178  City Council Meeting Minutes- -I March25,2024  City Council Chambers, City Building, 161 West Scribner Avenue, DuBois, Pennsylvania on! Monday, March 25,2 2024, at 6p p.m.; Council convened att their regular City Council Meeting with Mayor Pat Reasinger in the Chair. Other Council Members present were. James Aughenbaugh(byr phone), Shane Dietz, Elliot Gelfand andJ Jennifer. Jackson. Also present were: Interim City Manager/City Engineer/Public' Works Director, Chris Nasuti; Interim City Solicitor, Thomas Breth; CodeE Enforcement Officer, Zacl Lawhead; Redevelopment/ Authority Director, Joe Mitchell; Interim Police Chief Shawn McCleary; Treasurer Lisa LaBrascal Becker; City Controller David Volpe; and Administrative. Secretary, Korbis Slocum. Ther meeting was calledt to order at6 61 p.m. andi the Pledge of Allegiance wasl led! by Reasinger. Council meti in Executive! Session priort tot tonight's meetingt to discuss legal and personnel issues. Mayor Reasinger clarifieda a comment fromi the March 4, 2024, meetingr regarding his water bills. "One othert thing I'di liket tos sayi is,t there wasa ay waterb billi ina at tenant's name. Wheni ity was discovered, itwas  ExecutiveSession (legala andp personnel issues)  immediately changed." Public Comments onA Agendal Items Only There werer nop public comments ona agendai items. Approval of Minutes City Council Minutes- - March11,2024  The motion wasr madeb by Gelfand ands seconded by Dietz that Council approve the City Council Meeting Minutes of March1 11,2024, asp presented. Roll call was asf follows: Gelfand, yea; Dietz, yea; Aughenbaugn, Ther motion wasr madel by. Jackson: ands seconded by Gelfandt top payt the Auto Draft Check Register by CheckI IDC dated March: 21, 2024,1 int the amount of$ $5,230.44- Roll call was asf follows: Gelfand, yea; Dietz, Ther motion wasr madeb by Dietz ands secondedb by. Jackson top pay the General Fund Purchase Order Listing byV Vendor Name datedN March: 21, 2024, int thea amount of$315,247.24. Roll call was asf follows: Gelfand, yea; Dietz,) yea; Aughenbaugn,; yea; Jackson,) yea; Reasinger,yea. Motion passed 5-0. Ther motion was madel by. Jackson ands seconded by Gelfandt top pay the PennVEST Check Register) by Check ID dated March: 20, 2024, int thea amount of$1,638,950.22. Roll callv was asf follows: Gelfand,) yea; Dietz, yea; Aughenbaugh, yea;. Jackson, yea; Reasinger, yea. Motion passeds 5-0. Ther motion wast madeb by. Jackson ands seconded by Gelfandi tot table payment of $7,000.001 tol Purrfect Paws untila an! RFPi fors services canb bej put out' justt to! be ont thes safes side'. Roll cally was asf follows: Gelfand, yea; Dietz, yea; Aughenbaugh,; yea; Jackson, yea; Reasinger, abstain. Reasinger abstained because his wifei ist the Director ofF Purrfect Paws. Motion passed 4-0. Resolution of Condolence- Charles Thomas' "Tom" Swauger, Sr. Jacksonr readt the Resolution of Condolence whichy wass signed! by Council and willl be givent tot the family.  yea; Jackson, yea; Reasinger, yea. Motion passed5 5-0.  Registry ofI Invoices  yea; Aughenbaugh, yea;. Jackson, yea; Reasinger, yea. Motion passed5-0.  RESOLUTION  WHEREAS, the CityofDuBols saddenedtolearno ofthec "Tom"s Sr,onMarchi 15,2 2024;and WHEREAS, CharlesT Thomas" "Tom": Swauger,s Sr,) jolnedtheD teer Hose ofthecityo alwaysc lowc ctizens.. Chlefswaugers thansoy years. The thec dayo ofhisp passing. NOW, ands sorrow: hisfamllyf fort thelr personallo loss. ot thef ofCharlesT Thomas" "Tom" Swauger,Sr. foregoingisat on March25,2 2024, Resolutionh hasbeenr dayofMarch204. Aly  former Fire Chlefande exemplary dtizen, CharlesT Thomas FireD Departmentinigs6, wasa amembero ofVolun onlyb byt the! best Interestsofhisfe activen  1972 fllngthisin Important positiony witho distinctiona anda advantagete tot theta taxpayers tot theh highesto degreelnt thisp posltiono boards and committees,n mostn notably beingadelegatet the RellefA wastr trulyalifelong callingforc Chlefs bythe Governing BodyinCounella assembledt thisashd dayo ofMarchz 2024, thatite CharlesT Thomas" Tom"s Swauger,s Sr., andh hereby oflicallye extendane expressionofprotound RESOLVED, thatthis Resolutionb bes spread upont ther ottismwtnge-sbatae thereofbe RESOLVED, thatt theN Mayor: andaty Coundlofthed Cityo ofDuBols, Pennsylvanla, hereby certifythatthe copyo ofaR Resolutio dulya adoptedbya amajority" voteoftheD DuBois clyCoundlatareglar: meetingheld  formore  Fire  the Minutes Cty Counclla remalnsine  WHEREOF, wes setourhandsa ando causethed Officlals selofthe-diyofDubals Pennsylvania,t  agy OBEpAi Jackson S 239 UNCIL  -   NGne    179  City Council Meeting Minutes- - March 25, 2024 (continued)  OLDI BUSINESS  Second Reading of Council Billl No.1 1982 A Amend Industrial Sewer Use Ordinance  This isa an Ordinance ofthe City of DuBois amending Chapter 340, Article' V, Sections 340-43-2 ofthe Code of Ordinances ofthe City of DuBoist tou update the Maximum. Allowable