Work Session of Council

Town of Greenville Work Session Minutes 02/05/25 www.greenvilleborough.com MINUTES OF A WORK SESSION MEETING OF THE TOWN OF GREENVILLE COUNCIL HELD IN COUNCIL CHAMBERS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 5, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. 1. Call to Order Paul Hamill, Mayor If you are a visitor to council, we ask you to please sign in at the door and turn off all cellular telephones. The public was reminded that they may be audio or video recorded during the meeting. 2. Roll Call: Paul Hamill, Mayor Jean Carr-Fisher, Deputy Mayor Chad Bromley, Councilor Anne Butcher, Councilor Evan Hereford, Councilor Brian Shipley, Councilor Linda Zuschlag, Councilor Jasson W. Urey, Town Manager Solicitor, Douglas, Joseph & Olson – via Teams Also present: Frank Vanderslice Joel Rinella – audio recording Ben Beck Michelle Mueller Gary Mueller Lisa Hamill Jim Chapin Sharon Emmett – video recording Joy Peterson Patrick Eaton Tracy Beil The Rev. Brenda Martin Jennifer Alexander Ellen Pardee Dr. Mary Jane Hirt – via Teams Staff: Media: Amy Hollowell, Administrative Assistant Caleb Stright, The Record-Argus – audio recording Rosalynn Reagle, Assistant Town Manager Matt Breedlove, Director of Community Development Dave Hetrick, Financial Assistant 3. Invocation: Pastor Jim Chapin, Living Word Christian Center Flag Salute led by Councilor Linda Zuschlag 4. Public Comments – (3-minute time limit) Page 1 of 4 Town of Greenville Work Session Minutes 02/05/25 Residents: Ben Beck, Greenville Area Chamber of Commerce (GACC), presented plans to council for the GACC Fall Flavor Fest. He asked the council to consider approval for open containers within a designated area of Main Street for the event. He also addressed liability, permits, and the use of wristbands. Joel Rinella, 424 South Main Street, addressed Ordinance 1654 and Ordinance 1655. He suggested along with being a resident, the Blighted Property Review Commission members should be property owners. The Rev. Brenda Martin, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, addressed a scheme about the Lutheran Church this weekend. She stated it was false and listed several ways the Lutheran Social Services assists those in need. Patrick Eaton, 18 Leet Avenue, asked if council ever considered the cost of maintaining the former Trinity Property before purchasing. His estimate is $50,000.00 per year or $150.00 per day. Non-Residents: Gary Mueller, 701 Vernon Road, does not understand why the Honeybee Ordinance is needed, bees are natural here before us and should not need regulation. 5. Unfinished Business A. Council was advised of the recommendation from the Code committee to adopt Ordinance 1652, Keeping of Honeybees. Councilor Shipley noted that the Code Office worked with the State Beekeepers Association and that the ordinance would ensure hives are operated safely. There was no deliberations. B. Council was advised of the recommendation from the Greenville Sanitary Authority to adopt Ordinance 1653, amending Chapter 424, entitled “Sewers and Sewage Disposal.” Councilor Butcher stated this was a housekeeping item. There was no deliberations. C. Council was advised of the recommendation from the Strategic Management Committee to adopt Ordinance 1654, repealing Ordinance 1645. Councilor Butcher asked Mayor Hamill if she could address item D and this item together. She expressed frustration with a year spent on this Ordinance so far. She noted her research so far shows a wide interpretation of the law; some show an employee, and some do not. This council initially appointed Mrs. Reagle due to her twenty years of municipal government experience – ten of those in Greenville. She also oversees the code and street departments. The only thing holding her back is her zip code, Councilor Butcher also sees potential future issues down the road with a non-resident appointment. Councilor Bromley wants the board to follow the solicitor's direction—if we are not taking his advice, why are we paying him? Mayor Hamill said both have provided valid points and the key word here is interpretation. The solicitor must defend his argument. He reminded the board that this committee has no power to make final decisions. They review only. He added sometimes an outsider will see things differently than a resident; for example, how many times do we drive by problems without seeing them, yet a visitor notices first thing? Councilor Zuschlag agreed that Mrs. Regal’s experience is valuable to this committee. Councilor Shipley, council’s appointee to the Blighted Property Review Committee, is not meeting until the Redevelopment Authority (RDA) asks, and at that point, we review twelve items to see if they meet the requirements, send them to the Planning Commission for concurrence and then only the RDA can designate a property blighted. You must look at the whole law, not portions that suit you. Council appoints each member of the BPRC, and that can be addressed at the ballot box. Page 2 of 4 Town of Greenville Work Session Minutes 02/05/25 D. Council was advised of the recommendation from the Strategic Management Committee to adopt Ordinance 1655, amending Chapter 16, entitled “Blighted Property Review Committee.” See discussion with Item C. 6. New Business A. Council was advised of the recommendation from the Personnel Committee to promote Michael White from Firefighter to Lieutenant