2/12/20 Council Meeting

By: Carolyn Maxwell

PERTH AMBOY – Resident Stanley Sierakowski had a question involving Ordinance No. 7 (First Reading) An Ordinance of the city of Perth Amboy, county of Middlesex, New Jersey approving the PILOT Program of PHILOTIMO Housing Development Urban Renewal Corporation and determining various other matters in connection therewith.

Sierakowski wanted to know why this is a 15-year PILOT. Council President William Petrick said, “The units involved will be for sale and each unit will be sold individually. It’s the developer who is applying for the PILOT. The PILOT is for an overall project and doesn’t cover the land value. To some extent, the homeowners will benefit.”

Sierakowski then stated, “I know individual homeowners can get PILOTS, but they are only 5 years. The Mayor herself got a PILOT for 5 years.”

Petrick then continued, “Other senior housing projects have gotten PILOTS.”

Sierakowski wasn’t persuaded, “By law, you have to get a chart of what part of the money a city gets from a PILOT. You (the council) should know the terms and percentage of the money you will get.”

Petrick went on to state, “The city will get some of the money if the Board of Education doesn’t.”

Sierakowski then suggested that the council table this ordinance. “We don’t know the numbers. Ask your attorney if they (the developers of the project) are violating the law by asking for a PILOT for this project.”

Law Director Peter King responded to Sierakowski, “The units being developed are residential, but we are giving PILOTS to the corporation. If it was a single-person unit, then it would be a violation. Since we are giving a PILOT to the corporation, they are entitled to a 15-year PILOT.”

Jeremy Baratta came up next. He asked for an explanation of Ordinances (First Reading) No. 1-6. The first three involved salary and salary ranges. (No. 1 – FOP; No. 2 – Non-union and Management; No. 3 – PBA; No. 4 – Dissolving PARA and designating the City Council as a Redevelopment Entity for the city of Perth Amboy; No. 5 – Membership for the Library Board of Trustees; No. 6 – Membership for the Redevelopment Agency)

Baratta explained that Ordinances No. 1-6 had a detailed explanation behind them. “Ordinance No. 7 should have more of an explanation. We don’t have any money for cops, but you can give PILOTS to private developers.”

Law Director King responded, “Right now, I don’t have the full ordinance in front of me.”

Petrick then spoke up, “The two (PBA Contract negotiations and the PILOT (PHILOTIMO Housing Development)) have nothing to do with each other.”

King then cautioned the council and said, “If there is no PILOT, then there is no money.”

Baratta continued, “If they (the corporation for this project) don’t get a tax break, then maybe someone else will come in with a better deal.”

King then mentioned, “At the Caucus (2/10/20), the attorney for this project James Ferrar was present to give a more detailed explanation of this project.”

Ken Balut came up to speak. He piggybacked off the discussion of the PILOTS. “Giving PILOTS to senior citizens is better than giving it to developers. The money is there to pay the cops. Those officers negotiated a contract in good faith. Your attorney dictated the terms to an arbitrator. You signed two bad PILOTS. I guess the school system (Balut acknowledged some of the teachers present at the meeting) wants their raises. Look at resolutions that you can veto to get money from. Did you know that some employees had bicycles under their desks so they could work out? Show cops the appreciation they deserve and pay them their money.”

Brian Ferry came up to discuss the PBA settlement again. “I guess you have to move the ordinance to go to a second reading. The right thing to do is to move it forward to the next meeting. I hope you discussed the calculations of the costs. It’s not a lot of money to finance the police, fire, and EMTs.”

Resident Junior Iglesia came up next. “I came up here as a concerned taxpayer. It’s of best interest to the people of the community and the government body to be transparent. The next time you have a resolution regarding the budget, such as R-47-2/20 – (Authorizing emergency temporary appropriations to extend the CY 2020 temporary budget in the amount of $26,165), that more information be provided.

When it came time to vote, on the Ordinances (first reading) 

No. 1 (FOP) – Moved by Irizarry, seconded by Pabon. Irizarry and Tejeda voted “No.” Everyone else voted “Yes” Motion passed. 

No. 2. (Non-union and management) – moved by Irizarry, seconded by Tejeda. Pabon, Tejeda, and Petrick voted “No”. Motion failed to pass.

No. 3 – (PBA) moved by Irizarry, seconded by Pabon. Caba, Irizarry, Tejeda, Petrick vote “No”. Pabon voted “Yes” motion failed to pass. 

After that vote, many members of the public, including a large amount of police officers and some teachers left the meeting and many shouted out, “We won’t forget this,” in disapproval.

Councilman Helmin Caba then tried to explain the reason for his “No” vote, but many officers didn’t’ want to hear it and continued voicing their disapproval. Caba said, “It’s not fair to the PBA, Fire Department, DPW, city council and the taxpayers. The mayor needs to justify the titles, the raises, and promotions that she gave. This is very important, and she is using you (the unions) as pawns.”

