2/8/21 Caucus
By: Carolyn Maxwell
PERTH AMBOY – At the beginning of the 2/8/21 Caucus, there was a presentation regarding a Draft Housing Element and Fair Share Plan. It was presented by Elizabeth McManus from KMA Associates who is a New Jersey Professional Planner. She made her presentation through Zoom. The council was provided with copies of the plan. Additional copies were available for those who attended in person in the Council Chambers. Before McManus spoke, Assistant Director of the Office of Economic and Community Development Tashi Vazquez told the council that on December 2, 2020, this plan was adopted by the Planning Board. “We need to adopt by a resolution that we will bring forward to you (the council) in two weeks.”
Ms. McManus explained that Perth Amboy is obligated to do rehabilitation projects and not new construction for this housing plan.
Councilman Joel Pabon asked, “What is affordable housing?”
Ms. McManus explained, “It is restricted to income levels of regions, depending upon what region you are in.” She gave an example of in Perth Amboy can be a high of $154,000 to a low of $50,000 yearly household income.
Pabon continued, “I think the lower number fits half of Perth Amboy’s residents. We may raise the rents of some people in affordable units if their income goes up. Those people should be moved out of those units. Other people in the lower income bracket should be placed in those units instead.”
McManus explained, “Landlords do not check on the income of their tenants every year, and they can’t evict prior tenants.”
Councilwoman Milady Tejeda then asked, “How often should this plan be looked at?”
McManus explained, “When this program ends in 2025, I recommend the plan should be looked at annually. It needs to be a living and breathing document.”
Tejeda continued, “A lot of these units are being overcrowded and it impacts our school systems.”
Councilman B.J. Torres asked, “Would the expansion of Code Enforcement or the Law Department be needed to address the overcrowding?”
McManus responded, “I don’t know about expanding the Law Department, but I think expanding Code Enforcement would help in addressing the overcrowding.”
Council President Bill Petrick spoke up. He questioned, “Can we rely on the existing affordable housing list to put people in those units?”
McManus suggested, “I would like for you to go to the Housing Authority to see who needs housing the most. It could be done as a lottery.”
Petrick continued, “We should not advertise for people to come into town when we already have a large number of people on our list already (for affordable housing).”
McManus responded, “70% of people on the existing Housing Authority list already live in Perth Amboy. New people will be added to the bottom of that list. The Housing Authority lists are for people who are waiting for Section 8 and HUD Vouchers. This program is different. In 2015, there was a New Jersey Supreme Court ruling that some municipalities do not have to work with the COAH (Coalition of Affordable Housing), but with the Superior Court.”
After the presentation was completed, Council President Bill Petrick then started the regular portion of the meeting.
There were questions regarding the reports submitted by the tax collector Nancy Martin, specifically Item No. 3 – the 2020 Annual Report of Tax Collections/Adjustments. Ms. Martin came up and explained that this report had nothing to do with water. “The Middlesex Water Company did not follow our ordinance. They sent notices to tenants of some buildings and not the actual owners. I can give you (the council) a spreadsheet to let you know if the tenants or the owners of the buildings are responsible for the bills. Middlesex Water is reviewing all the statements for verification. Over 400 accounts are under review or went under review already. The ones on the agenda (R-69, R-71 thru R-87) are entitled to the refund. Some go back to the year of 1999.”
Councilman Joel Pabon asked Martin to explain the Duane Marine Property. She stated, “In 2013, it was removed off of the books. Anchor Marine was part of litigation in the beginning, but they are no longer a part of the litigation. We foreclosed on the property because Anchor Marine was not going to pay, and it will cost of millions of dollars to clean the property. It was part of the litigation of the 1970’s.”
Pabon responded, “We need a mechanism in place to have an ordinance of any property owner not paying taxes that are becoming excessive.”
Martin continued, “This is before I started working here. Now, it is just small strips of land, and some have small liabilities. The city had put a sewer moratorium on a piece of the property. Helga Van Eckert had been involved on some of the litigation going on.”