Loading Limits oft the Industrial Sewer Uset regulations. Ther motion wasr madel by. Jackson ands seconded! by Gelfandt to acceptt thes second reading of Council Billl No. 1982- - Amend Industrial Sewer Use Ordinance. Roll call was asf follows: Gelfand, yea; Dietz, yea;A Aughenbaugh, yea; Jackson, yea; Reasinger,yea. Motion passed5 5-0. This is fori informationt tor remind everybody the deadlinei isAprilifort thel Municipal Solicitor position. Att thel lastr meeting Shirley madea aj presentation. Thei information! isi int the Council packet. Has Council made: a decision ast to whether or nott they are providing financial support, in-kind support, or howy you want tor move forward? Jackson madet the motion to offer $20,000.00. Gelfand explained, "Ini the additional proposai that wev were sent! byt thej president ofthel Downtown! Board, theya amendedt their request toa ask for $20,000.00 and ana additional: $10,000.001 for matchingi ifthey can raise $10,000.001 from corporations ore entitiesi int the community. There was ana additional $10,000.00 for redevelopment. Can we consider: al motiont to givet the $20,000.00 andi the $10,000.00 ift they are ablet tor raise those funds and grants," Brethr replied, "You needi tol have a contract withi themf for what they'res spendingt the money on andt thes services theya arep providing." Reasinger said, "We dol have ac contract but I'm not happy withi it because itd does say" 'peryear'. I'm not! happy with makingak long-term commitment." The contractv willb be Ther motion was madel by. Jackson ands seconded by Gelfandt tot tablet ther matter until Breth can review the contracta anda advise Council. Roll call was ast follows: Gelfand, yea; Dietz,) yea; Aughenbaugh, yea; Jackson, yea; Reasinger,y yea. Motion passed5 5-0. Reasinger explained, "Thel big part, soi ith benefitst the City andy your group, is gettingthef federal accreditation." That process takes abouta ay year to complete. AI letter was received by Program Director Zac Wilcox requesting the use ofs some facilities: two tennis courts on1 Tuesday eveningst from 5:00-7:00 pmi from May; 21t through August 61 for Spring/Summer tennis lessons, twot tennis courts on Wednesday evenings from 5:00-5:45 pmi from. July1 10-31 fory youth tennis lessons, 1basketball court on! Monday evenings from 6:00-9:00 pmi from. June 31 through. July: 291 for Summer basketball! league, andt thef footballi field on! Monday and' Wednesday: afternoons: from 4:15-5:15 pmi from April 8t through May 15f foryouth wifflel balll league. The motion was madeb by. Jacksona and seconded by Gelfandt toa approvet ther requestf from the' YMCA. The reservations willb be posted ont the doors oft the facilities. Aughenbaugh: askedi lifthere area any otherr reservations fort thesei facilities. Nasuti replied," "Noti tor my knowledge. Becauset therei isr nof formal process to reserve thesef facilities, Iwantedto bringi it! here ands get Council'sa approval." Roll call was ast follows: Gelfand,yea; Dietz, yea;A Aughenbaugh, Thisi is pavementr markings for ours streets. We're doingt thisi inc cooperation with Sandy" Township. Thisi is ana annualp project for center lines, crosswalks, turninga arrows, allt thes safety precautions wer need tol have atc ouri intersections. Ther motion wasr made! by Dietz ands secondedh by Gelfandt to approve authorization tob bidf for2 20241 pavement markings. Roll caliv was asi follows: Gelfand, yea; Dietz, yea; Aughenbaugn, yea; Thisi ist for chemicals we use att the waterp plant, sewer plant and swimming pool.. Wel bidt them out annuallyt to get competitive prices. The motion wasi madel by. Jackson ands seconded by Dietz to approve authorization' tob bidf for2 2024 cheriçals. Roll call was asf follows: Gelfand,) yea; Dietz,) yea; Aughenbaugh, Recommendation: to Award W. Washington, Avenue' Waterline Construction Contract Thisi is our CDBG project onv W. WashingtonA Avenue. Wer recommend: awardingi itt to Smith Landscaping pendinga approval oft their federal clearance through the www.sam.gov website. The motion was made by. Jackson: ands seconded by Gelfand to approve awardingt the contract to Smithl Landscaping pending their federal approval. Roll call was asf follows: Gelfand, yea; Dietz, yea; Aughenbaugh,; yea;. Jackson,) yea;  RFP for Municipal. Solicitor- - Proposals Due! by April1,2024 Downtown DuBois Requesti for Financial Support  givent to Brethi forr review.  NEWE BUSINESS  YMCA- Memoriall Park Facility Reservations  yea;. Jackson, yea; Reasinger,) yea. Motion passed: 5-0. Request Authorization" to Bidz 2024 Pavement Markings Jackson, yea; Reasinger,) yea. Motion passed: 5-0. Request Authorization to Bidz 2024 Chemicals yea; Jackson, yea; Reasinger,) yea. Motionp passed5 5-0.  Reasinger,yea. Motionp passed5 5-0.    