in the Greenville Fire Department from the Civil Service Commission’s Certified List of Three. There were no deliberations. B. Council was advised of the recommendation from the Street/Public Works Committee to adopt Resolution 2025-03, 2025 Mercer County Joint Seal Coat Bid Program. There were no deliberations. C. Council was advised of the recommendation from the Code Committee to increase the CDBG Housing Rehabilitation Maximum from $65,000.00 to $85,000.00. Councilor Shipley said this funding is necessary because it is all or nothing with projects. There were no deliberations. D. Council was advised of the need to adopt resolution 2025-04, the Fee Resolution, to remove the sewer debt service fee. There were no deliberations. E. Council was advised of the need to evaluate the current sewer lateral inspection process. Councilor Butcher updated council that AQUA owns from the curb to the main, and the homeowner owns the line from the home to the curb, so it needs to be decided if we will continue to require inspections prior to the sale of the home. It was noted that many of the infiltration problems have been corrected. Mr. Urey stated that if it is the desire of council to discontinue the requirement, we will need to do so sooner rather than later. Mayor Hamill added that the engineers noted that most municipalities discontinue the inspections after selling. Councilor Hereford asked about the town's cost of doing the inspections. Mr. Urey answered the highest cost is in the enforcement of the ordinance, which includes letters, conversations, and court filings. Councilor Butcher added the inspections protect the homeowner. Councilor Butcher asked for this to be tabled until the March meetings to gather more information. F. Council was advised of the need to advertise the bid specs for the sale of the 2018 Vac-Con Jet/Vac Truck. There were no deliberations. G. Council was advised of the recommendation from the Street/Public Services Committee to award the bid for the Green-Light-Go Project to Bronder Technical Services with the low bid of $355,967.77. (The agenda incorrectly had $255,967.77 as the bid price). Councilor Shipley said it was nice to see the intersection being updated to correct issues. 7. Public Comments – Ms. Ellen Pardee, 39 North Third Street, commented on Item E, stating she found the lateral inspection to be valuable; it may not be worth it, but it is valuable to the homeowner. Joy Peterson, 30 Lebanon Avenue, Item E -does not understand why the borough has to get involved if the buyer and seller agree. Street Committee Report – I wanted to know why her street is not on the list for getting paved. Mr. Joel Rinella, 424 South Main Street, Items C & D – He thanked Councilor Butcher, agreeing with her. He also said Home Rule Charter Law does not apply to this and local committees should be a jury of their Page 3 of 4 Town of Greenville Work Session Minutes 02/05/25 peers/property owners, judging property owners. Ending with “Do what you need to do, we will have a response.” Sharon Emmett, 24 Homer Street, Items C & D - According to her understanding, there was a petition, and the residents wanted it gone. If there is a petition, it means we, the people, have spoken and want our citizens to be on the committee. It should be done because the petition says so. We should have those who we want on the board. This is our local government, and you serve us. 8. Council Comments Councilor Hereford thanked the public for attending. Councilor Bromley thanked everyone for coming and asked for patience during the ice, it takes time for salt to work. Councilor Butcher thanked council for the discussion tonight and the borough staff, especially Jasson, Roz, and Amy, for the thousands of hours they spent getting us through the AQUA sale. Councilor Shipley addressed comments he had heard about petitioner committee members not being present when petitions were being signed. He also stated that two hundred signatures after two attempts are well off the five thousand residents in the borough. It is not appropriate to emphasize that the petition was the majority of the residents. He also noted it was interesting that Mr. Rinella is now stating the BPRC member in question should be a property owner instead of a resident. What about a tenant? Can they not serve? He also echoed Councilor Butcher’s comments on the AQUA sale. Councilor Zuschlag thanked the borough staff in advance for the assistance they will provide in the sale of the water authority. Councilor Carr-Fisher thanked all for their work. 9. Town Manager's Comments – informed council there has been a pause in federal grant funding. This could delay CDBG, HOME, Brownfield, Federal Highway, and Appalachian Regional Commission funding. We will need to keep this in mind as we plan project funding going forward. He also thanked Matt, Roz and Amy for volunteering during their time off to help the community. He reminded that it is not just talk; it takes action to have a community. 10. Mayor's Comments – echoed Mr. Urey. 11. Adjournment to Executive Session – to discuss potential real estate acquisition. This work session of council adjourned at 7:42 p.m. 12. Return to Work Session –This executive session of council adjourned at 8:13 p.m. 13. Adjournment – This work session of council adjourned at 8:14 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jasson W. Urey Town Manager/Secretary Page 4 of 4