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I
IIIII I
IIAI The regular scheduled Work Session Meeting of the Monroe Township Council was
called to order
by
CouncilPresident
Marvin
GDilksJr
atapproximately703
PMin IIthe
Conference
Roomonthe
firstfloor
of theMunicipal
Complexlocatedat125Virginia
IAvenueWilliamstownNewJerseyI
i
IIThis meetingwasadvertised pursuantto
theNew
Jersey
OpenPublicMeetings
ActINJSA 10
46thru 10421
Noticeswereplaced in theofficialpublicationsfor
MonroeIITownshipieGloucester
County
Times
CourierPostand
the
Sentinel
ofGloucesterCountyA
copyof
thatnotice
hasbeenpostedon
thebulletin
boardattheMunicipal
I ComplexI
IMINUTES
COUNCIL
WORKSESSION
TOWNSHIP OFMONROEDECEMBER
132011OPENING
CEREMONIESROLL
CALL
SALUTETOOURFLAGCncl
RonaldGarbowskiled
theAssemblyinthe SalutetoOur
Flag
III
IIROLLCALL OFPUBLIC
OFFICIALS
Cncl
WalterBryson Cncl FrankCaligiuri
CnclRichDiLuciaCnclRonaldGarbowski
Cncl
WilliamSebastianCncl Daniel TeefyCncl
PresMarvinGDilksJrPresent
Present
Present
PresentPresent Present
PresentMayor
MichaelGabbianelliBusinessAdminKevinHeydel
Solicitor
CharlesFioreEng Chris
RehmannARH
DirofFinanceJeff ColesDir
of
Public
SafetyJim Smart
Dirof
CodeEnforcementGeorgeReitz MunicipalClerkSusan
McCormickPresentPresent Present PresentPresent
PresentPresentPresentBMATTERSFOR
DISCUSSIONITaxMatter Binkowski
TaxCollector
JoanRumpfreferredtoaletter
dated
November182011from
BettyAnn
Binkowskiinreference
toa
property
Block
10603Lot17Hancock
AvenueMs
Rumpf advisedthat
thisproperty
was
listed
as
anunknown
property
since1984
MsBinkowskipurchasedherhomeinFranklinville
in1990In1989 thisproperty
went
upfortaxsaleasa
municipallienandjust recentlyitwas
tobeforeclosedonbythe
townshipInconductinga searchonthe
propertythesolicitordeterminedthatthis
smallpieceofproperty
infact
belongedtoMrsBinkowskilocatedjust
behind
herpropertyin Franklinville
Thetax
collectorthennotifiedher andwhen
she
cameintothe office shewas
1
IIIIIIIIII B
II advised there was a municipal lien from 1989 that had to be paid Mrs Binkowski
II feels that since she never received a bill and she was not aware of this
thatshe
should
not
Ihaveto pay
this
fee
SolicitorFiore
then
explainedhisoffice
hadsenta
letter
initiallyIIand
she
responded
toit
quitefrankly
anytimeunderthelawyou
forecloseon
someones
IIproperty oryou
lien
theproperty youmustnotify
thembut
thiswason
thetax
recordsfrom
II
atleastthe
1980s
asan
unknownpropertyRightfullyshewouldnot
have beengiven
noticeof
anydelinquent
taxes
thereforeourability
to
collectisslim
to
noneas
shewasI
not providedwithdueprocessThere wasaquestion
posedif
thepropertywas
land
locked
The
solicitorexplainedherresidence
is
in FranklinTownship
andthere
is
alittle
pieceinMonroeactually allone
parcel
not
aseparatepiece
EngineerChris
Rehmannnoteditwouldbesubdivided
bythetownshipline
but
one
deedUsuallythe
townshiptax
I
assessor
sget
togetherand
theydecide
who
isgoingto
pay
the
taxeson
the
parcel
The
Isolicitorthen
indicated thetotalamount
inquestionis935
14 basedupontaxesinterest
and
foreclosure
fees
Itwastheconsensus
of
council
members
toauthorize
a waiverandto
have
the
solicitor
drafta
resolution
forapproval
attheDecember
27
2011
councilmeeting
III
IDirector
of
Public
Safety
JimSmart
advised
we
had
a
littlebitofa
discrepancyIthis
yearinthatthetowingapplications
were
turnedinand
no
oneknewwho
exactlywould
behandlingthe
reviewonthese
HoweverOfficerBurton
did
an
excellentjob
in
goingthroughtheentire
process
andconducting
athorough
review
The
properties wereinspected
thevehicleswere inspectedTherewere
a
fewissues
that
cameuponthe
yard
truck
inspectionsand everyone
wasgiven
ampleopportunitytocorrect suchWhen
we
got
totheapplication
partwe
tried
to make
a
determination
justwho
was
to
betaking
alookatthem
OfficerBurton
thendidcomeacrossa
few
applications
thatwere
incomplete
and
most
ofthe
peoplehavethesame
violationthroughoutwith
the
exception
of
one
that
has
multiples
and
asoftoday
they
arestill
not up todateMidwayisinno
wayshapeor
formgoingto
makeitfor
2012OfficerBurton
wasavailablefor
questionscommentsetc
MINUTESCOUNCIL
WORKSESSIONTOWNSHIP OF
MONROEDECEMBER132011
MATTERSFORDISCUSSION
cant
dTowing
Update
Cncl
FrankCaligiurithen questionediftheholdharmless
clausewaspreviously
included
in
the
submittalsfrom
allthe
providers
Mr
Smart
notedthatactuallytherewasaletter
last
year
regardingthe15
day
thatCaptain
Weimer
hadnoticedandmade
the
Chiefawareofhoweverhe was
unsure if
there
wasa
responseto
it
and
he
did
not
believe
it
waseverincluded
withthepacketsubmittals
atleastlastyear MrSmart
then
respondedthat
yesthishold
harmlessclausewas
required
inthepastOfficer
Burtonresponded
it
wasalways
requiredtobe
includedwiththe
application
buthe
would
not
have
theanswer
of
whether
it
wasactually
included
in
previous
yearsas
this
is
the
firsttime
he
reviewed
the
applicationsCncl
Ronald
Garbowski questionedwhenthe
towerswere
notified
about
their
violationsoristhissomething
that
justcame
up
Officer
Burton
was
