible for those homeowners or property owners to get back on track after they have to pay 18% plus what they own behind. And we refuse to allow a homeowner to pay a partial payment. I mean, home is a necessity, it's not a luxury. I truly believe that things are getting tough. Taxes went up, sewer went up. We got people behind on their taxes on the sewer, and we're not making that easy for those people, for those homeowners to get back on track. When they come to City Hall to try to make a partial payment, The answer is no. So I'm looking forward to see whether there's an ordinance or a resolution to be able to help those property owners to make partial payment in those taxes or sewer bills that they have. Because we easily sell those taxes and sewer to those private entities, and the 18% is on top of that. So we're going to have a lot of people losing their home here in the city of Patterson. Why? Because after two years, The city allowed those entities to do a foreclosure on those properties, which is the law, within the law. So we got to protect our homeowners, and I'm looking forward to have that conversation, and you are the right person to sit down with legal and see how we're going to be able to help our homeowners be able to make partial payment, whether it's two or three payments. until they get back on track and not selling those links to those entities that make a lot of money. We have a lot of people making money in the back of our homeowners in the city of Patterson. I'm looking forward to find a solution. With that being said, Madam Clerk, my vote is yes.

Thank you. Councilman Omar?

My vote is yes, Madam Clerk.

Councilman the land.

This sounds good great. Let's see what the C A says that with the state law says because there's a tax law is a obligation to fulfill and that's saying that this regarding what his intention is but it sounds good. But the state we we we have a more you in place and we just received $76 million that probably the book of instructions of that $76 million is in the table and now we facing challenges with the C a say that once again it sounds good. But we need to follow the rules and regulation from the state of New Jersey and the C a m o you that we have in place. My vote is yes closest.

And President Mims.

So to the BA, there was a request on the floor by our councilman. There needs to be some conversations, but we know we have to follow the process. Those things need to be vetted through the proper committees, and our council members have to make sure they participate in the committees and do their due diligence before it even makes it to the floor. Madam Clerk, with that being said, my vote is yes to close the special meeting of July 21, 2026.

seven yeses to absent this officially closes the special meeting of july 21 2026 so that no further business is conducted

Thank you so we are now done with the first part of the city's business which was the agenda or items are completed at this time we will begin our put a budget hearing. So while we're preparing for that. Madam clerk we need to have a table here with the chair for the director that will be speaking unless we will utilize the Mike if we don't have it and if it's not prepared the director to stand here at the might.

because we're saying that that might be better unless you want us to pull a chair right now.

No because then we have to do Mike so let's use the podium. For the the budget hearings all council members you should have received an email with the documents and it as well as you all have a binder in front of you just to go over some of the protocols you also we received and I know you've seen um it all over social media the mayor has already sent it out and it was sent an email that we received 76.2 million dollars in transitional aid we want to thank the mayor we want to thank this council for the great work that we did on last year and our state legislators our senator our assembly members for their due diligence and working hard with our governor mikey cheryl to be able to close the huge gap that we were facing for this year if we were not awarded the money that we were awarded you'll hear more about that on august 11 which will be our special meeting to do our introduction of the budget there are some requirements as councilman les so eloquently stated every council member you have the mou requirements they will email to every one of you so that you're familiar with what that looks like and we'll go into more detail on that on august 11 11. um in the special workshop in the special meeting on that date but for tonight our goal is to hear from our department heads they've already gotten um information and instructions from the administration on what it looks like i know sometimes we hear 76 million and we think there's some extra money to allocate to departments that money was to close the gap so there is uh No millions of dollars left to say give it to this department, that department, or any department. We were facing a $76 million, almost $77 million gap because the cost of health care was $23.4 million. It went up. And there's so many other things. The police department, about $8 million, which were under state control, as you already know. So the state covers theirs. Fire Department's about $4 million, and then you have DPW, which is in the range of $1 to $2 million in overtime. But I'm admonishing all council members to look at the MOU that was emailed to you, all those documents. There will be a presentation on the 11th to go over that, but tonight we're mandated to do a budget hearing, and that's what we will do on tonight. Councilman Mendes and then Councilman Velez.

I have two questions. Do we plan to go through the entire department tonight? Every department, yes. I got a police department.

We're starting as soon as Councilman Mendes.

We should have a table in the front and have a mic set up. That way we can have a better conversation. No, it's fine.

We'll use the podium. All right.

But in my closing, on my last request, Mr. VA, about allowing our homeowners to make partial payment on their late taxes on sewer, I understand that we have an MOU that we've got to go through, but government should work for the people, and we should find every way, any possibility possible to help our homeowners and to make sure that people stay in Paterson and don't lose their property. I totally understand. I've been here for a minute about the MOU. That's nothing new, but we better, we got to find a way to help our residents. That's the reason why I'm putting that request on record tonight, to make sure that we find a way to allow our homeowners, property owners, to be able to make partial payment on lakes to earn lake taxes. That way we don't sell those links to those people. I charge 18% on top of what they own already. Thank you.

thank you councilman velez uh council president so we're gonna have a hearing with uh the budget with all the departments yes tonight we have a schedule out so we have everybody that represents every department head was instructed to be here yes department head so public safety is going to be in other words represented by director jerry spazia

Yeah, they have certain times to be here so they're going to be here.

The chief yes, the chief is going to be here. Yeah, that's because that's yeah. All right so we can move forward.

Okay, so we'll call. They thank you director you look great. Our first department head is economic development. Mister Washington. One second once.

Yes, good evening. Mister Washington. All right, good evening. Thank you for the opportunity.

Council President, before going with Acting Director from Economy Development, may I ask a question?

Sure.

And the reason I'm asking this question is because I was in Brazil. I noticed in the article in the newspaper that Mr. Mike Powell was back and was hired already. So are you going to take accountability and responsibility of whatever has happened from this point on?

well this so so one second I will let the be the right is for the be a to answer he just started yesterday this to be a can you give the answers that I don't think he should do that so that I just have a quick comment yes or if I may correct I'm so I guess Councilman that the director Powell rejoined the the city Patterson yesterday

I've been working very closely with assistant director and interim director, Mr. Vivero, on a lot of staffing issues through the year. So he is in the best position to talk about the 26 budget because he and I have interacted for several months on various staffing situations and changes.

So saying that, Mr. B.A., the conversation I have with you and him, So you agree in his budget, correct? And he agreed in that budget. Well, what about if Mike Powell comes in and he don't agree in this budget, we need more? Are we going to reinvent the wheel, or are we going to go back and forth in his budget?

Mr. Powell is aware of how we're doing this tonight, and he has, you know, he didn't object to it. Council President, if I may, just to set the scene, you know, for what we're doing here tonight.

Yes, I was going to go.

If I may. So under our form of government, Patterson's specific form of government, it is the administration that presents the initial budget to the council. Our plan is to do that on August 11th. But state statute mandates that a budget hearings with the council occur as part of the budget process. So I want to preface the fact that all the presentations that you'll see tonight, the administration has already had these internal meetings over the last several months. In your packet, you'll see a 26 column with various position numbers. This is an opportunity for the department heads and the council to interact about staffing needs, what the current needs are, what the future needs are. And the administration will take all of the feedback, the back and forth, make final decisions about what we transmit to the council for August 11th. So nothing is totally set in stone, but we're operating with the money that we're operating within, so we don't have tremendous wiggle room. But today, this is not the introduction of the budget. This is a strong framework, and after today's comprehensive conversation, the administration will put the final touches and transmit a budget for your consideration.

finance chair.

All right. So at this time, um i'd like uh everyone has the budget book right uh i'd like for you to begin um thank you very much for standing in uh you're still the assistant director right that's correct but thank you for standing in as interim okay uh and so i'd like us to begin um with the first uh budget book here

Thank you. My main objective tonight, it is to basically say that our department, economic development, main objective has been to be fiscally responsible and at the same time to maintain ourselves budget neutral.

Is that on?

Show's on over here.

Yeah.

It is on?

Bring it.

Can you hear me? Can you hear me now? Yes. Better? Thank you. As I said before, my main objective as written director working closely with the administration, in this case with the business administrator, has been to overlook and reframe, reconstruct economic development in totality. And predominantly it is to look at the human assets that have been in need for many years, especially in 2026. That being said, our objective has been to be physically responsible and to maintain ourselves budget neutral. We understand that as an MOU, we don't want to put more financial stress or exposure to the city and taxpayers. With that said, what we've done is internally we've been able to take and maneuver and look at really items or personnel that had not been being used in different areas and reallocate those assets to where they are heavily needed. One of the examples is community improvement. In community improvement, we have been given the extra manpower needed there. In other words, we were allocated three new clerks, an assistant secretary, an assistant director moving forward community in our planning and zoning board as well in community improvement in community improvement i'll give you some just quick highlights in there for the past couple of years there really hasn't been much improvement till today i can uh... with with a lot of pride say that every single OPRA is up to date, all the rental certifications are up to date, and a lot of it has been with the aggressive oversight of Sabrina Curry, who has really taken on the challenge to oversee that department and make a full plan of action on the individuals that are needed, as well as the inspectors, and given a very specific narrative, direction, and oversight on how to move forward and not just come to work and not be responsible for your job. The UEC is another example, excuse me, UCC, where currently, even though we're still highly understaffed in that department, I'll give you some quick numbers. Year to date, that department has provided 954 permits, a total financial allocation of $657,000 for the UCC. And that's UCC alone, compared to last year that they had 2,032 permits. Penalties, till today, we have 24 penalties equivalent to $26,000. Our main objective is to restaff economic development to have a direct correlation to the increase of funds that should be coming into the city. So our objective is-

That is a commercial break that we have. Thank you.

It has been, I'm sorry, has been budget neutrality and fiscal responsibility with the current assets that we have. with that being said uh i mean there's not much more we looked at in thorough review of the actual plan uh with this and i have sir mr vales councilman i have presented the uh the paperwork the information to mr powell as well for his review and to also continue our conversations throughout the week being he just came back on so council president one second oh okay all right so councilman colleague uh council president and then councilman velez

Director, what are the departments that your department oversees? In other words, under your economic development, what?

Under my previous community improvement, UCC, which is the building department, historical, which is John Frankel. We have Miss Della White, the movies and all that. We have UEZ, planning and zoning.

So I see a lot of major departments under you. Okay. The budget that you presented, do you have enough staffing to oversee all these departments? No, sir. Excuse me.

Let me just reiterate. At the current time, no. Right now, if everybody has been onboarded, no. That's why aggressively I have to work very closely one-on-one with the business administrator and DCA, who has been very helpful in actually allowing us to move forward. with the current staffing that's needed. At this point, I believe 99% of all the staffing needs that we have requested has moved forward. It's just a matter of now the paper process.

So how many vacant positions do you have? Through all the departments that you oversee?

How many vacant position do you have the department. Approximately 25 positions across all of them yet.

How many just the community. How many of those are budgeted for last year. How many of those put position were budgeted for last year.

The majority were, but not in the way that we have rearranged them. There was a lot of positions in UEC that had never been utilized. So what I have done is, in conjunction, is remove a lot of those positions. Not remove, but actually transfer some divisions to other where they're actually heavily needed. I'll give you an example. A secretary at the UCC office. That position has never been utilized. So we took that position, transferred that position to the zoning department where we do heavily need clerks. So that's what we've done with those departments.

The reason I'm asking all these questions, most of the complaints from the residents that we hear is some of these departments. When they come for permits their delays. It's a beer. You I mean you know of it also inspections and what not so what are we in this budget that you presenting. So that it could be improved for the for our constituents. We should be or that I think about it yet.

So specifically within UCC, we have had a hard time getting full time people to take a lot of those positions, the sub code officials, all those various disciplines. I think they were put out at 90,000. That is correct. And nobody applied for 12 months. so worthy for a year and a half for a year and a half so we've had to fill those gaps with part-time hourly people which you know they schedule their work around their other full-time jobs um so but the funding you know i mean those positions are in the budget so we're going back to dca and trying to up those those you know up those salaries maybe 10,000 at a time to finally fill those positions. Once we have full-time people under the construction official and assistant construction official, they work for us eight hours a day as opposed to this part-time thing that we're trying to smush together right now. So that's one of them.

