Here is the recap of last nights meeting. This will exclude the issues surrounding the loss of dispatchers in the fire department. More on that can be found in the following link:
freeholdvoice.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=mayorandtowncouncil&thread=5091&page=1#22603The general business was light, but interesting.
The budget was introduced last night. There is going to be a public hearing on May 13th @ 7 PM
Two resolutions pertained to the town submitting an application for a Recycling Tonnage Grant the NJ DEP.
A resolutions was made authorizing the execution of an agreement between the New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency and the borough for the Live Where you Work program. Councilman Schnurr talked about this a little bit, mentioning that the Housing and Mortgage agency will underwrite loans for people who qualify.
Households with two people who make less that 105,000 and with three or more people making under 122,000 will be eligible.
A resolution was also made requesting participation in the NJ local bicycle and pedestrian planning assistance program. This is one more step in Councilman Newman's efforts in seeing this become a more bike friendly town.
Public Comments-
One person mentioned about a house that still has Christmas decor up. (The town will hunt down and deal with these criminals)
AS mentioned in another thread, found in this post, the fire department read a resolution against the loss of dispatchers.
A person from the township, I believe Barry Fulner, complimented the town on the bike friendly initiatives. He asked if the Henry Hudson Trail could be extended because he and his wife often ride into town via the HH Trail. He felt that to do so would make entering the borough safer.
A person from Court Street expressed concern about the house that had burned a year ago. She mentioned tha she had called the code office and just wants to know what is going on. She expressed quality of life and safety concerns. The Mayor informed her that the town is engaged in a law suit with the owner and that she would get a better answer the next day. There were several people from the Court Street area in attendance in support of this woman.
Lastly, the Freehold Landlords Association had their Lawyer in attendance. Charles Gromowly addressed the council about FLLA concerns. The major complaint was tha th borough ordinance is silent on how landlords are to be assessed for the landlord registration fee. The ordinance does not distinguish between a landlord and building. At this time, landlords are being charged per building. They also claim the borough has the highest such fees in existence. The FLLA is adamant about having this changed.
The FLLA is also concerned about the borough practice making the landlords vicariously responsible for their tenants. The FLLA contends that the town must deal with the tenants first.
The FLLA has made clear that they are seeking productive dialog and solutions with the town.
AS people can see by the above public commentary, it was a packed meeting. The FLLA had about 35 people present. There was a large amount of people from the fire department. The Court street residents were also there as a concerned group.
Council comments just about all centered around the dispatch issues and the tough economic times we all face. The one exception was Councilman Newman. He mentioned that the Historic Preservation Commission is looking for people to apply for preservation awards. That will be posted in another thread. He mentioned the rental committee and his having met with the FLLA. The rental committee is also working on a complaint form for tenants. Newman also brought up his idea to establish a Citizens Budget Review Committee, modeled after what the county did with great success.