notsurewhenCaptain
Weimer
did
thenotifications ongetting
the
applications
inEvery
year
they
are
duebyNovember
1stand
nothing
hadchangedTheywere
alladvised
thatnothing
had 2
IIIIII
II
illII B MATTERS FOR DISCUSSION cont d
I
II changed When the applications came in they sat for a while until it was determined whoI
IIwoulddo
thereviewOfficer
Burton
wentontonote
theapplications
weregivento
himII
justlast
week
andbetweenhis workload
andhis
schedulehehadthem completedover
the
I
weekendCnclGarbowksi
thenquestioned
if
the
towers
were
awareof
thedeficienciesI
IOfficer
Burtonindicatedhe
justfinishedhislast
report andno
theindividual
towers
were
I
notcontactedontheircompliance
non
compliancerelating
to
the
applicationI I MINUTESCOUNCIL
WORK SESSIONTOWNSHIPOF
MONROEDECEMBER
13
2011
SolicitorFiore
notedthateven
thoughsomeordinances
aresilentprior
to
taking
anyaction
thatwouldaffect
someoneslicenseyou wantto
give
priornoticePer the
statementsof
OfficerBurtonaswellasthe
Director
ofPublicSafety there hasbeen
areviewoftheapplicationsthereare
somedeficienciesand we arerequired
toestablishaiIlist
ofcertifiedwreckersBasedupon
thefact
thereisanissueasto
some
oftheminor II
itemsgive
theapplicantsonelast opportunityto
cure
theirparticulardeficiency
as
theyI
mustadhere100totheordinance
He
suggested
toperhaps
take
noaction
ontheII
matterthis
eveningschedule
itagainforthe
meetingof
December27thTheDirectorwillnotifyeach
ofthetowersand includeacopy
ofthechecklistandgive
themanopportunityI tocuretheir
individualdeficiencyincludinglanguagetheymust
complyortheywill notbeincluded
onthetowerslist
I
DirectorofPublic Safety
JimSmart
thenindicatedhewillmeetwith
the
ChiefICaptain Weimer
andOfficer
BurtonontheTowingOrdinanceand
will
requesttomeet II withthe
OrdinanceCommitteetotry
toget
some
ofthegray
areaswithrespect
totheapplicationprocessironedoutCncl
DanielTeefynoted
that
although
he
agreedwith
placing
the
matter
ontheagenda
forDecember27thhe
feltwecannot
gointotheyearwithpossibly
justtwo2
peopledoingthetowing
we
need
toget
themup
topar
andget
theinsurance
matterstraightenedout
lIt
wastheconsensus
ofcouncilmembersto
take
no
actionon
the
towinglistand
toI
placeiton
theagendaofDecember
272011
IDirector
of
Public
SafetyJimSmartnoted
forclarificationpurposes
the
towers
I
whose
applicationsthat
are
deficient
would
receivea
letter
Solicitor
Fiore
notedevenI
I
the
onesthat
are
completeshouldbenotified
as
well
indicating
theyhave
satisfied
all
the
criteria
and
willbe
recommend
tobeincludedon
the
towing
list
TreeGrant
UpdateJohn
Imperatore
Monroe
Township
EnvironmentalCommission
updatedI
Council
onthetree
initiative
program
thatbegan
with
the2008
Environmental
Commission
TheNew
JerseyDepartmentofEnvironmentalProtection
and
the
NewJerseyTree
Foundation
program
addresses
management
of
trees
and
othervegetation
If
atown
continues
withthe
programitgetsliabilityprotectionfromthe
Stateforhazardous
tree
situationsand
would
have
the
opportunitytoapply
for
a
25000
00
piggybackgrantto
3
IIII
I
11
II
1 II B MATTERS FOR DISCUSSION cont d
II
II purchase equipment related to trees The program helps promote the proper care and
II maintenance of trees and it sets up goals for the
townshipas
a
positivething
to
attract
IIbusinesses
In
December2008
the
Environmental
Commission
appliedfor
andwas
II
awardeda3
000
00Green
Communities
Grantwith
the
condition
the
townshipmatch
it
Iwith
150000
The EnvironmentalCommission
wasabletomatchit
and
received
the
3
000
00
which
enabled
them
to
bring
on
a
consultant
to
help
develop
aCommunity
IForestryManagementPlanthat
was
approvedby
the
StateinAugust2010
SincethatItimetwo
EnvironmentalCommission
members
have
been
trainedin
the
identification
andI
careof
tress
apreliminary
survey
wasbeguntolookfor
problemtreesthat
mayneedattentionlastyearArborDay
was
proclaimed
andthe
commission
began
the
processof
applying
forTree
CityUSAdesignation
Thecommissionis settingthestagefora
25 000
00
grant thatwill
hopefully inthefuture beutilizedtopurchasea
bucket truck
that
could notonly
be usedforthe maintenanceoftreesbuthelp
the
township
inother
waysas
wellTherequirementforthisprogramisthat
an
annual
expense
and
accomplishmentreport
besent
thatthe
townshipkeepworkingtowardstheCommunity
Forestry Management
Plan
thattwo
ormore individuals
tobe
trainedonanannualbasis
IthatArbor
Daybeproclaimed
onanannual
basisandthat
thetownship
apply for
theTreeIICityUSAdesignationMrImperatorerequestedCounciland
the Mayorsupport
the
commission inthis
endeavor
CnclCaligiuri
questioned
whetherMr
Imperatorewas askingforan
accountingof
what
PublicWorks
doesas
faras
treetrimmingremoval
andmaintenanceso thatsomedollarscan
beattributedtothat
MrImperatore
replied
one
aspectof
itistheexpense
associatedwith
Public
Worksmaintainingtreesandanother
isanyvenuediscussingnew
developmentswhere
treeswill
be
planted
or
open
space
initiatives
concerned
with
trees
as
that
will
help
show
the
township
is
spending
time
on
this
Cncl
Caligiuri
questioned
whetherMr
Heydelwould
