MUNICIPAL BUILDING Middlesex, NJ 08846 January 1, 2012 The 2012 Reorganization Meeting of the Mayor and Council was held at the above place on the above date at 12:00 p.m. Ronald Dobies was sworn as Mayor of Middlesex Borough by Edward Johnson Esq. Mayor Dobies stated that the meeting was being held in full compliance with the Sunshine Law and that the meeting had been transmitted to the newspaper on December 22, 2011. __________________________________________________ ____________________ Councilwoman Patricia Johnson and Councilwoman Michele Tackach were administered the Oath of Office by Mayor Dobies. __________________________________________________ ____________________ The following responded to roll call of the 2012 Mayor and Council: Mayor Ronald S. Dobies Council Members Ron DiMura Jeffrey First Sean Kaplan Patricia Jenkins Michael Paff (absent) Michele Tackach __________________________________________________ ____________________ Comments were made by Councilwoman Jenkins When Michele and I started campaigning in June, we didn't know what to expect. Ron Dimura always said, just be yourselves. Meet the people, listen to the people. That's what wins an election. For five months of walking Door to Door, we met many interesting people. We had lots of laughs, broken shoes, 100's of mosquito bites, blood, sweat, tears. We met many people with concerns and receptive to change. Many People liked the idea of two women, two moms, two volunteers of our community's youth. How will they change the balance of the current council? Will they think outside the box? The voters showed their support and here we are today sitting before you as your newly elected councilwomen. Thank You!! __________________________________________________ ____________________ Comments were made by Councilwoman Tackach Thank you and Good Afternoon, Mayor Dobies, Members of the Borough Council, Borough Employees, Friends and Residents of the Borough of Middlesex I would like to take this opportunity to address you all at this time. There are a few people I would like to thank, First I would like to thank my family…. My Husband John and three daughters, Kaitlin, Kristie and Kara and of course my Aunt Bridget, my Father and my Mother who kept my family together when I was out campaigning. I could not have done this without their love and support. Secondly, I would like to give a special Thanks to Ron Dobies and Patty Jenkins as my running mates and to Bob Schueler, our Campaign Manager. We spent a lot of hours together campaigning and had a lot of fun at the same time. Thirdly, I would like to thank Councilman Ron DiMura, Councilman Sean Kaplan, Former Councilwoman Betty Platten and the rest of the Democratic Party, without them this would not have been possible. And Lastly, Thank you to the Residents of the Borough of Middlesex for having the confidence in me and electing me to serve as your Councilwoman for the next three (3) years. I decided to run for council because I am a lifelong resident of Middlesex Borough and I love where I live. I chose to stay in here Middlesex with my husband and raise my children here for that reason. I too have concerns about the direction the Borough was moving in and hope to be able to make a difference in getting the Borough moving in the right direction again. I promise to listen to and treat every resident and every business owner of the Borough with the utmost respect that each individual deserves. I promise to work in conjunction with the municipal departments to assure that they run efficiently to address the needs of the Residents and in the best interest of the Borough. In Closing, We continue to face challenging times and I believe that we can keep Middlesex Borough a great place to live, work and raise a family. God Bless you and thank you, I wish each of you a Happy, Healthy, & Prosperous New Year! __________________________________________________ ____________________ Mayor Dobies' New Year's Address: On behalf of our residents, the 2012 Governing Body and our staff I would like to thank Mayor Sherr, Councilwoman DeVuyst, and Councilman Michael Class for the time and services they provided our residents. On behalf of the 2012 Governing Body and the Borough Staff I wish our residents, their families and friends a happy, healthy and safe 2012. As we start the New Year the top three priorities on my list, and those of many of our residents, are taxes, flooding and services. Our residents need some relief from their ever increasing tax bills and as a result I am asking the Council to prepare a very conservative budget this year. I realize this will not be an easy task with the changes made by the State and Federal governments or the borough changes we will be discussing over the next few months. We fully understand that the Board of Education budget has a major impact on our local taxes, and although we are all for quality education for our children, I also feel it is important to meet with the Superintendent and Board representatives to see what they can do to help with our citizen's tax burden. Grants will be high on our list for helping with our cost, and they will be a major goal for all department heads and the Governing Body. We will also be discussing shared services with surrounding towns to offset our costs. As we all know flooding is a major problem in Middlesex. Tropical Storm Irene devastated many homes that faced this type of disaster before as well as some that felt the wrath for the first time. Today I am appointing a Flood Advisory Committee to help the Governing Body and our citizens address our flooding problems. I feel this committee is so important that I am asking Councilman Kaplan to chair this committee and report back to the Governing Body on their activities, both successes and failures, on a monthly basis. Relief comes in various forms and one way to unite our community is by events like the fireworks, movies in the park, and musical programs to name a few. In early January I will discuss the need for the appointment of a Cultural Arts Advisory Commission with the Borough Council. This commission would be responsible for bringing such activities into our Borough. Included with this commissions goals will be establishing non-borough funding. This morning I will also appoint a new committee to plan our 100thanniversary activities. Although I appreciated the work of the last committee many of those that served on that committee were also on several other committees. To give other residents the opportunity to serve I am limiting volunteers to 2 committees. The 100th Anniversary Committee will develop a vision for the celebration, along with a budget, and recommend it to the Governing Body for approval. In the same vein this morning I will appoint a Business Advisory Council to help the Governing Body more effectively help our business community while at the same time serving as a sounding board for the business community. This committee will meet in the daytime and will be open to any business man or woman who wants to attend. A Sustainable Energy Committee to look into solar energy, etc., and a one person committee to look into additional Senior Citizen housing will be the last two new committees formed this year. Today I am asking the Council to modify two services. I recommend that the sanitation pickup schedule be modified to having twice a week pickup during May, June, July and August. I am also asking the council to revise our recycling center schedule in January by reverting back to the original schedule. As part of that recommendation I would like to eliminate the separation of glass allowing it all to go into one container. I will recommend the hiring 6 temporary employees, two more than last year, to handle the increased Department of Public Works responsibilities. In my preliminary review of our staffing I find the Police Department is understaffed to adequately meet the safety needs of our citizens. Although we are faced with three contract negotiations this year we must move ahead with the police staffing to ensure the safety of our residents. I will be a full time mayor and available each day at Borough Hall. For those residents that are not available during the day I will set aside Friday evenings. During these sessions I hope to hear your concerns, needs, criticisms, and ideas how we can do things faster and better. The best resident is an informed resident and in January we will discuss how we keep them informed electronically and in written form. In closing I realize the Governing Body faces many challenges and I am asking for your help and prayers as we perform our respective responsibilities. __________________________________________________ ____________________ The Borough Clerk read the following resolution. BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Middlesex that: RESOLUTION #1-12 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE AWARD OF A CONTRACT FOR LEGAL SERVICES AS BOROUGH ATTORNEY TO THE FIRM BOB SMITH & ASSOCIATES WHEREAS, the Governing Body of the Borough of Middlesex wishes to appoint the firm of Bob Smith & Associates having offices located at 216-B1 Stelton Road, Piscataway, NJ 08854 as the Attorney for the Borough of Middlesex for the period of January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012 at a fee set forth in the Agreement, a copy of which is available in the Borough Clerk's Office. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Mayor and Council of the Borough of Middlesex, County of Middlesex, State of New Jersey as follows: 1.