180  City Council Meeting Minutes - Marchz 25, 2024 (continued)  Recommendationt to Award Bids ConcreteP Patching  We! hadab bid opening and received oneb bidi from Clear Run Construction Company in the amount of $845-30 per cubicy yard. Thisisat two-year contract forz 2024 and: 2025. The previous rate wep paid was about $780.00 per cubicy yard. Ther motion wasr madeb by Gelfand and: seconded by Dietz to awardt the contracti to Clear Run Construction for: 2024 andz 2025. Roll callv was asf follows: Gelfand,) yea; Dietz,) yea; Wel hada al bid opening andi received two bids onei from BK Asphalta and one from Glenn O. Hawbaker. Thel low bidy was $73.00 pers squarey yardf from BKA Asphalt. The previous rate we paidy was $67.00 per squarey yard. Wei recommend: awardingt the bid to BKA Asphaltf for2 2024 andz 2025. Ther motion was made by. Jacksona ands seconded! by Dietzt to awardi thec contract toE BKA Asphalt for: 2024 andz 2025. Roll call was as follows: Gelfand, yea; Dietz,) yea; Aughenbaugh, yea; Jackson, yea; Reasinger,yea. Motion passed 5-0. Resolution! No.: 2024-0379 Authorizinga and Approving thel Issuance of Debt with Sandy Township int the Thisi ist their loani through CDBGf for Platt Road: sewer project. Breths said, "Wel had: sent at red-linedi revision back to SandyT Township. They've responded. There were concerns with respect tol language asking Councilt tor ratify prior actions. It's my understandingt that thej project! has been completed. I'm not aware ofv whati thosep priora actions were, sol can't counsel you ont thats section. Theys senta ared-lined version back basically puttingt that! language backi in. Ifyou're comfortable ratifyingy witht that! language int there, that's upt toy you. The motion wasr madeb by. Jackson: ands seconded! by Gelfandt to approve Resolution No. 2024-0379: authorizinga anda approving thei issuance of debt with Sandy Township int thet form ofa Section 108 Loan. Roll call was asf follows: Gelfand, yea; Dietz, yea; Aughenbaugh, yea;. Jackson, yea; Reasinger, This ist top putar restroom over atJ Juniatal Lake Park. Wer needar resolution1 from Council: so we can apply for thatt throughaD DCNR, program. Ther restroom willl bel locatedr near thep pavilion and will be openy year- round. Ther motion was madeb by. Jackson ands seconded! by Dietz toa approve Resolution No.: 2024-038ofor the. Juniatal Lake restroom project. Roll call was ast follows: Gelfand, yea; Dietz, yea; Aughenbaughyea; Aresident has asked about turningy West Weber Avenue at Franklin into at two-way crossing. Rightnow, it'sa one-way railroad crossing. Ireached outt tol PennDOT andt ther railroad andi it looks like we're goingto be ablet to dot that. Ineedt to geti information: fromi ther railroad andt then we'll have toi file with the PUC,5O Lasty year, wer receiveda al loan! line of creditt to dot thet fieldi improvement projecti int the park. We only have until the end ofr next weekt to draw down. Our options aret to closei it orr request a) year's extension. We don'th have: any plans orL use fort the loan right now. Thet motion was madel by Gelfanda ands seconded! by Jacksont toa allow thel line of credit tos sunset. Roll call was asf follows: Gelfand,) yea; Dietz,yea; Thisv was discusseda att the. Joint Boardr meeting on' Wednesdayi for Shawn Arbaugh to! bet the City Manager forb both City of DuBois ands Sandy Township andi for me (Nasuti) tos serve as the Engineer for bothi the City of DuBoisa and SandyT Township. Ifpassed, that agreement would become effective April22, 2024. Each wouldr receive ana additional $15,000.00 per) year and anticipate being presenti in each! buildingr most days duringt the week. Ther motion wasr made! by. Jackson ands seconded! by Gelfandt to approve the Intergovernmental. Cooperation, Agreement as presented. Roll call was asf follows: Gelfand,! yea; Dietz, yea; Aughenbaugh, yea;. Jackson, yea; Reasinger,yea. Motion passed 5-0. "First,! Iwant tot thank) youf fort the Resolution: for Chief Swauger. Wel had discussed coming! here oncea montht tos give an update onv what's! happeningi int thel Fire Department. We wantt to dos somethingf for our membersi fort thes specific achievements they do. Wea are doingo church washdowns. We're goingto! be at the Sunny1 106 Kids' Fair April7f from 12:30-3:00 pma at Central Catholic High Schoolg giving firetruckr rides. CenCleari ish havinga an eventf for child abuse preventioni month onA April 13 at1 10:00 ama and we willl bet there withi thet trucks. The downtown washdown! is plannedi for Sunday, April: 212 at 6:00j pm. Fire Schoolis going on. We'vel hadt thet trucksa and guys volunteeringt their weekends witht thel kids. The City) has several  Aughenbaugh, yea;. Jackson, yea; Reasinger,) yea. Motion passed 5-0.  Bituminous Patching  Form oft the Section 1081 Loan  yea. Motion passed5-0.  Resolution! No. 2024-0380. Juniatal Lake! Restroom! Project Jackson,) yea; Reasinger,yea. Motion passed5-0. West Weber Avenue Railroad Crossing  it's goingt to take a couple ofr months. Thisi is anu update ont the progress we'ver made.  