beableto
createalineitem
to
break
down
PublicWorks
expendituresfor
treesMr
Heydeladvised
Public
Worksdoes
verylittle
maintenance
or
removalof
trees
asthere
arevery
few
treesthatcomedown
onItownship
property
Cncl
Caligiurinoted
thereisa
minimumaccounting
requirement
ofXI
numberof
dollarsfor
everyresidentintownandhe
questioned
whether
there
was
anything
we
could
dotoaccountforthat
MrHeydel
felt
thatnumberwas
around70
00000and
Ithetimethe
PublicWorks Department spendsinpruningand
cutting downtrees
isIminimalCncl Caligiuri spoke ofsome
trees being
removed
in
oneof
the
developments
Iduring the
hurricaneand
notedthosetypesof expendituresare
all
managementoftreesMr
Heydelexplained
the
township
receivesmany
callsabouttreeshangingoverroadways
but whentheyareon
privateproperty
wecannotdo
anything
eventhough
theyare
hanging
overtheroadMr
Imperatore
explainedthat
iswherethis
program
will benefitthetownship
becauseonceproactive
measuresaredeveloped
those
typesof
situationscanbeavoided
beforethey
becomeemergency
situationsCnclCaligiuri
requestedMr
Imperatore todevelopa listof
eligible
expensesthatcould help
theBusiness Administratorwithwhat thetownshiphasexpendedintimeand
expenditures Cncl WalterBryson
spokeofcallingtheutilitycompanyabouthazardous
trees
sitting
on wires onRt322justwestofourPublicWorks
garageandanotheron
Corkery LaneThe utility companydid
nothing
with
those
treesandifthey
fall
there
couldbe
real
problems
He
questionedwhetherthat
wassomethingthat
could
be
includedinthe
commission
s
programasthat
couldbeaway
to
getthose
trees
down
CnclSebastian
questionedwhether
theCountyMINUTES
COUNCILWORK
SESSIONTOWNSHIP
OF
MONROE
DECEMBER
1320114
IIIIII
IIIIIII B
II was aware that the State was trying to preserve trees with this program since the
I Gloucester County Soils Conservation Department allows people to clear cut their entire
I
landbefore
building
or
sellingtheproperty Mr
Imperatore
noted
theCounty
is
notIincluded
butitwould
be
goodtoinclude
them
in
theprogram
listRe
wentontoexplainsometimesclear
cuttingis
notalways
abad choiceas
it
dependson thespeciesthe
Ivarieties
andthequantity
oftrees
ona
property
ChrisRehmannquestioned
whetherII
theexpenses
associatedwiththetownshipsmajor
undertaking ofcollecting
leavescould
beI
utilized
asaway
to
encourageresidentsto
keep
theirtrees
becauseifthey
had topaytoIhave thoseleavesremoved
theymay
decidetocut
down
their
trees
MrReydelnotedhe
II
could calculatethose
expensesfor
the
CommissionI
RealthInsuranceII II
some
competitive
bidsEmployeehealth
benefitsare
throughtheRIFwhichisajoint
111healthinsurance
fund
and
theirfirstpreliminary
numbersfor
2012
was
a12
increasein
Ithe
premium
whichrepresented600
000
00
CnclDiLucia
noted
unfortunately
because
thetownshipbelongs
to theRIFinsurance
companiesinvolvedwiththem
will notbidagainstthem
Right
now
Blue
Crossistheonly
company
that
will
bidbut
if thetownshippulls
out
of
the
RIFin
the
futureother
insurancescompanieswill
be
able
toprovide
bidsCncl
DiLuciaexplained
he
requested
the
BAto
meet
with
him
and
CnclSebastiantodiscuss
hisfeelings
and
gethisinputonthisissue
A
meetingwasthen
held
withtheFinance
Committeerepresentatives
fromtheRIF
ConnerStrongbroker
fortheRIF
and
Jim
DeMarcothe
broker
workingwithBlueCross
Presentations
weremade
byboth
parties
The
first concernof
theFinanceCommittee isthatwhatever
is
donewill
not
diminishorloweremployee
benefits
and
whateverbids were
receivedwould
notbefora watereddown
plan
to
getacheaper
rateBlue
Cross
submitteda
letter
stating
theirbenefits
would
be
asgood
orbetterParticularareas
pointedout
weretherewouldnolonger
be
a
pointof
service
doctor
employees
willbe
abletogoto
anydoctorthey
choose
no
referrals
are
needed
for
specialists
and
thenetworkis
larger
Anotherbenefit
is that employeeswillsavemoneysinceaccording
tothepresent
Statelegislationthey
mustcontributea
percentagefortheir
healthinsurancepremium
Somepremiumsare
21000
00forhusband wife
coveragesoifjust
1issaved
that
willsave
the
employees
alotofmoneyInitiallytheRIFincrease
was12and
Blue
Cross
came
inat
5but
after
I
reviewing
theirnumberstheRIFcamebackwith
a
final
numberof9
47
whichwould
have
representeda460000
00
increaseovertheexistingcost of
4 858
000
00for
medicalprescription
and
dental
coverage
Blue
Cross
came
in
witha5
increasebutafterthey
wereadvisedthaton January1st
the
employeeswere
goingtoa
1000co
pay
asopposedtoa
500
co
paythey
camebackwith
a2increase
over
lastyear
if
the
township
movedto
Blue
Cross
by
March1st
The
change
cannot
bemade
by
March
pt
becausethe
township
has
a
contractwith
the
RIF thatrequiresa
90day
notice
to
withdraw
Ifthenoticeisgiven
to
theRIF
no
later
than
December
31sttheearliestwe
could
move
thecoverage toBlue
MINUTES
COUNCIL
WORKSESSION
TOWNSHIP
OF
MONROE
DECEMBER132011
MATTERSFOR
DISCUSSION
cantd5I
II
II
I
III
III
IIB MATTERS FOR DISCUSSION cant d
I
I Cross would be April 1st so they recalculated their numbers and came in with a 3 increase
Cncl DiLucia explained in a 12 month period the municipality could save 314
