BOROUGH OF SLATINGTON COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES 5/13/19 The Regular Meeting Minutes of Council was held on Monday, May 13, 2019 at 7:00 pm., in Council Chambers, 125 S. Walnut Street, Slatington, PA 18080. Presiding: Daniel Stevens: President of Council Recording Secretary: Bryon Reed, President Pro Tem The meeting was called to order by President Stevens at 7:00 pm following in attendance: ROLL CALL: PRESENT ABSENT OTHERS PRESENT VISITORS Daniel Stevens Mayor Niedermeyer Jeffrey Hausman Jason Ruff Chief Rachman Sean Buerger (UGI) Bryon Reed Ed Healy Kris Porter (Times News) Ronald Kratz Larry Turoscy Robert G. Herzog, Jr. Joseph Wechsler Ed Ziegler David Schnaars Thomas Bartholomew President Stevens requested that, as a courtesy, everyone turn offt their cell phones, iPhone, and electronic devises off, or on vibrate. Ifyou must take a call, please exit the council chambers SO as not to disrupt the meeting. President Stevens announced that all public sessions of Borough Council are electronically recorded and such recordings are maintained as part of the meeting record until the minutes are transcribed and approved by the Board, at which time the recordings shall be erased. EXECUTIVE SESSION - None MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS - Councilor Schnaars made a motion, duly seconded by Councilor Reed, to accept the following minutes with the following corrections: Council Meeting April g", 2019, page 4, Unfinished Business Councilor Ruff was the one who had requested if there was any progress on the street signs; Committee Meetings April 15th, 2019 and April 22nd2 2019 ; Special Meeting April 22nd, > 2019, President Stevens declared the motion passed with following a Voice Vote, All in Favor. PUBLIC PARTICIPATION (Agenda and Non-Agenda items) You will have three minutes to address Council from the podium. The three minutes applies to your time at the podium. Ifyou exit the podium, you have yielded the floor, and any time you have remaining. Ed Ziegler - He informed the council that someone had moved out of a house on West Franklin Street on a Saturday. The street was blocked and garbage everywhere. The garbage is still on the porch and he feels this would be a fire hazard. Ed mentioned there is a woman whose parking space is taken by another person. He said the inspection has expired, but don't know ifthe registration has expired. Since car owners no longer obtain a sticker for their license, a person can not tell ifi it is expired. He will be sending a letter to Gov. Wolfe to re-instate the sticker registrations. Council asked Chief Rachman if any police action on vehicles can be taken before the inspection and registration is expired. Chief Rachman stated a ticket may be given if the inspection is expired. As far as removing a vehicle both the registration and inspection have to be expired, and/or, the vehicle has to be visibly disabled. Chief Rachman mentioned the state is considering bringing back the license stickers. 1 Sean Buerger UGI Utilities Right-of-Way Department - UGI is looking to acquire a right-of-way for a new above-ground gas regulator station at the corner of Diamond and Chestnut Streets. Originally, they had proposed a location to have it on the corner itself. However, President Stevens had requested UGI to move it back from that corner as safety concerns came up. Sean provided exhibits to the council. President Stevens informed Sean this will be reviewed at the next Highway Committee meeting. Sean informed the council that UGI currently has a station next to the pumping station at the end of Railroad Avenue, which was installed in the '60's and is not up to UGI current standards. Sean stated UGI would like to get the new station running before the next heating season. The new station would be serving all the residents on the northeastern side of the borough. Councilor Ruff asked that if this piece of property was granted by Lehigh County for the purpose of recreational use, does the borough have any plans for recreational use? Ifthe borough decided to use if for recreational use in the future, would this impact the use. Councilor Reed informed Councilor Ruff there have been several proposals. Councilor Ruff asked Sean if there would be any safety concerns if the borough decided to use the rest of the lot. Sean informed him that as long as there is no building directly up against the regulator station, a building must be approximately 10 feet away. PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENIS, COMMUNICATIONS AND SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS Councilor Weschler informed the council the borough will present a MS4 update to the public at the Borough's s June Council meeting. Councilor Ruff informed the council the next Recycling Event will be held on Saturday, November 16th, 2019 from 9 AM to 12 PM. REPORTS The reports of various committees, officials and officers were provided to Council and are on file in Borough Hall and are available for public inspection. APPROVAL OF ACCOUNTS PAYABLE/TRANSFER Councilor Wechsler made a motion, duly seconded by Councilor Kratz, to approve payment of the bills and transfers as presented by the Treasurer. President Stevens declared the motion passed following a Voice Vote, All in Favor MAYORSPOLICE CHIEF'S REMARKS Mayor Walter H. Niedermeyer On April 24th, 2019, Mayor Niedermeyer had attended a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Nulton Diagnostic Treatment Center on Main Street. On May 4th, Mayor Niedermeyer