REGULAR MEETING OF DRAVOSBURG BOROUGH COUNCIL OF JANUARY: 16, 2024 The meeting was called to order by Council President McKelvey at 7:00 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll Call Dzuro... Mols... Palcsey.. Snodgrass.. McKelvey.. present .present -present (via telephone) absent (working) .present Mr. Palcsey makes the motion to accept the minutes as written. Mr. Mols seconds the motion. Roll call vote. Dzuro-yes; Mols-yes; Palcsey-yes; Mckelvey-yes. Motion carried. Citizens Present Mr. Dan Krajewski questions if there is going to be a tax increase. President McKelvey responds yes. Mr. Krajewski questions for what reason.' Mrs. Honick responds we lost all the tax money from the homes the Turnpike Commission took and demolished; we had to make up some of the tax money. There hasn't been a taxi increase since 2011. The cost of everything has gone up now. Mr. Bercik comments why can't we go after the Turnpike Commission. Mr. Krajewski comments you own all those empty lots where you tore the houses down. President McKelvey replies we do not own those lots. Solicitor Matta explains the process = if the poroughdemolished homes, we file al lien on the property but the propertyi is stillint the owner'sname. Alengthy Mr. Dennis Krajewski questions what's up with the water being shut off. President McKelvey states he doesn't know. Mayor McKelvey comments the housing's water is going to be shut off tomorrow. They will bet fixing the Mr. Bill Kortz states the section of Ridgeview Drive when you go into the plan on the left side is really bad and questions ift there are any plans on paving it. Mr. Mols comments he has been rallying to get that section paved Mr. Kortz comments hei is here tonight with his good friend, AJ Olasz and introduces him to Council. AJisrunning discussion follows. main line. fory years. Itisont the list but hasn't been approved for funding yet. for the 38th District State Rep. Mayor/Police Mayor McKelvey reports there were a total of 78 police calls last month. He doesn't know about the fire department as they are not here tonight and usually are. 1 Solicitor Atty. Matta states he has a number of items to get approved this evening. Atty. Matta reads the Tax Ordinance setting the millage for 2024 at 7.55 mills for general purposes and 1.0 mill for fire tax for DVFD#1. Mr. Mols makes the motion to adopt this Ordinance. Mr. Dzuro seconds the motion. Mr. Mols reiterates that a 1 mill increase would be 1% of your assessed value. The average assessed value ofa home in Dravosburg is $75,000 sO that would mean your increased amount of tax for 2024 would be $75.00. There was a lot of thought that went into that; iti is not something we were terribly comfortable with. We are trying to make ends meet with the cost of everything we pay from road salt to the wages of our employees. It has come to the point where we are not terribly comfortable with but we couldn't do anything else. Roll call Atty. Matta comments we have an Ordinance in regards tot the Police Contract and reads the Ordinance heading accepting and approving a 4th successor agreement for subcontracting police services between the Borough of Dravosburg and City of McKeesport commencing January 1, 2024 through December 31, 2027. Mr. Palcsey makes the motion to adopt this Ordinance. Mr. Mols seconds the motion. Mr. Mols comments thati in the first year oft this contract commencing this year, there was an increase of $40,000 just this year. President McKelvey comments that this was all taken into consideration for the tax increase. Mr. Mols says yes, that was another Atty. Matta reads a Resolution reappointing Diane McKelvey to the Zoning Board. Mr. Mols makes the motion to adopt this Resolution. Mr. Palcsey seconds the motion. Roll call vote. Dzuro-yes; Mols-yes; Palcsey-yes; Atty. Matta reads a Resolution reappointing Matthew! Stevenson to the Planning Commission. Mr. Mols makes the motion to adopt this Resolution. Mr. Palcsey seconds the motion. Roll call vote. Dzuro-yes; Mols-yes; Atty. Matta reads a Resolution reappointing Melissa Hobby to the Vacancy Board. Mr. Mols makes the motion to adopt this Resolution. Mr. Dzuro seconds the motion. Roll call vote. Dzuro-yes; Mols-yes; Palcsey-yes; Atty. Matta reads the Resolution increasing the fee from $20 to $40 for a No Lien Letter request and from $40 to $80 for a rush No Lien Letter. Mr. Dzuro makes the motion to adopt this Resolution. Mr. Mols seconds the Atty. Matta reads a Resolution appointing Mark Turnley, CPA, as Auditor for the borough records for the tax year 2023. Mr. Mols makes the motion to adopt this Resolution. Mr. Dzuro seconds the motion. Roll call vote. Atty. Matta reads a Resolution appointing Sharon Mols to the Planning Commission. Mr. Palcsey makes the motion1 to adopt this Resolution. Mr.Dzuro seconds the motion. Rollcallvote. Dauroyes,Molsabstan, Palcsey- vote. Dzuro-yes; Mols-yes; Palcsey-yes; McKelvey-yes. Motion carried. expense. Roll call vote. Dzuro-yes; Mols-yes; Palcsey-yes; McKelvey-yes. Motion carried. McKelvey-yes. Motion carried. Palcsey-yes; McKelvey-yes. Motion carried. Mckelvey-yes. Motion carried. motion. Roll call vote. Dzuro-yes; Mols-yes; Palcsey-yes; McKelvey-yes. Motion carried. Dzuro-yes; Mols-yes; Palcsey-yes; Mckelvey-yes. Motion carried. yes; McKelvey-yes. Motion carried. 