00000
but
becausethe
HIF
would
notwaivethe
notificationperiod
thetownshipwill
paythe
additional
rate
to
theHIFfor
the
first
threemonthsof
2012
The
nextyear
wecanassumethat
95
will
becomeabout
17becausehistorically
the
HIFrenewalhasbeen8
IntheIfirst
fifteenmonths
withBlueCrosstherewillbe
aguaranteedsavingsof
42000000
IBlue
Crosshas
a
muchbetterplan witha
larger
networknoreferralsand
willreduce
out11ofpocketcoststo
theemployees Forall
thosereasons
theFinanceCommittee
votedtoIrecommend
themoveto
BlueCross
baseduponthe
savingsTheoneoverriding
questionIIandconcern
is
once
we
move
what
willhappeninthe
futureFor
thefirstfifteen
monthsIwe
willhave
aguaranteed
ratebutin
therenewalperiod
Blue
Crosswillnotguarantee
a
i
rateinwriting
However
both
thebrokerand
BlueCross
havealmost
assured
us
that
theirIrenewal
rate
would
benohigher
than
what
the
HIFincreases
their
average
rateto Ifthatisthe
casegoingout
twenty
sevenmonthsthemunicipality
wouldsavealmostthree
quarters
of
a
milliondollarsand
that
is
worthmakingthemove
especially
since
itwillnot
adversely
affect
theemployeesCncl
DiLucia
noted
healsofound
out
about
anadditionalI
benefit
that
involvesretireesHe
explained
retiredemployees
getting
healthbenefitsfromiIthetownship
take
no
governmentprescriptioncoverage
and
FederalLaw
allows
employersI
applyforandreceive
a
percentagereimbursement
for
saving
the
FederalGovernment
money
in
prescription
coveragefor
retirees
He
notedtheperson
whoinformedhimof
thishas
amuchlargergroupofapproximately
800peopleandthey
receivedoverhalf
amillion
dollarslast
year
fromthatHe notedwe
will
notgetanythingnear
thatamount
butwhateverwegetwillbeon
topofourothersavings
CnclDiLuciaexplainedduring
the
meeting
withtheinsurance
representatives
the
FinanceCommitteequestioned
if
they
couldguaranteewhat
their
renewal
ratewillbe
inthefutureand
both
the
HIFandBlue
Crosssaidthey
couldnotasthereareno
guaranteesinhealthinsurance
Theclosest
thingwehaveto aguaranteeis
thebrokerand Blue
Crossrepresentativefelling
stronglythattherateswouldat
leastbekept at
aneutralrate
withtheHIF going
forwardwhichwould
giveus
athree
quartersofamillion
dollar
savingover
a
period
oftwentyseven
months
Cncl
DiLucianoted
theBusinessAdministrators packet
addressed municipalitiesthat
did
nothave
goodexperienceswhenpulling
out
oftheHIFbut
bythesame
token
the
CoastalHIF
formed
a
yearagoby
municipalities
in
CapeMayandCumberland
Countiesincreasedtheirrate
by197
almost
20
So
foreveryreasonable
ratethereis
a
horrorstory which
shows
noone
intheinsurance
industryis
ourfriendtheyare thereto
generatejobsandprofitsHefeltthe
savingsthetownship
couldrealize
isreasonenoughtomove
forwardas
itwillsave
money
forthetaxpayersandthetownship
will
not needto
cutemployee
benefitsas
a
wayto
cut
costs CnclDiLucia
notedtwenty
sevenmonths
from nowifweare
hit
witha
highpremium
wecan
gotoallmajorinsurance
companies
toget
bidsCnclSebastianaddedafter threeyears
the
townshipcould
evenget backinto
theHIFCncl
Caligiuri
questioned
whenthey did thecost
comparison didtheFinanceCommitteetake
into
consideration
theHIF rebates
CnclDiLucia
explainedhereviewedwhattheaverage
rebates
dividends
amountedto and thefact
thatthereisno guaranteethe
township
willreceiveone This
yearwe
received13000000whichwas
the
largestrebatethe township evergot
andhefeltthatwasbecausethe
HIFwastrying to preemptus
frompullingoutCnclCaligiurinoted
thatwouldmeanthereis
halfa
milliondollardifferenceincostversus
I
IIMINUTES COUNCIL
WORKSESSION
TOWNSHIPOFMONROEDECEMBER 132011
6
IIIIIi
IIII Bi
III 130 000 00 rebate Cncl DiLucia explained assuming we are going to take the guarantee
II of fifteen months there is 440 000 00 in sure savings and assuming we lose that dividend
II we still need to factor
in
thegovernment reimbursementforretireesThatamountisIunknownasBlueCrossandtheFederalGovernmentcalculatethatthroughaformulaandIIthenpassesitontothetownshipCnclDiLucianotedtheHIFstatedtheywouldallowiIustoforegooratleast
postponeone
paymentIf
that
was
donewhen
wedo
payitwillbeIi infuturedollarscompoundedon
principle
whichwouldnotbe
aprudent
thing
todo
asit
wouldbelikemortgaging
our
futureThetownshipwould
bebetteroff
bondingasitI
wouldbemuch
cheaperthan
compoundedcostof
livingincreases
onthat400000
00paymentover
several
yearsThe
HIFalso saystheyhave
45milliondollars
thatbelongsItomunicipalities
and17
ofthat
is
oursHeexplained
thatmoneyis
inreserveforlagII
paymentsIfwe
