City Council

BELLEFONTE BOROUGH WORK SESSION and COUNCIL MEETING OF December 6, 2021 In-Person, Council Chambers AGENDA ATTEND IN PERSON – The Council Chambers is open to the public with normal or standard occupancy levels. FACE COVERING/MASKS ARE REQUIRED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE Masks are available at the sign-in desk. VIEW LIVE FEED/RECORDING OF BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETINGS–Borough Council meetings can be viewed live on YouTube at https://youtu.be/64crASVZJjM and are also recorded. Recordings can be viewed on CNET, Comcast’s Government Education Channel 7, or at www.cnet1.org ATTEND VIRTUALLY- Please contact the Borough via email: boro@bellefontepa.gov or phone: 814-355-1501 before 4PM on Monday, December 6th to receive the Link to the meeting 7:00 PM - WORK SESSION (No council action is taken during work sessions) ➢ 2022 budget Preliminary Overview 7:30 PM COUNCIL MEETING – CALL TO ORDER: Welcome everyone to the Bellefonte Borough council meeting. We will do our best to start council meetings on time and to end them on time. Due to the room acoustics, please speak up when talking so that people can hear what you are saying. All comments and reports should be kept to three minutes maximum. Thank you. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: MOMENT OF SILENCE: ROLL CALL: Mr. Eaton, North Ward Ms. Cleeton, South Ward Ms. Hombosky, North Ward Mr. Brachbill, Vice President, SouthWard Mr. Johnson, Pro Tem, North Ward Ms. Abbott, South Ward Mr. Prendergast, West Ward Mayor Wilson, At Large Mr. Halderman, West Ward Ms. Tosti-Vasey, President, West Ward ADDITIONS TO THE COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA In accordance with Act 65 of 2021, If a matter is not on the Agenda, Council cannot take official action on it with some exceptions. Council can act on matters relating to potential or real emergencies. Council may add a matter of agency business to its agenda through majority vote. Council should state the reason why the action item is being added to the Agenda. Council may vote to add an action item(s) to the agenda PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ACTION ITEMS (ORAL): This Public Comment period is reserved for oral comments regarding any action items listed on this meeting agenda or added by majority vote at this meeting. Please sign in, come to the podium at the appropriate time, state your name and address and which item you are speaking about. Please try to limit comments to three minutes maximum. CONSENT AGENDA All items listed on the Consent Agenda are considered to be routine and will be acted upon by a single motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless members of the Council request specific items to be removed for separate action. Council Action Requested General Council Meeting Minutes of November 15th 2021 Finance Voucher Summary October 2021 Finance Budget v. Actual Summary October 2021 Finance Budget v. Actual October 2021 Finance Current v. Prior October 2021 Finance Treasurer’s Report October 2021 COMMUNICATIONS (written): Rent/Mortgage/Utility Grant to Centre County and Bellefonte Borough Residents Auditor General’s Audit of Liquid Fuels Funds Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO) Nittany Valley Appointments OFFICE OF COMMUNITY AFFAIRS Planning Commission – Planning Commission met on November 8th. No council action items Zoning – Pop Up Picnic Businesses – See memo. Council may take action to ask the Planning Commission or a standing committee to review the issues. Historical and Architectural Review Board (HARB): Meeting was canceled. No Council actionis needed. NUISANCE CODES Report – Report will be in the December 20th meeting REPORTS: Please try to limit all reports/rebuttals/deliberations to three minutes maximum. If further deliberation is desired on any item, additional time will be placed on an upcoming work session or council agenda. MAYOR—Tom Wilson 2021 Victorian Christmas Proclamation COUNCIL PRESIDENT—Joanne Tosti-Vasey BUILDING AND PROPERTY— Frank Halderman, Chair Committee still considering Enterprise lease proposal FINANCE AND GOV’T PERFORMANCE—Deb Cleeton, Chair Committee meeting held on November 23rd. Notes included. Committee understands need for .5 mill increase to General Fund to maintain same level of services. Committee is recommending to hold off on increasing EMS tax levy increase until each municipality contributes their fair share. Additionally, committee supports efforts to look at options including county-wide services where everyone pays Council action regarding tentative approval of the 2022 budget is listed under Old Business LERTA Draft Ordinance being reviewed by the Borough Solicitor PARK AND RECREATION—Melissa Hombosky, Chair Ltr Request from ClearWater’s Centred Outdoors to host guided walks through the parks June 19 and 22, 2022 Foot bridge behind the Big Spring pumphouse – Decking replacement weather dependent HUMAN RESOURCES—Jon Eaton, Chair Ratification of Draft Public Works Contract Agreement – Council action requested to approve agreement SAFETY—Randy