One of the examples, if I may say, respected to UCC, if you've noticed recently, we do have a new technical assistant that we recently brought in, onboarded a few weeks ago. We also have a new clerk, too, in there. One of the reasons why those positions took so long to actually onboard is because to be able to eliminate or have the positions that were filled by other people, it took over half a year so we can actually remove them legally. Unfortunately, that is just what the law required, but it took an enormous amount of time to get those positions emptied so we could put individuals there that wanted to do the job and wanted to come to work. In regards to the inspectors, the biggest challenge we've had has been the income itself.

The last question. This is our statement. This is a revenue-generating department. It's one of the most important departments in the city of Paterson. Mr. Biais, I think you need to work hand in hand with this department to help their needs. If they need more people, make sure you fulfill them so it could generate revenue. You cover the salaries, I'm pretty sure. You cover the salary with their revenue, even probably more. We'll get more. So it is very important that you look into this department specifically. with your magnified glasses and get the job done.

Thank you.

Yes, so you took the words of my paper so not just for this department, but every department Mister BA that is a revenue generating department, but I would like to see in the budget hearings is the amount of revenue they have generated right so when you're coming to say I need 5 more people mighty copper 3 more people we look at the revenue that's generated to see how we can consolidate I think you did a good job and this budget of looking like shifting things around I see that you're asking for like principal planner keyboard clerks different things and here I don't see. Another thing that I would like to see, too, like a page of wish list. Like, what is it that you really desire for your department? What does that look like? The revenue generated, if you're a revenue generating department, and then we can look into what's here versus what you had in 2025 versus what you're looking for in 2026 and what the difference of cost is, right? Because we know that every department head that will come before us, you have a lot of things that you're going to ask for. We know that... There are some things that DCA, probably most things that they're going to push back on, right? But if we can present the case where we can say revenue they generate, like you said, what was it? $600,000 was generated in this department based on this quantity of work, based on us doing these things. also when it comes to some of the complaints I would like noted to where it says there's what a 21 day turnaround and where we're not meeting those things those things that should be considered to why we not meet in the 21 day turnaround UCC fees where we're looking to increase those fees, but we have to make sure in this apartment specifically that all of these things are tight. We have to make sure that the staff is there. We have to also be a look into all departments to find out through retention. Why are we losing certain individuals in departments where it becomes a revolving door? whether its salary whether its attendance all of those things should be calculated so and those are things they don't have to be here with us because that's administrative but behind the scenes in a department what is the attendance like in that department why is the work not being done is it because of the attendance was it because of a staffing issue that they don't have enough so I think of the variation of both but it's not painting in the picture when the directors come before but I think you did a good job of putting some stuff here, but it doesn't really paint the real picture of the needs of the department so when you have your conversation with the director. Please make it noted, I'm sure he's watching but those are things that we would like to see especially as we move forward towards into that introduction and the adoption of the budget. Thank you be a not. Council members.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I was first, he was first.

Okay. Madam President, may I?

Yes, I just wanted to address briefly your comments and your concerns. You are absolutely right. What we did do internally, we had a comprehensive analysis of what were the deficiencies predominantly relative to why the job wasn't being done, and it wasn't in regards to retention of individuals. It was, in reality, the lack of individuals. For whatever reason, no attention had been paid to the actual nitty-gritty work, right? So when the analysis came back in, and this is a full analysis that we presented both to the VA and to DCA, was why? Why do we have HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN COLLECTED, IF NOT MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. AND A LOT OF IT WAS BECAUSE OF LACK OF THE PERSONNEL, BUT NOT OF THE HIGHER-END PERSONNEL, BUT MORE OF THIS LOWER, LOWER STAFFING WITH THE KEY BOARDING CLERKS, 1s, 2s, AND 3s. AND THAT WAS THE PREDOMINANT FACTOR, WHICH IS TO NOT HAVE THE STAFFING APPROPRIATED TO DO ALL THE DATA ENTRY WORK. FOR EXAMPLE, C-CLICKS FIXED. I'LL GIVE YOU A BRIEF EXAMPLE. C-CLICKS FIXED, THERE WERE OVER 2,000 COMPLAINS THAT HAD NEVER BEEN ADDRESSED. And I'll go into zoning alone. That's simply because they only had one clerk. For whatever reason, I do not know why, it was never addressed accordingly, nor the staffing needs provided. You had over 300 fire department referrals. Over 200 resident minimum just out of one site complained. Equivalent losses, if we look at the actual numbers, we're looking anywhere from $100 to $1,000. Resident complaints equivalent to over $100,000 in revenue losses. Click fix, approximately 400,000 in losses. Before us on fire, 300,000. In total, close to $1 million in losses. The underlying factor is the lower staffing needs. That being said, after this comprehensive analysis was done internally, we provided that to DCA and to the VA, who pretty much gave us the green light on all the staffing that we need. In regards to the higher level for inspectors that require DCA licensing, that has basically been the income levels. But the lower levels, you will see in the next 90 days staffing come in and abort because they have been approved.

So just a response very quickly. So the comprehensive analysis that was done, can you send a copy of that to all the council members?

Absolutely.

Mr. B.A., I'm not sure what it looks like, but that may be something that could be used as a model for every department head. Especially he's saying that there were can't get done because of lack of staffing that may not be the case in every department. However, you need to do some type of study to prove your case as to the need. In every department, but I am going to put on the record that the city needs a retention specialist to identify why people are leaving why there's a revolving door to understand like what is that the nature of to try to save some of these people to keep them on the books. Thanks, madam chair.

Thank you, Madam Chair. First of all, it's not a secret, and I agree with you, Council President, that we had to do a forensic study why we're losing a lot of good employees, but I could say one, easy without doing that study. It's a shame the salary that they're paying. And when they see $34,000 starting in a clerk position and another city is paying $40,000, you know, they're going to be, and if they've got potential, they're going to leave. It's the salary, attractive salary that we want to keep employees here because at the time they get that salary, then increase in insurance, increase of this and that, they take peanuts home. Director... You you have here. And I notice in every position. And this budget 2026 that you have a 3% salary increase to all of them. It this is contractual. I'm sorry say again Sir 3% salary increase for example. The office of director of community improvement that have been vacant. almost a year, you could hire one. director community improvement you hire one we don't we don't have one day right a community improvement director no not yet okay good so that salary was eighty six five hundred uh... eighty six thousand five hundred fifty is going up to eighty nine a hundred seventy one dollars and you put in a three at three percent salary increase on that uh... uh... in that my question is If you are hiring and based on the scale that we have for salary, are you putting that 3% based on that scale or you're just giving a 3% increase because you want to?

No, I'm going to refer that specific question to the finance director.

Yeah, but make that note before I go back and forth.

Councilman, if I may add, just, you know, our different unions have settled at different numbers. Some are out of contract for some time. So, some, the highest settlements are three. So, as a conservative amount, that's what we apply to each position because contracts could settle between now and then. So, everyone's between two and three. We use three as a conservative.

So, in other words, and I pointed out the one as community development. Okay, improvement sorry because that position had been vacated for almost a year and you're going to tell me that the person is not hired yet and is going to be treated with 3% increase of his salary when this person should. If you're hiring somebody from the other side of the fence, coming with a low with the one already established, not giving 3% increase without improving or proving that he could handle the job. And I think that I agreed on the contractual ones and I don't have no problem with that but when I look at the community improvement one that had been vacated for almost a year. But he's increasing the salary coming into the door from 86,000 to 89,000.

Councilman change if I may see if that position is vacated which. for the majority of this budget year was not the case, we have to get permission from DCA to post the job. And normally what happens, if somebody leaves at 85, we tend to get permission to go from 70 up to 85 where that person left, depending on the qualifications, the experience of someone coming in. So this is a maximum number that we're not intending automatically to hand somebody. But if a strong candidate does come in that we feel should pick up where the last person left off, it's budgeted for. But we hope it's less.

So you hope to hire somebody this year?

We hope to have a, you know.

Yes, but just in case you say no so we could strike this $89,000 and and and put it back to to the to the general fund. I know it's just can I'm not going to cut you off I was going to say don't don't don't talk about cutting not on that has happened in some department and says this is this is what stated the we stated that he probably not but he's going to find somebody that would have will come in for that money. So director. And my council colleagues stated that this is the department that brings revenue to the city of Patterson. I know that, Dr. Paul, please, I know that we had an ordinance in place to approve the increase of fees in the UCC department. Yes, hopefully this will bring more revenues to hire more people into that department. I could say, and I'm going to give you credit, since you took over this department, have been working accordingly. Not in 100%, but it's working. It's working. I see people satisfied. I have conversations with other people. THAT INVEST IN OUR CITY, THEY DON'T CARE TO PAY MORE IF THE SERVICE IS GOING TO BE PROMPT IN THE DOT. AND THAT'S THE MESSAGE I RECEIVE. IF YOU'RE GOING TO INCREASE, permits or whatever and the efficiency of the work is done promptly is good for them so saying that uh director uh i think that we have got clear some of those are contractual i don't get i don't get involved between contraction and contractually if the union fight for it we're going to pay for it so uh thank you council president thank you manager

Thank you, Madam Chair of Finance. Director, how are you? Our acting director, Mr. Washington, even though you're not the director, let me start by saying that you've been very on top of the department. You've been very accessible, especially to everybody. You've been really on top of the department. doing your best to correct all the problems that are affecting those multiple departments that you're facing that are under your shoulders. So you have done an outstanding job based on what I see in an everyday operation. But let me start by saying that, just for the record, the Division of Planning and Zoning Directors, only selling in which I'm going to speak about now only, from $907,723, you went up to $1,048,516. That's $140,000 up. 794, 15.5%. We have one new position there. Now, the division of community improvement, we went up 149,000. From 600,000, we went to 749,058. That's 24% increase on salary and wage. On the UCC code, you have seven new positions there. We went from $112,617 to $1,554,185. So $741,568 up. That's 86.5% more in salary. on UCC code only in salary and wage and also the division of economic development you adding another one new position which is a clerk two from 490,000 you went up to 592,441 which is 102,441 up. And historic preservation, you want 6.4 up on salary, which is $11,956, and no new position. Now, we all know, you hear this every single day, people, they feel frustrated about, especially community improvement, they prefer to do work without permit in the city of Paterson because someone next to impossible to pull out permit. And the whole process, sometimes I have to reach out to you when there's an oil tank removal, something as simple as an oil tank, somebody selling a property, and it takes almost forever. And people have to keep calling. So there's not a clear process on the deadline that people have to wait for any permit. So with all those positions that you're adding, you're adding 67.6% plus 86% of salary and wage in all those departments. Is that the plan that you have in place to correct all those problems? And I'm speaking about the delay of permit, the lack of inspectors to go out there in the community, inspections specifically, and the situation that we're facing. That's the plan that you're facing, and that's the first question. And the second question, are those positions are vacant at this moment, or we have people in those positions as we speak now?

We have, so first question, in regards to my plan, yes. Phase eight, plan A for me, right? Phase one, it is to assess and reconstruct, and by that I mean the deficiencies, and I know I've said this before, where the problems were. That's what we had a comprehensive analysis, which you will receive soon, on those deficiencies. And mainly is lack of personnel. And I'm gonna be specific to the zoning department, which the biggest challenge has been there is processing. And in this case, I'm gonna refer to our zoning officer. where his biggest challenge has been how does he do his job, okay, independent of the personalities. How does he do his actual job? Review the plans, assess the applications, either approve them or deny them, and move them on down the chain. So he's only had one clerk. I've been here two and a half years, almost three years soon. He's had one clerk. And the individual, a lot of times, is absent. So if he only has one clerk who does the counter, receives applications, reviews all the click-fix emails, and everything else from the consumers, it's unachievable. So my focus has been is, now we know what the problem is, you're going to get two more clerks who have already been approved. It's a matter of now getting the paperwork out of the way, posting the positions, and interviewing. With that, we also are heavily dependent in having utilized individuals from the county who sends young ladies in to help us do the work. All the clerical work, the paperwork, the filing, because what I really want to do is hone in on those individuals who have specific tasks. such as the zoning officer and the assistant zoning officer to do their job and not to be filing papers, not to be doing data entry. I want them doing their job, reviewing the applications, approving them, denying them, or moving the individual forward and not doing clerical work. I want clerks to do those jobs. And the same thing for the building department and community improvement as well. As well as that one clerk that you saw in mind, it's because as you see, I am overwhelmed myself and I need at least one clerk for myself. Everything else I'll handle. But those are the objectives. And beyond that, to expand further is to also create, excuse me, to provide individuals with the proper training. Customer service has to be a must. It's not a question whether you want to be customer service friendly. You have to. We're civil servants. It is our duty and our responsibility to guide and instruct individuals on the paperwork necessary to move forward.

