[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6651926,"mediaKeyId","2497247-ab0a830b683c37a7536f3e5ea4a3db32","parentId",2497247,"title","Votes at a glance: Trenton council approves ordinances, property sale and shared-services items on March 4","audioSeconds",3157,"startMs",2161000,"endMs",5318000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2497247-ab0a830b683c37a7536f3e5ea4a3db32&start=2161&end=5318","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2497247-ab0a830b683c37a7536f3e5ea4a3db32/thumbnail_2161000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6651926/Trenton/Mercer-County/New-Jersey/Votes-at-a-glance-Trenton-council-approves-ordinances-property-sale-and-shared-services-items-on-March-4","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6651926-dbad09e1416b81120cc176e6354c613f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174086&Signature=VviKr~p3C5arrZcbPqZIMLxjFktTddgAYzOmLz6yerA8xUC8kcC5AuEDO9mpm3EDCQRYhgstUSMEdVXxMfmopr9IcI1QLo91AUbRZJjJTyVM8Ket~c9UiunSfsxuYO~D9OGBUnC-5ape~bsjC6Jg5iDhPzDNyyQvz9BckYOcM~MmZRb9lZu8Ho0ChgQVKzwzIQ~hKyIFenXRQCUuY-W87YuBGWVMPPEYPb~mrzMtb1na4o6X4rvVKhK~7U7jQbVe5zaX3jaJ-nYQCYcODiTCfLB6TcG8MQRbGhJIHjR0cilifAGWy4z72m4FszqNCn-pw5fdQKyXpEjd3VYiozy~Yw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Trenton","date","2025-03-05T01:21:05.51Z","article","The Trenton City Council on March 4 approved a package of ordinances, property-sale and shared-services items, most by unanimous roll-call votes and several as part of a consent agenda.

Items approved at the meeting included:

- Ordinance 205-7: An ordinance amending Chapter 113 (Food Handling), Article 1 (Retail Food Establishment Code), section 113-4 (fees). Council held a public hearing and approved the ordinance by roll call.

- Ordinance 205-8: An ordinance authorizing the sale of city-owned property commonly known as 196 Pennington Avenue (Block 6705, Lot 4) to Charles C. Lewis for a sale price of $5,000 pursuant to NJSA 40A:12-13(c). The measure passed by roll call.

- Resolutions 2484 & 2485 (walk-ons): The council authorized extension of a shared-services agreement with Mercer County to provide public-health services (resolution 2484) and approved a shared-services agreement with the Mercer County Improvement Authority (MCIA) for work at the Eagle Tavern (resolution 2485). Council members asked about MCIA’s role as property manager and were told the final management agreement and operator selections will require council review and contractual approvals.

- Approvals of long-term tax-exemption financial agreements: Ordinances approving applications for long-term tax exemptions and settlement agreements were approved for Veil Urban Renewal Limited Partnership (Block 18202, Lot 1) and Realty Management Trenton Urban Renewal LLC / IOP Pennington Urban Renewal LLC (Block 4201, Lot 1).

- Competitive contracting for police training (Resolutions 25082 & 25083): Council authorized use of competitive contracting to procure training services for police officers, citing the need to evaluate vendors on experience and other elements beyond price and to allow contract terms longer than a single-year professional-services contract.

- Resolution regarding an officer’s back pay (25-076): Council reviewed a request to make an officer financially whole after two federal jury exonerations and a judge’s critical opinion of prosecutorial conduct. The law director explained the statute requires the municipality to make the employee whole if the employer did not provide representation and the employee prevailed. Council approved the payment on the record.

Other routine items passed on consent included approval of minutes, communications, petitions and various routine resolutions listed on the agenda. Several items were extracted from consent for brief discussion prior to approval.

Votes: Each vote listed on the record was taken by roll call. For consent-agenda items the clerk read a consolidated consent list and the council approved it by roll call. Individual roll-call tallies are recorded in the meeting minutes and the clerk announced each motion carried where applicable.

What council members asked: On the Eagle Tavern item, Councilwoman Feliciano asked about MCIA’s role, who would collect rent and who makes the final decision on vendor/operator selection; BA Maria Richardson and administration staff said a later management agreement will specify responsibilities and that the city would retain ownership of the property. On competitive contracting for police training BA Maria Richardson explained the procurement rationale: competitive contracting allows evaluation of experience and the option to award contracts with extensions beyond a single year.