getoutoftheHIFlagpaymentswillbemadebecausefortwoorthreeImonthsclaimswillbecominginandtheywillhavenowayofpayingthatotherthanfromIthereserveaccountThatwilldiminishthereserveandthemoneywewillgetsevenyearsIafterwepulloutoftheHIFCnclDiLucianotedheforgottoaskthemifthetownshipcouldgetthatinalumpsumorwillbepaidoveraperiodoftimeHenotedhestronglyrecommendsthemoveasitwillbeasubstantialsavingsabetterplanwithabetternetworkanditgivesusabetterabilitytobemorecompetitiveinthefuturebybiddingoneinsurancecompanyagainstanotherifincreasesareabovewhatthenormisMINUTESCOUNCILWORKSESSIONTOWNSHIPOFMONROEDECEMBER132011MATTERSFORDISCUSSIONcontdCnclDanielTeefyquestionedifwegointothisApril12012wouldthecoveragerenewApril12013CnclDiLuciarepliedyesitisafifteenmonthguaranteebecauseweknowwewillbepayingtheHIF97forthefirstthreemonthsof2012andthen3toBlueCrossforthenexttwelvemonthsCnclTeefyquestionedafterthefirstquarterof2013willweneedtorenegotiateeveryyearCnclDiLuciarepliedyesthebrokerwillgooutandinIadditiontogettingBlueCrossrenewalshewillseeifwecangetsomethingcheaperfromothercompaniesCnclTeefynotedtwelvemonthcontractsmightbenefitthetownshipandherequestedMrHeydelsopiniononthatMrHeydelnotedforthelastfivemonthshehasbeenreviewingthisandhecannotarguethesavingsHenotedhewrotehisreportonthewayhebelievesthesystemworksandifCouncilchoosestobelieveverbalcommentsthatthecostwillnotgouptheycandothatButtheHIFisourmoneyaswemadea38milliondollarinvestmentoverthelastelevenyearsandgotequitybackofover2milliondollarswhichisa6returnIfweaveragedoverthatperiodoftimean8increasewitha6returntheneteffectisa2increaseeachyearHenotedhecannotarguetheinitialsavingsorthefactthatwewillbeabletogooutforbidsbuttheHIFhasneverbeendesignedasashorttermfixitisdesignedasalongtermprocessandselfinsuredprogramTheconceptofjointinsurancefundsisthemostsuccessfulsharedservicesapproachintheStateofNewJerseyCnclTeefynotedthisisariskbecausewecouldgoouttobidforthreecompaniesandtheycouldallcomebackwitha16increaseCnclDiLucianotedwewouldstillbeaheadbecauseeveniftheyraisedit15andwearepaying8or9wewillstillhave44000000inthebankwhichisabout9sowewouldstillbe9aheadinthegameafterfifteenmonthsEveniftheyeatupthat9wehaveanothertwoyearstogooutandgetsomecompetitivebidsHenotedhehassatinonenoughinsurancesituationswherepolicieswerebidoutandheunderstandsweareattheirmercybutwhenweonlyhavetwoentitiestobidfromwhichistheHIFandBlueCrossthemostprudentthingto7
I
IIIIIIIi III
I B
II do is to open up that universe If in the future Blue Cross is charging more than we feel
II they should there will
be
othersthatwillunderbid
themMonroeTownship
isthebiggest
Ientityin
theRIFwe
putmore
money in
itthananyothermunicipalitywhichisoneOf
theI
reasonsthey
came
down
from
12to 95
andwegotback
a
130
00000dividend TheyIIIdo
notwantto
loseusas
thatamountsto
5milliondollars in
businessthat
they
donot
IIwant
to
lose
Blue
Crossisnot
ascompelled
to
save
5milliondollarsbut
theyarea
business
theRIFhas
been
raiding
andare
making
astatement
bygettingourbusiness
andI
wecantakeadvantage
ofamarketthat
isrightnowleanandmeanOur
school
districtdidit
and
justsaved
three
quartersofamillion
dollars
inone
year
with
Blue
Crosssothat
I
tells
usthatcompany
is
out
therebeingaggressiveI
I
Cncl
Walter
Bryson
noted
this
is
a
competitive
situation
and
no
onewhether
itbeI
the
RIFor
BlueCrosscancontrol
thecost
of
health
careandthat
iswhat
isdrivingrates
I
upRe
feltBlueCross
canbemore
competitive
when itcomesto
biddingbecausethey
haveIi
a
pool
ofcustomers
thattheRIFdoes nothaveI
ICncl
Pres
MarvinDilksnoted
a
new
resolution
regarding
this
matter
wasI
distributed
to
Council
IC
MINUTESCOUNCIL
WORKSESSIONTOWNSHIPOFMONROE
DECEMBER13
2011MATTERSFORDISCUSSION
contd
PUBLICPORTIONCnclRonaldGarbowski
madeamotiontoopen
thePublicPortionThemotion
was
secondedby
Cncl
WalterBrysonand
unanimously
approved
byall
members
ofICouncilinattendanceII
CncSebastiancalledfora
point
oforder
and
questionedwhetherthe
insurance
I
resolutionwas
on
the
agenda
CnclPresDilksadvised
that
itisonthe
Regular
CouncilMeetingagendafor
consideration
IJackSimrnermonA
Jack
s
Towing
noted
theTowing
Ordinanceincludesthe
IIwordshallandthat
wordisalwaysmandatory
and
notmerelyadirective
Re
wenton
toreadChapter2623Allcompleted
applicationsandinformationrequired
shallbe
I
forwardedtothe
Division
of
Policeno
later
than
November
1stofeachyear
If
anapplicationisdeemed
insufficient
bythesubmissiondate
of
November1sttheapplication
shall
notbeconsideredfor
theupcomingyear
SolicitorFioreadvisedhegavehisopinion
andhis
recommendationtoCouncilis
togivethe
towersanopportunitytobe
heardsincethey
did
not
receivenotification
ofanyissues
MrSimmermon
notedthis
is thefifthyear
andhequestioned
howlongare
wegoingto
holdpeopleshandsbefore
they
learnhowtodotheir
paperwork
MrSimmermon
askedCncl
Teefyifhe
ever
drove
atowtruckand
ifnothow
Iheknows
two
towcompaniescannot
handlethistownshipCncl Teefy
repliedhe
never
drove
atow
truck
buthefeltit
wouldnotbe
efficientforthetownship
justtohave
twocompanies
doingtheworkdone
fora
number
ofyears
bytenMrSimmermon noted
thePolice
Departmentwent
from65
officersto55andtheroads
arestillsafe
CnclTeefy
agreedtothatstatementbutdid
notagree
thattowing
shouldbemonopolized
bytwo8
Ii IIIII c
1 iI
I i companies Mr Simmermon noted it would not be a monopoly and Council should stick bythe rules they made Mr Fiore noted there was some misdirection of the applications
Ibecause of
retirementswithin
the
PoliceDepartment
and
in
fairnessto
the
towersthey
should
not
be
punishedfor
thatMr
Simmermon
questionedwhyCaptain
Wiemer
wasI
not