Thank you, Director. And the second question, are those positions available now, or we have people already placed on those positions?

Some are available already, pending just to go on postings. So we currently have been, 375s have been done on most of the positions. The 375s have been signed off. They're ready to be posted.

What do you mean 375 by now? But a lack of a better term. How many positions are baking and how many positions we have people on? Because we're going through the budget. So it depends on whether we approve it or not. So I would like to know how many positions we have baking right now as we speak.

The vacant and total of new positions that are here still pending approximately 25. 25. Out of those 25, we have 10 positions that have been approved. So we've got roughly 15 positions still within the gaps.

Okay. Director, I'm going to speak about, because we're talking about the budget, we're not directly, but the budget reflects the quality of service that you will provide to the residents of the city of Paterson. And the reason why I'm asking you is this is your plan, because as you know, I mean, the biggest problem, one of the biggest problems that we have in the city of Paterson is that department. Listen, when people have to fix a sidewalk and they have to wait six months for a permit, that doesn't make sense, nowhere. When people are selling their property and they put a request to remove the oil tank and you have to wait three months, the mortgage will not, you will lose the loan because of the time. So, solar panel. When people apply to put a solar panel on their property, the mortgage, the loan, you have a time window, a small time window for you to qualify for the loan. If you extend the time, you lose it. If you pass by six months. All of that is happening in the city of Paterson. All of that is affecting the homeowners. And right now, we already know how the taxes are in the city of Paterson. The sewer and all the bills that our residents have to go through. And on top of that, if we want to do an extension, Forget it. You have to wait a year, year and a half. I don't know how long in order for you to be able to get the approval. So with that being said, if you're telling me that this is the plan for us to fix him, I'm willing to go ahead because I guarantee you that this department is self-sustainable. I guarantee you that if we... PUT, YOU KNOW, THE RIGHT TEAM OF THIS DEPARTMENT, WE'LL WAIT MORE MONEY THAN THE BUDGET THAT WE'RE PUTTING IN. IT WILL BE REVENUE EVERY YEAR FOR THE CITY OF PATTERSON. AND FINALLY, IN CLOSING, CHAIR, I MEAN, WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS A BUDGET PROJECTION IN TERMS OF REVENUE FOR THIS DEPARTMENT. budget projection every month how much money we've generated from the each department because we could generate a lot of money for this apartment and in closing as i say you're not the director but you have done a very good job uh in front of that department i see you uh taking care of all the problems that are going through that department so so i have a lot of faith that you're going to work with the same passion with the new director and get the job though so I wish you the best of luck and we need you have the city of pass on the you help with this department because it's out of control right now. Thank you, madam chair.

Thank you very much Council men and then there's I would ask my colleagues, I think you're all aware of our roles as council members as the legislative body and so the asks of what we want to see we can go through the administration as as we indicated right this um budget is presented by the administration we will then review based on the knowledge and the things that we know but we can't tell them how to run their department we can't do that OK, so we can make recommendations when we're in meetings. We can talk to the BA and again and once you come to and it's time for us to vote on this budget. If you feel that you can't support it because you have not presented what. A COUNCIL PERSON RIGHT BUT AS A WHOLE WE HAVE TO JUST UNDERSTAND OUR ROLES AS THE LEGISLATIVE BODY.

SO I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT COUNCILMAN OMAR THANK YOU THANK YOU VICE PRESIDENT COUNCIL MEMBERS THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU SAID I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION YOU SAID THERE'S 25 OPEN POSITIONS RIGHT HOW MANY FOR UCC AND HOW MANY FOR COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENTS. UCC, I understand its challenges and whatnot, but with community improvements, I mean, I've called for certain addresses on July 6th, and they didn't get back until last week or this week, yesterday. If that happens again, please give me a call. No, and you've been good with that, but how many open positions in community improvements? I'll tell you right now. Out of the 25 for the entire department, how many are open?

I believe there's five or six openings.

Five or six openings? I have the numbers here somewhere. And then how many for UCC?

This is the aggressive one.

While the assistant director is looking, I just want to clarify something. These 25 positions would be filled in a perfect world. Right. We don't have budget issues. So we're triaging with DCA approval the most important in that order.

Twelve. Twelve? Yes. So twelve in UCC and five in... Okay. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you, Finance Chair. I need to ask you, Director, with these departments for economic development, you've got Division of Planning and Zoning, Community Improvement, you've got UCC. I don't know why Historic Preservation is in your department, but My question is, for the first one, I'm looking at Division of Planning and Zoning, and I see that you have two assistant zoning officers. I thought there was one zoning officer.

There is only one. The other one is the gentleman who has been suspended for a while.

Oh, he's still getting paid, right?

No, ma'am, but I would refer that to the administration.

Oh you know what I didn't know I think we only had the one but you say now we have to but one is suspended. And I have to get the information offline. My understanding I needed to ask a question is sometimes I always thought it was confusing. Why the secretary boy in commission is making more than his own officer. I'm sorry is that because why is the secretary of the board is 2 of them. And are they because they do the planning board because they do the Board of Adjustment meeting.

Because they work full time into a dual job so there's 2 to individuals here not just.

I see too. My question is the heat they're making more than his own an officer. And that's I'm asking you is that because they do in the zoning meetings. Well, correct. They're doing the meetings, yes. Right. Now, I think I heard you said, Mr. Washington, that you were caught up over there in the building department.

I'm sorry.

Or you caught up with the lateness of, are they caught up with the lateness of filing and whatever? One thing I think that sometimes the committee needs to understand that if somebody is doing illegal conversion, you've got to go to the zoning board first. Not zoning board, but zoning office. They then send a referral to the building department, where then the building department then is supposed to go out to make sure that they can throw a stop work order on it or whatever violation they got, they got no permits. Is that correct?

The process starts off at the zoning department. They receive it. From there, they assess whether it's going to go directly into the community improvement, depending on what's actually being indicated, whether it is tall grass or re-rental certifications or something of that nature. If it's construction-related, specifically through UCC, then the building department takes over.

Are you saying that they are all caught up? Not even to build an apartment. No, ma'am.

Oh, OK. That's a continuous work.

Now, no. See, the next question for me is going to be, I caught, I don't say I caught, but a report was sent back in April on a conversion on a property. The property is finished. And what brought it to my attention was I saw a for rent sign. How you see a for rent sign? It never got permission. It never got permit. And now you, what happened? Y'all just stop it?

So 2 things would have happened right there. They need to stop it because they get ready to rent. Right so a has to go directly to the zoning from anybody who puts a complaint in that look it up in the system right away OK and they will confirm to see if construction permits were submitted right no construction for was submitted it automatically goes out to the fire department community proven to see if there are any can any re rental certifications and and the building department to see if permits were issued in a CEO. Right away, those three entities would take control of the situation.

But actually, they're kind of really behind with getting referrals from the zoning department to go to the building department. They're like behind because there's loads of referrals that are sent from the zoning department over to the building department that is never getting looked at for months. And so by that time, they're finished working. And I think the question would be to legal, like, Do you put a red sticker on say you can't do nothing with this until you go to the proper the proper procedures and stuff and so I just you know that would be you got an email I sent it to you about that building, please. Yeah, I sent it to you about, it had been April, May, June, July, for three months, and nobody came to inspect it yet from the building department. So, and like I said, they got a for rent sign on there. And what makes me want to understand now, what happens if somebody moves in there and they never got their permit? Like, what happens to the renter? What would happen to them? Like, you're living in a building that's illegal. who pays for them to move out. You know, there's a lot of legal questions in here that they have to understand. Who's going to move these people out and put them somewhere? That's what I'm afraid of. But I just want you, the community, to understand, too, that community improvement is for complaints, for properties that are not kept up. correct, correct as well as we run not kept up and a place for houses that have garbage on the sidewalk. That's the DPW department. So because people get it all confused and they they send the information to the wrong department has nothing to do with some it don't have anything to do with that. It is what the community know when you have an issue this certain areas that certain departments take care of that away and some takes care but I know the PW sidewalks. And I think that we need to pass some kind of law because I'm tired of seeing garbage can in front of people houses. like garbage cans that literally when I was a kid we had to drag a garbage can from the backyard to the front yard to the front and then when they picked it up get to drive it back to the back you've got loads of apartments now that have garbage cans all in front of the household council members we got to figure out something with that because it looks makes the whole block not look good at all I thank you, Mr. Washington. So get back with me on that address.

Definitely. If you can, please resend me that email. I'll send it to you.

We got a memo today on it, so you definitely have that today. Perfect.

Thank you.

Thank you. Anyone else? Thank you, finance chair. I'm finished. Anyone else? Commissioner. No, no, no. She said.

I did. Okay. Okay.

Mr. Villegas.

May I? If there are no other questions for Mr. Rivero, I just want to conclude with two thoughts. One, I want to echo what several council members said. Mr. Rivero stepped up to be the interim director for several months, and he really took a 30,000 degree. A lot of economic development, we think about big projects and the stadium, this, that. but he really looked at the middle management and lower entry-level positions with the department and put a lot of effort into that. And the second comment I want to make is we know we need to do better in certain regards, 100%. So those comments from the council members are not unheard. We will continue to work on being better for our residents and for the council. Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, folks.

Have a good evening. Alright, Council members we move on to fire. Good evening, good evening Chief Deputy Chief. Mr BA. We are now doing fire. SBR.

Yeah. I'd like to welcome our public safety director, our fire chief and assistant chief. Just a couple of things to point out in terms of fire. When you do see the introduced budget, you will see a pretty big jump in the salaries and wages. That's primarily, not primarily, obviously you have contractor raises, but we settled the officer's contract this year. I believe there was a retro payment to the regular fire this year as well. So when you settle late, you have to go backwards and square up with people. So you'll see a big number. um quite a big chunk of that is retro to give um our officers um you know what they're due going back um as we know both with police and fire kind of the the max staffing levels are set by city ordinance um so we kind of operate within that unless the council changes that um but obviously these are large departments with large onee a lot of moving parts and so forth um so um with that i turn it back over to you uh madam okay so uh

Chief, before you get started, I just want to know if these books reflect. I know that we've been in conversation. I know that you're not fully staffed. I know that through ordinance, you know, we're supposed to have X amount of, you know, firefighters and deputies and so forth. Does this reflect what the request will be? Like is it in here or you just went just flat on, you know, last year's and just basically what you have right now without the request? Because like you indicated, there's also asks, right?

Correct. This reflects what we should get.

Okay. Okay. Okay. So let's get started. So the first one is civilians, right? Let's see here. So the increase is only like, so you stayed at 25? From 25, right? Correct. To 26, a request, okay. So one and one.

The first page.

I don't see any changes here. I think the only thing that we see is just an increase in salary. But I do see a decrease. and the administrative secretary. What's the reason for that.

Say again, I'm sorry. So I'm looking at this is due to the I'm sorry that the to the to make a vacant to vacancy.

I don't know if it's me today, but I cannot hear.

The decrease is due to 2 vacancies, the administer secretary and the management specialist.

how long has it not been filled the administrative secretary has been now about just under a year so i'm trying to understand something here so the salary in 25 was 56 right 360. correct and then the request for 26 is 50.

The position's been, the position is vacant. So this is the funding levels. Whoever's in that position moved on to a different part of the organization. So if and when that position's replaced, that's the number where.

That you're going to begin with, okay. All right.

Yeah, that's the max that we would hope to get someone into that role.

And see there's an increase as well, 6% of the fire prevention specialists, right? All right, any questions on- Madam Chair, please.

No, she said any question for us.

Hold on a minute, what did you say? Okay, did you have anything to add?