No. 4 (Dissolving PARA) – moved by Irizarry, seconded by Tejeda. Irizarry voted “No”. Everyone else voted “Yes”. Motion passed.

No.5, No. 6, No.7 all passed unanimously. 

For the consent agenda, R-46-2/20 thru R-58-2/20 and R-61-2/20 thru R-67-2/20 was moved by Irizarry and seconded by Pabon. R-47 was pulled to be voted on separately. R-47 was moved by Irizarry and seconded by Caba. Tejeda, Petrick, Pabon, and Irizarry voted “No”. Caba voted “Yes”.

Earlier Business Administrator Carr explained what the $26,165 emergency money was budgeted for. “$10,000 for human services for code blue; $3,000 for the registrar (vital statistics); $8,500 for office of aging activities. We calculate 25% of the last budget for certain up-front payments.”

Public Portion:

PA-AFT President Pat Paradiso read a statement explaining that the teachers have not have their contract renewed and are still working under the 2017 contract. Due to the circumstances, a large number of teachers and staff have left the district or retired early. “More are leaving in the next few weeks.” She also explained that teachers and staff go beyond their expected duties. “Many are working extra jobs to make ends meet.”

PA-AFT District Rep Donna Tartza came up to speak for the employees, many of who were afraid to speak out, “The magazine that the district publishes makes it look like everything is okay. We’ve had a salary freeze for two years, yet the Board of Education extended the Superintendent’s contract and gave raises to the office staff. We are asking the residents and taxpayers to reach out in our support.”

Joel Pabon spoke up regarding R-59 – Requesting $66,073.06 for a police vehicle, and R-60 – which is purchasing a Chevron 10 Series Roll Back Loader for the police department in the amount of $29,761.90. 

“I’d rather see them spend it on other police equipment.” 

B.A. Carr explained, “This money is from the 2019 Capital Budget approved by the council. This is not from salaries and the council can change the resolution to be spent on some other expenses.”

A resident from Smith Street came up to support the police. “I am a businessman and I pay a lot of taxes. We need to see where the money goes. I only see the police presence and the city is dirty.”

PBA President Daniel Gonzalez came up next. He thanked Councilman Joel Pabon for having a backbone. “Mr. Irizarry voted for one union and not another.” He then addressed the other council members, “You have no backbone. Our police have second and third jobs. Landlords ask for a 4% increase on their rents. We (the police) take home less than the average person and we try to help everybody out. We get less than the cost of living raises. We have to retrain officers. We get spit on and have to apply Narcan to those who overdose. The administration doesn’t care. All of you guys are ridiculous. A 2.5% increase is pathetic.”

Ken Balut came up to speak. “You voted for a person getting a $12,000 raise. There were 3 people in the administration who got raises: Jill Goldy, Jeanette Rios, and Irving Lozada.” 

King cautioned Balut, “You are creating problems that are uncalled for.”

Balut continued, “$160,000 is not going to cost that much. These guys (the police) negotiated in good faith. It’s going to cost you more in legal fees.” He then brought up two cases that are costing the city almost $400,000 in attorney fees. “You don’t want the mayor to testify in sexual harassment cases. You don’t get a list how many times the police save a life. The bosses get all the raises. The FOP got the contract, but not the PBA.”

Resident Alan Silber came up next. “I don’t see an endgame. I don’t hear anybody say it’s a good or lousy contract.”

Council President William Petrick responded, “The arbitrator will have to settle the contract.”

Silber then questioned, “Maybe the council is being setup?”

Petrick stated, “Maybe.”

Silber then requested rescinding waivers. “We haven’t had a library director for over a year. Some of the council members have their been in their seats for 10 years.”

Petrick stated he’s been on the council for 10 years and Pabon stated he has been a councilman 8 years.

Silber stated, “I don’t think you (the two councilmen) ever voted “No” on a residency requirement. Our we ADA accessible? How much money has been spent on library renovations? You have to be doing stuff. The Board of Education Member that came to speak out also spoke at he Board of Education Meetings.” Silber then made a reference to those who spoke at prior meetings regarding the hiring of a new library director and their qualifications. “You can’t OPRA a resume until they get the job. Until then, it’s a private matter.”

PBA President Daniel Gonzalez came up. “The mayor didn’t split us. You guys (the council) did. 4 out of 5 (council members) don’t care about the first responders. Renters are not paying property taxes. We are spat on and called obscenities. After I receive my pay, and pay my monthly expenses, I am left with $1,000. Can you survive on that? You voted (on resolutions) for tow trucks that are not needed. That money can be spent on buying rifles. Thank you Councilman Pabon (for standing up for us). I hope the rest of you lose your seats.”

Luis Cruz came up next. “In 2004, I relocated to South Carolina. Things are done differently, there. Everything (in Perth Amboy) is being patched up. Educators and cops are neglected. We have no clue what we’re doing. Most of my family members are educators. My wife is an educator and works 3 jobs because of costs going up. She also has a double Masters, and can be working on Wall Street, but she loves the kids. After the election, maybe we can find a way to come together (to support the police, educators, and other first responders). Take care of each other and come together.”

