CLARKS GREEN BOROUGH COUNCIL MINUTES OCTOBER 21,2020  CALLTO ORDER: President Barrasse called the meeting of the Clarks Green Council to order at ROLL CALL: Secretary Culbertson conducted roll call. The following were present: Mr. Rinaldi, Dr. Cochran, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Toms, Ms. Igoe, Mr. Williams, Mr. Barrasse, Mayor McGraw and APPROVAL OF MINUTES: President Barrasse entertained the motion to accept the minutes ofthe August 19, 2020 Council meeting. Mr. Hughes motioned, seconded by Mr. Toms. Mr. Williams, Ms. Igoe, Mr. Toms, Mr. Hughes, Dr. Cochran, Mr. Rinaldi and Mr. Barrasse voted in favor. President Barrasse entertained the motion to accept the minutes of the September 16, 2020 Council meeting. Mr. Hughes motioned, seconded by Mr. Toms. Mr. Rinaldi, Dr. Cochran, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Toms, Ms. Igoe, VISITORS: Ben Freda, Abington Journal, George Parker, Clarks Green Zoning officer and CSPD  7:01 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance.  Solicitor Weinschenk.  Mr. Williams and Mr. Barrasse voted in favor.  ChiefYarns.  PUBLIC COMMENT: No public comment.  MAYOR'S REPORT: Mayor McGraw stated he had nothing to report this month but informed Council that he spotted some engineers surveying the old gas station. Solicitor Weinschenk reported the property was sold to 101 North Abington Road, LCC in amount of $40,000 noting the Borough is still protected in collecting the sewer delinquencies attached to the property. Mr. Barrasse asked Solicitor Weinschenk to explain why the property did not have the usual sewer lien that the Borough places on sewer delinquent properties. He stated the reason was to facilitate the transfer ofthe property. Ms. Igoe asked Mr. Hughes the amount oft the sewer delinquency. Mr. Hughes stated it was $3,582 which included penalties and interest on a quarterly basis. CSPD ChiefYarns reported to Council about a problem concerning golf carts in the area of Greenbrier Drive involving two (2) families noting it was initially thought it was only one (1). golf cart but it has been resolved. Chief Yarns brieflyreviewed the monthly police report and announced he had received a grant from the District Attorney's office for extra patrolling for various offenses such as DUI and speeding noting there was no timetrame but ChiefYarns stated will be puttingi it in effect immediately. ChiefYarns stated it will be issuing a press release regarding Halloween in the Borough of Clarks Summit and suggest to residents who do not want trick treaters for fear ofthe COVID virus to turn their lights off. ChiefYarns updated Council on the body cameras for the department noting arrival possibly by December. Mr. Toms asked about the educational training for the officers. ChiefYarns stated starting next year the officers can take online training courses and receive credits which will aid accreditations. SOLICITOR'S REPORT: Solicitor Weinschenk reported he has circulated Resolution No. 7of2020 for the grant application for the purchase ofa backhoe for Council's review. Mr. Barrasse stated it will be discussed under Old Business. Solicitor Weinschenk stated he attended the virtual meeting last week concerning SAPA zoning and our targeted date to adopt the revised zoning ordinance is March 17,2021. Solicitor Weinschenk stated the ordinance will need to be reviewed and request a meeting with the County since he along with the George Parker have questions as to how much can the Borough could modify the proposed ordinance in respect to the uses permitted within Clarks Green such as livestock. Solicitor Weinschenk told Council he will have the Resolution which approves the    Municipal Cooperation Agreement for SAPA participation for the November Council meeting at least forreview or ifa acceptable to Council can be adopted but stated it will need to be adopted prior to the consideration oft the new Zoning Ordinance. Solicitor Weinschenk stated ifthe Council decided not to raise taxes fort the year of2021 Council can adopt a resolution enacting millage for 2021 noting it will PUBLIC WORKS: Mr. Rinaldi motioned to authorize payment to DeAngelo Contracting Services, 527 South Church St. Hazelton, PA in amount of$7,284.60 for the intersection pavement markings, seconded by Mr. Hughes. Mr. Rinaldi, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Williams, Mr. Toms, Dr. Cochran, Ms. Igoe and Mr. Barrasse voted in favor. Mr. Rinaldi stated there was a difference in price from the proposal due to requirements from PennDot. Mr. Rinaldi reported the new 350 pickup truck has been outfitted noting it now. has a plow and spreader and the new 550 dump truck is currently at Powell's being ARWA: Mr. Rinaldi reported the Board passed the 2021 budget noting it contains no increase in the amounts charged to the Joint Municipalities. Mr. Rinaldi stated there was a minor decrease for the fourth consecutive year. Mr. Rinaldi informed Council the flow meters will be relocated November 3rd or 4th once the Borough Engineers decide on the new location noting it is currently located at  need to be adopted by December 31st.  outfitted.  