No, in addition to those two vacancies, we also have a senior mechanic vacancy, a regular mechanic vacancy, and one clerk, clerk two vacants.

So I'm having an issue right now. In the past books we've seen where there's what you have, the vacancy, and what you're requesting. So I don't see that reflecting. Can you see it?

Well, based on, you can see it, but you just have, because when you look at the, when you look at the variation of 25 to 26, and you look at the last column that talks about the percentage of change, that identifies what the change is, whether it's that they need this position, they're shifting the position, so based on what the percentage, so the one that you just talked about, 56 to 50, looks like the scale of what the amount would be. So this person probably will come in at 50, which should change based on degrees, other things that are civil service requirements.

I'm just saying these books don't reflect. It doesn't say that the position is empty. Nowhere in these books. So that's where I'm having the difficulty.

We approve funding levels.

OK.

Right? So even you go to the second page, you have 371. Funded firefighter positions how many do we have today like specifically like today.

The fires fighters is a. This is the fight for the right.

Yeah, like you know, I'm just I'm just reading a point me like okay, but we really I'm sorry so this is a perfect example.

It says here that if we budgeted for 9. see what 26, 9, it says deputy chiefs, this is to make it right. It's easy. So I'm not seeing that in the other book. So that's why I'm asking this question. How do you know that I wouldn't know that and that's why the question is you went from 56 to 50. I see the negative right. And that's what I'm asking so now you say no, it's empty I wouldn't know that but in the second page I could see what the requests are and the amount of vacancies that is there. I just want a clarification on that Scott's president.

Yes, kind of thank you, madam chair, but a good. So going back to ministrate secretary. It says that you have been vacated for a year almost right correct. CFO, I don't know if you could answer this question for me or you know. What is the salary range for that secretary based on civil service? It starts from what to what? Based on civil service.

I don't have that info right now. Okay. As far as range, I don't have that.

Okay. Councilman, there is none. There's none for the administrative secretary?

No.

Okay.

And our contracts, other than police and fire, don't have salary rights. Okay.

So in other words- Did you guys agreed on contract if you hire somebody after that year, we'll start on $50,000 and I'm 56?

When the department head puts in a request to fill a position, they put a range in that. It's called the 380 form. It goes through various layers of sign-off, the BA being the last one with the CFO. That gets put on for DCA waiver. So it could be the number 50, or the department head could choose to put 40 to 50. that final number um as long as it's not the only time the union would get involved is if we have similar people in similar positions and we have now a discrepancy between what people make that's really the only time for the union to get involved so to be fair to be fair and and i could compare the same statement i just said with uh the director community and development why the position have been

vacated for a year in kind of development, sorry, in kind of, no, in improvement. In community improvement, having vacated almost a year, and whoever you hire is coming with a salary increase. In this case, this is being vacated a year, and it's coming with a low salary. So, in other words, what are we going to do? Dance or not dance? Are we going to offer this just to future individuals coming with it? Or are we going to have preference on what department should get a raise coming in through the door and not fulfilling a position that we don't know how they're going to fulfill it. For example, you stated that we're going to increase that salary for community improvement without having even know if the person is going to fulfill 100 percent of his job, but we're coming in with a salary increase. In this case, we have a secretary vacated for almost a year and the salary is less than the person that left the position the other one is the manager specialist is being vacated only a month or two months okay and um and whoever is coming into that position okay is going to get a a three percent salary increase

You follow right, yeah, but we're we're we're approving not individual employee increases were were approved for the title the top funding, but I want to make one comment because you know just because this position has been filled for some time doesn't mean there's no need for not to get too much into details, but prior to my start here one of the system be a's was assigned to the fire department they currently have the benefit of that that won't last forever. So, you know, that's why I wouldn't recommend removing any positions. I think the funding has to stay because the support needs to be there.

So, and let me be clear here, and I don't want people in the audience thinking over there on TD land. I'm not against fulfilling any proficient position in the city past we are understaffing in every level of but any department even in public safety we could talk that all day all night regarding the lack of sorry the the understaffing that we have in the city of pass but at the same time I always say to you the members you ask for more they will give you what they want And what we want is that people that comes in to the city of Paterson to work or those that are working in the city of Paterson feel proud that they're taking home a decent salary. but this case i'm talking about people that are not working that are higher and they are giving money or cutting money on that position but you know uh... is on only my take and probably going to be on all night i don't know if cfo did the right percentage of all this salary hopes uh... it became cruel with the computer uh... that we don't miss in a hundred dollars or two hundred less or more whatever is uh... but Let's keep on moving I I just you know, but we need to fulfill those opposition, but we need to lift the morale and I got to come later on with a case that you guys go to drop. The Mike you see. But we need to lift the morale to employ the city pass.

Thank you, the chair, director chief good evening. I see down from the first page. We have no new not new position available. So we have 25 we budget for 25 out of see a vacancy on the first which is fire line civilian operation correct. So we go up $70,000 to what you 3 out of 4.9% of salary on on solid wage and that. That's the first off page. We have that in front of us and the second one. Chief on solid wage of the fire last civil operation I see that we have a T a T vacancy but we budget that in 2025 and we budgeted that on 2026 budget the same a T vacancy there's any reason why we haven't be able to fill fill those position for example. Deputy chief so got to make his deputy chief. Captain we have for vacancy of firefighters, we've got 1212 vacancy and there was a budget 2025 the funding was it was was about a 2025.

As of now has been approved to fill those positions, I'm sorry it has not been approved to fill the positions as of yet the any specific reason why. We're waiting for the city approval.

So we haven't got the approval to fill those positions, even though the money's in the budget.

Correct.

So what we do is we move the budget to another line item at the end of the fiscal year because we never used that money, correct? Correct. All that was slated just for these positions, but yeah, I mean yes, but so what we do so that's my question if you have a team position that you budgeted 2025 and we all we budgeted 2026 again and we have a higher anybody so so we we we do a transfer of fun at the end of the fiscal year. which is something that I'm very concerned. Chief, I want to make sure that our fire department is fully staffed. We're already budgeting. We budgeted 2025 last year. I don't know why we're not hiring those positions. That's my biggest concern. And when it comes to the fire department, you guys are making us look good. I see you. When it comes to inspection, you guys go out there. And I want to say this. The only way... that we're going to get a surplus in the city of Paterson in each department that one day we're going to get off transition A is by increasing our rateables. How we increase our rateables? Making our department more effective, making sure that our department do the job and bring more revenue to the city. How we bring more revenue? Having the right staff. It's plain and simple. We don't have to reinvent the wheel here. so that's the reason why when i see that it really caught my attention uh when we go through this budget hitting i want to make sure and i know that our fire department they bring money back into the city a lot i see the inspector doing the work and we have a fire inspection that fire inspection will be done on that day that is a schedule i'm a witness of that because of the the private sector that i'm dealing with so i want to make sure that we fill those those positions and if we have if we need to have additional conversation let's have those additional conversations i just want to make sure that our fire department is fully staffed to get the job done in the city of paris thank you thank you madam chair madam chair

Sure, yeah.

So I just want to make clear this is a snapshot in time. These vacancies, right? So if we had budget hearings in May, there would be vacancies on here. If we did them a month from now, there would be different vacancies. Deputy chief and captains are, we're working through that subject with DCA. You know, there's information they ask for, there's things they're asking for, so we're working through that. The firefighters, correct me if I'm wrong, Chief, you'll always have vacancies because there's only two classes a year. So I think one of the classes, we just got a new influx of of recruits, and now there'll be another class in some amount of months, right? Speak to that, please, if you may.

We have 14 recruits. Well, three just came on the line because they had their EMT certifications. Eleven are just starting their EMT course, so they should be on the line at the beginning of September. Once we get them on the line, we're going to see a substantial decrease in our overtime for firefighters.

Madam Chair? Council president so I to chief can you talk about the revenue generated because I know you've done your due diligence and knowing what the dollar amount is but also I know we talked about it in public safety now into a new year. um with our new committee but i would like us to move forward into the conversations and regarding uh the other towns and sharing the cost of ambulance services and those other things which will also cause revenue to flow back into the city which will help with some of the t cop and some of the some of these needs that are listed here So I know we have some discussions around it we're looking into some language, but I would really like to see us bring that language together in public safety so I could bring before this Council so that we can help your department do their job more diligently which will also bring revenue into the city, but it also holds the other towns accountable for the work that's being done across the different towns and not let Patterson but the bill for all of that stuff so you see can you talk about the revenue that's been generated in your department.

So far in 2025, the Fire Prevention Bureau generated a $2.1 million with a projected increase for 2026. Our EMS division collected $4.9 million in revenue. The shared services through the BA's office, we have reached out to our shared service partners, and we're trying to have them sit at the table with us so we can come up with a new MOU where they will pay also for our services into their jurisdictions.

Thank you so be a as stated. We talked about that language to chair public safety with the fire department in the past. I would love to see that language come forward as bring it together to legal. Corporation Council and then bring up before this Council so that it's not just to generate revenue which is what we need right because we're facing these deficits every year, but is more so that when someone calls for our fire department Patterson gets first dibs you're not sharing services and if you are going to other towns, they're paying as you go there we've been putting the bill for it in totality and now it's time for us to reach out extend these letters out to those other towns so that they can pay back into this as well. Thank you that so I just want to put that on the record so I'm looking forward to that coming back.

Mister CFO just one comment on based on specific to police and fire. If 10 firemen leave let's just say in October they have buyouts so that's a million dollars that you'll see on here. So, you see it in the adjustment.

I can't hear you. You said if 10 firefighters leave, what happens?

Let's say in October, if 10 firefighters leave, they have buyouts. So, let's just say it's a million dollars that you don't see budgeted for. Right. So, that's in the adjustment. So, police and fire is never going to be under budgeted. We should really budget more. Yeah, that's not even my concern.

I knew that, but that wasn't my concern.

I just want to make that specific to Councilman Mendez's comments that we might be under and we might transfer. For those two departments, we're most likely always going to have to transfer in based on buyouts and when people leave. Yeah, that always fluctuates.

I understand that. Thank you, Madam Chair.

And just so one second real quick. I know that, Chief, we have been in conversation just even today. We were discussing we need to have another meeting specific just with fire, right? And so that'll be coming up, Council President and Councilwoman Cotton and Councilman Omar. So thank you for that. Councilman Kalik?

Thank you, Madam Chair. First, I want to thank you for all you do, the chief and your whole department. You're welcome. I'm hearing about salaries and increases for my council colleague as well. These are contractual. We got nothing to do with it. Let the union and the administration work with it. I mean, I don't want to say bother me, but it is what it is. We're not here to give anybody increase or anything. There's a job between union and the administration when the contract is up and it's come in front of us, and we vote for it, and we're done with it. And I see the budget is the same as last year. The increase, what has happened, is contractual. We've got nothing to do with it. Thank you for keeping it as it is. You know we are financially... Cash dropped. I know each year our community expects to have more firemen, more police officers out there. But at the same time, we are doing what we could do.

Okay.

And thank you, Mr. Bia, as well.

Thank you very much, Councilman Kalik. All right, so everyone saw the uniformed, okay? Book 5105, and we can see. I could see that there's obviously the chief. We are right now, there's two vacant deputy chiefs. 16 battalion chiefs, 70 captains, which four are vacant. And 269 firefighters, of which 12 are vacant. But the ones you just indicated, did you not say that you had 11?

Currently, we have eight firefighter vacancies. In August 1st, we're expecting five more openings due to our retirements. So it'll bring us up to the 13. Okay.

All right, operating expenses. Okay, you budgeted for 1 million 766 proposed 2 million, a difference of 233,787. Okay. the next page council members if you're looking we have clerk twos so please explain this is there any vacancies here because i don't see it anyone i'm sorry in in the clerk two chief communications officer director of communications center supervising public safety telecom so you see how you budgeted for one asking for one right

But that's what we have yet.

And I just I'm saying because in the first page I had a question not that I tell you who to pay and what to pay but there was a question it was intriguing to me is to see how and so I asked a question and you said oh it's it's there's a vacancy. I didn't know that you said but the next page show the vacancy so I'm asking now here with the court to is this position failed.

For the clerk too? Yes.

Currently, okay. Chief Communications Officer, okay.

