Borough Council

May 18, 2026 7:00 p.m. The regular meeting of Doylestown Borough Council was held on the above date and time in Council Chambers, with the following members present: Council President Jack O’Brien, Vice President Amy Popkin, and Council Members Ben Bell, Larry Browne, Jennifer Jarret, Robert Kinney, Dennis Livrone, Connor O’Hanlon, and Elizabeth Wyckoff. Also present were Junior Councilperson Thomas O’Reilly, Mayor Noni West, Borough Solicitor Andrew Griffin, Borough Engineer Geoffrey Attanasio, Central Bucks Regional Police Department Police Chief Karl Knott, Assistant Manager/Finance Director Caroline Brinker, Planning and Zoning Director Karyn Hyland, and Parks and Recreation Director Caitlin Hernandez. Borough Manager John Davis was absent. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 1. Mayor West presented a plaque to Karen Graziano, Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) member, 2021-2025. The Mayor said that Ms. Graziano is a master gardener who coordinates the EAC at the Farmers’ Market and events there. Ms. Graziano thanked Council. 2. Mayor White presented a Certificate of Appreciation to Thomas O’Reilly, who was a student member of the Human Relations Commission May 2023 to April 2025, and then served as Junior Councilperson, September 2005-May 2026. Ms. West said Mr. O’Reilly attended a lot of meetings, including the Budget Meetings. She remarked that he was the opening performance at the Broad Commons concert this past Thursday and he will be attending Temple. Mayor White wished Mr. O’Reilly the best at Temple. Mr. O’Reilly said he was grateful for having grown up here in Doylestown and for having the opportunity to work with the HRC and especially with Borough Council. He said even though he felt like he was quiet, he learned so much, noting in particular that it takes people like those on Council and Staff who are so kind, compassionate, and strong-willed to manage such a unique town. Mr. O’Reilly said it was a pleasure working with everyone and thanked all for supporting him in his role. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mr. O’Brien called for a motion to approve the April 20, 2026 Council Meeting Minutes (Browne-Kinney). Hearing no comments from Council, Staff, or the public, a vote was called, and the minutes were unanimously approved. MAYOR’S REPORT Mayor West reported that the Dart Board met this past Friday and they brought everyone up to date on the Dart West and then South funding which fortunately was approved by PennDOT and SEPTA. She said that Dart West and South are now considered an integral part of the Dart 19 system and will no longer require separate funding. The Mayor noted that PennDOT mentioned that one of the integral reasons for the funding approval was the Dart Board and the extensive community participation in both guidance and contribution to the Dart system. Mayor West stated that the Dart is celebrating its 25th anniversary which officially occurred on April 29, 2026. She said an anniversary celebration is scheduled sometime in September and the Borough is part of the planning team. PUBLIC SAFETY - Mr. Browne 1. Authorization to Advertise Ordinance Prohibiting Right Turns by Trucks: Southbound North Main Street at Broad Street. Mr. Browne said that this ordinance would prohibit right hand turns onto Broad Street by trucks southbound on North Main Street. He said that such movements have resulted in frequent damage to traffic signal equipment due to the tight radius. Following the recommendation of the Committee, a motion was made to advertise the proposed ordinance (Browne-Popkin). Hearing no comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. 2. Authorization to Advertise Ordinance Codifying County Theater Loading Zone. Mr. Browne said that this ordinance adds the long-existing loading zone in front of the County Theater to the Code of Ordinances. Through an oversight, the zone was never added to the Code and doing so will make it enforceable. Following the recommendation of the Committee, a motion was made to advertise the proposed ordinance (Browne-Kinney). Hearing no comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. 3. Authorization to Advertise Ordinance Creating a No Parking Zone on a Portion of Meadow Lane. Mr. Browne said that this ordinance creates a no parking zone on the west side of Meadow Lane, extending 40 feet south from its intersection with Clemens Road. The no parking zone will address a hazardous condition created by vehicles parked near the stop intersection of Meadow Lane and Clemens Road. Following the recommendation of the Committee, a motion was made to advertise the proposed ordinance (Browne-O’Hanlon). Mr. Bell asked if anyone in the public expressed an interest in this. Mr. Browne replied that it was initially brought to the Committee last fall, he thought, by a neighbor. The resident was actually at the meeting because they read what was coming. Mr. Browne said the resident said it was a parking problem caused by workers at their house. He said they made it sound like a transient thing, but the parking problem has continued. Mr. Browne said sometimes cars are parked right at the edge of the corner as it’s not marked or prohibited at this time. Hearing no further comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. 