Council President Petrick spoke up and stated, “At one time, Anchor Marine was being paid to take waste products from some companies. Some of this waste was spilled on their property and they walked away.”
Martin concluded, “I think the EPA is the one who sued them over the spills (of the waste materials) and not the city.”
OEM Director and Deputy Police Chief Larry Cattano answered a question via Zoom regarding R-68-2/21 – Accepting a grant for Middlesex County to provide services in innovative approaches for at-risk youth in the amount of $47,342.50.
Cattano stated, “This is the cost of two police officers.”
Fire Chief Ed Mullen explained via Zoom R-90-2/21 – Authorizing the proper city officials to submit an application to FEMA for the Port Security Grant Program 2021 to be used for Marine 5, the current replacement boat.
Mullen said, “This boat replacement grant would be for money that will be used for training members of the dive team.”
Councilman Joel Pabon questioned, “Why are we hiring the law firm of Gluck, Walrath for legal services for the development of supplementary documents regarding 225 Elm St. in an amount not to exceed $25,000 (R-95)?”
City Clerk Victoria Kupsch stated, “It is for an underground sewer system.”
Tax Collector Nancy Martin came forward to answer questions regarding R-96-2/21 – An installment payment agreement with Mayelin Ventura for waterline repair service at 740 Hansen Ave.
Martin explained that she had an appointment for this repair (to have her meter changed), but it was cancelled due to Covid. “We had to enter an installment agreement with her because she had a water bill of over $5,000.”
Tashi Vazquez came up to explain Resolutions R-102 thru R-109. (Various different grants). “The city receives funding annually from different state departments. Some of this funding or grant money will be retroactive because of a delay due to Covid. Some of this money will be used for public facilities and public support such as rental assistance and to prevent homelessness. In some of these cases, it is due to Covid. $75,000 are used for home improvements. Over $100,000 is targeted to first time homebuyers.”
Councilman Joel Pabon asked if most of the money in some of these resolutions was used.
Vazquez responded, “Yes. Some funds were expended and there will be reimbursements given.”
Pabon then thanked Ms. Vazquez, “And your running partner, Maritza (Rodriguez from the OECD) for the work you both do.”
There were questions regarding R-107-2/21 – Authorizing the proper city officials to execute a contract with the Business Improvement District in the City of Perth Amboy in the amount of $20,000 in accordance with the Community Development Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Vazquez explained, “The OECD and the BID have been working together. It is for a part-time person that would be a support staff for businessowners. They would be a BID employee. Our Executive Director is paid by the city who is reimbursed by the BID.”
Noelia Colon from the BID joined the meeting via Zoom. She said, “Funding for the BID is in our operating budget. The support staff is in the unexpended budget. We have not determined if the person hired would be a city employee. The BID will determine this.”
Council President Bill Petrick spoke up, “The BID should not burden the city by having someone they hire be a city employee who will be reimbursed by the BID.”
Councilwoman Milady Tejeda spoke up and requested the name of businesses who got the money from the façade grant.
Colon explained that no grants were given out this year, “But I can give you a list of businesses who received a façade grant in the past year.”
Councilman Joel Pabon had a question regarding one of the items in Communication No.11. Mayor Helmin Caba submitting the following community update: the Perth Amboy Campus of Middlesex County Vocational and Technical High School will be the County Covid-19 Vaccination Site opening on Monday, February 8, 2021.
Pabon stated, “I don’t think anyone in the city received the vaccine. When people call the different agencies or places (who are supposed to be giving the vaccine), they get no answers.”
Council President Petrick spoke up, “I saw cops directing traffic by the vocational school – so something is going on. Nursing homes are giving their staff vaccinations.”
OEM Director and Police Chief Larry Cattano answered the question, “On Monday, Tuesday, and Friday, the Vocational School was giving out vaccinations for those who were already registered. They administered 400 vaccinations today. They are due to do 400 more on Tuesday, and another 400 on Friday. It is county residents, and we are working to get our residents vaccinated. Our numbers were high last week. One day last week, we had 85 new Covid cases and 3 more deaths.”