Brachbill, Chair Workplace Safety Committee meeting held on November 17th. Draft minutes included. No council action requested. No Council Safety Committee meeting held since the last council meeting. Fire Executive meeting last month was changed to an Officers Meeting. WATER, REFUSE COLLECTION & COMPOST FACILITY—Doug Johnson, Chair Authority meeting in December – The Authority meeting for December is traditionally moved. The meeting is Tuesday, December 21st, at 6PM. No action is required. November Water Report – included STREETS—Mary Abbott, Chair Streets meeting held December 2nd. Food truck Regulations reviewed. Good Discussion. Committee interested in working on some revisions to the application / policies that would require better communication. Staff will look at other communities and special events. No Council action is requested at this time. Committee recommends conditional approval of planters with pole lights concept requested by DBI. DBI is to take idea to HARB. Council action is requested. Diamond options. Public comments still being received. Does Council want to make any changes to the temporary curbing and delineators prior to Victorian Christmas – Dec. 10,11th? Council may act to make changes. Temporary pick up spaces in the on-street metered areas – ending December 31st. FYI Curtesy Parking (2 hour free parking) – in effect through January 1st. FYI ENERGY & ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION—Mike Prendergast, Chair Bright Lights Grant finalized. No council action requested. PA Fish & Boat Commission request to plant trees along Waterfront – progressing. No council action requested. PSU Sustainability projects for Spring 2022 – Recommend sustainability newsletter Community Sustainability Committee – continuing work, EV grants for businesses available. FYI, no council action requested. Report back on final ICLEI Cohort Training held on November 16. It will include next steps that ICLEI is offering us. No council action requested. Pennsylvania Municipal League (PML) Sustainability Conference held November 16. FYI. No council action requested. SPECIAL COMMITTEE REPORTS: Proposal for Rotating Council Leadership Roles. Proposed by the Ad-Hoc Committee. Being presented for review. Council action will be considered at the December 20th meeting. No Council Action requested at this time. Proposal to create a Code of Conduct for Public Meetings. Proposed by the Ad-Hoc Committee. Being presented for review. Council action will be considered at the December 20th meeting. No Council Action requested at this time. Resolution to establish a policy for conduct during public meetings. Proposed by the Ad-Hoc Committee. Being presented for review. Council action will be considered at the December 20th meeting. No Council Action requested at this time. Nittany Valley Joint Planning Commission Meeting, November 18th Spring Creek Watershed Commission Meeting held on November 17th Centre County Metropolitan Planning Organization (CCMPO) Coordinating meeting, Nov. 23rd BOROUGH MANAGER—Ralph Stewart November report to be submitted at the December 20th meeting OLD BUSINESS CNET – Live meeting on C-net. Council may take action to confirm that they desire to spend the necessary funds (estimate three years ago was $6000) to have a live Comcast connection and to confirm that the Council is willing to change their meeting nights to Tuesday (there are other live meetings on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays). Council may take action to approve the expenditure and to move the council meetings to Tuesdays 2022 Meeting Dates, Borough Holidays and Refuse Holiday Schedule. If council takes action to change the meeting night, then that will affect the meeting dates listed. Council should review the dates for meetings. Approval will be placed on the December 20th meeting agenda. No action is requested at this time. Contracted Code Services Agreement. A question came up at the Streets meeting regarding current code services. Staff is listing this on the Agenda as an Old Business Item to determine Council’s direction. A copy of the contract with Centre Region Code is included. Council may act to stipulate any further action to be taken at this time. Social Media Policy. HR Committee made revisions to this policy based on comments at the November 15 council meeting. The Committee is recommending approval with the revisions (highlighted). Council action is requested. NEW BUSINESS Consider approval of tentative 2022 Budget and to advertise/make available for public inspection. The Tax Ordinance adoption and budget approval will be considered on considered at the December 20th Council Meeting. Council action is requested. PUBLIC COMMENT ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS (ORAL): This Public Comment period is normally reserved for oral comments regarding items not listed on this meeting agenda. Please state your name and address and the issue you are speaking about. Please try to limit comments to three minutes maximum. ADJOURNMENT: The council meeting will be adjourned at or as close as possible to 9:00 PM TIME PM