Memoriall Park Construction Loan: and! Line of Credit  Aughenbaugh, yea; Jackson, yea; Reasinger,y yea. Motion passed 5-0.  Intergovernmental. Cooperation. Agreement  Public Comments Leo Brooks-A Assistant Fire Chief    181  City Council Meeting Minutes- = March25, 2024 (continued)  Leo Brooks -A Assistant Fire Chief (continued)  young people participatingi int that. Ast far asf fundraisers, 3rWardish havingt theirr meatloaf dinner April7 at1 11:00 am. The Volunteers willl havet their Fireman's Platter sale on! May 19th. Wel have ai membera at3"d Ward who has 70) yearsir int the department on March7 7th. You probably know! him, Sam McNaughton. Heis still activea and comest to every meetinga andf fundraiser. He deserves to ber recognized byt the community. "Inr regards tot the Treasurer's insistence ona a motion! beingr madet to open an accountf fort ther new Neighborhood Fund, my questiont tot the Treasureri is, Did youi insist onr motions beingr madet to openthe manya accounts that were opened for Mr. Suplizio usingt the City's EIN number for his personal use?" LaBrasca Becker replied,' "Inevers sawa an EINI number. The only EINr numberI sawi is onr my tax reports. Thei Neighborhood Fund Pat broughtto usi inJanuary; it was opened withouti it getting permission first. Then Irealized, after readingt ther minutes, it wasn't voted on, sol Iasked Councili to vote oni ity which our Solicitors suggests that happens allt thet time. So,1 Itook our Solicitor's advice, andI lasked Councilt to vote "There! has beenr mucht talk recently concerning the bonuses quietly paidt tol key members of our DuBois governmenti from: 20141 toz 2022. Thep paying ofb bonuses ofa any kindi is highly unusuala andr notad common practicei inr municipalg govemment. Greg Primm, pastp president fort the association thata advocates for professionalism: ande ethicsi inl local governments saidt that 'giving bonuses tos government employees withouta a clear policy orp public discussion is not ap practicet thatl have evers seen any municipality do orl I'm accustomed tos seeingi ina any way, especially bonusesi int the amounts giveni in! DuBois'. That quote was takenf from the Spotlight PA, November 9, 2023, thet title oft the article written by Min Xian and Angela Couloumbus, investigative journalists, wast titled' "Richest Little City". Min: and/ Angela obtained a RightTo Knowi from our DuBois Right7 Tol Know Officer. Atp present, that Officeri is Chris Nasuti. The gatekeeper priort tol Mr. Nasutiv was Toni Chery. The action of paying! bonuses was: not voted on byt the prior DuBois City Council. This proposal was quietly brought about by our former City! Manager. This past! bonus policy isveryt timely andr needsa attention now because att this time ourp present Councili is goingt throught the process oft terminating/ Mr. Suplizio from hist former positiona as City Manager. Theser monies shouldb be paid backtot the City! by Mr. Suplizio who enactedt thisp policy on! his owni for: nine years. Thisi issue should bep part oft the negotiationi fort the termination ofh his contract. Itis also worthr nothing, when thel bonus monies were paidt tol keys staffers, no checks werei issued. Thel bonus dollars were depositedi intoi the individualp payroll accounts. Also, ani interesting observation was, after thet threer raids byt the Attorney Generali inA April ofz 22, therey weres stilll bonuses paid outi ini December event though ani investigation was being conducted ond our City! Manager concerning thei financial practices of our City. The bonus policy was In2 2022 alone, our Finance Officer's bonus was $12,665-54; our Public Works Superintendent'sl bonus was $5,397.60; our Public Works Director/Engineer'si bonus was $7,907.65; our Redevelopment: Director's bonus was $8,582.78; our Water Billing Coordinator's! bonus was $599.44; our Deputy Treasurer's! bonus was $1,260.48;0 our Police Chief's bonus was $11,146.08; our Code Enforcement Officer's bonus was $2,339.22; our City Manager'sbonusi was $64,215.46; our ITD Director's! bonus was $1,000.36; our Administrative Clerk's bonus was $645-36; our other Administrative Clerk'sbonus was $354-09; our Administrative: Secretary'sb bonus was $1,342.66. Ifyouv weret tot total upt the salary for thei former City Manager for allr niney years, the amount would be $955,045.00. Niney years oft bonuses for our past City Manager was $157,358.54- The: attorney fees also paidt to ourf former City Managera approved! by prior Councii were $274,000.00. Thet total is $1,586,403-50. Thati isal lot ofr moneyf from ours small City. The bonus and! lawyerf fees needi tol be! paid back. One question that Ihavet that keepsr nigglingmei is, Why did no oner reportt thesel bonuses? Not the Treasurer, not thel Deputy Treasurer, not the Treasury Clerk, not the City Controlier, nott the Finance Director, not the Finance Clerk. Let us noti forget- the! bonusesin