4. Emergency Services Department Monthly Report. Mr. Browne said this is a new report from the Borough’s Emergency Services Director, Scott Fleischer; and, 5. Doylestown Fire 20 Company Report. Mr. Browne said both reports were provided in Council’s packet. The reports are available to the public by following the packet link noted on this meeting’s Agenda. PUBLIC WORKS AND ADMINISTRATION - Mr. Kinney 1. Bid Award: West State, West Court, and Clinton Streets Signal Modernization. Mr. Kinney said that bids were opened and publicly read for this project on April 23, 2026. He said that the low bidder is G&B Construction Group of Feasterville/Trevose, Pa., at a price of $552,989.95. A bid tabulation and the Engineer’s recommendation are attached. Following the recommendation of the Public Works and Administration Committee which reviewed the bid results at their May meeting, a motion was made to award the bid to G&B Construction Group conditioned upon the receipt of a properly executed performance bond and compliance with the bid specifications. (Kinney-Livrone) Hearing no comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. 2. The Public Works Monthly Report was provided in Council’s packet and available to the public by following the packet link noted on this meeting’s Agenda. COMMUNITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS - Mr. Bell Mr. Bell reported that the Committee did meet, but there were no actionable items for Council. ZONING AND PLANNING - Ms. Jarret 1. 168 E. Oakland Avenue, Gary and Linda Kennedy, Request to Amend Settlement Agreement. Ms. Jarret said that in 2018, the Borough denied a Certificate of Appropriateness for the demolition of the house at 168 East Oakland Avenue. The applicant/developer appealed the decision, resulting in a settlement with the Borough. The northern and eastern facades of the historic home at 168 E. Oakland Avenue were preserved in exchange for variances for rear yard, lot coverage, and floor area ratio. The extent of each is as follows: a rear yard of 14.6 feet where a minimum of 25 feet is required, a lot coverage of 32.3% where 30% is the allowable maximum, and a floor area ratio of 61% where 40% is the allowable maximum. Ms. Jarret said that the developer then built the house in accordance with the agreement to include three finished floors and an unfinished basement. She said that the owners are now requesting to amend the agreement, allowing for the basement to be added to the floor area. This would bring the floor area ratio to approximately 80%. Ms. Jarret said that in considering the request, the Borough has three options: (1) amend the agreement to accommodate the request in whole or in part. This option poses a challenge due to the amount of time that has passed since the initial agreement. Further, it’s difficult to justify bypassing the ordinance-prescribed variance process without the presence of an appeal. Although the court accepted the settlement years ago, it’s unclear if an amended settlement will be accepted now; (2) amend the agreement such that the owner can apply to the 21 Zoning Hearing Board for a variance. The owner would then be entitled to the legal process, but would still be subject to the burden of demonstrating hardship. She said that in the event Council opts for that process, it could consider including a statement to the Zoning Hearing Board regarding the Borough’s position, or lack of a position, on the variance application; or, (3) decline the request, do nothing. Ms. Jarret said that the Zoning and Planning Committee reviewed the request and recommends Council authorize the Solicitor to draft language amending the Agreement permitting the Owner the opportunity to avail himself of the traditional Zoning Hearing Board variance process while preserving the Borough’s right to oppose any potential future variance application, should Council so later move. She said that the Committee recommends that the amendment be drafted such that it does not prejudice any party’s position. Following that recommendation, a motion was so made (Jarret-Bell). Mr. Kinney asked for clarification of option two - if Council opted for that, which is that the owner can apply for a variance, it could consider a statement to the Zoning Hearing Board regarding the Borough’s position or lack of position. He asked for confirmation that we’re not doing that at this point. Ms. Jarret replied that was correct. She said it basically entitles the property owner to all of their rights as if there were no agreement in this particular segment of it, but the Borough is also preserving its right to object if that’s what the Committee and Council decide down the road. She said it kind of depends on what way they want to go with it and what they propose. Hearing no further comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. 2. Zoning Hearing Board Report. Ms. Jarret asked Ms. Hyland for this report. Ms. Hyland reported that the Zoning Hearing Board will meet on May 21, 2026, to hear applications for 101 South West Street, where the owner is proposing to install a barrel sauna right along Bunker Street, within one of their three front yards. She noted this is a two corner, so three front yards property, which poses challenges when building anything on it; and 208 Lacey Avenue, which has a garage and the garage roof acts as a porch. Ms. Hyland said the applicant would like to a roof over that and enclose it to be additional living space. She said because it is an undersized lot in that zoning district, they’ll be requesting dimensional relief to accommodate it. Ms. Hyland commented that was no recommendation by the Committee. 