Maple Avenue. Mr. Rinaldi told Council ARWA updated their website www.abingtonwastewater.org) along with changing its email provider.  TREASURER'S REPORT AND BILL APPROVAL: Mr. Hughes reported on the checking account balances with comparisons to last month and last year. The Treasurer's report was presented  by Mr. Hughes and filed for audit. Current fund' balances are as follows:  General Fund Checking Capital Fund Money Markèt Sewer Fund Checking Sewer-I FNCB CD #200278057 Sewer-1 FNCB CD #200469681 Sewer Wayne Bank CD State Funds Checking Total Checking/Savings  $  354,446.26 192,686.59 412,498.43 51,715.99 51,258.31 52,384.37 162,278.75 1,277,268.70  $  Mr. Hughes told Council the FNCB CD #200469681 was been renewed at the rate of. .30% for 12 months. Mr. Hughes reported the General Funding checking account is down $23,000 from Iast year keep ini mind we transferred the General Fund Money Market account of $35,000 so it is actually down $58,000. The Capital Account is up by $84,000 noting this fund will be used to pay for truck no. 2. Mr. Hughes reported to Council the sewer fund checking account is up $64,000 but really is up $29,000 since we transferred money from the sewer fund money market account. Mr. Hughes told Council $8,838.34 was received for Foreign_Fire Insurance which will be remitted to Clarks Summit Fire Company within sixty (60) days. Mr. Hughes presented the Budget VS. Actual comparing balances on the report to amounts from last year. Mr. Hughes stated gross income is $69,000 and total expenses is up by $42,000 contributable to truck no. 1. Mr. Hughes reported we are approximately $27,000 ahead ofl last yeari in net income. With no questions from Council Mr. Hughes motioned, seconded by Mr. Toms to accept the Treasurer's report and ratify the payment oft the bills. Mr. Toms, Dr. Cochran, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Williams, Ms. Igoe, Mr. Rinaldi and Mr. Barrasse voted in favor. Mr. Hughes reported the Borough has collected $13,465 in sewer delinquencies which includes account # 0279 and the lien has been removed. Mr. Hughes told Council twenty-one (21) sewer delinquency letters have been sent out and payments have been made on fourteen (14) delinquent accounts. Mr. Rinaldi asked about the account #0283 Mr. Çiullo since it was originally going to be put on lien for the sewer delinquencies and then an agreement was made to pay a certain amount of money upfront and    then payments will be made each: month. Mr. Rinaldi asked if we should put a lien on his property since he has not been making the agreed upon payments monthly. Mr. Hughes stated he is on the list ofreçeiving letters in November. Mr. Hughes stated he will contact him by phone telling him he has not kept up with his pledge and will report the outcome at the next meeting. Mr. Hughes stated he had met with Mr. Rinaldi concerning the 2021 Budget and it looks like there will be no increases in taxes or fees for 2021 and a small surplus will be projected. Mr. Barrasse stated that was great news. Mr. Rinaldi stated back in March there were some questionofrevenue shortfall thankfully which has not GEORGE PARKER, ZONING OFFICER REPORT: Mr. Parker had nothing to report other than his monthly distributed report and asked ifa anyone had questions. Mr. Parker reiterated the importance ofsetting up: a meeting to further discuss the proposed Zoning Ordinance before adoption since not all BUILDING AND GROUNDS: Mr. Toms reported the DPW is doing the usual daily. job routines in keeping the Borough building and grounds looking good. Mr. Toms asked Mr. Williams what needed to be done for the upcoming election in regards to disability protocol. Mr. Williams briefly reviewed the list for Clarks Green's polling place requirements noting the ramp had been fixed and basically, we just need the signage for the parking lot. Mr. Toms stated he will start working on getting and placing the signs where needed. Mr. Rinaldi motioned to approve the renewal oft the Borough clock maintenance agreement with the Verdin Company in the amount of $567.00, seconded by Mr. Toms. Dr. Cochran, Ms. Igoe, Mr. Toms, Mr. Rinaldi, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Williams and Mr. Barrasse voted in REFUSE & RECYCLING: Ms. Igoe had nothing to report noting the leaf bags have been  materialized.  