Brethr responded, "It think Mrs. Mechling didap pretty nicej jobs summarizing my comments. Ourrecords indicatei that thel bonus wouldg gol back event furthert than 2014." Reasingeri interjected, "2008." Breth continued,' "They go back, from what we'vel been ablei to determine, to: 2008. Obviously,) your questions withr respectto allt thei individuals- - elected: ande employees oft the Cityt that are charged with protecting thet taxpayers and expenditure oft taxpayer funds. Itaker my responsibility: as Solicitor very: seriously. That'sp part ofr my charge asas Solicitori ist tor make surei the City Council does things andi int thea appropriate legalr manner. How thati muchr money couldg go out oft taxpayer accounts withoutt there being City Council approval, withouti itd comingt tot the public sot the public couldu understand isbeyondi my,! I'vel been doing this fora al longt time, andI Irepresent: al lot ofs governmental entities. The concept ofh bonuses being awardedi is nots something that we've ever. We've dones supplemental payments for additional responsibilities andi unique circumstances. Those are always publiclya approved, So obviouslyi it's one of  (Thea audience responded witha around ofa applause.) Charlie Mechling- - Monroe Street  oni it. Good question. That'sh howi itv willl bet from now on."  Deb Mechling- -Monroe.s Street  ine effecti from: 20141 toz 2022. Niney yearst this was going on.  question are ourt tax dollars."    182  City Council Meeting Minutes. - March: 25, 2024 (continued)  Deb Mechling- Monroe Street (continued)  thei issues we arel lookinga at. One oft the otheri issuest that we'rel lookinga at, there are,! believe, 121 maybe 13b bank accountsi that! have the City'sE EINr number that dor not goi throught thes standard procedure fort the City! Managert to sign off, the Treasurer, the Controller, and another City representative. Thoses signature cards! havei individuals that aren'te elected ore employees ofthe City. That'sa another area where, once again, tor me, ass somebody that worksi int this areai ini the legalf field,t that's why youl hear whena ab bank account gets opened up, City Council approvest that bank account being opened up. They approvet the folks ont the signature cards. That'st taxpayer money. Idon't caret thes source oft ther money- Once ith hitsa banka account withi the City's EINI number, thati ist taxpayer money. That money hast tol be expended under the authority of City Council, andi ith hast tob be audited. Many oft these accounts, it's my understanding, have never been audited. That'ss shockingt tor me as aSolicitort that your would havet taxpayer funds, EIN numbers, whichs signifiest that those monies aret the City'sr monies andt they not be audited. Idon't know how that happens, buti it's one oft thet things that City Council has askedr met tot takea al looki into. Ittakes time tol looki intot theset things. Yes, City Councili is working oni it with me withi the City Manager. We're goingt tot tryt tos sort throught this, tryto geta answers. As we get answers we'llt try ands sharet that information asb best we can withy you. There area a number ofp personneli issuest thata are related1 toi many of thet things we'ret talkinga about. Thosep personneli issues are progressingt throught the process and, when appropriate, City Council willl have ont their agenda and share theira actions withr respect tot those personnel matters ast they cani inap public forum. So,t thaty youy very muchf fory your comments." Mechling Reasinger added,' "The bonuses weren'tj just tol key employees. Ithink everybodyi int this building, any non-union, Ithink, Chris, almoste everyr non-union.. ." Nasuti replied, "She read them: all." Bretha added," "It thinki it'si important tor note thatt there are elected officials and employees that,are specifically charged withi thej job, responsibility andt the electeds statutory responsibilityt tor make: sure publici funds, Cityf funds, aree expended properly. There are City employeest that receive performance bonusest thath have absolutely nothing, their jobi isn'tto dot that. And, not tos say that,! don't wantt them painted witht too! broad ofab brush. AndI I'm nots saying anybody's doingt that, butlthink thati it's important, fort thosei individuals that received bonuses,! I'm assumingt that a vast majority oft them didn't thinkt therev was anything wrongv withi itb becausei it's not withini the purview oft theirj job responsibilitiest to makes sure that City Council approvedit. When: somebodys says, "You're goingt to receive al bonus' those individuals, mosto oft themp probably said, "lassumei that's gone throught the: appropriate: approval process'. It's reallyt thoset that hadt thei fiduciary obligation, thath hadi the electedr responsibility,' hadt thej job responsibility tor makes suret thatt those bonuses were: appropriately: approved. Those aret the ones that City