3. HARB Recommendations. Ms. Jarrett said that at its monthly meeting, the Borough of Doylestown Historical and Architectural Review Board (HARB) recommended that the applications for a Certificate of Appropriateness be accepted as submitted for the following: Sign Application: 41 East State Street; Building Applications: 56 East Oakland Avenue, siding, accepted as submitted, with Hardie trim that is 5 ¼” thick, 188 Green Street, deck, accepted as submitted, with the recommendation that the deck be stained light gray, 61 North Church Street, renovation, 155 North Main Street, windows, accepted as submitted, with Andersen 400-series 22 windows in a six over six configuration and vertical siding, and the railing will have vertical black-powder-coated metal pockets. Gutters will be white half-rounds, 96 Cottage Street, renovation, accepted as submitted, with the windows upgraded to Andersen 400-series, 110 East Ashland Street, renovation, accepted as recommended, with the following changes: (a) windows will be white, (b) steps are to be widened leading to the porch, (c) extend the porch and porch roof to include the width of the shutters, (d) garage door will be carriage style, (e) railing is to be wood or wood-look in the color white, (f) there will be no post in the middle of the porch, (g) the porch base is to be reused stone, (h) garage windows will be one-over-one, and (j) gutters on the house and garage are to be half-round. Ms. Jarret said that the Zoning and Planning Committee recommends that Council approve the applications in accordance with HARB’s recommendations. A motion was so made (Jarret-Popkin). Hearing no comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. The motion passed unanimously. 4. Building Inspection Monthly Report. Ms. Jarret stated that the report was provided in Council’s packet. The report is available to the public by following the packet link noted on this meeting’s Agenda. ENVIRONMENT AND RECREATION - Ms. Wyckoff 1. Proposal for Ping Pong Parkinson’s. Ms. Wyckoff said that this is a proposal for “Ping Pong Parkinson’s”, a program to be offered through the Parks and Recreation Department. She said that the program would provide a recreational and social opportunity for individuals with Parkinson’s disease through guided table tennis activities. Following the recommendation of the Committee, a motion was made to approve the Ping Pong Parkinson’s program (Wyckoff-O’Hanlon). Mr. Kinney noted budget is $1000. He asked if those were funds that the Borough would provide, or is that the budget for the program itself. Ms. Hernandez replied that the funds would come from the Parks and Recreation’s supplies budget. Hearing no further comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. On another note, Ms. Wyckoff announced that on June 1 at 4:30 p.m., there will be the grand opening of the pump track at Chapman Park. She invited everyone to attend and bring their bikes. WATER UTILITY - Mr. Livrone Mr. Livrone said that Committee met, but there were no actionable items. He said two informational items are that the first of the PFAS remediation project is underway at the Sandy Ridge well – the foundation is in the ground and they’re working on the building. Secondly, he said that it is hydrant flushing time of the year. 23 FINANCE/PENSION - Ms. Popkin Ms. Popkin reported that the Committee did not meet this month. 1. Fanny Chapman Pool - Main Pool Bottom Concrete Repair Bid. Ms. Popkin said that bids were opened and publicly read on April 14, 2026, for the concrete repair to the Fanny Chapman Main Pool Bottom. She said two bids were received and a breakdown of each. Ms. Popkin noted that the bids were reviewed by the Engineer and Solicitor. Following the recommendation of the Fanny Chapman Pool Board and the Environment and Recreation Committee, a motion was made to award the Base & Alternate Bids to low-bidder USA Construction, LLC in the amount of $259,660 (Popkin-Jarret). Mr. O’Brien commented that we’re getting close to opening time of the pool and asked if there was any consideration to that. Ms. Brinker responded that the construction is actually slated to be done once the pool closes around September 15. She said that a notice to proceed will go out around September 1. Mr. Bell said that in the Borough Engineer’s letter, it is recommended that the bids be contingent on due diligence that the Solicitor was undertaking. He asked if that was done. Mr. Griffin replied that his office did review and approve it. Hearing no further comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. 2. Finance Report. Ms. Popkin asked Ms. Brinker for the Finance Report. Ms. Brinker stated that the report showing payable and payroll had been provided in Council’s packet. She said the total for all funds was $1,089,497.75. A motion was made to approve the report (Popkin- Jarret). With no comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called, and the motion passed unanimously. PERSONNEL COMMITTEE - Mr. O’Brien: No meeting and no report. PROFESSIONALS’ REPORTS Engineer’s Report - Mr. Attanasio had no report. Solicitor's Report - Mr. Closser had no report. Central Bucks Regional Police Department (CBRPD) Activities Report. The Police Activity Report provided in Council’s packet for April 2026 indicated that were 922 incidents in the Borough and year-to-date, the Department had spent $2,047,812.09 and were at 25.18% of their yearly budget. PRESIDENT’S REPORT: None. OLD BUSINESS: None. NEW BUSINESS: None. 24 OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT: None. EXECUTIVE SESSION: None. ADJOURNMENT At 7:28 p.m., Mr. O’Brien called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Mayor West said she thought it would be good to close the meeting in solidarity with San Diego considering the shootings this evening and the death of citizens. Motion was made by Mr. Browne, seconded by Mr. Kinney. Mr. O’Brien called the vote and the motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, John H. Davis Borough Manager :sa 25