inattendance
this
evening
because
ashead
of
thetraffic
divisionheshould
be hereto
IIaddressthismatterMr
Fiore
indicated
he
had
no
idea
why
he
was
not
in
attendance
Mr
Simmermon
noted
a
couple
ofweeks
agoitwasfinewhen
Cncl
SebastianexplainedI
whyChapter69should
beamendedtochangethe
wordshall
to
may
so
thePolice
I
Department
wouldnot
berequired
to
have70
officers
MrFiorenotedthatis
adifferentII
issueanditonlyworkswhenyou
are
trying
togive
due
process
to
somebodyII
Cncl
Brysonquestioned
iftentowers
weremandatedSolicitor Fioreadvisedtenarenot
mandated He
noted
his recommendationis
for everyonetobe providedwithnoticeIIof
how they
are
deficient andonce
that isdoneif intwoweeksitcomes
back
that
onlytwo
orthree
towersareincompliancehisrecommendationwillbeforthose
two
orthreeMr
I Simmermoniscorrect
wehavebeenoperatingunderthis
ordinance for
four
orfive
yearsso I
everybodyknows
whatisrequiredandif
thedirectors
recommendationisfor
twosevenor
onewewill
moveupon
that list
IftheydonothavetherequiredinsuranceendorsementIon
their policythat
is
a clericaltype
matter
thatonly
takes
acall
totheir insuranceagentto
correctand
they
shouldbe
puton
noticeand
giventheirfair
opportunitytoadheretotheordinanceCncl
WilliamSebastianquestionedwhether
therewas
a
waiting
listto
getonthetowing
listas
there
wasinpreviousyearsMr
Fiorewasnotawareof
awaiting
listMINUTES
COUNCIL
WORK
SESSION
TOWNSHIP
OF
MONROE
DECEMBER
13
2011
PUBLIC
PORTION
cont
d
I
I
Andy
Pease
Chairperson
for
the
Monroe
Township
Police
Officer
sI
iAssociation
spokeonbehalf
ofmanypoliceofficers
that
were
in
attendanceregarding
theproposed
changesto
Chapter69
Cncl
Sebastianexplained
theordinance
was
being
amendedas
the
ordinancestates
thePolice
Department
shallconsistofa
numberofofficers
and
in
theopinion
ofmost
people
discussingthe
issue
itwasfelt
thatword
wouldmandate
themunicipalitytohave70police
officers
whether
they
were
needed
or
not
Councilhadanopportunityto
changethe
ordinance
toreducethe
numberof
officerstothe
Icurrentforceor
tojust changethewordingfromshall
tomayso
additional officers couldIbehired inthe
future Officer
Pease
noted
hisconcern
is
for
thesafety of
hisofficers
andheIquestioned whether
anyone
wasawarethatin
1998we
had
68
officersThe
Mayornotednooneismore
aware ofthatfactthan
himand
nooneis
more
awareof
theeconomic
times
thanhimandif
the
townshipcould
affordthemwe
would
have morecopsOfficer
Peaseagreedthe
MayorandCouncil
have
beensupportive
ofthePoliceDepartment
buttheir
concernis
withtheintent
behindthe
ordinance amendmentsincethe policenever
pursued
theissueor mandated
70police officersonthe streetHenotedtheyarelookingto
be sufficiently staffedright
nowsotheycanproperlydotheirjobs
and
ensure
the safety ofthetaxpayersHespokeofreadingtheminutes
fromtheOrdinanceCommittee
Meeting andnoted the concernsof
Council
seemed
to
betheenforcementcomplaints
for
speeders
orthe
generation
of
revenue
fromthered
lightcamerasHe
noted
much
morethatthat
is
being
handledbyan
understaffeddepartmentThe
Traffic
Unit
consistsof
two
men
thenumber
inthe
DetectiveDivisionhas
beenreduced
tosix
and
the
Patrol
Divisionis9
IIIjI1 1 MINUTES
COUNCIL WORK SESSION
11 1 TOWNSHIP OF MONROE
DECEMBER 13 2011
II C PUBLIC PORTION cont d
I
11 1 constantly forcing overtime upon officers because they are not properly staffed The calls
I are not what they used to be
they
arelegitimateandareendangering
notonlythe
officersII
but
also
theresidentsWithin
the
past
two
weeks
therehavebeen five gun related calls IIone
on
Prosser Avenue involved four people being arrested one with a hand gun Another II incident involvedthe
driverof
a
stolen
vehiclethat
hadbeenconfronted
by
a
GloucesterI
Townshipofficerpullinga
gunand
fleeinginto
ahouseinthe GlenEyre
Development
In
IIanotherincident
anofficer
initiatedacarstopandfounddrugs
aswellas
apistol
JulesIIMaiorianohandledacall
foranarmedrobberysuspect
andheapprehended
the
personwith
aninemillimeter
handgun
Thesearegrowing
trendsInthe
pastthe
PoliceDepartmentIIwas properlystaffed
to
effectively
doour
jobsGangactivities
arenowhappening
alongIIMain
Street
inwhatis
referredtoas
thetrianglewhichincludes
thearea
of
Main
StreetII Blue
Belland
ChestnutStreetThepolicedepartmenthas
conducted
threesearchesin a
Ii
dayeachonerevealing narcoticactivities
and
guns
havebeen pulled
outof
those searchesIOfficer Peasespokeof
howacouple of weeksago
hewasinhisofficeviewing
theredlightI cameras
whena
ladycameintothelobbyarea
by
thetrafficbureaufrantic
reportingthat
hersonmay
havekilled
someone
in
WashingtonTownshipandshe
wantedhim
toturnII
himselfin
Washington
Township
had
notyet
received
thecall
whenthemothercameinAllavailable
peopleweredeployedand weonly
had
fourorfivecopsworkingour
streetsIICnclCaligiuri questionedwhetherOfficer
Peasehadanystatisticstosupport
whetherorIInot eachpatrolmanis
handlingmorecallstodaythanhe
didOfficePeasereplied
yesthat
issuewasaddressedduringthelast
contract
negotiationsRightnow we
areup
33000to34 000calls
a
yearIn2000 there were400
