Borough Council - Rescheduled From 6/15/26

June 22, 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: 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 Mayor Noni West, Borough Solicitor Ernest Closser, Borough Engineer Jim Dougherty , and Central Bucks Regional Police Department Police Chief Karl Knott. Absent were President Jack O’Brien, Assistant Manager/Finance Director Caroline Brinker, who was attending a Fanny Chapman Board meeting, and Planning and Zoning Director Karyn Hyland, who was attending a Doylestown Township Planning Commission meeting. Ms. Popkin conducted the meeting in Mr. O’Brien’s absence. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 1. Mayor West presented a Certificate of Appreciation to James Shandlay, Student Member of the Fanny Chapman Pool Board, 2024-2026. Ms. Jarret added that Mr. Shandlay also works at the pool and she thanked him for all he does. 2. The Mayor then presented a plaque to Jason Wood, member of the Economic Development and Advisory Board 2020-2024, and then the Environmental Advisory Council 2024- 2026. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ms. Popkin called for a motion to approve the May 18, 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 said that June and the end of May were filled with celebrations in Doylestown: the Memorial Day Parade, Pride Month, Pedal Palooza, Thank Frank Day of Service, International Yoga Day, and more. She said she wanted to focus on our youth this evening. The Mayor said that beyond graduations, four events in the last month showcased youth and their talents: 1) Bucks County Cares held its Boomerang Award were they gave scholarships to three students and 15 students were recognized for “achievement, leadership, advocacy, reading, and community involvement; 2) the Human Relations Commission partnered with students to present a panel on diversity, “The History of Racial Integration at Fanny Chapman Pool”; 3) a community group partnered with Salem Church to host a Youth Arts Festival at the Freeman Hall, and bands performed on the lawn for three hours; and 4) the Doylestown Historical Society held its 250 Student Historian Contest for grades 1 through 12. She said that elementary students wrote postcards to patriots of the American Revolution and high school students authored essays where 26 creativity and perspective were at the forefront of each. The Mayor said middle school students created murals depicting historic Doylestown buildings which are now on display in the Society’s Garden. Mayor West said that, “Each of the events make me incredibly proud of our youth and of the community members who create opportunities for them to learn, create, and mark important milestones. They gave me hope. As President Obama said at the close of his speech at the opening of his Presidential Center in Chicago last Thursday, ‘There is a new generation out there ready to write the next chapter of our story’.” PUBLIC SAFETY - Mr. Browne 1. Consideration of Ordinance No. 2026-6, Prohibiting Right Turns by Trucks: Southbound North Main Street at Broad Street. Mr. Browne said that Council authorized the advertisement of this ordinance at their May 18, 2026 meeting, and the ordinance has since been properly advertised. Following the recommendation of the Committee, a motion was made to adopt Ordinance No. 2026-6 (Browne-Kinney). Hearing no comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. 2. Consideration of Ordinance No. 2026-7, 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. Mr. Browne said that Council authorized the advertisement of this ordinance at their May 18, 2026 meeting, and the ordinance has since been properly advertised. Following the recommendation of the Committee, a motion was made to adopt Ordinance No. 2026-7 (Browne-O’Hanlon). Mr. Kinney asked for confirmation that this just clarifies what has been a long-standing loading zone but for some reason wasn’t codified in the Borough ordinances. The reply was “yes”. Hearing no further comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. 3. Consideration of Advertise Ordinance No. 2026-8, 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. Mr. Browne said that Council authorized the advertisement of this ordinance at their May 18, 2026 meeting, and the ordinance has since been properly advertised. Following the recommendation of the Committee, a motion was made to adopt Ordinance No. 2026-8 (Browne-O’Hanlon). Mr. Livrone asked for a refresher on what the issue was on Meadow Lane. Mr. Browne said many cars are again being parked near the corner and across the street from each other, making a hazardous condition when people make rights turns. Mr. Davis then provided an in- 27 depth explanation of the traffic hazard, the steps taken to try resolve the problem, and the reasons why we are now taking this step to create and enforce the ordinance. 