Councilreallyr needst tou understand, how didt the system break down, how doesi it needt tol be correctedr movingf forwards sot that we don't ever: seet this again andl looking! backwards saying, can we recoup that Cityt taxpayerr money, ina appropriate circumstances cani it gol backt tot ther residents thatp pay "My questioni isf for Attorney Breth. The1 13 accounts, can) youb ballpark for us whatt those might total?" Brethr replied, "Shawn, Iwishl could. Ireally can't. Some ofthem are very small ands some ofthem there's absolutely! legitimate reasonst tol have those accounts. The questioni is, why aren'tt they being audited, whya aren'tt they undert the control ofthe Mayor and City Council. Why aren't the expenditures out oft thosea account goingt through the appropriate expenditure process that City Councif should be followingv whent they'rer managingt taxpayer money ofa anyl kind." Lesky then asked," "So, thel bonuses, whent they werep paide electronically, whiche elected officials or employees would! have beent the onest to initiate the EFTs?" Brethr replied, "We'res stilll lookinga att that and, quite! honestly, Ihaven't! hadan opportunity tos speak with those individuals. So, beforel Istartr naming peoplel want tos show them the courtesy of and opportunity tor meet witht them and have an opportunity fori them tor respond anda answer questions beforel Is start publicly." Lesky continued, "Those 13 accounts, aret they being usedi ina any way now ora aret theyr more orl less frozena and grounded andp pending?" Breth answered, "No,t those 13 accounts: ares still active. Once again,1 Idon'twantt toi implyt that anybody that's utilizing any oft those 13 accountsi isn misappropriating' fundsi ina any way. I'mj justt tellingy yout that there's1 12 or 13 accounts outt there that havet the City'sE EIN numbert thata aren'tbeing: audited, thata aren'th beings scrutinized! byt the Controller andt thel Treasurera and City Council and Finance Director. That's ani issue. So, we need to unwindt that issue. Weneed tov work collaboratively withi folks tot transition that under the supervision and control of City Council, the Controller, thel Treasurer, the Finance Director, allt the other responsible individuals so that thosei funds can - andi the auditor. Ihaven't mentioned the: auditor- butt the auditor- the City'snew auditor, willr most certainly auditt thosef funds annually.". Lesky asked,* "Hast therel beena a wide net castt to seei ifthe City'sE EIN number has! been useda ata any otherb banks throughout the Commonwealth or the Uniteds States?" Breth replied, "Ar net hasb been cast. Whetheri it's wide enoughi isy yett to bes seen. But, yes." Lesky continued, "Td didn't! knowi ifthere companies like Checks Systems, for example, that could".  thanked Brethf forr responding.  thet taxes? So, that's whatv we'rev working on." Shawnl Lesky- DuBoisLIVE    183  City Council Meeting Minutes- - March25, 2024 (continued)  Shawn! Lesky-DuBoIsLIVE (continued) Tom Gusky-5.S StateStreet  Breths said," "Efforts! have been madet toi identify financiali institutionsi that wer may be unaware oft that have "Hel kind ofs stole myt thunder. was wondering, this river ofr moneyt thatf flows through here, who wasi it that allowed this moneyt to got tot these different people? And, Counselor,; your mentioned thesel bonuses, youa almostr make its sound! like Well, golly, it's OK'. Those are some prettys substantial bonuses. Idon't know Ifyoue ever workeda at regularj job, buth bonusesl liket that, I've never seen bonuses like that. The manager,t that last one was $65,000.00. That's over $1,000.00 aweekf forab bonus. Who'sv watchingthis stuff' is my question. Whoi is makingt that tol happen, allowt tor maket that happen. So,you're probably still working oni it, buti it'sjusts staggering. Whoi is' 'guardingt the guards"?" Jackson replied, "We're guarding now, Tom. We: ares guardingnow." Guskey said, "Ihope we can geti its straightened out." Speakingto Reasinger, "A couple ofv weeks agol askedy you aboutt tenants, about water bills beingir in the landiord'sr name. laskedy youtwice. Yout told mey youh hadt the recordsi iny yourt truck. Not true. Ist that whaty youy weret talkinga aboute earlier when yous stated.. " Reasingerr replied, "Yes. I've answeredt that. I addressedt that." Phillips continued, "How does that work? How do) you get awayy with itt that long? You'rer not new att ther rental! business. Somebody att the City... " Reasinger responded, "I don't know." Phillips said, "Come on, that's not ana answer. That's not: ana answer. How come everybody else has to do ita andy you got awayy with, you've! been renting! how manyy years?" Reasinger replied,' "'ve beena al landlord since: 2019." Phlips said, "You didn't knowt this," Reasinger answered, "No." "That's unacceptablet to me," Phillips stated. "'m ant uneducated person andik knowi that. Ihave rental places. Ithinky you! bold- face