callsperofficerper yearandtwo
yearsagothere
were
700to
800callsper
officer
inthe
field
OfficerPeasedid not
knowthe
currentI
statistics
but
hefelt
there
was
a
lotmore
and
thecallsare
morecomplexplusalotof
paperworkisinvolvedHe
notedtoaddress
thespeed
complaintsheisone
of
twoin
the
II
TrafficUnitWithtwo
fatalitiesbackto
backlast weekofficersaresobusy
thattheycannot
IIevenaddress
the
red
light
camerasand
there
is
probably60
000
00
of
potentialrevenuesitting
thereHenotedOfficer
Burtonhas
been
tied
up
with
theTowingOrdinance
andhisIunit
has
been
asked
tosupport
thePatrol
Divisionbecausethey
are
understaffedOfficer
I
Peasenotedthe PoliceDepartmentor
the
Chief
have
neverrequested
full
complianceofI
Chapter
69and
he
Deltitwasodd
that
before
contractnegotiations
this
matter
is
coming
up
Hespoke
of
three
or
four
pending
retirementswhich
will
decreasethe
force
to
55
Iofficersnextyear
and
notedthey
didnotwork
with
55officers
inthe
early1990s
and
theyI
cannotdo
it
now
The
structureofthe
Police
Department
was
expandedin1993
tooneChief
twoCaptainssevenLieutenantsand
tenSergeants
Todaywe
have
a
Chief
twoCaptains
six
Lieutenants
four
Sergeants
and11CorporalsA
Deputy
Chiefis
included
in
Ithe
ordinancebut
we
have
not
hadone
since2002The
Police
Departmenthasnot
expanded
andhas not pressed thisissue but
is
askingforconsiderationandfor
someone
tosit
downwith
the
Chief
of
Policetoseewhat
heneeds Henoted
hiscommitteeaskedtheChief
lastweekif
he was
awareCouncil
waschanging
the ordinance and headvised
thatheknewitwas
being reviewedbut
was
unaware
thatitwas
going
forward
forSecondReading
Office
Pease
notedtheofficers
are
workingwiththe townshipanddoing
more withlessbut
nowthereareconcernswiththecallsthedepartmentisreceivingOfficerPeasereferredtoOfficerDerrickJacobusofTrafficEnforcementandspokeofhowhewasinvolvedinamotorvehicleaccident
twoweeks
ago
howcommitted
heishowhehas
a
Master
s
Degreeisa10
J
I
IIIII c PUBLIC PORTION cant d
I
III certified paramedic a certified flight medic and while responding to a cardiac arrest
someone pulled out and hit his car He spoke of how Officer Jacobus saved a kids life after
IIhewasfound
inaswimming
pooland
ofhowOfficer
Maute
respondedtoa15 year
old Ibabysitter
scall
ofa
burglary
inprogress andapprehended
theburglar
savingthekidsi
IHe
noted
theseincidents arebeinghandled
notbecause
thedepartmentisproperly
mannedII
butbecauseofthededication
ofthe
officerswhoare
outthere
doingwhat
isexpectedof
IthemOfficerPease
noted
heandMark Burton
werethehighestticket
writers
foryears
because
not
only
was
that
their
main
functionbut
itcurtails
accidents
andsaveslives
HeI
spoke
ofOfficerJacobusstopping
a
driver
with
asuspended
licenseIntheback
seat ofIthat
vehicleunderablankethefound
aperson
inhandcuffs
that
had
escapedfrom
Winslow
I
TownshipPoliceDepartment
That
personwhohadbeenarrested
for
homicidewas
found
before
Winsloweven
hada
chanceto
advisethe
surroundingtowns ofthe
escapeOfficerPeasenotedyearsagowe
were
rankedone
ofthe
topfive
communitieswithin
theStateand
part
ofthat
was
becauseof
our
crime
indexNowwith
burglarieswearerankedseven
between
Camden
andGloucesterCounties
OfficerPeasewenton
tospeakof
an
incident
in
Collingswoodwhere
US
Marshalls
killed
apersonthat
our
Detective
Division hadidentifiedasthepersondoinghome
invasionsinthistown
He spokeofthePolice
Department
s collectiveteam effortswhichMayorGabbianelliwasa
partof
andisstill
Iconsideredpart
ofitsince
heisa
supportnetwork
for the
departmentHespokeofhowheOfficerBurtonandLtHoward
Wiemerfrom
theTraffic
Division
wereafforded
many
opportunities
in2010toapplyfor grantsfor
specialenforcement
andwereable
tohit
theproblems
on
residential
streets
Duringthattimethere
wasonefatalityin
Monroe
Township
and
that
hasneverhappenedin
thetownship
s
historyHe
noted
nowthere
havebeen
sixpeoplethatdiedin
motorvehicle
accidents
this
year
The
Police
Departmentwould
loveto
addressallthespeedingissuesthroughout
the
townshipbutunfortunatelythe
PatrolDivisionis
not
property
staffed
theDetective
Division
cannotlose anymorepeopleandtheTrafficDivisionisworkingonfatalaccidentsredlightcamerasandeverythingelsethathasbeenbestoweduponaunitthatpreviouslyhadfourmembersTheDetective
Bureaupreviouslyhad
elevennow
there
are
six
and
the
crimeindexis
growingbutthat
is
notdue
to
alack
of
commitment
fromthe
officersSometimesthere
has
beena
lack
of
commitmentonbehalfofthe
townshipasthedepartment
hasnotbeen
giventhe
proper
resourcesto
addressallthe
issuesbefore
us
todayHe
spokeofthepopulationgrowthaccordingtothelatest
censusthe
squaremileage
ofthetownship
and
howunsafeit
isfor
officersin
the
southern
end
ofthe
township
whenthey
need backupfrom
officerscomingfrom the
oppositeend
oftownOfficer
Peaserequested Councilreconsider amendingtheordinance
sothatit
canbe
first
addressed
with
the
Chief
andhe
extended
hisappreciation
to
Councilfor
givinghim
thisopportunityto
speakMINUTESCOUNCILWORKSESSION
TOWNSHIP OFMONROEDECEMBER
132011Cncl Caligiuri
posedaquestion
toCncl
Sebastianregarding