Except for public safety telecommunicators.

You see what I'm saying? I wouldn't know. I just, for future, if something is vacant, just like the previous page, please indicate that it's vacant.

They're in the process of firing those. They were already approved.

But it's vacant. Correct. Currently vacant.

Correct.

All right. All right. Anyone has any more questions for fire? I see that you know operate expenses a 150 state flat a 50. Do you have anything else you want to add chief.

No, just a we talked about the opening that's about it. I know that we have one vacant deputy chief opening that as of August 1st, we're going to have to one is retiring. Our town she's right now we're full but once the 2 deputies to the towns get promoted to deputy will have 2 openings there as well.

and as far as captains we have uh one currently vacant and two leaving in august 1st as well via retirement so those will be openings so we have to be really mindful also mr ba again that is that is in your purview to make sure that we abide also and making sure because it is my understanding that you know every amount of firefighters has to have X amount of battalion chiefs and so we have to specifically with this department which I know that well we're running out of the fire they're going into it so I just want to make sure that they're fully staffed appropriately right and that when you don't need that you can make the decrease you do that all right All right. Thank you. Mr. B, you don't have anything else to say, right?

No, I just want to thank the chief. And, you know, they run a very tight ship. The areas that we can talk about to kind of, you know, claw back some revenue, you know, we have honest conversations. But over time, we're looking at EMS building with those smaller towns that we've been doing it basically for free for a lot of years. So we're having all the right conversations. Good.

Thank you very much, director. And thank you, chief. Thank you. And deputy.

Have a good night, everyone. Thank you.

All right. I'll see you hopefully Friday. Okay. Thank you. So next is public works, DPW. All right. So you know what? You're up here. Hold up. Chief. Chief. OIC. Chief. Director. Director. You're up there. It should have been fire, police. Should have been police and fire together. Come on up, Chief. I THOUGHT YOU HAD SOME RATIONALE. ALL RIGHT, LET'S GO. ALL RIGHT. COUNCIL MEMBERS, WE ARE NOW LOOKING AT PUBLIC SAFETY. Good evening. I see and direct good evening. We're looking at this budget. Public safety Police Department. We're looking at sworn officers civilians crossing guards as the first. See here one police director. For special police. Did you want to add something Mister Mr. B. A. Oh, you're ready. Oh, madam.

Madam chair. Well, OK so I see just coming through everything is pretty much the same as last year you just included the percentages of contractual agreements in here which I I respect can you provide a copy of The locations of where the crossing guards are located in the city. I always talk to Officer Mazza, I work with him all the time, to make sure their location sometimes, and I know we have a revolving door situation with that, where sometimes crossing guards, for whatever reasons, they leave and don't return but i just want to make sure as we're going into the school year for september that all of the specific locations are filled and if they're not filled that we ensure that they are filled before school starts but if you could just provide that information um we can look at that okay absolutely all right so we are now um um it could come to yeah it doesn't matter

Because you have the office of the police chief One man specialist and like you said everything is like pretty much just on everything We could just like move forward unless you have something you want to highlight Okay Following is traffic division OK, one record support tech for parking enforcement officers flat and again you see the small increase of the 2% increase, correct? Police records. I'm sorry we are we are. Again. All of these positions are filled. Are there any vacancies that that

So there are some vacancies. Our administrative captain, Pearl, has submitted a staffing report for the civilians and submitted it to the administration, and they're working with the administration to fill the vacancies, and more is in that report that was submitted.

But again, in the books, I don't see it. So I'm going to go back to the same thing. When I'm looking at it, I'm looking at pretty much, you know, flat, just 2% increase, but I'm not seeing which ones they are.

Is it done? It doesn't sound like it's done. Is it done? I'M SORRY? IT DOESN'T SOUND AS THOUGH IT'S DONE. YOU SAID WE'RE WORKING WITH. SO IS IT A DONE LIST OR IS IT A WORKING DOCUMENT? YES. OKAY.

OK. Document of agencies and also seeing how with the police department with civilians we could structure things in order to free more police.

So upon completion of what that looks like can you just make sure the BA BA can you have that since all council members because it doesn't just based on its a working fluid document, it's not something has been solidified or totally requested so this can you just make sure that that is sent out so everyone sees it, yes. Thank you.

Okay, Criminal Investigation Bureau, one keyboarding clerk, one record support tech, too. Are they filled?

As far as these positions, they are so I didn't notice a few like discrepancies that we were trying to itemize, but Captain Pro handles the administrative services. The civilian eyes apart. I was trying to work with him, but he was in the process of doing interviews for the hiring, so he wasn't able to be here, but that's something we could provide you.

OK, and then we go to juvenile division. One police aid is that failed?

Yes, that's filled.

Black whatever percent increase here. This is all contractual, am I correct? That increase. I said it's contractual. Yes, it's contractual. Juvenile division, okay. Motor pool, the same. Police cell block. We have full five.

So I know we do have openings in this and we're working with the administration and requesting for the DCA to be able to post some of the positions.

again i i really want to see that there's three cell blockades that are currently posted for hire okay but what i'm saying and i'm going to continue repeating it i'm looking at this it does not show that there's a vacancy it's just saying 25 we had five we're requesting the same five very minimal increase but it's not letting me know it's not full because this is why sometimes you know a lot of our departments you know are not functioning as they should because although we're looking at something we don't know that they're vacant unless obviously that it goes through personnel and then you're putting a request but i don't know about you guys i'm not looking at the personnel or the job list to see what's what's vacant or who's leaving who's not leaving we don't we don't know that

so please just for future this needs to reflect it used to reflect it before and i'll repeat it again i don't know why it's not reflecting on the chair that's the president of manager mendez and councilman velez i'm thinking about the chair um uh oic uh director and staff thank you for being here in front of us i understand i hear that you there's some vacancy but you are in the process of filling those vacancies but i want to go straight to police uniform we have the number of 429 on the book here. Chief Deputy Captain 11, Lieutenant 30, Sergeant 64, and Police Officer 321. That's the accurate number right now at this moment as we speak?

No. Currently, we have a table of organization for 439 officers.

I'm sorry. Can you repeat that? We have a table of organization for 439 officers. 439? Yes. right now instead of for twenty nine without for thirty nine uh... what what that if we're at maximum staffing we're at four thirty nine we're currently at four hundred and fifteen officers for fifteen right now that's including all rights as we speak or fifty uh... thank you okay so uh... thank you manage your uh... council president

You say that we only have a uniform of PD 400 with a 415 currently employed 415 and as scattered between departments all the 415 yes, all the different division rack and up.

Why the Councilman and that does include 10 recruits that are going to graduate the North police Academy on August of August 17th that will put us up for 15 for 15.

And still we under including.

The 415 includes the 10 recruits that are presently being trained in Newark.

They are not with us until August 17 and at that point

We will be out for just a point of order Council of the last had the floor so let's stick with the protocol Council as a few of the now that's the right as for now so I have a sample of a lot of college to speak out in the landing.

I don't get upset for the commercial segment. So. So director basically I'm looking at all the hiring a basically on the civilian part, you know hiring a lot of people. The number of being steady 6464 sergeants 321. Police officers. The numbers are us still saying from 2025 2026. I'm a little bit concerned because we have praised that we have hired a lot of police officers in this administration. Can you tell me roughly if we hire 100 in two years, how many are still in Patterson? Because the numbers are the same, 429.

So if I may director so our current numbers for 15 we have fluctuated over the years so in 2024. We had approximately 58 officers retire or get rid of resign in 2025 we had 34 leave. And then this year alone we have 22 officers that have left so that's why we're at the 4.15.

Okay, so The message I want to send that we still need more police officers to catch up at least with the calls, the system, and making sure that the residents receive a prompt attention to their calls. Any plan of OIC that the state has to at least balance the numbers of police officers that we have moving forward to see if the state has, because the administrative part is being run by the state. Any plan that they have to support you to have more police officers in this 2026? Any good surprise that they want to give us to make sure we could hire more police officers, at least to bring it up to 500?

Not at this time, Councilman. I'm not aware of any plans to increase the overall table of organization of the police department. As you know, we are receiving funding from the Attorney General's office that is being used specifically for crime reduction and violent crime reduction overall. And we are supplementing officers with that funding that we're getting from the Office of the Attorney General. But there are no current plans to increase the table of organization at this time.

And I had to brace your leadership, Captain Murray. AND THE UTILIZING OF THIS FUNDING INTO REDUCED CRIME, AND I SEE IT. WE CALL YOU. YOU HAVE THE PEOPLE IN PLACE WHEN WE CALL YOU. BUT ADMINISTRATION, i always say that we need to budget the police different uh because they are the core spine course spine from this community especially when we understaff uh especially when we understaff you know i could see officer out there trying to get a lunch inside a car not taking breaks, the sandwich in the hand, and moving to call, to calls, to call, to calls. And I want the residents to understand, we receive calls that why the police is not responding to a blocked driveway, or why they're not responding to a burglary or robbery when it happens, you know, when already after the fact. We have a caste system that when they call, and your call is next and it's a call of a shooting or there's a call of a mess of violence or there's a call of a active uh incident you you it could be a a medical attention i need a police officer there so your call will go drop down to that to that Cassis and I don't know if we could go back to what we had before the different system to Phoenix was I don't know but I had to commend the police department because they doing a lot with less. They doing a lot with less and I could testify the the way they be do it. Thanks God, the grant that we received to community policing that they helps a lot. to alleviate other issues and we brace for that. That's why when we receive grants, when we receive grants- Excuse me. Okay. Okay, thank you. You let me know later. As I say, thanks God for the grant that we receive for community policing and other things, but we need to lift the morale of our police officers and making sure the money is where it's supposed to. Administration, once again, um i know you're trying to work with them and you are working with them so moving forward uh before this administration uh uh finish that they could keep the officers they have and they we could sit down and say wow they brought more officers under their leadership thank you council managers

okay so council members and i know that councilman you wanted to speak but i'm going to um allow them the the ba you want to make a statement i just want to clarify one item uh oac you mentioned we're going to be at 4 15 when the 10 come out of the the class um that does not account for the 21 we will be sending correct to the next class correct we're currently

currently screening of Mr. B.A. for a new class of approximately 24 new candidates, which will happen sometime in September.

Right. So my office in DCA has signed off an additional 24. So it's always a moving target to hit that magic number of 439. Some municipalities that don't have financial constraints, when they know someone's retiring, they hire their replacement six months before they go. You know, I don't know if we're in. Yeah, I don't know if we're in that before in that, you know, if we could have that luxury, but it's something we should talk to DCA about.

So that's that's what I want to say this to you. OK, something. No, we need to. This has been a conversation year after year after year. about us increasing the uniform officers. There's no way that, you know, Newark being the first, you know, city, Jersey City, then us, the third largest city, they have 1,000, 1,100, 1,000, and Patterson has 429? Come on, we need to do something about that.

And just to add to that, you know, last budget cycle, it was 10 million from the state in support. Now it's eight point... We see the trend. So we're two budget cycles away from having a massive void because we're providing a certain service, we're doing special units. So in the next year or two, we all collectively need to figure this out.

So, Council President, Madam Chair, just to pick a point here. That conversation cannot be only with DCA. We have to speak to an Attorney General to make sure that he understands what I was city really need to take off the handcuff of our police officer they will do a lot more they will do a lot more and I think that and when I say taking off the handcuff of our police officer right now why we have a problem with the the the bike run up and down why we had the problem about uh people laundering or you know things that simple crimes that look simple but if they if they got the handcuff that they cannot take care of it you know because attorney general is holding their their hands it it puts our city in more jeopardy so that conversation regarding uh dca is in a financial part Okay, making sure that if we are having short 10 officers, they're not give us a line of work to do before to hire another 10 officers to bring them in, you know, and to facilitate that faster, especially in funding. I know they give us $8 million. They should give us more based on the amount of officers that we have that doing double, triple work

But, Councilman, you realize that they were getting $10 million and they were only expending $8 million. That's why that $8 million.

Yeah, but they're not spending it. They're spending it wise. They're not spending it like, oh, I got $10 million and I need to spend $10 million.