sections as proposed are suitable to Clarks Green Borough.  favor.  distributed and the residents appear to be happy.  HEALTH & SAFETY: Dr. Cochran reported the County will be providing the PPE sanitation and masks for the upcoming election activities at the Borough Building. Mr. Rinaldi informed Council the same barriers have been installed for November's general election. Dr. Cochran talked about his concerns for Halloween and suggested the residents put out baskets ofcandy outside for the trick treaters. Mr. Rinaldi asked ifwe should go along with Chief Yarn's recommendation which was to have residents turn off their lights if they do not want to participate in Halloween for fear ofthe COVID virus. All ofCouncil agreed that the public will be informed by using Clipboard in the Times- PERSONNEL: Mr. Williams reported the Borough office will be closed on Election Day for safety OLD BUSINESS: Mr. Barrasse introduced the Grant Resolution for the future purchase of a backhoe along with hiring the LaFratte Engineering to provide the services to complete the LSA Grant application at the cost $1,750 with an application fee of $100 for the year of2021. Mr. Barrasse stated ifwe need to re-apply for the grant in 2022, the Borough would be charged a reduced rate. Mr. Barrasse opened it up for discussion. Mr. Rinaldi stated the first time a grant was discussed was two (2)v weeks ago and it seems work has already been done by Mr. LaFratte before Council considered hiring the consultant. Mr. Barrasse stated the requirements need to be submitted by the end of November and apologized on having little warning about applying for this grant. Mr. Barrasse stated he had contacted the Borough engineers concerning this grant and noting they had not applied for any grants relating to equipment. Mr. Barrasse gave a brief summary on how Mr. LaFratte got involved. Mr. Barrasse stated we really had no plan in place for replacing trucks and equipment but the DPW had organized a list noting some oft the trucks twenty (20) and fifteen (15)years old. Mr. Barrasse was not sure on the age of the backhoe but noted we had just repaired it at a cost of $4,500. Mr. Toms  Tribune and NextDoor.com.  reasons.    asked who evaluated the equipment to let us know what shape it is in noting he has seen the machine in operation and it did a great job plus, we just spent money on repairing it. Mr. Barrasse stated no one has evaluated it but we did get an estimate on what it is worth $20,000 to $23,000. Mr. Barrasse informed Council the Borough has been increasing our capital fund each year in anticipation of replacing equipment and noted it is his attention to spend a ton ofmoney only if we are a recipient ofa grants. Mr. Toms stated he feels an engineer needs to evaluate what the DPW needs in terms of specs on this equipment noting the Borough doesn't have any upcoming major projects. Mr. Hughes told Council he will support this motion to hire Mr. LaFratte to shepherd the grant application but concurrent with that he would like to see the company who recently repaired the backhoe give us an assessment of the condition of our current backhoe. Mr. Hughes stated we really need to see how much money we would receive from a grant before purchasing the backhoe. Dr. Cochran stated he believed a grant should be written by experts SO the Borough could receive the most money available and not some small amount that won'tcover the purchase price. Mr. Rinaldi stated he has some issues. First, the DPW does not need a new backhoe right now. The Borough recently paid $130,000 for the two (2) new trucks and that project has taken two (2) years while the DPW still does not have the 550 dump truck. He also noted the DPW has no planned major projects necessitating the purchase of a new backhoe. Second, the DPW Foreman did not call Five Star but the Five Star Salesman called him at Mr. Barrasse' request noting the Foreman also solicited proposals from two (2) other vendors which were less in cost. Third, Mr. Rinaldi wanted to know "why would the Borough submit a grant application for $200,000" when the Five Star proposal was only $151,829.29. Mr. Barrasse stated he appreciates his comments but if we hire a professional I trust him in making the recommendations for