DISTRIBUTED I-L Borough Council Workshop Meeting January 15, 2025 Call to Order - Mrs. Dekar called the meeting to order at 5:30pm. Roll Call - The following members of the Borough Council were present; James Daly, Derrick Hall, Dan Wayman, Jessica Meyer, and Jessie Dekar. Excused: Cori Belles and Gabriel Felt. Also present; Henry Farley, Mayor; Gil Crossett, Assistant Fire Chief; Jonathan Foster Jr., Borough Solicitor, Christopher Kaiden, Code Enforcement Director; Blane Lathrop, DPW Foreman; Robert Repasky, Fire Chief; Dan Reynolds, Police Chief; and David Jarrett, Borough Manager. Citizens to be Heard = There were none. Presentation - Linda Politi, 118 Franklin Street addressed the Borough Council regarding the feral cat issue in her neighborhood. Mrs. Politi explained that there are numerous feral cats that have had multiple litters of kittens this year and that it will continue to worsen because residents are feeding the cats. Mrs. Politi stated that Kali's Mission coordinates a program that traps, neuters, vaccinates, and then returns stray or feral cats to the area where they were trapped. Kali's Mission has previously worked with Towanda Borough to address similar situation in that municipality which was successfully and Towanda Borough provided $1,500.00 to help defray the cost of the program. Mrs. Dekar stated that the Borough would be interested in hearing more about the program from representatives with Kali's Mission and invited the group to attend the January Borough Council meeting. Approval of Bills List & Supplemental Bills List = 12/12/2024 thru 1/15/2025 - A motion was made by Mr. Daly and seconded by Mr. Wayman to approve the Bills List and Supplemental Bills List. Under the question: There were none. Roll Call: Mr. Daly, Mr. Hall, Mr. Wayman, Miss Meyer, and Mrs. Dekar; YES. Elected 8. Appointed Officials = Mayor Farley announced that Bradford County's America 250 Committee has been meeting to prepare for the America 250 celebration in 2026. Mayor Farley explained that the County Commissioners are very supportive of the Committee's ideas and that they want the celebration to be successful. Mayor Farley stated that every community in the County will be hosting an event(s) as part of the yearlong celebration and will kick-off with the 2025 Borough Christmas Parade and conclude with the 2026 Borough Christmas Parade. Finance Report = December 31, 2024 = There were no questions or comments. Workshop Meeting Correspondence Summary = There were no questions or comments. Department & Committee Reports - The following reports were presented to the Borough Council; a. Fire Department - Chief Repasky stated that his report included the Department's 2024 response statistics and he stated that the Truck Committee recently met with Pierce Manufacturing to discuss ideas for the new fire engine. Chief Repasky stated that the committee will meet in the new future with representatives from Marion and Sutphen and that he would likely have an update next month. Mr. Hall asked about the Department's incentive plan and Chief Repasky reported that the incentive plan helped attract new members and renew interest from current members. Chief Repasky also reported that Assistant Chief Crossett will move up to the position of Fire Chief in February and that he will hold that position for the next two (2) years. Mrs. Dekar asked if Chief Repasky and Chief Crossett will continue to rotate and Chief Crossett said that they would until another member of the Department obtains the appropriate certification to become Chief. b. Police Department = Chief Reynolds reported on the following items; Report Management System (RMS) is set to go live in March and that the Police Departments who will be utilizing the new system will begin training on the system in February. The Department is currently in the process of completing their mandatory annual updates and several of the officers will need to complete updates on their respective specialized certifications. The license plate readers will be go into service soon and located at specific locations in the Borough and on at least one patrol vehicle. The Department's newest Patrol Officer, Michael Oulouhojian worked his first shift on January 1st and has been working with the Department's Field Training Officers. Mrs. Dekar asked about the length of time that new officers work with their FTOs, and Chief Reynolds stated that it generally depends on the individual officer but Officer Oulouhojian had worked for another Department. C. Borough Manager - Mr. Jarrett reviewed the items on his report and stated that his report listed the amount of cardboard recycled in 2024 accounted for 85% of the total amount of tonnage recycled during the year but the correct amount was 53%. Mr. Jarrett also reported that the Borough's financials were in good shape at the end of 2024 and that the certificates of deposit that were purchased in July were renewed for another four (4) months at 4.40% interest. Mrs. Dekar asked about budget forecasting SO that the appropriate steps can be taken and implemented to prevent a large tax increase in the future. Mr. Jarrett stated that he and Miss Landis will work on that as part of the 2026 budget process. d. Code Enforcement = Mr. Kaiden reported that he has been working with Guthrie to resolve outstanding medical liens filed against 310 East Lockhart Street and that Guthrie had informed him that they are willing to satisfy the liens. Mr. Kaiden asked if Attorney Foster could prepare the purchase agreement for the property with stipulations that the purchase is contingent on the satisfaction of the liens and authorization from PA-DCED that allows Community Development Block Grant funds to be used for the acquisition and demolition. Attorney Foster stated that he would have the agreement prepared by the January Borough Council meeting. Mrs. Dekar asked how many other properties are in a similar situation to the East Lockhart Street property, and Mr. Kaiden explained that there are at least three (3) other properties but he would like to utilize the recently created Bradford County Land Bank to address those properties when the time comes. e. Public Works Department - Mr. Lathrop reported that he is currently developing the 2025 paving list and that preliminary cost is estimated at $580,000.00. Mrs. Dekar asked if there was an update on the staffing issues that were discussed last month and Mr. Lathrop explained that the Department is getting back to normal and he expects everyone to return to work without restrictions by the end of the month. f. Borough Solicitor - Attorney Foster reported that he is continuing to work on the codification project and that he expects it to be completed soon. Attorney Foster stated that he would have the purchase agreement for 310 East Lockhart Street prepared by the January Borough Council meeting. g. Emergency Management = There were no questions or comments. h. Planning Commission - Mr. Daly stated that the Commission will be meeting in the near future to review an upcoming project. Consent Agenda - Mrs. Dekar explained that items of business and matters listed under the Consent Agenda are considered to be routine and non-controversial and will be enacted by one motion and one roll call vote. There will be no separate discussion of these items. If discussion is desired by a Council Member, that item is to be identified and removed from the Consent Agenda, and will be considered separately at the appropriate place on the Agenda. A. Adoption Resolution 2025-01 - Countywide Broadband Internet Program B. Approve Resignation of Milton Olinger - Per Diem Fire Truck Driver Effective 12/31/24. A motion was made by Mr. Daly and seconded by Miss Meyer to approve the items listed on the Consent Agenda. Under the question: There were no questions or comments. Roll Call: Mr. Daly, Mr. Hall, Mr. Wayman, Miss Meyer, and Mrs. Dekar; YES. Recess = Mrs. Dekar recessed the meeting at 6:12pm. Executive Session = The Borough went into executive session at 6:20pm to discuss a personnel issue. The session ended at 6:45pm. Solicitor Hourly Rate - A Resolution establishing the Borough Solicitor's hourly rate at $165.00 will be presented for adoption at the next Borough Council meeting for approval. The new hourly rate will take effect on February 1, 2025. Adjourn = A meeting was made by Mr. Daly and seconded by Mr. Hall to adjourn the meeting at 6:45pm. There were no objections. Respectfully submitted, - David M Jarrett Borough Manager/Secretary