presented an Eagle Scout award to Jionnyx Louis Constanza the American Legion. He asked for the status for the floor in the police station. Councilor Schnaars said it has been discussed and will be placed on the budget for next year. Councilor Schnaars will try to obtain more estimates SO the work could possibly be done this year. Chief Rachman Chief Rachman said the police department participated with the Caring Hearts event at Victory Park on Saturday, 5/11/19, between 9 AM - 3 PM. Sgt. Alercia and his family attended and received a thank you from Ms. Martinez who runs the Caring Hearts events. This event helps the underprivileged with clothing in the community. Chief Rachman updated the council on the cruiser that had been ordered in January. He has contacted Whitmoyer Dealership about the status. They are having a problem with Code 3, which is one of the vendors for the emergency lighting and sirens. At this point, the dealership is inquiring about the 2 changeover of equipment. There are only 2 items that will be switched from the old vehicle to the new one. Chief Rachman met with the Civil Service Commission last week and they have reestablished the list with the new top 3 candidates on it. Next year the police will be going with the consortium which comprise most ofthe police departments in Lehigh County. SLATINGTON REVITALIZATION PARTNERSHIP - None STANDING COMMITTEES A. Highway Councilor Bryon Reed 1. Councilor Reed updated the council about the catch basin at Main and Walnut. It has been temporarily fixed. 2. Councilor Reed informed the council that Bob Herzog will be up at the sewer plant, as needed, to help with work on the digester project. 3. Larry Turoscy discussed the funding for Main and Walnut Streets bridge. At a meeting last year with PennDOT, PennDOT said we needed to get more funding. The borough obtained the $550,000 funding. Larry feels we must stay on top of PennDOT. PennDOT has a couple of alternatives for widening the bridge, instead of the 11-foot lanes, make 12- or 13-foot lanes, and move the bridge over. They would start the new bridge a little bit north of Galio's property and then swing the bridge over and put a lane in there that would line up with the left turn that is needed coming south. Due to the high cost of traffic signals, we would need another $100,000, and could they get that on their part for the borough. Councilor Schnaars made a motion, duly seconded by Councilor Wechsler, authorize the Highway Committee to draft and send a letter under President Stevens' signature concerning the issues Larry Turoscy raised on the bridge. President Stevens declared the motion passed following a Voice Vote, All in Favor B. Public Safety Councilor David Schnaars 1. Councilor Schnaars made a motion, duly seconded by Councilor Reed, to accept, with regret, the resignation of Officer Jarrod Bulger effective March 17, 2019. President Stevens declared the motion passed following a Voice Vote, All in Favor 2. Chief Rachman explained to the council the Memorandum of Understanding. The county police chiefs meet every month to try and consolidate some issues among the various police departments throughout the county to make things more efficient and cost effective. One of the issues is the testing consortium. By signing this MOU, the borough would be a member and be able to use the regional task force for crash reconstruction, and not the state police. Councilor Schnaars made a motion, duly seconded by Councilor Wechsler, to accept the Memorandum of Understanding with Lehigh County Police Departments and the Lehigh County Office of the District Attorney to support the creation of the Lehigh County Crash Reconstruction Task Force. President Stevens declared the motion passed following a Voice Vote, All in Favor C. Human/Community Services Councilor Jason Ruff 1. Councilor Ruff made a motion, duly seconded by Councilor Schnaars, to approve Northern Lehigh Field Hockey request for the Trailhead on Saturday, June gth, 2019, for car wash to raise 3 money for camp and clinics. President Stevens declared the motion passed following a Voice Vote, All in Favor 2. Councilor Ruff made a motion, duly seconded by Councilor Schnaars, to approve Northern Lehigh Field Hockey request for the Trailhead on Saturday, July 13, 2019, for car wash to raise money for camp and clinics. President Stevens declared the motion passed following a Voice Vote, All in Favor 3. Councilor Ruff made a motion, duly seconded by Councilor Schnaars, to approve request from Stephen DiGiovanna for a car wash on June 1st, 2019, from morning to afternoon at the Trailhead parking lot to raise money for the Deaf Children Camping programs on the condition that he has his complete application and liability insurance in by Friday, May 24h, 2019. This motion was rescinded. Councilor Ruff made a motion, duly seconded by Councilor Schnaars, to authorize the Human/Community Services Committee to approve the request from Stephen DiGiovanna for a car wash on June 1st, 2019, from morning to afternoon, at the Trailhead parking lot to raise money for the Deaf Children Camping programs. This is contingent on his submission of a completed application for the use of facilities and a certificate of liability insurance provided to the borough on, or before, Tuesday, May 28th, 2019. President Stevens declared the motion passed following a Voice Vote, All in Favor 4. Councilor Ruff made a motion, duly seconded by Councilor Schnaars, to approve Northern Lehigh Class of 2020 request to conduct the Class of 2020 