liedt tor me and! would: suggesty your resign." "Thaty won'tb be! happening,"F Reasinger responded. Phillipst then said," "Is suggest somebody on Councila asks) yout tor resign andI Iwant a second. It'stotally unacceptable. How cany yous sitt there andi run, bet the! Mayor, wheny you don'te even! knowt the rules?" Reasingerr responded, "Tc don'tk knowt the Water Department rules. Ididn't...' " Phillips interrupted, "You don't know thel landlordr rules? They telly yout that ass soon as) your runi the place." Att that point Breths spoke up. "Sorry, this justr reallyi isn't, the Mayor has answeredy your questions. Iappreciate youe expressing, your opinion, butl don'tt thinkt there's anythingt the Mayori isg goingto say to change your mind." Phillipss said, "No, he'sall liar. Ont this renters, Istill object top peoplev wantingtoc come into my rental property, and you (Reasinger)s should, too, becausei ify you're a landlord,! Ithinkt thisi is not good andi that'sr my story." "TH havea a comment aboutt this. I'm curious, first off, ast tol how Mr. Phillips knewt that bill existed1 that way. Second off, ifite exists, it certainly) has tol be ont the City of DuBois andi not ar resident. Wer need this buildingt to start takingr responsibilityt fort the wayt they havet thingsl listed. It's noti the Mayor'sf fault. You werearesident) whent this happened. This would! havel happened, seems year ago. Iknow don't know how: ap privater resident knows...' " Reasingers said, "lwasn't on Councilt then." Clement continued, "m confused by that whichr means, think probablys somebody in this buildingt told! him. But, guess what, that shouldn't happen. We: shouldi notl be using officesi inc our Cityt to be going after residents. So, Mayor, please dor notr resign. Pleasei ignore that comment. Thank you." Phillips said, "Rightt tol know." "V wasn't here: att thel lastr meeting, but you'ret talkinga about puttingalevy ora at fee oni these apartments that the landlords own. WhatI Iwant tol know, therea arep people in St. Michae'sTerrace, Gray's apartment buildings, andt thel highr risea across from! Frank's Pizza. How are they goingt to! handlez allt thep peoplet that are onH HUDi int there. Who's goingt top payt that? Theyl havet to gett thatr moneyf from thet tenant." Reasinger asked, "What moneya arey yout talking: about?" Tabone answered,' "This $50.00t thaty you're goingto apply..." ". Jackson asked,' "Canl answer this? Therei iss sor muchr misinformation: abouta al landlord-tenant agreement. Peopley were looking att the agreement that was put outi fromi the former Council whichy was Diane Bernardo. Wel have notl looked, thata agreement! has nothingt to do withi this Council. Wel have not discussedi ita ata all. Chrisi isv working on a draft. Wel haver nothingi in writing. Wel have nott talkeda about fees. Nothing. So, therei is sor much,! Iknow l've had people comingt tor me formingaly lynchr mob which, hey,! I'm allf fori it. Butt there'sr nothingy we'vee even worked on. Wehaver noi idea whati fees, what we're requiring, nothinga att this point." Tabone said," "But eventually thisi isg goingt to happen is whaty you're saying." Jacksont replied, "Eventually therev willh bes something, but we don't! knowi ifthere's goingt to be inspections, ifthere's goingto! bet fees. We don'tk knowa anything. Right now, you're presuring stufft that we! haven't event talkeda abouty yet. We arel hopingt thats somel landlords will come to Chris or Council and talk, ina al nice manner- - or Shawn Arbaugh who will bet up here - but we wantt tov workt this outt thati itis goodf fort the City, it's good for thel landlords: and it's goodf fort thet tenants. But we don't have anything) yet withf fees, nothinga ata all. Chris hasb been doing some research ont the agreement, so for everyone tos start alreadyi ina an uproar, there'sr no reason. Wel haven't talkeda aboutit itata all. Asy you cans see, wel havealot bigger fisht toi fryr rightr now. Thisi is something we'dl liket to work oni int the futuret for the betterment ofthis  City EIN accounts. We're not done looking. That process, moving on."  Richard Phillips-Tozier Avenue  Michael Clement -17 N.E Brady Street  Phill Tabone - SandyTownship    184  City Council Meeting Minutes - March: 25, 2024 (continued)  minbome-sand,Ioamits. (continued)  community. There's no $50.00f fee. Phil, we don't even! knowy what thet fee would! bel because wel haven't discussedi it." Tabone commented, "But, eventuallyt there's goingt tol beaf fee." Jacksonr replied, "We don't! know. Wel haven'ttalked: abouti it. So, allt the presumption, we don't know whati it's goingt tol look like: ata all. And,l likel Isaid,t thisi isn'ta att thef forefront rightr now. We have al lot of othert thingst to worry aboutr rightr now." Tabone: asked," "It won'tg get pushedt through without people knowing," Jackson responded," "Absolutelyr not. We: are! hopingt that people