And they're going to question that because... Every year you're getting 10 million, but you're expanding 8 million that is why the cut this year it for the well, I got in addition in addition to some in. It's a 2 different things right. I'm talking about something that we need to have at least at least a 125 more officers in court. I mean it in reality we should be a 600. We have to at the end of the day is a sustainable right because that's the piece that it's all the fringe benefits and all the other things so you know going if that's not going to to the attorney general that has to go through a DCA because we are a transitional aid city we see transitional aid therefore we have to follow in MOU so if we're not doing the things that we need to do to try to increase

you know fees table and variables then you know we're not going to get the request was still as a request to take a pick on that so I commend that the I see that he they given 10 million dollars and he spent wise that's why he didn't spend up to 10 or more what what what I'm saying is everybody remember when we did the census in 2020 we would we we came and we was brazen that we can became the first class city. In what? In what? First class city in what? Financially? No. Are they given that the federal government is giving us the money for first class city know so right now we are first class city making it possible with the resources that we have. But really really we supposed to be first class city if they could consider us first class city in the state federal and any agency that had the ability to disperse funding to treat us as a first class city. Thank you council manager.

So we'll we'll We'll have Councilwoman come make a statement and we'll end this colleague and say thank you.

Thank you. Madam finance chair, I just want to say to you know we're so used to saying Captain Murray like we've been saying Captain Murray for 30 years.

Oh, I see.

And it's really, it's hard to, I call you chief, even though they say you, oh, I see, but you're really chief to me. Because we go back many, many years, and you've always been a community person. You've always been, everybody always knew who you were. But I just want to say that even though that, We're saying that we get new officers. You said we're getting 15 more this year and then another 21. But you've got to remember, it takes about six months to get through the training. So if I start out today, they're not coming to next year. So we won't be able to. And I think that everyone needs to understand that you get these officers that come in and they might work two years and they go to a city that's not civil service. Because if they go to a civil service city, that city then has to pay the city of Patterson back for the money they spent for the training. So they go to these cities that don't have civil service, and their stuff don't follow them. People think everything's going to follow them, and everything really doesn't. So I just want to say that. And you know what I think that's really hurting us, and I think no one really wants to understand that, is that medical benefits. You've got your guys paying 35%. of a premium of health benefits. So if a policy is $40,000, they're paying 35% of that. So you're talking about some of these guys are going out now And you said 31 year and then 50 another year. They're going out. Some guys are paying $1,200 maybe more a month in medical benefits. And when they retire, they pay zero. So they look at the money they're spending for medical, and then they can still go find a job somewhere. So I think that's why we continue to keep having this turnover. uh i'm not being able to keep the officers because it is a lot of work and i always say i see them out i'll make sure i say something to them you know i always say you gotta especially all of our city workers we need to let them know that we truly appreciate all the work that they do uh most of the departments are understand most of them understand they don't have enough people there but i do want to commend the police department i didn't say it about my friday department but i do because i see the hours you work it i see all the things that you have to do But a lot of stuff is taking play now, especially when we just got hit with a $24 million health cost increase. $24 million in one year is not no little bit of money. That's a lot of money that you have to come up with. And you've got no pay increase, and you're $24 million. So that's a lot. So we have to look at all of that. And most of these guys are looking at that now, and they're going to other places where... They can get their medical benefits and you have to pay more for medical they can find another job they could do something out. But that is that I appreciate to fight a problem. I mean police department. Thank you.

Thank you so much. Thank you so much has woman kind and we will end with cosmic leak.

Thank you madam chair. Thank you. I see thank you Gary. Thank you. The vector. Thank you for responding to our call. And also. I found so badly. The reality is in front of us the numbers that we have a cool wish for a lot of things I wish I was a billionaire. The numbers are right right here less. Let's stick to the numbers what we have I wish we had 2000 police officers in the past, but this this is not a reality this the wish this work with what we have in front of us and let's

go through this budget process thank you guys thank you very much uh oh i see you have anything to say okay thank you thank you very much thank you i say thank you guys thank you director uh director dpw come on down you're the next contestant

I KNOW, BUT HE HAS IT LIKE THIS.

JUST SO YOU ALL KNOW, WE DIDN'T SET UP THE SCHEDULE WHO GOES FIRST, SECOND, AND THIRD, OKAY? SO BLAME IT ON THE B.A. ALL RIGHT. DIRECTOR RODRIGUEZ.

HELLO.

Can I say deputy or supervisor or? Mike G is fine.

We prefer first names, Bill and Mike.

Bill and Mike. All right, council members, you have before you the director's office, engineering, traffic and lighting, street and roads, snow removal, street repair, auto maintenance, parks and shade tree, recycling facilities.

and also recreation no no recreation no sorry we lose we don't do recreation recreation it says it here not in an effect it's separated okay we've never prepared recreation budget even though they're divisions they always on their own

either that the a or Senator Wembley speaks the right.

Any the Department of division that's not here will fall under administration at the end so you know anything else that is that that is off this is on the worksheet, but we never have done it okay.

So tell me that the worksheet that excuse me. It's only not to look at the worksheet. Okay. All right Council members just look at these items see what increases what requests I see that the 7, I'm not going to go through each line. That's only fair. That's press that holds up if you don't have any questions that page when we move for so they you can start asking you questions of the things that are concerned to each of you.

If you want page by page here.

No, I want you to look at it. And then we can move forward. Because if you look at it, there's no increases. Example, the first one, you have seven account clerks and you're requesting the seven. Hopefully they're all full. Because again, I'm not even going to get into what's faking and what's not right now. You have a question on page one?

I have a question over already review everything that got 3 questions. I think that will be the more effective way we look at everything that we lost one question that they might be we're going to stay all night basically. It's all it's all. It's actually director page one I know I see there's not knowing Chris we've got to say 50 position on page 3. I know use our city engineer on 2020 25 with budget for one 2026 I see 0, but we keep No, this is 0.

That should say 1. It's backwards.

So that's a mistake.

It's backwards. So from 0 to 1, that's wrong, right? Okay, it's wrong. So 2025, we got 0. Now 2026, we got 1. The new transfer engineer is going to make $160,000. That's a new solid, correct?

Yes. Swap the assistant engineer with the engineer. That's what they did. So you see how assistant engineer is the first one. It's 1 of 1. We no longer have an assistant engineer. at this time. So now you have one engineer to assist so that's those those 1, 1, 1, 0, 6, 4, yeah, okay, okay, understood that now the okay, let me go up to the.

To you to your question. In 25 engineer. City engineer.

He said that we don't have is it the 0 should be on this is the engineer.

And you're requesting for 26 and city engineer, yes.

No, not as a engineer.

No engineer. It says here that's in the 25 we had one request to assist the municipal engineer, which is a part time.

Yes, it should be. This should be switched request for since the engineer 460,000 and the 0 doubt that this is the engineer for the 80,000.

So they're taking the first one away.

So the first one should... First item should say one versus second.

So I can shed some light. In January, our previous engineer left. We posted it for the position. The only applicant was our assistant engineer. Yes. As part of that interview process... We added another position, a CAD operator. Not added, we filled it. The assistant engineer who is now interviewing for engineer felt that the job could be done without backfilling the assistant engineer position. But we haven't 1,000% let go of the idea of the assistant engineer because we're constantly evaluating what's working and what isn't. Because if work has to be farmed out, we're not really saving any money. So as we sit here today, we have a full-time salaried city engineer. We have not filled the assistant engineer position as of yet, but we reserve the right to do so if it's in the best interest of the organization. Yes.

okay so so let me continue i got two i got two more questions so and as i understood the city engineer and the assistant engineer i'm clear with that the question that i have with having that position field we're not going to be able to outsource uh engineer work from third party company we're going to be able to have everything in-house no definitely we're still going to there's certain projects that we have to outsource that our in-house engineer cannot do um it's plus there's with doing so much work in the city that some of it we we do have to outsource so with that being say Mister VA is extremely important that we I that we covered opposition of this in a position with us as a junior because I know how much work how much money would spend going outsized to 3rd party entity private engineer firm was spending a ton of money out of our budget going to the bus will be way more cheaper for us to fill that those 2 positions so please let's let's keep that in mind we'll save tremendous amount of money on that so uh on page on the um selling wage on the next position on the division of the street i see you have 12 new positions councilman i'm sorry where which uh division uh of strict civic here So the budget is from $2.575 million to $3,125,611. So you got 12 new positions.

No, no. These are positions that were in the budget prior, that weren't filled, that were asked to rehire.

To rehire. So are those positions filled right now, Mr. Speaker, or not? No. So do we have those 12 vacant positions? Yes. And we budgeted last year for those 12 vacant positions. Okay. So you got labor, one. Yes.

I think it shows the 3% increase that they have got an increase so these positions show that also.

All right so Having to keep it in my director that you that that's the biggest higher that you have those 2 opposition yes, they know it that they baking. How that's going to impact the service will provide it to our to be that we're going to be if there's going to be with us is so the program I know you guys running around the clock because of the lack of personnel stop but it's got to the ball but it got to all the stuff that we have to do and have to be calling you costly and I know what you guys do is so so so it's important that we please fill it up those position I know we budget last year we budgeted this year again. let's use some money wisely I know we will save a lot of money over time with fee if we feel that you know I and I see I know you you got the approval to fill it up okay right.

Okay, well, I think we created 3, 80 forms for the request that the city, but we haven't got into all of them yet we've got some back but not all of them yet the DCA so we're still waiting for this year for some position that.

Thank you very much as a member of the Council, Michael Lee can come and that was.

Thank you, thank you, madam chair. As I was going through this budget for DPW, I saw from last year to this year, probably they're asking for close to 50 positions. Total probably close to 50, correct? 48. 48? I'm a fight to a good good first good good person I just estimated. Like to see all this position get filled. So when this next year budget come in front of us. We want to see those making positions. 48. YOU HEAR ME? 48 BACON POSITIONS OUT THERE. 48 IS NOT A REQUEST. IT'S THERE ALREADY. IT'S BUDGETED, BASICALLY, UNTIL WE the introduction of the budget.

So when we had our internal meetings with Public Works, this was probably several months ago, we sent out these workbooks of last year, and they send back kind of like, hey, if all the money was there, here's what we need to run our show. We're going to do as much as we can.

of that one day in August what was that the August 11th. When it comes in front of us out specifically look into the W does request and based on that I will yes or no. I'm just letting you know fair enough.

Thank you thank you.

Thank you madam chair. Thank you. Going back. to the statement of my second ward Councilman. It was something that I had to say how it is. This administration had a BA that no matter how much employee DPW needed, they didn't sign for it. He put a number down how many employee he needed, that BA never signed for those 475. never say go higher you've got it he booked he budgeted they had the real handcuff in the feet and hands and in the mind that they cannot hire so now it doesn't this administration having a new b a understanding that to get work done He needs to fulfill and fill the position of those core service department for be able to have less complaint, right? And to see that they are doing the work. Right now, once again, DPW is the same situation of Patterson PD. They working. double three times four times because they don't have all the staffing and the resources in place if they have better trucks if they have better equipment they're going to do the job faster and and with with um In the time faction of they do do but is 48 you say right 48. I know the B a is going to give the green light to go and higher right meet this will be a you could give the green light to go higher those individuals thought the process as soon as possible before the end of the year.

As much as possible. As the director knows and many other directors know, especially while we were waiting for a T number, I was very cautious about approving positions because the last thing you want to do is tell someone they have a job and then a month later that they don't have the job anymore. We're in a much safer space now, so I hope paperwork will move quicker.

I don't like to mention names, but I'm not going to mention the name, but probably CFO could look into this or through the personnel, how you could have an employee of a DPW 30 years in serving the city of Patterson, 32 years serving the city of Patterson, and still his salary is at $47,000. That's something that I could give you the name later, and you could look into that. uh... because i want to put that on record in public but i just want to let you know that has thirty set thirty check thirty two years work in the city of paterson and only get forty seven thousand dollars and salary so i don't know where The math was missed, or they missed him in the salary increase or whatever, but 32 years and $47,000, something's wrong there. So I will share the information later on with the VA or CFO to look into that.