Duck Race on June 2md, 2019, at the Trailhead from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM. President Stevens declared the motion passed following a Voice Vote, All in Favor D. Finance Councilor Thomas Bartholomew 1. Councilor Bartholomew made a motion, duly seconded by Councilor Wechsler, to adopt Resolution R-5-19 fee schedule change for Zoning, with the exception of the Zoning Hearing fees. The handicap line will remain with $0's. President Stevens declared the motion passed following a Roll Call, voting as follows: ROLL CALL AYES NAYS ABSTAIN Daniel Stevens Jason Ruff Ronald Kratz Joseph Wechsler David Schnaars Thomas Bartholomew Bryon Reed 2. Councilor Bartholomew made a motion, duly seconded by Councilor Schnaars, to ratify the extension with Biros Septic and Drain Cleaning Inc contract for sludge hauling to 2/28/2021. President Stevens declared the motion passed following a Roll Call, voting as follows: ROLL CALL AYES NAYS ABSTAIN Daniel Stevens Jason Ruff Ronald Kratz Joseph Wechsler 4 David Schnaars Thomas Bartholomew Bryon Reed 3. The council discussed obtaining volunteer delegates for Lehigh Tax Collection District delegate census. Councilor Schnaars requested more information concerning the responsibilities for this and table this until the information can be obtained. 4. Councilor Bartholomew made a motion, duly seconded by Councilor Wechsler to authorize President Stevens to approve Exemption request from Statewide Tax Recovery Inc. for Delinquent per Capita Tax for Jacob Schuster non-resident - $5.50. President Stevens declared the motion passed following a Voice Vote, All in Favor E. Sewer/Solid Waste Councilor. Joseph Wechsler 1. Councilor Wechsler gave an update on the digester program. They are doing the necessary demolition, changing the door, they have removed piping. They are preparing to bring in a crane on Tuesday, 5/14, to lift the large section of the concrete lid off and will cut holes in and lift it with straps off the digester. The electrical - the lower panels have been received. The forms have been put up for the lower motors. It is a nice job SO far. President Stevens asked when they anticipate completion. Councilor Wechsler said by the end ofJune. The air handler has been taken down. 2. The borough received approval for the extension for the digester grant to June 30, 2020. Informational only. F. Water/Special Sewer Committee Councilor Ronald Kratz 1. Water Test Statement - Water was tested and found safe for human consumption 2. Councilor Kratz informed the council the Shadow Oaks grant project is over 95% completed. Larry Turoscy added that the plans are finished and he is working with Attorney Healy to get the bid package completed and time to advertise. Probably the end ofI May or early June will be the opening of the bids. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Councilor Ruff inquired if there has been any progress on the street signs. Councilor Reed informed him some have been put up, and more signs will continue to be done. Councilor Schnaars stated that this was supposed to be the year to replace water meters. What is the status. Councilor Reed said the whole town must be done all at one time. This is a costly endeavor all at once. The residents would not be responsible for payment for the new meters. If we install new meters that are wireless, there would be a continuing fee for the tower. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: President Stevens informed the council the Swift Reach calling list has been up dated. 5 President Stevens informed the council about the bill for the recycling event. He said it the event was very successful and we were right on budget. This one cost about $3,100.00, SO we can easily budget a second one. Councilor Reed mentioned that LCA would like to put a test port along the Welshtown system. This will be discussed further at the next lighway/Water/5ewer Committee meeting. NEW BUSINESS: Larry Turoscy informed the council that they did have the pre-bid conference for the 4th Street CDBG project. There were 6 bidders. COUNCIL PRESIDENT'S REPORT: None Daniel Stevens COURTESY OF THE FLOOR = (Agenda Items Only - You will have two (2) minutes to address Council from the podium on Agenda Items Only.) Ed Ziegler - He complained about a tree hanging over on W. Washington Street which is a hazard. He also stated that on Main Street from Walnut, there is a dip, which is getting worse. The drain at Railroad Street and 873 was flowing like a river after a heavy rain. This drain belongs to Washington Township. EXECUTIVE SESSION President Stevens recessed to executive session at 8:29 pm. At 9:46 pm, President Stevens reconvened the meeting. Matters of legal, personnel and real estate were discussed in executive session. Councilor Bartholomew, made a motion, duly seconded by Councilor Wechsler, to authorize the council president to execute a tax collection agreement between the Borough and DDA and Northeast Revenue as approved by the solicitor. President Stevens declared the motion passed following a Roll Call, voting as follows: ROLL CALL AYES NAYS ABSTAIN Daniel Stevens Jason Ruff Ronald Kratz Joseph Wechsler David Schnaars Thomas Bartholomew Bryon Reed ADJOURNMENT Being no further business, Councilor Schnaars made the motion, duly seconded by Councilor Wechsler, to adjourn the meeting. President Stevens declared the motion passed following a Voice Vote, All in Favor. President Stevens declared the meeting adjourned at 9:48 pm. Colleen Bresnak Assistant Borough Secretary 6