MINUTES OF THE HANOVER BOROUGH GOVERNANCE & POLICY COMMITTEE MEETING  February 5, 2024  Chairperson Dr. Rupp convened the meeting of the Hanover Borough Council Governance & Policy Committee meeting on Monday, February 5, 2024, at 6:001 PM: in the Hanover Municipal Building, 44 Frederick Street, Hanover, PA, as advertised. Attendance: In attendance were Committee Members C. Greenholt and Rupp; Councilmember Fuentes, Human Resources Director Hill and Manager Lewis. Approval of the Minutes: It was moved by Mrs. Greenholt, seconded by Dr. Rupp to approve the minutes of December 4, 2023, as written. Motion carried.  Public Comment - None Weapons Policy  Human Resource Director Hill provided an update to the previously proposed Weapons Policy, stating that following this committee'svote to move thej policy to all of council for consideration in December 2023, several council members expressed concerns about the 2nd Amendment Rights of employees and visitors. Following those discussions, management determined that any individual employee issues would be addressed according to our disciplinary policy and removed the proposed policy from consideration at this time. Dr. Rupp asked that Manager Lewis and HR Director Hill to communicate with the Police Chief regarding any concerns and provide an update to the council of any individual issues that arise. There was further discussion about increased security at the new/administrative facility to which office staff are scheduled tol be moving by the end of  2024. Council Retreat  Manager Lewis discussed plans for the Borough Council Retreat, scheduled for March 23rd, to provide training for Borough Council members. Borough Council will be givena homework assignment to prepare: for the training, taken on a tour of all borough facilities to meet with staff and learn about operations, and provided training by an experienced facilitator. Dr. Bob Whitmore was recommended by Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB) and has agreed to facilitate the training. The following topics are being considered: Public Decorum, Fiscal Responsibility, Union Negotiations, Borough Responsibilities, Council Goals, Tracking Issues & Initiatives, Strengths-Weaknesses: opportunities-Threats (SWOT). Dr. Rupp suggested that challenges identified in the SWOTanalysis should be used to develop future goals and added that public interaction  be considered as well for the training topics.    Minutes of the Governance 8 Policy Committee  February 5, 2024 Page2  Manager Lewis confirmed that there would be no discussions or deliberations on any agency business and that the goal was for the council tol bel better informed advocates for the community and more knowledgeable about operations and the facilities. The agenda is being finalized and will be available for the next Governance & Policy Committee meeting. Mrs. Greenholt and Dr. Rupp expressed support for the initiative. Mr. Fuentes stated hiss support for any team-building exercises. He explained that there isal lottolearn for a new council member, considering the first two years are spent just trying to  understand operations and how all the departments interact.  Public Comment:  Mr. Robert Holt, Third Ward: Mr. Holt expressed concerns over not moving forward with the proposed weapons policy and stated that, in his experience, government employees are not permitted to bring any weapon onto facilities which were not issued by the department. Further discussion ensued on Pennsylvania gun laws compared to  those of other states.  Dr. Rupp thanked all for their attendance this evening.  Adjournment: It was moved by Mrs. Greenholt, seconded by Dr. Rupp to adjourn the  meeting at 6:25. PM. Motion carried.  Respectfully Submitted,   Director of Human Resources