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 and Doylestown Fire Company Report. Mr. Browne said these reports were provided in Council’s packet and are available to the public by following the packet link noted on this meeting’s Agenda. He noted there is a new item in the Emergency Services Department report that specifically references our new kratom ordinance and Mr. Fleischer sent one letter or citation for that in May. Mr. Browne said that on June 12, the fire company responded for a building fire at Wendy’s at 9:41 p.m. He provided details of the incident and said this one turned out to be a major CO2 leak. Mr. Browne gave a shout out to the company for their work in preventing what could have been a possible catastrophe. Mr. Browne said that some Council members and Staff attended a fire company community meeting last week at Doylestown Township. He said the Fire Company provided a good presentation and reported that the fire company is in good shape with a positive outlook for the future. Mr. Browne said that a steering committee is going to be formed from the five municipalities they serve and the fire company itself to determine the needs of the community and the fire company. He said the company does face a sizable deficit this year due to the rising costs that we all face. He said the Borough will continue to work with the fire company to support their critical mission. Mr. Browne reported that regarding our CERT team, we now have sign up available on SERVPA, which is a clearing house for non-response volunteers through the Department of Health. He said that recruitment for that will start in July. Lastly, Mr. Browne reported that community connections efforts continue and a survey of the preparedness needs is being developed. He noted that the next Preparedness seminar is here at Borough Hall on July 21 at 7 p.m. PUBLIC WORKS AND ADMINISTRATION - Mr. Kinney Mr. Kinney said the Committee did not meet in May, so he had no report. He noted that 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. He gave a shout out to our Public Works team for the hard work they did in milling and repaving of Veterans Lane and portions of Broad Street around the traffic signal, and accomplishing it remarkably rapid time. Mr. Kinney said that Veterans Lane is also paved and striped. 28 COMMUNITY AND GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS - Mr. Bell Mr. Bell reported that the Committee did meet, but the issue they were addressing is going to be on hold for a bit. Mr. Bell wanted to acknowledge the excellent work of Staff Grant Rowe and Caitlin Hernandez, and said there would be more to come on that. ZONING AND PLANNING - Ms. Jarret 1. 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 Applications: 115 West Court Street, as submitted, and 43 South Main Street, approval with the condition that the sign be made two square feet smaller to comply with the zoning ordinance; and, Building Applications: 148 Lafayette Street, windows, accepted as submitted, with the applicant retaining the window trim and original jambs, and 164 East Street, renovation, accepted as submitted, with the exterior wall paint being color 887P, Pink Cloud, and the house chimney remaining unpainted brick. 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. 2. 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: No meeting, no report. WATER UTILITY - Mr. Livrone Mr. Livrone said that the Committee did not meet. He noted as one informational item that the first of our three PFAS remediation buildings is now under construction at the Sandy Ridge well. FINANCE/PENSION - Ms. Popkin Ms. Popkin reported that the Committee did meet this month. She said the only actionable item is the Finance Report. Ms. Popkin stated that the report showing payable and payroll had been provided in Council’s packet. She said the total for all funds was $1,164,026.15. 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 In Mr. O’Brien’s absence, Ms. Popkin reported that on May 26, 2026, the Personnel Committee met to interview candidates to fill a vacancy on the Environmental Advisory Council created by the resignation of board member Jason Wood. She said that at the conclusion of the 29 interviews and upon discussion, the Personnel Committee is recommending that Chris Candido be appointed to fill the vacancy for a term commencing immediately and expiring December 31, 2027, the remainder of Mr. Wood’s full term. Following the recommendation of the Committee, a motion was so made (Popkin-Jarret). Mr. Bell said that he had one observation about something that happens all the time and it was that we had such strong candidates who were very enthusiastic about volunteering. Ms. Popkin added that there were so many wonderful candidates, the Committee had a really tough time deciding. Hearing no further comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. PROFESSIONALS’ REPORTS Engineer’s Report - Gilmore & Associates: No report. Solicitor's Report - Curtin & Heefner: No report. Central Bucks Regional Police Department (CBRPD) Activities Report. The Police Activity Report provided in Council’s packet for May 2026 indicated that were 892 incidents in the Borough and year-to-date, the Department had spent $2,747,042.88 and were at 33.78% of their yearly budget. PRESIDENT’S REPORT: None. OLD BUSINESS Mr. Livrone said that last month, Mayor West reported on the planning of the Dart system’s th 25 anniversary festivities. He reported there was a meeting last week on this with various municipal officials and it’s starting to take shape. The celebration is going to be held on September 16 at Valley Square in Warrington. Mr. Livrone said another pertinent thing relating to the Dart is that our legislators, Tim Brennan and Brian Munroe, were involved in securing funding for the Dart to extend the system down into Warminster, which is good news for the system in general. Mr. Browne recognized the wildly successful Bike Palooza 2 and the opening of the pump track which is busy all the time now. He added that the Pride Month events were very successful. NEW BUSINESS Green Street Complete Street Project Design Service Contract. Mr. Davis said amount of the contract is $179,757 and that covers all design services, construction oversight, and inspection. He said the engineer is Michael Baker International Inc., which has done almost of the design work on the community bike hike path over the years, are consultants on the joint Bike Hike Committee, and were contracted by the Borough to prepare the grant application which was ultimately successful. Mr. Davis said $179,757 represents, along with a field survey that Gilmore and Associates is in the process of conducting, our match for the project. 