The meeting closed with public comment and routine adjournment.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Trenton City Council Combined Meeting, March 4, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Trenton City Council approved several ordinances, property sales and shared-services agreements on March 4, including fee changes to the retail food code, sale of 196 Pennington Avenue, long-term tax-exemption agreements and walk-on resolutions extending public-health shared services and authorizing MCIA work at Eagle Tavern.","taxTitle","Trenton, Mercer County, New Jersey","taxId",2758,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6651931,"Council tables ordinance on council liaisons after members seek more edits and a clean copy",1440,3694000,5134000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2497247-ab0a830b683c37a7536f3e5ea4a3db32&start=3694&end=5134","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2497247-ab0a830b683c37a7536f3e5ea4a3db32/thumbnail_3694000.jpg","/articles/6651931/Trenton/Mercer-County/New-Jersey/Council-tables-ordinance-on-council-liaisons-after-members-seek-more-edits-and-a-clean-copy","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6651931-47f33b436caac7005621d546e976bd56/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174086&Signature=O9XdIvgieiVKXes9DQU0N0-lJGS-wPLg2zPq~EksgrWLrpjaBeX0clbE5Rsdgny0LP0E9OKUd~gb8ZWYTYzZcy06pkAhTnxtsp2RwkyKjpAE3cJ6LqNNNY9Q6JH33GZ57x1D1aiRA0wdVdROzv30DtOJjM44izutYQgM4JY7lCbR39yFvub6UEew~wt1as1KXNPjZtgszWDQ7~7U0gmtWr2BhhyuoSsslkwVV98v8auf5UesqPBAmb57l-EYPmkJmDod7NtqCsX12NJ61QGzFAjkl4fa76tRdO-6I~vBLbkd9fJQvlZn~nzSKVqZlGblW2xqq-jT4t-Zw6RwA2srBw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Trenton City Council on March 4 introduced an ordinance that would formalize council-member liaison roles to certain boards and commissions, but after extended debate the council voted to table the measure to a later public meeting so sponsors can provide a revised clean copy.

Why it matters: The ordinance would change how council members serve as liaisons to boards and commissions, set terms for liaison appointments, and add reporting expectations. Council members said the draft returned to the floor did not reflect changes discussed at an earlier meeting and asked for clarifications before a final vote.

Council discussion focused on several specific provisions. Proposed changes agreed on the floor before the tabling included reducing the liaison term from a two-year term to a one-year term, removing a required liaison-report agenda item, and deleting language in a compliance section that allowed the council president to reassign a liaison for failure to perform duties. The sponsor and council vice president said the ordinance had been discussed previously and that some edits were intended to be made ahead of the meeting but were not incorporated; other council members urged tabling so the final text would reflect work already done.

Council Vice President moved and the council voted first to rescind a prior motion related to introduction and then to amend the ordinance on the record (one-year term; strike reporting requirement; remove section 5; remove section 7.2). Multiple members said they preferred a clean, edited document for the full council to review rather than making further edits in open session.

Final procedural action: Following amendment debate the council voted to table the ordinance until the next public meeting; the clerk recorded the motion carried. Council members stated the item will return for reintroduction as a first reading after the sponsor and clerk circulate the revised language for review.

The discussion illustrated a recurring complaint among members that changes requested at prior meetings were not reflected in the copy presented to the council, prompting a request for better document management ahead of votes.","An ordinance to establish council-member liaisons to boards and commissions was introduced and amended on the floor, then tabled for a later meeting after council members said prior requested edits had not been incorporated.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6651935,"Trenton council confirms Dr. Carlos Diego Minocappelli as permanent director of Health and Human Services",1839,161000,2000000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2497247-ab0a830b683c37a7536f3e5ea4a3db32&start=161&end=2000","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2497247-ab0a830b683c37a7536f3e5ea4a3db32/thumbnail_161000.jpg","/articles/6651935/Trenton/Mercer-County/New-Jersey/Trenton-council-confirms-Dr-Carlos-Diego-Minocappelli-as-permanent-director-of-Health-and-Human-Services","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6651935-0bc4099bceb4600ad5360980a96af52c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771174086&Signature=CEJdRaRAJNs5pbggbA-6lxM3swZfDQIY2UKTuq0A7KmYvusVDyk0DDnLbMg4LbjoiAI5J8mNP9S9e0J2jOzvXoGcZqFx13H4QeZNDVqO6W0-rp-0wjt8mIq4J7LSInAY8rXT7ob4eQbvGTzyIE68BZH4F63zBIRAFzQ1ERy6YgEDtMegZ-Gk35DP5u0uZB6elpqEUHfNIsyg4EpRrlioaurt~G1Ixbq7IkRvGARfI8jrLXVxS9310tjnsnfT2k6ZopGv86x4mSwBBO-g5GLdC-D3cgyhYZ-fZWk9JHnkjhFs112KjAYsVBxAsEL8xREEVt8ONuOxZdGTnvZdxdAKEw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Trenton City Council on March 4 unanimously approved a resolution confirming Dr. Carlos Diego Minocappelli as the permanent director of the city's Department of Health and Human Services.