Stephanie Márquez-Villafañe came up. “I called the ADA about suing the library, but because they have a delivery service, it saved them.” She asked if she could have an update on the library renovations and a search for a new library director. “I’m talking as a private citizen, and I care for the firefighters and police officers. My niece’s father works for the police department and it’s hard for him to work there. My dad worked there, and the police helped him personally. I support the police. What measures will be put in place to make sure this never happens again (their signed contract not accepted)?”

Stanley Sierakowski came up next. “Who sponsored Ordinance No. 1 for the FOP and Ordinance No. 3 for the PBA?”

Councilman Bill Petrick answered, “I asked for them to be put on because I wanted to move the process forward.”

Sierakowski then mentioned the 3 lawsuits: R-63, R-64, and R-65 involving the Mayor against the council. 

Law Director King stated, “These are old negotiations.”

Sierakowski then brought up again the PILOT for PHILOTIMO Housing Development Urban Renewal Corporation. He compared it to a PILOT for a residential property. “If I own a condo in that development, I will pay taxes on it and not the association. It’s required by law. PILOT vs. No PILOT. How is it benefiting and not benefiting the council? The mayor got a 5-year PILOT on her home. The first 2 PILOTS that the city negotiated were for 25-30 years. How much was it that they got?”

The next speaker was the PBA Secretary. He reported that so far there have been 3 shootings in town. “Recently, we lost officers either through leaving for positions in other towns, retirement, and one who is suffering with PTSD. In 2006, the starting salary for an officer was $27,000 and now, it’s $33,000 in 2020. So far, there’s two more officers that left and there’s four more pending.”

Jeremy Baratta came up. He named the salaries of four employees: CFO/Comptroller Jill Goldy – $130,000; Mayor Wilda Diaz – $100,000; Law Director Peter King – $200,000; Mayor’s Aide Jeanette Rios – $88,000. “You’re looking at $550,000 which includes benefits. Does anyone know what would be 2.5% of that total?” The council, Law Director, or B.A. did not respond. Barrata continued, “It’s hidden somewhere in Wilda’s budget. The Business Administrator, Law Director, nor the council have any clue what the numbers should be.”

Council Comments:

Helmin Caba stated, “As a union member, our firefighters settle for 1.5%. Our DPW will get under 1.5%. The CFO and the B.A. did not give us the answers we were looking for. “I’m disappointed at Councilman Pabon. We (the council) had agreed about this beforehand (Ordinance No. 3). You (Pabon) were pandering to the PBA. You have to represent the whole community. I went to school and with many members from the PBA and some of my family and friends are members. We would have had to increase the taxes by 5%. You (the police) deserve the 2.5% increase. All of the outrageous spending means you will not get raises. A lot of politics is being played. The fire department and DPW will also ask for a 2.5% increase. Raises were given by the mayor to non-union members. I am asking property owners and renters how we can afford everything that the administration wants to give out.”

Fernando Irizarry explained why he voted “Yes” on Ordinance No. 2 (re: non-union and management). “There were only two changes: on the title and salary guide. There were no increases, and only a stipend for a firefighter. Comments made about me will not define me. I followed my conscience and did what was right for the city.”

Joel Pabon said, “I have been the most outspoken and I sleep well at night. I’m glad people were here to see our discussions. We were told the money was there to pay the increases. The money has to be there. The same person who said the money wasn’t there then said the money was there. How can you vote (to give increases for supervisors) and not for the others?” He then asked for an update for a start date to work begin on the Second Street Park.

B.A. Carr responded, “I’ll have to get back to you.”

Pabon continued, “The tow truck contract needs to be looked at so it could be done.” Pabon then asked Carr if the Veteran’s Memorial Resolution been drafted.

Carr explained that the guidelines are on his desk. 

Pabon then questioned about bikes that are under some employee’s desks.

Carr explained that it was the little pedal bikes and two were free.

Pabon finished by commenting, “We have been going through this bad blood (between the mayor and the council) but it wasn’t within the council, but now there is.”

Milady Tejeda said, “When I got elected, I took those who elected me very seriously. There was no money for this contract. Everything is a fight (no decisions made before the contract). I can’t vote for something I can’t see. $33,000 starting pay for a beginner (police officer) is ridiculous. It’s not only for the police, but for all. I go home and sleep well.”

Bill Petrick thanked everyone who came and voiced their opinion. “There has been different opinions and information given out. In closed session, we were told that there wasn’t any money for the contract as written. The CFO told us there was money because of attrition in the police department (retirements). We have to look at all contracts and how it will affect all residents. People have taken the easy way out which has made our city unsafe. We have to live within our means. The contract was voted down tonight and the PBA and city’s lawyers will have to go back to the arbitrator. The arbitrator will make a decision for us to vote on. There were two different outlooks: one that was discussed in closed session and the other one discussed in the open public session.”