City Council

FORTY FORT, PA March 19, 2012 Continuation of the March 5, 2012 Regular Meeting of Council The regular meeting of Forty Fort Borough Council held on Monday, March 5, 2012 was continued on Monday, March 19, 2012 at the Forty Fort Borough Building, 1271 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort, with President Joseph Chacke presiding. Council members present were as follows: Dorothy Craig, Robert Craig, Karen Martinelli, Charles Rick Kamus & Frank Michaels. Betty Mascelli was absent. Also present were Mayor Boyd Hoats and Ass’t. Borough Secretary, Bonnie Arnone. President Chacke called the meeting to order at 7:25 PM. COMMUNICATIONS: A letter was read requesting the use of the Forty Fort Park for an Easter Egg Hunt on April 1, 2012 from 1 PM to 3 PM. Also, donated pool passes were requested for the event. Motion by Mrs. Craig to allow the organization the use of the Park for the Easter Egg Hunt. Second by Ms. Martinelli. All council in favor of the Motion. Motion passed without dissent. A letter from a property owner on Yates St. requesting the sewer fees is waived as they are not living in the residence and it is undergoing renovations. After some discussion, council agreed that this would set a dangerous precedent if it were allowed. A letter from the Kingston/Forty Fort Little League Organization inviting the Mayor & Council to participate in the opening day ceremonies on April 14, 2012 at 10:45 AM at Memorial Field at James Keiper Park. Correspondence from the West Side Veterans Association inviting the Mayor & Council to participate in the Memorial Day parade. A letter from Jamie Berecin requesting admission to the Forty Fort Planning Commission. Motion by Mr. Craig to place James Barrison as the 5th member of the Forty Fort Planning Commission. Second by Mr. Kamus. All Council in favor of the Motion. Motion passed without dissent. RESIDENTS AND TAXPAYERS COMMENTS & PETITIONS: Rob Swaback, 15 Susquehanna Ave., Forty Fort, presented council with a petition of approx. 50 names requesting council to place the question of hiring a borough manager on the ballot for the voters of Forty Fort to have input. Jeff McLaughlin, 25 Yates St., Forty Fort, agreed with Mr. Swaback and asked noted that when the county government made changes, it was placed on a ballot for the voters to decide.  Donna Kilgore, 83 Shoemaker St., Forty Fort, questioned council as to their decision to dismiss the former Borough Coordinator prior to the hiring of a Borough Manager. A lengthy discussion followed regarding this issue. Maria Butterwick, 1840 Murray St., Forty Fort, stated that she feels that council is doing what needs to be done and that Borough Managers are a necessary commodity in today’s world. Andy Tuzinski, Forty Fort EMA Director, presented council with a picture of a vehicle parking illegally on a section of Turner St. He further asked council to consider enacting an ordinance that would prohibit any parking on the North Side of Turner St. from the intersection of Turner & Susquehanna to the Susquehanna River levee access point at the easterly end of Turner St. Motion by Mr. Craig to have our solicitor draft and advertise this ordinance. Second by Ms. Martinelli. All Council in favor of the Motion. Motion passed without dissent. Andy Tuzinski, Forty Fort EMA Director, stated that he had a problem with a section of the draft for qualification & duties of a Borough Manager in the section which deals with EMA. He stated that when and emergency is declared, he should be in charge. Andy Tuzinski, 5 River St., Forty Fort, asked about the item on the agenda where Popple Construction is seeking payment for the Welles St. Phase II Project. President Chacke read correspondence from Dave Yefko of Borton Lawson regarding the problem at the site. Mr. Tuzinski also voiced his concerns of the borough hiring a borough manager. GENERAL BUSINESS: Motion by Mr. Craig to overturn the Shade Tree Commission denial to remove a tree at 28 Susquehanna Ave. Second by Mr. Michaels. All Council in favor of the motion. Motion passed without dissent. Motion by Mr. Michaels to adopt the Borough Manager Amendment Ordinance as advertised. Second by Mr. Craig. YES: Mr. Craig, Mrs. Craig, Ms. Martinelli, Mr. Kamus & Mr. Michaels. NO: Mr. Chacke. Motion passed 5 – 1. Motion by Mr. Craig to adopt a Resolution authorizing a general obligation note with Lanmark Bank in the amount of $64,000.00 for the purchase of a public works vehicle. Second by Mr. Michaels. All Council in favor of the motion. Motion passed without dissent. Motion by Mr. Michaels to authorize payment to Popple Construction as approved by Quad 3 in the amount of $252,802.53 for the Sullivan/Murray St. project. Second by Ms. Martinelli. YES: Mr. Craig, Mrs. Craig, Ms. Martinelli, Mr. Chacke and Mr. Michaels. NO: Mr. Kamus. Motion passed 5‐1.  The payment to Popple Construction for the Welles St. Phase II project will remain tabled. Motion by Mr. Craig to advertise an ordinance authorizing participating in PLGIT to facilitate EIT Collection transfers to be considered at the April 2, 2012 Council meeting. Second by Mrs. Craig. On the question, Mr. Chacke explained the reasoning necessitating this action as being PLGIT has been the appointed collector of all municipal EIT taxes by the Don Wilkinson Agency and PLGIT requires such an ordinance be in place before collections can commence. All council in favor of the motion. Motion passed without dissent. ADJOURNMENT: Motion by Mr. Kamus and seconded by Mr. Michaels to adjourn. Motion passed without dissent. Meeting was adjourned at 9:15 PM. Respectfully submitted, Bonnie Arnone Assistant Borough Secretary  FORTY FORT, PA March 19, 2012 Work Session Forty Fort Borough Council held a work session on Monday, March 19, 2012 at the Forty Fort Borough Building, 1271 Wyoming Ave., Forty Fort, with President Joseph Chacke presiding. Council members present were as follows: Robert Craig, Dorothy Craig, Karen Martinelli, Charles Rick Kamus & Frank Michaels. Betty Mascelli was absent. Also present were Mayor Boyd Hoats and Ass’t. Secretary, Bonnie Arnone. President Chacke called the work session to order at 9:30 PM. Mr. Kamus clarified his voting NO on the payment to Popple Construction saying that he sees problems on Murray St. He was asked to put together a list of his concerns with the project and pass that along to all of council. Ms. Martinelli asked if Forty Fort received any monies from the recent gaming grants. President Chacke stated that this was the first time Forty Fort has not received any funding from that Grant. Council will look into options to use the $100,000.00 remaining money from last year’s grant that has not been spent yet. Ms. Martinelli also asked if something could be done on the tree lawn in front of Dana St. schools where trees had been removed. During inclement weather, it is muddy and this is where the buses load and unload the school children. Mrs. Craig stated that she would like to see street sweeper be purchased for Forty Fort Borough with the Gaming Grant monies. Council discussed the proposed Shade Tree Ordinance and the possibility of purchasing a three part form for residents to complete their requests on for better record management. Mr. Chacke stated that he will investigate the guidelines of a Recycle Grant that is up to $250,000.00. He also stated that a Resolution allowing the Police Dept. to dispose of records will be on the agenda at the April 2, 2012 meeting. Mr. Chacke told council that he would like to hold public visionary meetings in conjunction with the 125th Anniversary celebration to get residents input on where they see Forty Fort in the coming years. A resident cautioned council to specify the purpose of the meetings very carefully and advertise them well. The next regular meeting of council will be held on Monday, April 2, 2012 at the Borough Building. No Formal Action was taken by council. Meeting was adjourned at 11:00 PM. Respectfully Submitted, Bonnie Arnone Asst. Borough Secretary