Councilwoman Tejeda (who also works a hospital) says, “We are opening the hospital to visitors. I have gotten my first shot.”
Councilman Pabon continued, “We should not be used as a county site. It should be only for Perth Amboy residents. The president has been talking about opening up classrooms. I haven’t seen anything posted on our website. I know a lot of people who got vaccinated at the Perth Amboy Vo-Tech Site probably were not Perth Amboy residents. There is a pecking order. We haven’t gotten solid information on getting shots, and the county keeps failing us. The Jewish Renaissance is still doing Covid testing, and there are also some drive-thru locations.” Cattano concluded, “Some people here have had to go to other counties to get vaccinated.”
Public Portion:
Those who came to the meeting in person were given the opportunity to speak first for a 3-minute timeframe.
Resident Jeremy Baratta spoke first. He talked about R-97-2/21 – Consenting to the appointment of Mark J. Cintron as Municipal Prosecutor and waiving the residency requirement.
(Earlier in the meeting, Councilman Pabon made a comment regarding this resolution stating, “When we needed a part-time prosecutor, because of a heavy workload of cases, the county would send someone at a great cost to the city.”)
Baratta said that Cintron was not eligible for this position because he made a monetary contribution to the Caba campaign. He then referenced all the grants in R-102 thru R-107. “This is just more funding for the BID, especially for the Executive Director. I have asked for information regarding the BID operations. Two BID Meetings are in question. Postpone anything regarding the BID until all questions are answered. They have $300,000 in the bank.”
Resident Ken Balut spoke next. “I heard our Communications Director jumped the line and got the vaccination. A city employee got a housing grant in the past. One of our judges changed paperwork on the first-time homebuyer’s grant. We have an unqualified Code Enforcement Director for $130,000. Two high ranked police officers were suspended with pay. When are we going to stop the bleeding? There was a recent shooting at McDonald’s.”
Tashi Vazquez came up to the podium very briefly regarding the presentation of the Housing Program that was given earlier, “The median household income in Perth Amboy is $53,000.”
Resident Vince Mackiel spoke next, “It is good we are having vaccination shots at the Vo-Tech. The ShopRite in Perth Amboy is not giving shots, but the corporation has a lot of money to hire qualified personnel. I hope people know it is important to get vaccinated. ShopRite should at least open up a part of their parking lot to have a vaccination site.”
The next person who came up to speak was Joel Rosa who introduced himself as a new city employee who is working with the mayor and the new business administrator. “I am always available to the council.”
The meeting was then opened up to Zoom participants.
Madison Avenue Resident Maria Vera spoke first, “I want to thank Councilman Joel Pabon for helping out in our area with the serious problems of trucks driving in residential areas. Pabon is working with us on this issue and Cattano is acknowledging there is a problem, especially on Market Street and Silzer Street.” She addressed Council President Petrick and said, “You are a very smart man. Trucks are not allowed on parts of Market Street and Silzer Street. We need to control our town. Fords has a weight limit for trucks on their streets. Joel Pabon communicates with me and so does Larry Cattano. There are trucks parked in the front of Wilentz School.”
Petrick responded, “Councilman Joel Pabon can discuss this issue (truck parking) with the council. He can be our representatives.”
Vera responded, “You (the council) should all be involved.”
Resident Lisa Nanton spoke next, “I support Councilwoman Morales who wants to table Resolutions R-107 and R-110 (R-107 refers to a $20,000 grant for the BID and R-110 – adopting the 2021 BID Budget for January 1, 2021 thru December 31, 2021) until you get a chance to review all the items for transparency.” Nanton also had a question regarding the presentation on affordable housing, “Will new developments have to have a portion (of their units) for affordable housing?”
Council President Petrick responded, “Only if we approve it.”
The public portion was closed session and the Council went into closed session at 7:30 p.m. All council members were present in person. The substitute Law Director was in person. Interim B.A. Remsen was present via Zoom.