come to us andt talkt to us. Iknow people have already come tor my flowers shop. Itis whati itis. I'ma al landlord, too. Ihave quite ai few units. Somewhere alongt thel liney wer needtob be proactivei instead ofr reactive, but wea are not going to push through somethingv withouti inputf from ther many landlordsi int this community." Tabones said, "Whatl I'm saying, to, iss Sandy Township! hasn'tj joinedi up witht this organization yet, OK. Andi theys shouldh have ani input about what's going onv withi fees because they're note eveni involvedi ini it. Just like that resolution! ity wouldg go righto overt to Sandy Township whens Sandy Townships goes witht the City." Jackson replied, "Wel have Shawn Arbaugh comingi inl here andh he'sg goingt tol be ourf fearless leader along with Chris as his sidekick. "Ij justv wantt tor remind everybodyt thati it'ss startingt to getr nice out. More kids willl be out running around, kids on! bikes, pedestrians. Just be carefui when you're out there driving around. Make sure you're watchingf fork kids or peoplet to walk outi int front of) youl becausei ithappens quite al bit. Also, be aware the motorcycles are startingt to come out, it's hardt tos seet them att times. Be: aware ofthat. We willl be! having more patrols att the City parkI now! becausey people are goingt tos start utilizingt that. Also,Assistant Chief Roys gave mez ag goodi idea. We're goingt tol havea a couple of guys on! bikes during the day ande evenings for "Dumpster Dayi isr next week, SO everybody remember tol bringt their ID: and water bill." Reasinger added, "lt'st thet first Wednesday oft ther month, sob bring) your IDI with you anda av water billt thats shows you'rea citizen oft the Citya and youd can uset those. Theyt take anything. They even puti iti int the dumpstert foryou."  Andy we'lly work onit. We'reg goingt tot try, Phil." Council Member and Staff Comments Interim Police Chief McCleary  the Cityp park and walkways, around Showers Field." Code] Enforcement Officer Zac Lawhead  Nasuti added, "No construction debris." Mitchell said, "Andr not tires." "Ij just wantt tor remind everybody the City willl bec closed on Friday for Good Friday."  Treasurer Lisal LaBrasca Becker Counciwoman Jennifer. Jackson  "I'd! liket tot thankl Leo Brooks fromt the Fire Department. Ithinki it would! be greatt that wel have ar monthly report. lalsot thinki itv would ber nicet tor recognize, alongv with the Fire Department, also the Police Department: and Citye employees tos givet them some recognition; goingf forward. l'm excited with the (Intergovernmental. Cooperation)/ Agreement and, Phil,! promise we'rer notg goingt toj pusht througha rental agreement withouta anyi input." Tabone replied, "I didn't say youy weres goingt to. There'salotof holesi int thev workst there." Jackson continued, "The: agreementy yous saw, we're goingt to work on." Tabone said, "Your realizet the people who arer renting are goingt to end up paying the $50.00 and $30.00a year. There's sor many people onH HUDI right now, it's pathetic. Actually, HUD doesn't! have roomi for them." Jackson finished, "We're goingt to work oni it. It'snicet tos see people here. Thankyou, Chris. Tabone: said, "Ihavea a question. Youj justs said aboutt they water! bill, you can uset that dumpster. Ifyou'rei in Sandy Township) you can use your waterb bill?" Reasinger replied, "No,) youl have to! bear resident of DuBois." Tabone said, "Well,i ifyoug gety your waterb bill from the City that would provet to them that) you're int the City." Lawhead clarified, "Wel billf fort thet trash,t too, throught the waterb bill. So,i ifyourtrashh hast to  Thankyou, Tom."  beb billedt through the waterb bill,y you can uset the dumpster on Dumpster Day." "Blessed Eastert to everyone. Haveasafe: and! blessed Easter."  SolicitorTom Breth Mayor Pat Reasinger  "Thank) youi for coming. l've been! here: for sixi months orso andI will tell yout that l'ver never seena business liket the City where everybody! knowst their job. Allt the employees knowt theirj job, andt they do their job. Iseet them andl Italk tot them. I'm here allt thet time. Thei firemen, you know,) you don't even thinka aboutt thet firemen untilt there'sag great big fire andy yous see pictures and stuff, butt they're outt there every day. They're doingag greatj job andt theys got througha a loto oft training, al lot ofv work. Wel have some  great employees and great police andi firemena ande everything. le'sagreat City."    185  City Council Meeting Minutes - March: 25, 2024 (continued)  Shane Dietz Adjourn  "dj justl liket to wishe everyone al happy Easter."  There! beingr not furtherb businesst tot transact, ther motiony was madel by. Jackson ands seconded! by Gelfand that Councila adjourn. Roll call was asf follows: Roll cally was asf follows: Ngeauphyesoes  Gelfand, yea; Dietz, yea; Reasinger,) yea. Motionp passed 5-0. ATTEST: Kenbi Slocum APPROVED:  AMR