2 Engineer Mr. Dursa reports on the Maple Avenue project. They are not completed yet; they will finish up in the spring. Some items that need done: handicap ramp, pole and street light, and lines painted; the street signs will be in next week. He presents an approved invoice from Pugliano Construction in the amount of $82,688.55. Mr. Mols makes the motion to submit the invoice to the Turnpike Commission for reimbursement to pay Pugliano Construction. Mr. Dzuro seconds the motion. Roll call vote. Dzuro-yes; Mols-yes; Palcsey-yes; McKelvey-yes. Mr. Dursa reports the water company will bes starting on Euclid. Ave. They willl be removing the brick and putting them down at the borough garage. When the brick is removed, they will checki if there are any soft spots before Mr. Durso reports on the ballfield restoration project. The contract was for $194,100; we received $120,000 grant plus a 15% match. When COG awarded the project, they awarded it for thei full contract price of $194,100; that is part of the problem. We are over on the project and he will talk with Council on it; some things can be left out but the bathrooms will have to be done, the siding for the one part oft the building. Other than that, we Mr. Dursa comments on the borough having a dumpster fee and permit to have more control over whose they are, how long they will be there, etc. Some places charge a fee for 30 days, then they have to reapply. This permit application they fill out willl havei the person's name, who is doing the work ont the house, the people who own the dumpster and on the permit it will say any damage done to the street from the dumpster will be the responsibility of whoever owns the dumpster. President McKelvey states we are in the process of changing that and adding it to our Pod Ordinance. Mr. Dursa says he would also like to add whoever has the dumpster has to Mr. Palcsey requests the engineer to take a look at the DCNR Grant Application Program that is now in effect to Mr. Palcsey questions since the water company willl be tearing up Euclid Avenue to replace their line, should we notify the gas company also to see if they have any plans to replace their lines while this street is torn up. President McKelvey states he is sure that will happen and they will be notified. This is not going to be all done at once; they are going to doi iti in sections. Mrs. Honick states she just received al letter from the gas company Motion carried. putting the binder down. can leave some of the items out. He will talk with Council. A discussion follows. put a cone there with a reflector on it. Al brief discussion follows. see what we are eligible for SO we can apply fori it. requesting us to provide any projects to them and turned it over toi the engineer. onleton/Sont/finted Property Mr. Dzuro makes the motion to notify Waste Management that we are going to exercise our right and accept Year 4 and 5 Options for garbage rates. Mr. Palcsey seconds the motion. Roll call vote. Dzuro-yes; Mols-yes; Palcsey-yes; McKelvey-yes. Motion carried. Public Safety/Workers Comp/Fire President McKelvey has nothing to report. Parks/Recreation/Ord Mr. Palcsey states he has no motions tonight. 3 Streets/Property/COG Mr. Snodgrass is notl here and left no report. Finance/Insurance/Negotiations Mr. Mols makes the motion authorizing the solicitor to prepare an amended Ordinance for Senior Tax Reliefto increase the rate of relief from 10% to 15%. Mr. Dzuro seconds the motion. Roll call vote. Dzuro-yes; Mols- Mr. Mols questions the solicitor if he needs a motion for the animal control officer to be able to issue citations yes; Palcsey-yes; Mckelvey-yes. Motion carried. according to our Ordinance. Solicitor Matta responds no, he willl look into this further. Old Business There is none. New Business Mrs. Honick questions ifCouncil is taking action on that street lighti in Locust Alley. President McKelvey says we President McKelvey comments we are going to amend the Pod Ordinance to include dumpsters. Mr. Mols questions what happens on day 31. Mrs. Honick replies they can reapply for an extension and pay an additional fee. Solicitor Matta says if we go through that process, on the application to do that, we can include some language that after 30 daysi ift they do not comei int to reinstate it, SO manydaysafterwards, we have thea authority will look into that. Mr. Mols requests we table it and get Mr. Snodgrass' input on that. to contact the dumpster company to come and pick it up. Mr. Palcsey makes the motion to adjourn. Mr. Mols seconds. ALL AYE!!! Respectfully: submitted, Bere Brenda Honick, Secty/Mgr. 4