Borough Council Meeting

March 18, 2024 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, Robert Kinney, Joe Frederick, Jennifer Jarret, Dennis Livrone, and Elizabeth Wyckoff. Also present were Mayor Noni West, Junior Councilperson Jack Swartley, Borough Solicitor Ernest Closser, Borough Engineer Jim Dougherty, Central Bucks Regional Police Department Police Chief Karl Knott, Borough Manager John Davis, Building and Zoning Director Karyn Hyland, Finance Director Caroline Brinker, and Planning/Public Works Director/Deputy Borough Manager Phil Ehlinger. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS: Mayor West present a plaque to Jill Schweizer for her service on the Parks and Recreation Board from January 1999 through February of 2024. Mr. Livorne thanked Ms. Schweizer for her dedication and service to the board. Ms. Schweizer said it was a pleasure and thanked everyone. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Mr. O’Brien called for a motion to approve the February 26, 2024 Council Meeting Minutes. (Browne-Kinney) The vote was called and the minutes were unanimously approved. MAYOR’S REPORT Mayor West noted that the Borough’s first Easter Egg Hunt at Broad Commons Park is being held on March 30, and that there were 200 youth registrations within the first 24 hours. She said that Discover Doylestown and various businesses are holding a scavenger hunt from March 10 through March 30, with the Easter Bunny visiting on March 24. Mayor West then reminded everyone that the Farmers’ Market opens on April 20, 2024. PUBLIC SAFETY - Mr. Frederick 1. Consideration of Ordinance No. 2024-2, Prohibiting the Retail Sale of Dogs and Cats. Mr. Frederick said that this ordinance prohibits the retail sale of dogs and cats in Doylestown Borough. He said that Council, at its February 26, 2024 meeting, authorized the advertisement of this ordinance and it has since been properly advertised. Following the recommendation of the Public Safety Committee, a motion was made to adopt Ordinance No. 2024-2 (Frederick-Browne). Resident Mark Feingold, West Oakland Avenue, stated his support for the ordinance and opposition against puppy and kitten mills in Pennsylvania. Linda Reider, Executive Director of the Bucks County SPCA, also commented in support of the ordinance. 118  With no further comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. 2. Mr. Frederick said the last item was the Doylestown Fire Company monthly report, which was provided in Council’s packet and is available to the public by following the packet link noted on this meeting’s Agenda. PUBLIC WORKS AND ADMINISTRATION - Mr. Browne Mr. Browne reported that the Committee did not meet and noted that the Public Works Monthly Reports were provided in Council’s packet and are available to the public by following the packet link noted on this meeting’s Agenda. Mr. Browne then asked Mr. Ehlinger for comments. Mr. Ehlinger reported that the department has been working on a number of projects, including cleaning the parks, getting ball fields ready, construction a sally port for the Central Bucks Regional Police Department, started construction of the bathrooms next door for use by Broad Commons Park visitors, multiple tree takedowns, various water jobs and curb box repairs, historic streetlight repairs, installed two new public EV chargers here in the Borough Hall parking lot, as well as finishing up repairs on the Department’s roof. COMMUNITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS - Mr. Bell Mr. Bell commented that the submission window for the youth leadership award program has been extended to May 3 and they’re looking forward to receiving more qualified applicants. 2024 Farmers’ Market License Agreement. Mr. Bell said that this agreement, which provides for the Saturday morning Farmers’ Market on Hamilton Street by the Bucks County Foodshed Alliance, is unchanged from previous years. Following the recommendation of the Community and Governmental Affairs Committee, a motion was made to approve the license agreement (Bell-Frederick). Mr. Davis pointed out that the start date of the Farmers’ Market is April 20, not April 13 as indicated on the agreement in Council’s packet. With no further comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. ZONING AND PLANNING - Ms. Jarret 1. Historic & Architectural Review Board (HARB) Recommendations. Ms. Jarret said that at its regular monthly meeting, the HARB recommended the following for approval as submitted: Sign Applications: none; Building Applications: 10 North Main Street, for an elevator, with the condition that the gutters and downspouts will match the existing ones, and 347 Maple Avenue, for windows. Ms. Jarret said that the HARB recommended that Council approve the applications in accordance with HARB’s recommendations, and if Council wished to follow the Committee’s 119 recommendation, it could do so by motion. (Jarret-Popkin) With no comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. 