If I may, Councilman, just a general comment about what you just said. The DPW, the DPW blue collar, non-supervision, their contract expires at the end of the year. So I've started the process of the next contract because I think we've got to get out of this thing where we're out of contract for three, four years at a time. It just doesn't do good for anyone. That being said, I sympathize with what you're saying because when I opened that roster of employees and I saw the base salaries of what people make after 20 years as a laborer, versus what someone starts out as and there's only a couple thousand dollars difference i i i couldn't believe my eyes so as i'm negotiating this next contract i'm trying to create a way where we create separation in that to acknowledge people's years of service so believe me so cognizant of that so good so and saying that everybody out there watching and hearing this meeting what i was stating was the facts he noticed it and uh... he could work on that because

Listen, when you compare an employee from Prospect Park, and you compare an employee from Clifton, and you compare an employee, a truck driver, CDL license, They don't want to work for $40,000. They will go to Amazon and do two deliveries in one straight job and get the money easy, right? So we have to, Mr. B, I understand we have to have this conversation with DCA. You know, we're not a city that we are going to receive peanuts. We're here to legislate for the residents, also for the employees and have their back. But DCA had to understand THAT WE ARE THIRD LARGEST CITY IN THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY AND WE PRAISE THAT THEY GIVE US THIS MILLION DOLLARS, RIGHT? BUT WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT SPEND WISELY AND AT THE SAME TIME MAKE SURE DCA LOOKING TO THIS EMPLOYEE THAT THEY ARE WORKING THERE. you know to make sure that the service get to the rest of the past and and leveling those salary that revision is a real important with DC a to live the more awful I will be be double employees. Thank you manager.

We got a lot to do.

I just I just have the one question for you know.

My phone is always going off the hook. It's always ringing, which is fine. You need to explain out there why we don't have street cleaning on time. They need to hear because we tell them what it is.

this is the way it's not a talent but i can see why we can see have eight trucks broke down that there's there's a few issues with which we think we can't see have eight trucks broke down i don't have a truck broke down with seven we have eight altogether well seven or together for that one birth up in the fire but we have seven sweepers we've got several today on the problem is in comes with the letters right is keeping keeping cdl drivers with pain of forty thousand dollars they come here to three months they get that they get the experience you know find a job somewhere else that you know they got the experience driving um and you know we have a rotating door right now revolving door right now with cdl drivers and sweepers um and also we we ran into a um little hiccup with three of the sweepers with the same issue they had a front engine issue so they had to go get maintenance because they're under warranty by the um by the vendor that we had so today we had four sweepers out We'll have four sweepers out tomorrow, we'll have the three sweepers out Friday, and then hopefully we get the other three sweepers back by the end of the week. So maybe we could have a full complement on CDL, on street cleaner next week. And we're also training two people that have CDLs in us that could drive the booms for us if needed. We also have some other gentlemen, older gentlemen that used to be sweep operators that don't mind coming back and helping us out if need be. So to drive the sweepers, so, you know, we're trying to work through the problem and if we don't get the sweepers back We are putting together a plan to Monday to do some hand cleaning with the city for certain streets Trying to get as much done as possible right and I and I just want to say and I heard BA talked about the salaries and the contracts that's coming up and I remember saying it before you know, I'm used to well what I find is that I

I look at civil service. I learned a lot about civil service. But what you find here in the city is that you have a clerk, too, in one department making one amount, and you have a clerk, too, in another department, but they still clerk, too, but they're making a different amount of money. And when I'm seeing civil service, normally you make the same amount. whether you in DPW, whether you in finance, whether you in the legal department, you normally would make the same amount. And I think that you really need to look into that civil service and make sure that, you know, UEZ can't make, and you're a clerk too, how you making more than a clerk too in Paterson City Council office? Like how you making more? So that's something that really got to be looked into. And also what I find is that we, and I mentioned it before, I'm used to seeing steps, meaning you get hired, a year from now you go to this amount, a year from now you go to that amount, until you max out. and no me max out would be 40 50 60,000 wish you max out. But then you get now it should look 2% or 3% raise that you can contract negotiate for you.

So that's the way if you don't know. So that's why I agree with the B is doing now with the union with the blue-collar union was trying to implement the steps is everything is doing now to do to benefit the employees much better with the game now.

They have to do. But Mr. B, I know I had mentioned it to the last BA before about trying to implement steps. So somebody come in, you know, they can gradually move up, move up, and move up. And then once you max out, then you max out. You just get your normal rates and so forth. So, I mean, that to me is another way of trying to get people's salaries more up there than they normally make it.

Yeah.

Thank you, my two directors.

So to the BA so all the directors that have common those that will come I'm just going to really address the BA for some things because I know these are ask of all of the apartments and If we were in a situation we had the dollars and the sense to provide then everything that everyone is asking would be provided but and what is being requested by every department head. I'm going to put I'm going to make this request that to the administration that we look at and every department. capital improvement. I know there was some years ago this Council in our budget hearings we added capital improvement to identifying every department how many vehicles they had how many were running how many were broken we need to go back into that dialogue with our department heads, especially in this scenario that Councilman cotton just talked about where there were there are 7 sweepers and 4 are up and running or whatever that number looks like we need to make sure that in those departments that's happening. Attendance, we need to look at the attendance in every department and how that impacts or affects the work that's being done. The scalability of the workforce or the workload that's being provided, whether it's revenue generating or not being generated, and what are our missed opportunities in every department. And then as I previously stated, retention. When you hear DPW as well as other departments talk about people leaving, it was stated tonight that people that get CDL, they get the opportunity, and within two months they're leaving. So we have to identify. I think back in 2019, I did a scalability chart for the salaries. And I remember sending it to the director with the former BAs that were here. So I'm going to send it to you now. You're the new BA, where it looks across the spectrum of all of our employees of where they are on their salaries. and what it would look like in a possible negotiation scenario to get them up to at least a medium range. Because you have employees that work for the city for 25 to 30 years that can't even afford to buy a house in the city. So I just think that we need to look at that to identify What can be done in a conversation with DCA with the governor involved, our state legislators and the mayor to identify what can be done even as we go to approach this new time for negotiations and that, but there are some things that could be done creatively and you know, collaboratively with all of those entities mentioned, as well as the council, so that when people come to work, they feel like they're appreciated. Like, I don't want to be in a scenario, again, where we just had a union, they waited five years to get their contract settled. I think that's totally unacceptable that departments have to wait that long for a contract to settle, which we're not a part of negotiations. We are not, as a council, we're not a part of the conversations, but we come after is ratified and voted on and we vote but we hear the employees in their complaints so i think for you mr ba you are new and i think you've been doing a yeoman's job of being transparent and really bringing things into the right perspective and alignment of what the city really needs from a financial perspective alongside our CFO. So I'm just putting that on the table. I don't see you writing, but I know you'll go back and watch everything that's being stated. But all of these things have to be a part of the conversations. They can ask for as many staff members, but if the staff member don't have a truck, they still can't do the job. If they don't have a car, they still can't do the job. So those things have to be prioritized as well as these other things when it talks about staffing and filling the vacancies. Thank you, Mr. B.A.

Thank you, Madam. Thank you, Madam Finance Chair. I have one question and I have like a suggestion for the BA. After listening to the different departments, the question that I have is are any of the department heads having to submit like KPIs to you, key performance indicators so that they're measuring As they're going so that we're not getting to the end of the year and saying we bled out that you can look at month 3 and see if they're hitting any of the targets and if they're not then it gives them an opportunity to go back and we work some things is that being done currently.

The answer is no, but certainly as I continue on with the city of Patterson, definitely want to set clear objectives and expectations for our departments. So I plan to implement that, yes.

Thank you. And then the last question was, when we first started, I wanted to make sure that I heard you correctly. Recreation is no longer under DPW?

No, no, I'm sorry. It is a division under DPW, but since I've been a director, recreation's budget has always been done with the administration.

That's all. Thank you so much.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I just have a question. I see, you know, there's engineering and there's operating expense. Total number of overtime for the entire department. Do we have that? I could get it for you. Yeah, that's the only thing I need.

Council President.

Mr. CFO, do you have it? The total number?

Do you want the total number budget or do you want the total number? I want the total number for the whole department.

Budget.

You want budget or you want your budget and that this will provide that for thank you what is it will provide for you.

Thank you provide comes from a match. Madam chair. Matter chair. We've done yeah, we'll find a nice. So Regarding the sweepers and you know, I call you every time with the sweepers and etc You're gonna see this problem going around around we we don't have a backup of sweepers you know if we don't have a backup a sweeper we could have employees, but sometime we have to at least have 2 or 3 machines like the back of a yes, a case won't break when we get we had 8 sweepers.

We got 7 routes Monday through Thursday we always had one back up but unfortunately we had to fire in the building to sweep a bird so in the process of replacing that now. So once we get that we're back will be to a full complement and we'll be able to do that.

Okay, so saying that, I just want a recommendation to my residents of the Fifth Ward. I'm not going to say other wards because then, you know, my residents of the Fifth Ward work with us. That garbage don't come from the skies. It comes from, I see how many business owners sweep the sidewalk, they throw it to the curb. I see business residents throwing the garbage to the curb. If you're gonna clean your sidewalk, don't throw it to the curb, pick it up too, give us a hand. And if you know that today rain a lot, go out there clean the cash base because all that garbage probably was in front of the house right is that now in the curve so director can you take a look into that uh tomorrow do a little route around how many cash bases are full of that garbage that came down to the corners uh i know you're gonna be on top of it but uh just in case so department was here at eight o'clock doing that so we're on it thank you director and and thank you for the hard work you have a good evening

Director Ramirez, Department of Health and Human Services. Good evening, council.

All right. I'll recuse you on this one.

Thank you, councilman. Thank you, councilman. Good evening, council members. Just in the interest of time, if you don't mind, I'm going to go through the budget book in the order that it was presented to you all. So the director's office is the first page you should all see. Same number of positions, salary changes are only the increments received by their union contracts.

Very well. Second page.

In O and E, the main change you will see was the purchase of technology for the reimplementation of the mercantile licensing office, as well as the uniform and mileage covered for that office.

Next.

Aging and disabled, again, the only change is the union contract increases. No changes and no NE. Okay. Division of Youth Services, we have one vacancy, a keyboarding clerk one. The only changes are the changes in salary based on union contracts.

I SEE THAT YOU WENT FROM HAVING TWO FOR KEY BOARDING CLERK ONE?

ONE WAS MOVED TO THE DIRECTOR'S OFFICE.

OKAY.

NO CHANGES IN THE O&E.

NO CHANGES.

THE RENT LEVELING BOARD, WE DO HAVE A FEW VACANCIES. SO IF YOU HAVE NOT MADE AN APPOINTMENT, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO PLEASE HELP US MAKE YOUR APPOINTMENT. SO THERE ARE NO CHANGES TO THE RENT LEVELING BOARD. Mercantile licensing, as I mentioned, it's been about six years since we last had a mercantile inspector. We now have hired an unboarded mercantile inspector, and he has been out there going to businesses, making sure that they are in compliance with our mercantile license ordinance. The Division of Health, we have the health officers or the administration. There are only changes again in the salary increases based on their union contracts. There are no changes to the operating expenses. In 8102, which is health nursing services, we do have some vacancies as highlighted here. Health aid bilingual, public health supervisor, And we did swap, if you see in CY 2025, we had four public health nursing supervisors. Now we're only budgeting for three. That is because we've moved in the program manager disease control and prevention position, which is an epidemiologist with a PhD who's filling in that capacity. That salary has been covered by that previous salary and a grant funded salary of a social service aid. And it was a title previously held by Dr. Persaud as well, so he's relinquished that title. OE is the same. Environmental health, every position we are budgeted for is filled. And the increases again are from the union increases. There are no changes. Except for the clothing allowance of you see here it comes off as an increase was not put in originally, but it must be in there because all of their union contracts require that we pay for their union uniforms. Vital statistics. We have one vacancy. All the clerks and there are keyboard clerk title. And any increases are from the union contracts.

So I think is done yeah. Yes, he's not it any questions, but no questions. I just want to I just want to comment. The work that you've done since you've come in as the director you've expanded a lot of services that are very very vital in the community such as the seniors program where they get the fruit. The ass was made here and you expanded it now that it's been marketed, you know to a different degree, a lot of the seniors are loving being able to get their the voucher to go and get some fruits and vegetables from the store and the youth service and all the programs that you do but I just want to come in that the the work that you've done as you've come in as the director to take the health department to a different place Dr. Prasad you know I always call you as well and I just want to say thank you for all the work you're doing in the department and thank you for your efficiency and presenting on tonight.

