City Council

BOROUGH OF AKRON COUNCIL MEETING – December 6, 2021 Council Members present – Nathan Imhoff, President; Justin Gehman, Vice-President; Thomas J. Murray, Sr.; Kleon Zimmerman; Paul Swangren, Jr. and Michael Morris (Randall Justice not present). Others present – Mayor John McBeth; Susan Davidson, Borough Manager; Sean Molchany, Assistant Borough Manager, and West Earl Police Chief Eric Higgins. Visitors – John Taylor, Akron Resident. Meeting opened at 6:30 p.m. with the Pledge of Allegiance. Council Members/Mayor Roll Call: Thomas J. Murray, Sr. – Present Kleon Zimmerman – Present Paul Swangren, Jr. – Present Randall Justice – Not Present Michael Morris – Present Justin Gehman, Vice-President – Present Nathan Imhoff, President – Present Mayor John McBeth – Present Approval of Minutes The November 8, 2021 Borough of Akron Council Meeting minutes were tabled until the next meeting for corrections. Bills Thomas J. Murray, Sr. made a motion to approve the payment to West Earl Township for Police Services in the amount of $58,728.63. Paul Swangren, Jr. seconded the motion. Motion carried. Reports Police Report Chief Higgins reported that he is still working on the issue on South 9 th Street. He met with the Burkholders to get a more in-depth background on the issue, and now is trying to work with their neighbor. The Chief also reported that tonight he will be requesting West Earl Township Council’s permission to promote an officer to a Sergeant’s position. The two officers that are currently in field training are doing very well. 1 Three officers are out right now due to COVID exposures, but are anticipated to be back to work on Friday. The Chief reminded everyone, again, to reach out to him if anyone is interested in touring their police station, or in doing a police ride along. Mayor Report Mayor McBeth brought up an issue with the legislation of consumer fireworks which was passed in 2017. The mayors in Lancaster County have been bombarded with complaints from people about fireworks. The Lancaster County Mayors Association is asking the legislators to look at this law and see what improvements can be made. The Mayor also stated he had the privilege of attending the retirement gathering for Dan Zimmerman who was the Township Manager for Warwick Township. The Mayor said thanks to Dan Zimmerman, we have a Rail Trail, as he was the one to get it started and to follow through on it. The Rail Trail was recognized as one of the great places in Pennsylvania. Borough Manager Report The Borough Manager’s report is in Old and New Business. Assistant Borough Manager/Zoning Officer Report Nothing to report. Finance Report Thomas J. Murray, Sr. proposed that they include the monthly check to West Earl Township for police services in the first payments of the month. Community Relations Report Nothing to report. Michael Morris mentioned he had some personal obligations in the month of November, so he was unable to provide time to work on the Borough website and will get a chance to work on the webpage over the next few weeks. Once the website is ready to go, they will start advertising their Council meetings. Susan Davidson mentioned that the tree lighting event took place on November 26 th. The turnout was big and everything went well. Parks and Property Report Sean Molchany reported that the renovation on the lodge started today and should take place over the next 10 days. Personnel Report 2 Paul Swangren, Jr. noted that the January’s Personnel Committee meeting will be an hour long. They plan to discuss the positions that are in the budget. The meeting will take place on Monday, January 24, 2022 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Streets Report Nothing to report. Susan Davidson noted that the street sweeping is taking place in the Borough. The East side was done today and the West side will be done tomorrow. She also noted that the Liquid Fuels audit from the Auditor General’s office took place about a month ago and she received the report. There were no findings. Sean Molchany reported that the concrete work on 9th Street is taking place this week. Public Utilities Report Nothing to report. Old Business DEP MS4 Audit Sue Davidson said that a few weeks ago they were audited by DEP for MS4. They went over all the paperwork issues, and then on-site inspections were done. There were no violations, but there was some noncompliance. Ms. Davidson will email the report to Council. Holiday Wreaths Paul Swangren, Jr. mentioned that Ephrata Review did a great front-page picture of the wreaths. He hopes that next year they will get more help to add more holiday wreaths. Blue Ridge Communications Agreement Susan Davidson presented a draft of a Cable Franchise Agreement between Akron Borough and Blue Ridge Communications. The Borough Solicitor reviewed the agreement and he recommended that instead of adopting it by Ordinance, they adopt it by Resolution. Ms. Davidson will have this item on the agenda for the next week’s Council meeting. Walkworks/DCNR Project Update Sean Molchany stated they have signed an agreement with RETTEW to be their liaison and to oversee the grant. Bank Loan Susan Davidson said the only bank she heard from regarding loan information was Ephrata National Bank. She is waiting from Fulton Bank and other two banks for information. Council does not want to make a decision until they have comparative information from different banks. New Business 3 2022 Proposed Meeting Advertisement Susan Davidson presented some proposed advertisements. The reorganizational meeting is scheduled for Monday, January 3, 2022 at 6:30 p.m. 2022 Committee/Commission Vacancies Susan Davidson presented a list of people that are up for expiration for different committees. The vacancies can be advertised on the Akron webpage and on Facebook. Davidson will reach out to see if the people whose terms are expiring are interested in serving another term. John Taylor mentioned he would be interested in serving another term on the Akron Borough Planning Commission. Tax Collector Susan Davidson stated she contacted the Elections office in regards to the Tax Collector because nobody ran for the Tax Collector; however, there was a number of write-ins, and the person that received the most write-ins was going to meet with Ms. Davidson today, but they never showed up. If that person decides not to pursue it, then the Council will have to decide if they want to turn it over to the County for tax collection. A motion will be on the agenda for the next Council meeting for consideration. Park House Rentals and Pavilion/Lodge Rentals Susan Davidson mentioned the conversation Council had about raising the rent for the park house. Ms. Davidson distributed information to Council on current fair market rental information. Council was in agreement that they should be closer to the fair market rental. This will be on the agenda for the next Council meeting. Justin Gehman brought up an issue with a parked truck on the road in the Roland park. Mr. Gehman feels the visitors to the town should not have to experience traffic issues going into the park or exiting the park. The Council thinks it should be a person-to-person conversation with the tenant to ask him to keep his truck off the road because it obstructs the roadway. Correspondence Susan Davidson presented an invitation from Representative Zimmerman to attend his legislative Christmas Open House on Thursday, December 9, 2021. She also presented a Thank You letter from the Akron Lions Club. Ms. Davidson added that they met with Lions Club today about the Facility Use Agreement. They are going to sign it and give Council a Certificate of Insurance. Other Business Paul Swangren, Jr. appreciated the Christmas wreaths and the Christmas lighting. He also commented on the Pines Playground stating that he went there with his two granddaughters and they had a great time. He complimented the playground. Mr. Swangren also mentioned meeting four sisters whose mother donated to the Pines Playground. 4 Mayor McBeth noted that the Shoe-in for the New Year's Eve is taking place on December 31, 2021. Paul Swangren, Jr. made a motion to adjourn the meeting. Michael Morris seconded the motion. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 7:27 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lydia Kovalchuk Minute Taker 5