whetherthe
way
theordinanceis
writtenwouldpreventhiring additional
officers
CnclSebastianexplainedthe
ordinancestillallows up
to70officersitis
justthe word
shall
that
isbeingaddressedMayorGabbianellinotedhe was
against
Councilincludingnumbers
inthe ordinanceand
he
questionedwhy
thatwas
done
CnclSebastian
explainedthe
reasonthenumbers
wereincludedis
because Councilisresponsiblefor
budgetary
itemsand
dollars
and
cents
Without
havinga
numerationofrankswithinthe
departmenttpere
couldbe
11
I
III
III cIII
II promotions and that would change the budgetary amounts for salaries and Council would1
1 have no control over that The State recommended the number
ofofficersbe
enumeratedbyrank
and
ifadditionaloneswere
neededthat
numbercouldbe
increasedOnce
theII
officers
wereenumeratedit gave
Councila
handleonthetotal numberfor
budgetary
III
purposesIfthe
Mayoror
Chief
came
to
Council
requestingadditional
sergeantsforII
examplethe
ordinancecouldbe
amendedtoaddmore
Cncl Sebastiannoted
theonly
I
change
being
madenowistheword
shall
tomay
and
that
isbeing done sothat
we areInot
legallyrequired
to
have
thatnumber
ofofficersBy
changingtheword
tomayit
does
I
notin
anywaydiminish
thenumberofofficers wecan
have
wecanstill go
upto
70andthatwouldbeup
to
theMayorhaving the fundsto
supportitMINUTESCOUNCILWORKSESSIONTOWNSHIP
OFMONROEDECEMBER 13 2011PUBLIC
PORTIONcontdICnclCaligiuri
notedinthepastthe
LawCommittee
hadmetwithrepresentativesofthe
Police
Departmenttohammer out
certainitems
aroundbudgettimeCncl SebastianI
advised
hespoketo
the
Chiefand
amonthlymeetingisgoingto
be
set
upwith
him
ICncl
DanielTeefyspoke
ofprevious
conversationshe
hadwithChiefSmart
andI
Detective Stellaccioandtheirfeelingatthat
timewasthatretiring officerswouldnot
beIIreplacedornewofficers
properlytrainedinthe DetectiveBureauHe
notedatthattimehesaid
thePoliceDepartmentshould notbecut
astherearesafetyconcerns
because
ofthegangs coming
tothe
townshipThatdayhasnowcome
and
weneedto hire
morepolice
officersnextyearandCouncilneeds
to
wakeupand find wherethe
budgetcanbecut
orI
increased
todothat
assafetyis
arealconcern11CnclWalterBryson
questionedcouldwe
go
above
the
2cap
to
hire
more
officersifthere
arepublicsafetyconcerns
Theanswerto
thatquestionwasindiscerniblefromthe
itapeI
OfficerPeasenotedhe
was
unaware
ofwhat
thePolice
Departments
budgetwas
forthis
yearbutthey
would
liketosee
retireesreplacedbecausethe
department
is
atbarebones
officers
cannotdotheir
jobsand
thingsareslipping
throughthecracksII
MayorGabbianelli
notedwe
have
not
hiredbecauseweare
justbarelymaking
the
I
cap
The
governorcut
our
aid
and
thencapped
us
at
2
sothefact
is
we
dont
know
wheretogoCnc
Pres
Marvin
Dilks
questionedwhether
Ordinance
Chairman
Cncl
Sebastian
wanted
toleave
Ordinance
0272011on
the
agenda
for
SecondReading
CnclSebastian
recommended
it
be
lefton
theagenda
as
itdoesnot
affect
the
numberof
officers
itis
just
changing
theword
shallOfficerPeasenotedthe
Police
Department
justwantsto
make
sure
the
commitment
will
be
there
fromCouncil
when
itcomes
time
toreplace
officersCnclSebastiannotedtheyhavehis
commitmentandCncl
Teefy
sas
long
as
the
dollarscanbe
found
there
willbe
no
problemwiththat
12
II
IIIIII c PUBLIC PORTION cont d
I Cncl Ronald Garbowski made a motion to close the public portion The
motionIwas
secondedbyCncl
Frank
Caligiuri
andunanimously
approved
by allmembers
of
I
Council
inattendanceIMINUTESCOUNCIL
WORK SESSIONTOWNSHIPOFMONROE
DECEMBER 13
2011
I
II
IIIIDIIIIEIIIIFINEWBUSINESS
NoneOLDBUSINESS
None
QUESTIONSREGARDING
RESOLUTIONSSCHEDULEDCnclFrank
Caligiuri
questionedwhether
R
2002011
increasingthe
changefundfor
themunicipal
courtwas
dealing
with thepetty
cash
fundCFOJeffColesexplainedthatdepartment
hasa
lot
of
peoplecoming
inwith100 billstopay
for
8500
ticketsand
II
theyneed
additional
cash
to
give
the
people
their
1500change
IICncCaligiurialso
questionedwhy
thecertificationoffundswas
notincluded
with
I
R
202
2011
The
CFOadvised
hewasnotaskedtoprovideone
but
there
ismoneyavailableII
and
hewillprepareoneSolicitorFiore
notedCouncilcould
approve
the
Resolution
Icontingent
upon
the
certification
offunds
being
provided
by
the
CFOI
I
G
QUESTIONS
REGARDINGORDINANCES
SCHEDULED
NoneI
I
i
With
nothingfurther
for
discussion
Cncl
RonaldGabrowski
made
amotionto
Iadjourn
theCouncilWork
Session
of
December13
2011
Themotion
wasseconded
byI
i IICncl
WalterBryson
and
wasunanimously approvedbyall
membersof
Councilin
attendance
ii
IRespectfullsubmitted
rcG2
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lUfn
mtk
P
dOffi
reSI
lng
leer
1i
iI
I
II
II
I
II
I H
ADJOURNMENT
SusanMcCormick
RMC
MunicipalClerk
Theseminutes
were
prepared
from
thetape
recordedproceedings
and thehand
writtennotes
of
theCouncil
Work
Sessionof
December13
2011and
serves
onlyas
asynopsisof
theproceedings
Portionsof
the
officialtape
may
beheard
inthe
Office
of
the
TownshipClerk
upon
proper
notification
pursuantto
theOpenPublic
Records
LawIb1
1
ApprovedassubmittedApproved
as
correctediDateDate
13