2. Code Enforcement Monthly Activity Report and 3. Building Inspection Monthly Report. Ms. Jarrett stated that these reports were provided in Council’s packet and they are available to the public by following the packet link noted on this meeting’s Agenda. ENVIRONMENT AND RECREATION - Ms. Wyckoff 1. Yoga in the Park. Ms. Wyckoff said that the Park and Recreation Board and the Environment and Recreation Committee have reviewed an agreement and flyer for a proposed yoga program at Broad Commons Park, and are recommending its approval. Following those recommendations, a motion was made to approve the yoga program (Wyckoff-Kinney). With no comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. WATER UTILITY - Mr. Livrone Mr. Livrone reported that the Committee did meet at which time Chief Operator Jeremy Matozzo provided them with a stellar report as usual. Many things are moving along, including the backflow program update, PFAS mandatory testing is in place, and our Water Engineer CKS is working on the water system plan for handling the PFAS situation. Mr. Livorne said the one actionable item is Authorization to Advertise Bids: Maplewood Standpipe. He said that the Maplewood Standpipe Project was originally conceived as a COSTARS bid, but we have been informed that the standard COSTARS bid does not comply with the procurement requirements of the ARPA program, which is our predominant funding source for the project. He said that this new bid process will comply with ARPA procurement requirements and assure our ability to utilize our H20 & PA Small Water and Sewer grant funds. Mr. Livrone said that the Water Utility Committee has reviewed the documents and is recommending advertisement of the bid. Following the recommendation of the Committee, a motion was made to advertise this bid (Livrone-Jarret). With no comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. FINANCE/PENSION - Ms. Popkin 1. Consideration of Resolution No. 2024-4, Approving Doylestown Hospital Authority (DHA) Bond Issue. Ms. Popkin stated that this request comes from the DHA and calls for the approval by the Borough for the financing from the proceeds of the 2024 Bonds for the purposes recited in the resolution. She said the DHA was incorporated in 1979 pursuant to an ordinance of the Borough and the Borough is required to approve such a resolution by the Municipal Authorities Act to permit the DHA to proceed. The resolution creates no liability or obligation for the Borough. 120  Ms. Popkin said that the Finance and Pension Committee reviewed the resolution and information, and is recommending its adoption. A motion was made to adopt Resolution No. 2024- 4 (Popkin-Jarret). Ms. Popkin commented that Committee had a couple questions. She asked what would be spent under the not to exceed $10 Million Capital Program. Betsy Seeber, Chief Financial Officer for Doylestown Health, said that the potential $10 million is for what she calls the “invisible projects infrastructure within the hospital facility” such as HVAC replacement and replacement of elevators - deferred maintenance. Ms. Popkin said the Committee’s other question is with the merger with Penn Medicine, would that affect this resolution. Ms. Seeber said that it would not. She said the due diligence process with Penn will be continuing for a number of months and once they would reach a definitive agreement, it would take additional months for regulatory approval. She said their focus is really to do what is best for Doylestown Health. In response to a question posed by Mr. Kinney, Ms. Seeber stated that the DHA would not be affected by the merger. With 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 called upon Finance Director for the Finance Report. Ms. Brinker reported that Council was provided with a list of prepaid bills and a list of bills to be paid this evening. She said the total of all funds expended was $841,826.99. A motion was made to approve the report. (Popkin-Kinney) With no comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. PERSONNEL - Mr. O’Brien: No report. PROFESSIONALS’ REPORTS Engineer’s Report - Mr. Dougherty: No report. Solicitor's Report - Mr. Closser: No report. Central Bucks Regional Police Department (CBRPD) Activities Report. Chief Knott said the report was provided. The monthly activity report showed there were 922 incidents in the Borough in February and year-to-date, the Department spent $945,081.46, and were at 12.82% of their yearly budget. PRESIDENT’S REPORT: None. OLD BUSINESS: None. NEW BUSINESS Mr. Browne announced that the Borough has been advertising that this Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday at noon, here at Borough Hall, we will be having our first preparedness seminar to help put together a ready kit for emergencies. 121 OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT Ariel Lefkovits, a Puppy Mill Policy Specialist with the Humane Society of the United States, thanked Council for adopting the ordinance earlier and gave comments strongly supporting it. EXECUTIVE SESSION: None. ADJOURNMENT At 7:27 p.m., President O’Brien entertained a motion to adjourn (Frederick-Kinney). The vote was called and the motion passed unanimously. Respectfully submitted, John H. Davis Borough Manager :sa 122