Thank you. And if you do have any questions on any revenue increases, I did present a report to the B.A. that he could share with you.

I just have one question. Yes, Councilwoman. The rent leveling, I want an understanding of right now that board is not meeting, correct?

We currently do not have quorum, so we are missing the appointment.

So you don't have enough members. Yes. Okay. When was their last meeting?

Last year.

So last year, they did have a quorum, but some members were absent.

Correct.

So they did have the number of people on the board, but some of the ones that were sitting there didn't show up to the meeting, and that's why they did not meet. So there was a meeting scheduled, but there were some, and since, one of those members has resigned from the board, and there's a new person coming out to replace that person.

And I will just add on that note that we also do not have a major complaint before us So, you know, we want to have the board fully appointed so that if there is a complaint, we can actually go through the powers of the ordinance for the residents.

And that would be council that you need to fill those?

Yes, council and mayor both appointed. Council and mayor. But I'll have my lovely secretary send you an email with the composition of the board and how many vacancies are up there.

Madam Chair.

Thank you.

i i will have my appointment ready on august 11th my uh the previous person in that spot uh had to resign to go on to another board so that was the issue but i will have a by august 11th i will have an appointment i believe there's two other members besides me so Yeah, so August 11th, that'll be right.

But I should I think of a chair director good evening. So all the the the new hire that you have on the department are reflected in here, yes, for example, the health environment so you have 15 position, they all full there's no vacancy here correct all right and a deal higher are that you have you department that reflected here within this budget correct okay. So you mentioned this, but I didn't hear you correctly. The public health nurse, you went from four to three because what happened with that vacancy that you have from four to three?

Dr. Persaud put forth a plan to replace one of those positions with an individual with a different title who has the skill set to oversee the TV when the contact tracing, for lack of a better term, right? Yes, well, Kojak Khalid, that's what he was doing. So there's a social service position and the public . So we merged both to fund this position. He's an epidemiologist. He does a lot of work as we are pursuing accreditation. I know I've mentioned this before. There are only a handful of accredited health departments in the state. And we are going through that process. Therefore, we need someone with that skill set to guide us through that process. And that is part of the functions of this individual.

And all the positions that you've been hired, have they been approved by DCA? If you need to be approved, have you had any problems?

Every position needs a DCA waiver, so every position has received a DCA waiver.

Okay, last question is that you have the youth service. You went from two clerk to one clerk. Are you moving that position to another department?

Into my office, yes.

Okay, enter your office.

Into my office, into the director's office. Okay, instead of two having one and moving to... We serve more residents in my office than the youth services bureau. As you know, that... That division is serving young men and women who have interactions with the law. So there are court ordered to participate. So you do not need two clerks there. In my office, as you know, we see hundreds of people a day who come for IDs, for social work, for housing, for relocation, for guidance. You name it. In general. So we have the need in my office.

So the last question that I have is in term of, excuse me, the lack of knowledge in this, the marriage certificate when people go and request it, where does that go under which department?

Vital statistics.

Vital statistics. It's Division of Health vital statistics. So the question that I have is because I always have to call people that have to wait two and three months. I don't see that too many people getting married in Paterson, but why do people have to wait so long? I know they have to. Does that have anything to do with personnel?

It has to do with the fact that the registrar or the deputy are the only ones who can sign that contract. So the clerks do not possess the CMR credential to be able to do that, and the state only allows us one registrar and one deputy. And we are a city which, unfortunately, a lot of people come here to get married. A lot of people from outside the country end up here wanting to get married, so that backlogs us. But Dr. Persaud and I are having a conversation about software and making that a smoother process. But it is going to cost a little investment in software.

I understand, Director. And I'm just going to say this in closing, and I'm going to repeat this. The only way that we're going to create surplus in the city of Paterson is by making sure that the department are more effective in terms of bringing revenue into the city. And I would like to see a revenue projection within the health department. I know you guys have different ways to collect revenue from the city. even though I disagree with some of the ones instead of talking about the lead because it's kind of pricey, but that's another conversation. But I think I would like to see a revenue projection director in terms of your department because that's really the only way that we're going to be able one day to get off transition at age by being effective in each department and start bringing revenue. That's what I'm concentrating. That's the only way that we're going to be able to help our homeowners

our taxpayer by being effective on each department thank you you'll be happy to know when i i will have my team your late tomorrow update because we do have additional revenues to report uh but we do have a report ready that just needs to be updated and the the department of health has increased revenue significantly over the last four years

So, Director, I've gone through everything. I see where everything has stayed. I think the only increase that I saw was in the mercantile. I don't have any more questions at this time. All right. So we want to thank you. And I would have to say and echo the sentiments of Council President. And I think everyone here sees the work that you do along with Dr. Prasad. I'm happy that you keep him online. No, just kidding. Thank you. Thank you for coming.

We're good partners in progress.

No, no, no. That's what I'm saying. I think it's a great. That's right. There's great synergy there. There's great work. And I see a level of respect. And I think that's really important to be able to have a division and to have the people who work by you and under you respect you and want to come to work. That's what I want to see throughout the entire city. So we want to thank you. And no more questions. We're going to move on.

Thank you honorable counsel and great.

So the remainder is all the day right so yes, I'm at this point right now is just admin finance and law so I don't know where there's there's no library here now he's just sitting here and he came with a whole squad. There's no library. I know he's just here but it would be a of a Mister be a this is all you so just finance.

This before he goes and there was a one-page document for recreation can you just given overview, I know there's no real change to that but can you give an overview on the right way isn't the DPW Pat is and their section.

You have a question for the BA for the Council. The city departments city departments.

So recreation reflects what we... Well, wait a minute.

He's still standing there.

Is there something that... To the department heads that we're going to present, the communication was clear, so... The library board gets a statutory amount raised by taxes, and that's, you know, it's not a city department.

So, so, so, I miss to be a right because we're in the middle budget hands, I would digress to say that whatever the conversation is should be held after this is done like this for you is not a part of what we're discussing tonight we have published budget hearings for the department heads and so I don't want to get into it. A conversation that does not need to be that balls through. That's not publicize that's not present before us it was not fair to the Council or to the public we don't have it here and can possibly this part should be brief which are going to discuss now after this is done and where because the meetings already close out his budget hearing we will close this out if they can be a conversation that's had an effect at a later time that needs to be something openly the votes that we can do it at that time, but. specifically we're mandated by the state to perform what we're doing tonight for um before our introduced budget so i want to be clear to the council on that but mr ba if you can respond to that or corporation council

Well, I mean, with respect to library, the bottom line is two or three months ago, the DCA gave a letter that the city is not permitted to give supplemental funding in 26. Being that is the case today, the introduced budget will have nothing relating to the library because the statutory amount is the statutory amount. Now, since our TA letter, the director through the board has I guess requested to speak with DCA or put the request forward that now that we got a pretty good TA number, will DCA consider allowing us to pick a supplemental funding number? So that request was made and it's been transmitted to DCA, but I don't know what more there is to...

So miss to be a can you send that letter, I know Council Councilman Alford is she's new to the Council, please send that letter out so everyone can have a copy of the letter that came from DC DC is a monitoring agent to the public that is watching the president. They monitor our finances at the fiscal monitor over the finances. We are our transition a we've been on that for over 30 years. So as much as we would like to get money or transfer money, everything that's done through the city of Patterson has to be approved by DCA, which is the Department of Community Affairs. And they have to get a waiver for that. director BA even if as we bought if it's not just between the 2 you want to come to finance we can arrange that door madam chair at a later time, but we definitely could do that. But today let's just go over the remainder of this and then after that there could be that Congress has a council president and I please.

That is I'm going to respect fleet just that is not we have items that were. Already advertised special meeting. It is not in here. So I want to move forward to allow the VA to continue. And I will definitely.

I don't know if this is suitable.

What I was going to say is, and I will definitely, Director, I'll definitely invite you to our next finance meeting so we can have the conversation with the finance committee, the VA, our CFO.

So, Council President, may I.

Wait, wait, wait, Councilman. but now he is out of speed where my piece as a statutory he wants to say something I don't why I want him to say what he needs to say to us right and then we're going to move on please okay, all right.

I like to say something tonight I would have been here had I known that that all departments were not giving that We're not giving a budget hearing today. Furthermore, I don't know if everyone knows, but the Patterson Libraries, we're only operating one public library and the main library in South Patterson three days a week. So I think that we should really have a conversation to talk about the library service that you have in your city because your residents are not getting the library services that they need. The library currently is operating well below the state minimum guidelines. When we talk about the 160,000 population, when that population went up, so did the library the requirements to run a public library in this space understanding that there's no perfect way of putting it together the residents of the city every resident of the city is needs library services and we have to really think about the way we talk about things going forward understanding it's not a city department that's fine but it is a service that every resident in the city is entitled to So we're willing to sit down to the table to talk about whatever we have to talk about, funding. We talk about ways of trying to operate our libraries in a more decent manner so that our residents. We talk about the digital divide. We're talking about reading levels, right? The reason why we come here every day, because I live it. I live the libraries. I'm in the buildings when I see the residents that can't read. Sixth grade, can't read. right? The homeless, the people that don't have internet at home. It's disturbing in the third largest city in the state of New Jersey. I understand transitional aid. I understand the state can tell you what to do, but there's got to be a fight for what's right for our residents. We talk about our residents. We talk about revitalization, right? It's got to be some real sit down, some real serious conversations. I've been here for about what, eight years now? And every year I'm coming to this podium advocating for things that should already be here. We deserve to, your city deserves services. I know there's a perfect world number, but there's at least a number that we can at least get some services to our residents. But one and a half libraries for 160,000 people, that's not, that doesn't make sense.

Thank you very much. Yes, it was to be just make sure that that is a part of the car conversation as well as on tonight's agenda 600 approximately 600,000 was allocated to work to be done in the library so I just want to put that on the record that when it comes to what we are doing or not doing item number of one had worked for the library on Broadway and South Patterson, but Mister VA let's do that madam chair, let's move forward to a place.

Please if you can just read that going to be brief because I might might my comments and what I've got to bring his solution. I just heard that there was a letter from DCA, and I received it because you sent it, and I had a conversation with you regarding it. Moving forward, I believe there has to be a conversation between the library and DCA, and that's what I heard tonight, right? So make it probably easy. to lobby for the library, I will call a statutory meeting with the library only, get the facts, get what you need, don't need, and put it all in paper, and probably a letter that we draft as a committee COULD GIVE YOU THAT SUPPORT THAT YOU NEED WITH THE CA MEETING THAT SOUNDS SUITABLE OKAY SO LET'S LET'S GET THAT MEETING MOVING FORWARD AND IT'S THAT THE TERRY I'M THE CHAIR MICHAEL JACKSON IS CO-CHAIR KALIK AND ALEX MENDEZ ARE PART OF THAT COMMITTEE WE COULD GET TOGETHER AND HAVE BY LAW WE HAVE A COMMITTEE by law we have a committee and we should meet with the library he works and put on the floor what was his concern and probably from there we could draft a letter and give it to them and as a support with DCA that's how I see it not just and in the past and in the past I recall that the library sat in front of us in a budget hearing and presented his budget and what he really need and not in the past, I don't know why we didn't did it now but a council and I think that the 8 did explain why that happened.

He the letter explains why but but that that is not for the more. Thank you very much for the thank you councilman Bell is and definitely I know you'll be bringing that up in statutory. Mister B.

Thank you, Councilmember. So the way we structure it is the major departments, you know, the department had spoke between the public safety, health, economic development, and what did I miss? The five. The five that we covered, they cover over 80% of our total salary and wage and insurance cost. So everything else has been folded under just administration for discussion. That includes the finance department, the law department. Those are separate departments. Both directors are here if there are any specific questions to them. I want to just address the recreation piece. That question was asked before the library sidebar. Essentially, It's what was expended in 25. And to account for contractual raises and so forth, it went up in proportion to that.

So I'm trying to understand something.