Council members approved resolution 205-78 by roll call after the mayor formally nominated Minocappelli and described his academic background and work since serving as interim director.

Why it matters: Council members said Minocappelli stabilised day-to-day public-health services during a period of turnover, led emergency-housing and animal-shelter responses and oversaw projects funded by federal ESG (Emergency Solutions Grant) and CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) awards.

Mayor (unnamed) introduced the nomination and noted Minocappelli’s academic training and immediate actions as interim director. The mayor said Minocappelli completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and advanced clinical-research training at Harvard Medical School and “has taken decisive action as interim director … bringing structure and direction to ensure that critical services for Trenton residents remain uninterrupted.”

Council members asked Minocappelli about near-term goals. Minocappelli described multiple strands of work: animal-shelter operations, administration of ESG-funded homelessness services, continuing lead-testing outreach and clinic upgrades. He said the city’s ESG-funded programs had served 2,114 residents and that the department’s continuity-of-care effort had assisted about 306 individuals, leveraging roughly $1.6 million in federal funds.

On the animal shelter, Minocappelli told the council the department has reorganized shelter management, expanded surveillance and intake oversight, and recently handled an unprecedented throughput: roughly 72–77 dogs entering the system over a two-month span, of which 10 were adopted, transferred to rescues or reclaimed. He said the city is finishing renovations at a Columbus facility to use as an overflow/displacement site and hopes to phase out an out-of-county kennel arrangement in Bucks County once the Columbus location comes online.

Council members pressed for specifics about enforcement and staffing. Councilwoman Figueroa Kettenberg raised ongoing concerns about after-hours calls, public access to the shelter for browsing animals, coordination with police animal-control officers and the enforcement of the city’s breeding ordinance. Mayor (unnamed) and Minocappelli said enforcement is constrained by limited resources and that animal-control officers are part of the police department; Minocappelli said the department accepts tips and follows up but cannot operate 24/7 on every lead.

Asked about advisory board appointments for animal welfare, Minocappelli said the department had completed initial interviews for several candidates and was finishing secondary interviews before making recommendations to the mayor. He said the advisory board would advise on policy and ordinances rather than daily shelter operations and expected the board to meet quarterly but “probably biweekly” while shelter issues are pressing.

Minocappelli also described planned facility improvements and outreach: replacing HVAC systems and flooring in clinics, restoring clinic services, expanding health-promotion teams for vaccinations and lead testing, and a stepped-up community testing schedule. On lead outreach he said early events tested 10, later events tested 50 and then 100 people, demonstrating increased community uptake as outreach expands.

Council members expressed broad support for Minocappelli’s appointment. Councilwoman Frisbie: “I think he's done exceptional work in our community … he doesn't sit behind the desk. He's out there in the community, and he's actually doing the work to find out where the need is.” Councilwoman Williams said she would vote yes and praised improvements to health buildings and outreach. Councilman Harrison and other members also voiced support before the roll-call vote.

Action: The council moved and seconded the resolution to confirm Minocappelli and recorded unanimous votes in favor; the clerk announced “Motion carried.”

The confirmation leaves the department’s ongoing projects — including shelter expansion, CDBG-funded street-repaving and senior-center rehabilitation — under Minocappelli’s oversight as permanent director. Council members asked for and received commitments that the advisory-board process, clinic upgrades and shelter transitions would proceed in coordination with staff and be reported back to the council.","The Trenton City Council on March 4 confirmed Dr. Carlos Diego Minocappelli as the permanent director of the Department of Health and Human Services, citing leadership on the animal shelter, ESG and CDBG-funded projects, and public-health outreach.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: Trenton council approves ordinances, property sale and shared-services items on March 4

Council tables ordinance on council liaisons after members seek more edits and a clean copy

Trenton council confirms Dr. Carlos Diego Minocappelli as permanent director of Health and Human Services