30  Mr. Davis said Council is familiar with this project and Michael Baker has been on board for some time, so instead of waiting a month, they went ahead and held a kick-off meeting with PennDOT and they authorized us to move forward with the design work. He said we would like to get going on this so it was brought straight to Council without first moving it through committee. Motion to approve the design services contract (Jarret-Livrone). Ms. Popkin added that the grant amount is $1,171,761, which is very impressive. Mr. Davis added that once we get a little further in the design process, there will be public outreach to explain the project to the general public and also communication to the impacted residents along Green Street and in Clemens Farm. Hearing no further comments from Council, Staff, or the public, the vote was called. All were in favor and the motion passed unanimously. OPEN PUBLIC COMMENT Mr. Kinney read the following statement: Two Hundred Fifty Years In less than two weeks this remarkable nation will celebrate the 250th Anniversary of Our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain and its king. Doing so was fraught with peril, and in the war with Great Britain that followed, thousands of lives were lost on both sides, but the promises of Freedom and Independence were inexorably established. ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of happiness.’ To be sure, the designation of ‘all men’ did not, on its face, include women. Nor did it include the black slaves held in bondage as property in nearly all the 13 colonies. Neither did that Declaration of ‘all men’ include the Native peoples of this land, who many – including the future First President of the United States – considered a nuisance at best, and at worst, a pestilence to be eradicated. Those failings would come back to challenge this Nation in later years, and numerous men and women of good conscience and of different faiths and skin colors would advocate for the rights of blacks – freed and in slavery – of Native Americans, and of women - rights that white men took for granted once Independence was gained. For black Americans it would take a bloody and divisive Civil War, the murder of a president who, by the end of that war, had committed himself to a reconstruction of the defeated south that would ensure rights for now-freed slaves. That fight continues to this day. For women, it would take decades of struggle and agitation for their rights to vote, to own property, to be financially independent from men, and to have autonomy over their own bodies. For Native Americans, after the Civil War and the further expansion of the Country to the West, they were often denied the same rights that – on paper – freed slaves were to enjoy. As before the Civil War, they were hunted, uprooted from their tribal homes, and in too many cases, killed or imprisoned simply for being in the way. It is regrettable that even in the Constitution that followed our Independence, Native Americans were not really among 31  ‘We, the People of the United States.’ Many Native Americans, and many Black Americans, still await the promises declared in the Declaration and the civil rights guaranteed in the Constitution. It is VITAL to our history, and to our FUTURE, that we acknowledge the short-comings of this Nation while at the same time celebrating its virtues and triumphs. History should not – and I daresay cannot – be whitewashed to blot out those actions taken, or not taken, that have diminished or inhibited the rights of Black Americans, Native-born Americans, women, and immigrants - to fulfil the promises made to ‘all men’ in the Declaration of Independence. Today, as we prepare to celebrate our remarkable history as a Nation, we confront an administration that wants to re-write our history. To blot out or cover up our flaws. To diminish or erase the contributions of black, brown, Native and other non-white Americans, as well as patriotic and dedicated women and immigrants who served, fought, and died for our Freedoms. We also confront an administration that, through words and deeds, seeks to devalue the contributions to our Country by LGBTQ+ citizens, many of whom have also served – and continue to serve - with honor in our Armed Forces, our police departments, our courts, our schools and our hospitals. It is no shame to acknowledge and learn from the fact that George Washington - during the debate over a new Constitution - lived in a house in Philadelphia with nine enslaved people. What is a shame is to pretend that this did not happen. To try to erase the challenging aspects of our National History does a disservice to the tens of thousands of Americans who fought and died in battle, and who fought and died on our own streets to ensure civil rights for all the people of this Nation. Let us not shrink from the painful aspects of our history. As we strive forward to the next 250 years of our Nation, let us rededicate ourselves to addressing the challenges we face to ensure that all people in this nation can enjoy their unalienable rights, with liberty and justice for all. EXECUTIVE SESSION: None. ADJOURNMENT At 7:33 p.m., Ms. Popkin called for a motion to adjourn the meeting (Browne-Kinney). Ms. Popkin called the vote and the motion passed unanimously. Ms. Popkin noted that Council’s next meeting is July 20, 2026. She hoped everyone has a nice upcoming Fourth of July holiday. Respectfully submitted, John H. Davis Borough Manager :sa 32