At the meeting on Tuesday, April 18, Mayor Nora Radest presented the Mayor for a Day Award to Yuming Yang. The Honorary Mayor read his winning essay and provided the mayor’s update during the meeting.

During his report, Council President Vartan congratulated the honorary Mayor on his award and City Administrator Michael Rogers, for his recent nomination as Business Administrator of the Year from the Gateway Regional Chamber of Commerce. He also reported that he will not be present at the council meeting on May 2 as he will be traveling abroad for a wedding.

The council heard two presentations. The first was from Girl Scout Troop #41160 on their "Take Action" Project, and the other was the annual presentation of the Municipal Operating Budget from City Administrator Michael Rogers. The Council President expresses his appreciation to City Administrator Rogers, CFO Tammie Baldwin, the finance team, and the council finance committee for their incredibly hard work in this most challenging budget year.

The council adopted two statutorily required resolutions to formally introduce the municipal budget and the Special Improvement District operating budgets. Hearings for both are set for the council meeting on May 16, which by law must be held at least 28 days after the introduction.

A hearing was held on the ordinance that repeals and replaces the flood plain management regulations of our city code. This was required by the State of New Jersey and was adopted.

Council adopted several other resolutions including awarding bids for road improvement and sidewalk projects, co-sponsorship of the Parkline Foundation's bridge dedication event that was held Saturday April 22, and a grant submission related to pedestrian and traffic safety.

After a lengthy discussion and a considerable amount of community input, the council adopted a resolution to join the Union County Comprehensive Emergency Assistance System and Continuum of Care (CEAS/CoC). This is a group of non-profits, agencies, and various government entities in Union County working to end homelessness. After considerable thought and reflection following the meeting, Council President Vartan appointed Councilmember Andy Minegar to be the primary representative on the CoC committee for Summit and Councilmember Lisa Allen to fill the role of alternate.

Finally, there were many public comments that focused on the Maple Street closure last year in 2022.

Council President Vartan states: “I understand there has been concern, misunderstanding, and confusion about the process that led to the path taken by the council and what was required of the city to effectuate the closure. After the meeting, I requested a thorough review of the process by City Administrator Michael Rogers, the City Solicitor, and city staff. I hope this review will help council, city staff, and the community to gain a better understanding of the process undertaken to adopt the ordinance and the subsequent steps. This clarity and transparency will help to identify any areas for improvement that can inform future initiatives.”

To watch the meeting, please visit the City of Summit YouTube channel.