The next Common Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, July 6 at 7:30 PM at City Hall. Members of the public are invited to attend the meeting in person. Masks are required in City Hall and in Council Chamber, and extra seating will be available in the lobby to allow for social distancing.
Council will no longer accept public comments virtually by Zoom, but members of the public can comment by email to cityclerk@cityofsummit.org or by USPS mail to the Office of the City Clerk at 512 Springfield Ave. Comments must be received by noon on July 6. Written comments will be read by the clerk or summarized if substantially like other comments. Those submitting written comments will not be permitted to speak on that subject at the meeting. The rules for public comments are posted on the city website. Every Common Council meeting is broadcast live on HTTV Verizon channel 30 and Comcast channel 36 and 34. The meeting will also be broadcast live on the City of Summit YouTube Channel.
At the May 18 meeting, council held a hearing on the 2021 Municipal Budget, as well as budgets for the Parking Utility and Sewer Utility. Council delayed the vote to allow time for the state budget reviewer to approve the budget. The city has received approval of its budget and council will vote to adopt the 2021 Municipal, Sewer, and Parking Utility budgets at this meeting. Taxpayers can expect a total decrease in taxes of 0.23% (or $42.66 for the average residential assessed valuation.) Prior to voting on the budget, council will hear a resolution to amend the budget to reflect a revision to the state aid for school debt service. Council will also amend the 2021 Capital Plan and Capital Budget to include additional funds, beyond what was approved in the 2019 Capital Budget, for the construction of the new Fire Headquarters adjacent to the Broad Street Garage commuter parking lot.
Council will vote on an annual ordinance to establish salary ranges for all city employees. The hearing on this ordinance was held at the June 14 meeting
Council will hold hearings and vote on two Community Programs and Parking Services ordinances. The first is to provide for one hour of free parking within a 24-hour period in all three Deforest Avenue lots and prohibits overnight parking in Deforest Lot 1. The second ordinance will provide for six metered parking spots for employees on Park Avenue.
Council will introduce an ordinance to increase the pay rate for off-duty police officers contracted by the Summit Board of Education for non-traffic jobs. This ordinance implemented by the Board of Education will reflect a rate change from $40 to $50 per hour and align with what other school districts are paying. The hearing will be held on July 27.
The Finance Committee will introduce three bond ordinances to fund the 2021 Capital Budget, including the sewer budget and the share of the sewer improvements assessed every three years to be paid by Summit to the Joint Meeting of Essex and Union. Hearings on these bond ordinances will be on July 27.
Council will consider three additional Finance Committee resolutions to (1) authorize salaries and cost of living increases for employees who do not qualify for step or longevity increases; (2) authorize the execution of a contract with Primepoint for payroll, human resources, and time and attendance services; and (3) authorize an adjusted cable franchise fee payment to HTTV for 2021.
Council will hear two Safety and Health Committee resolutions. The first is to appoint a new police officer. The second is to execute an agreement with Bridgeway Behavioral Health Services to provide mental health and social services resources to members of the Summit community at no cost to the city.
Community Programs and Parking Services Committee will introduce two resolutions to declare vacancies in the Parking Services Agency.
The Capital Projects and Community Services Committee will introduce ten resolutions. Three of the resolutions are related to the Broad Street West Redevelopment Project. The first amends the access agreement between the city and redevelopers to allow redevelopers access to the site to perform due diligence activities. The second authorizes the submission of an application for funding under the Department of Environmental Protection site remediation program for the Fire House site. The third resolution amends the professional services agreement for legal services for Broad Street West redevelopment. Now that the city is in the process of negotiating the redevelopment agreement, the not-to-exceed value for legal fees in the agreement needs to be amended to cover increased costs. These legal fees will be reimbursed by the redeveloper.
Council will consider a resolution to award the bid for the Edgar Street Improvement Project for the repair of sidewalks and curbs, drainage improvements, and milling and paving and another resolution to authorize the execution of an annual agreement with Union County for funding from the Community Development Block Grant Program.
Finally, council will vote to authorize the submission of five grant applications to the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) for: (1) Phase 3 Village Green Pedestrian Safety Project; (2) Bikeways Grant application for Phase 2 of the Summit Parkline; (3) 2022 Grant Application for Briant Parkway Improvement Project; (4) 2022 Grant Application for Prospect Street Improvement Project; and (5) 2022 Safe Streets to Transit Project.
To view the complete Common Council agenda, go to https://www.cityofsummit.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/536?fileID=29023
Next Common Council Meeting: Tuesday, July 27, 2021 at 7:30PM in Council Chamber at City Hall.
Printable agenda preview: https://www.cityofsummit.org/DocumentCenter/View/5943/Fox-Council-President-Preview-070621