what money we should be applying for in the grant application. Mr. Rinaldi asked where is the spec sheet that was used to get aj pricing proposal. Mr. Barrasse and Mr. Rinaldi had a discussion about the previous grants the Borough submitted and several other Council members added their comments. Mr. Barrasse entertained an motion to hire LaFratte Engineering firm to complete the LSA Grant application for replacing a backhoe at the cost $1,750 with an application fee of$100. Dr. Cochran motioned, seconded by Mr. Hughes. Mr. Toms, Ms. Igoe and Mr. Rinaldi voted no. Dr. Cochran, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Williams and Mr. Barrasse voted in favor. Mr. Barrasse entertained a motion for the adoption of] Resolution No. 7 of2020 and had asked Solicitor Weinschenk to read the Resolution to  Council.  Borough ofClarks Green Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania Resolution No. 7of2020  BE IT RESOLVED, that the Borough ofClarks Green, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, hereby requests a Local Share Account Fund (Gaming Funds) Monroe County Grant in the amount of Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00) from the Commonwealth Financing Authority to be  used for the Clarks Green Borough - Backhoe Loader Purchase.  BE IT FUTHER RESOLVED, that the Borough of Clarks Green does hereby designate Joseph Barrasse, President of Borough Council, and Kenneth McGraw, Mayor, as the officials to execute all documents and agreements between Clarks Green Borough and the Commonwealth  Financing Authority to facilitate and assist in obtaining the requested grant.  Joanne Culbertson, duly qualified Secretary of the Borough of Clarks Green, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, hereby certifies that the forgoing is a true and correct copy ofal Resolution duly adopted by a majority vote oft the Council ofthe Borough of Clarks Green at a regular meeting held on October 21, 2020 and said Resolution has been recorded in the Minutes of the Borough of Clarks  Green and remains in effect as ofthis date.    NOW THEREFORE, intending to be bound hereby the authorized officials ofthe Borough of  Clarks Green have affixed their signatures to the foregoing.  ATTEST:  BOROUGH OF CLARKS GREEN By: Is/Joseph Barrasse Joseph Barrasse, President of Borough Council  By: /s/J Joanne Culbertson Joanne Culbertson, Secretary  Approved this 21st day of October, 2020 Is/Kenneth McGraw Kenneth McGraw, Mayor  Mr. Williams motioned, seconded by Dr. Cochran. Dr. Cochran, Mr. Hughes, Mr. Williams and Mr. Barrasse voted in favor. Mr. Rinaldi, Ms. Igoe and Mr. Toms voted no. Mr. Rinaldi asked Dr. Cochran ifhe agrees with quarantining ifaj person goes to certain states. Dr. Cochran stated that was a tough one and really doesn't know the answer and tends to think there is some politics involved. Dr. Cochran stated "how can you stop the people going across the borders in and from neighboring states especially ifthere employment is there". Dr. Cochran stated people need to self-distance. MOTION FOR ADJOURNMENT: Mr. Barrasse entertained the motion to adjourn the meeting. Mr. Hughes motioned to adjourn the meeting at 8:31 P.M. Alli ina attendance voted in favor.  -  sts    CLARKSGREEN BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING Agenda VIA ZOOM October 21,2020  I. CALLTOORDER AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE- President Joe Barrasse 3. MOTION TO ACCIFTMINUIS-ALEAL 19,2020 & September 16, 2020  2. ROLLCALL- -Secretary Joanne Culbertson  4. PUBLIC COMMENT  Visitors should approach the podium and state their name. and address. Comments limited to 51 min.  5. MAYOR's Report- Mayor MeGraw. Police Report- Clarks Summit ChiefChris Yarns Solicitor's Report- Mr. Weinschenk Grant Resolution  7. PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE- Mr. Rinaldi  DeAngelo Contracting invoice, to complete Grove Street light upgrade project  8. ARWA- Mr. Rinaldi  9. TREASURER'S REPORT. AND BILL. APPROVAL-Mr. Hughes 10. BUILDING & GROUNDS COMMITTEE- Mr. Toms Verdin (clock) Maintenance Renewal Invoice I1. FINANCECOMMITTEE-Mr. Hughes 12. REFUSE & RECYCLING COMMITTEE- Ms. Igoe 13. HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEE- Dr. Cochran 14. PERSONNEL COMMITTEE-Mr. Williams  Voting daysafety update 15. OLD BUSINESS 16. NEW BUSINESS 17. ADJOURNMENT  Hiring of Lafratte Engineering for Grant Application  NOTE TO VISITORS: Please sign the attendance sheet and indicate if you wish to address Couneil, stating the agenda topic  on which you would like to comment. Thank you.