Council of the Municipality of Murrysville

Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, June 1, 2016 Council of the Municipality of Murrysville held a Regular Voting Meeting on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building. Present at the meeting were Council members Josh Lorenz, Jeff Kepler, Tony Spadaro, Joan Kearns, David Perry, and Jamie Lee. Councilman Loren Case was not in attendance. Also present were Mayor Robert Brooks, Chief Administrator James Morrison, Solicitor George Kotjarapoglus, Municipal Engineer Joe Dietrick, and Municipal Planner Allen Cohen. MAYOR BROOKS WELCOMES THE SPORTMENS & LANDOWNERS ALLIANCE Mayor Brooks welcomed the members of the Sportsmens & Landowners Alliance and recognized the group for celebrating its 40th anniversary. The Mayor thanked the group for the many years it maintained the Murrysville tree sign. Members also provide fishing opportunities for the youth of the community, as well as children and adults with special needs. Mayor Brooks explained that the group was initially formed to preserve hunting and the rural countryside of Murrysville. Members in attendance introduced themselves, told about their responsibilities within the organization and a brief history of the beginnings of SLAM. Mayor Brooks presented the group with a certificate of appreciation for its contributions to the community. REGULAR VOTING MEETING AGENDA UNISTED AMENDMENTS: Under Council Action Items – Executive Session – Add Item 19A – Personnel Issue. Mr. Kepler moved to approve the agenda as amended. Mr. Lorenz seconded. All present voted aye. Motion approved. CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS: None. COMMUNITY INPUT: Barbara Sims, 3837 Hills Church Road, addressed Council regarding concerns about the safety of future possible drilling in Murrysville and asked Council to take an active in role in assuring that the air, water and community are not compromised. WORKSHOP ITEMS ADMINISTRATION: 9A. DISCUSSION ON TRASH AND RECYCLING BID RESULTS. Cherie Weber reminded Council that the current contract with Republic Services expires on September 30, 2016 and a request for bids was published. Bids were received from Republic Services and Waste Management, with Republic Services’ bid being the apparent low bidder. Ms. Weber recommended to Council to stay with manual trash collection, bi-weekly automated recycling, five curbside leaf collections per year, unlimited electronic waste collection (e-waste i.e., TVs, computers, etc.)(new service), household hazardous waste collection (new service). She will be working on an educational program for the residents regarding HHW and provided Council with a sample flyer. The cost will initially increase 10% from the current contract, and then increase 3% per car 6/21/2016 Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, June 1, 2016 year. The price of recycle carts will increase slightly for residents purchasing one for the first time or purchasing an additional cart; trash sticker prices will increase from $12.50/sheet of 5 to $15.00. Mrs. Kearns suggested that it must be made very clear to the residents that the new contract will not go into effect until October 1. ENGINEERING: 10A. DISCUSSION OF THE MURRYSVILLE MS4 PROGRAM. Municipal Engineer Joe Dietrick updated Council on the status of the MS4 Program and advised that the EAC has volunteered to help and has been working with the elementary school teachers to include Stormwater in the elementary curriculum. EAC will also have a booth at Community Day to highlight Murrysville’s MS4 activities. Both Mr. Dietrick and Public Works & Parks Director Bob Bell attended MS4 training in May where they learned that EPA documentation is required for the program. He advised that the Municipality has an intern working this summer to update the mapping. The Conservation District is going to retrofit seven detention basins through a Growing Greener grant; Mr. Dietrick displayed a map showing where those basins are located. He also showed a map indicating the developments in Murrysville that have occurred without any stormwater management. Mrs. Kearns asked if the Public Works employees would be involved when the Conservation District is working on the basins. Mr. Dietrick said that the crew would be involved and responsible for removing vegetation from the basins. 10B. DISCUSSION PERTAINING TO THE CONSERVATION PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENT WITH THE WESTMORELAND CONSERVATION DISTRICT. Mr. Dietrick advised Council that he is on the Board of Directors of the Westmoreland Conservation District and, therefore, will not be able to vote on the agreement; however, he encouraged Council to vote for the agreement. The new aspect to the CPA is the MS4 education, which Murrysville is required to provide to the citizens. In his opinion, the Conservation District is more suited to provide that education than staff. Three educational seminars would be provided: two for residents and one for staff. Funding for the seminars is beyond the Conservation District’s scope as far as its funding is concerned, and a suggested cost is $.15/capita. Mr. Dietrick recommended that Council enter into the agreement, which would start in 2017. He also proposed accepting a grant to start funding the MS4 program for the education sessions and detention ponds to be included in the CIP. There were no questions from Council. 10C. DISCUSSION PERTAINING TO THE CROWFOOT ROAD BRIDGE. Mr. Dietrick explained that, when paving a bridge deck, the existing asphalt must be removed so additional weight isn’t added to the bridge. When removing the asphalt from the Crowfoot Road bridge, the concrete deck started to come off. Upon examination, it was discovered that the rebar is corroded, the deck isn’t in very good car 6/21/2016 Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, June 1, 2016 shape and, after 42 years, must be replaced. The beams appear to be in very good condition; it’s just the deck that needs replaced. Mayor Brooks said he thought bridges were supposed to last 100 years. Mr. Dietrick said since the bridge was built in 1974, materials might not have been as good as they are now. He also said that there were some issues with water laying on the bridge, which might have had some effect on the decking. The bridge is currently open; most of the decking is still there and functional, but it is a hazard. He recommended that the bridge be closed once school is out and do some emergency repairs while getting quotes from at least 3 contractors who can do the work. Mr. Morrison said staff initially considered having the Public Works employees do the work; however, because of the nature of the work and timing requirements to get the bridge open before school starts again, they decided to get bids from contractors. If Council decides to go through the process and avoid bidding, he believes the Mayor must declare the emergency. The Solicitor agreed. There was discussion about how the bridge would be rebuilt and how the standing water issue would be addressed, as well as any impact on the stream. Mr. Perry asked if there will be a difference in pricing if the Mayor declares this an emergency improvement and also most contractors are booked for the summer. Mr. Dietrick said the Municipality would absolutely be paying a premium but, hopefully, will get pricing from at least 3 companies. He continued by stating that, if the Municipality follows the normal bidding process, the bridge won’t be opened in time for school to start; however, the emergency process will allow the work to proceed and the bridge will be opened much sooner. Mr. Dietrick’s estimate for the work is approximately $60,000, and that price is due to the amount of labor required to remove the existing deck. There was no additional discussion and the Mayor will be asked to declare the emergency. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: 11A. DISCUSSION OF CODE ENFORCEMENT ACTIVITIES. Municipal Planner Allen Cohen explained that code enforcement is an essential part of any Municipal operation, but it also one of the least popular activities. The Municipality’s goal is always to try to improve operations, deal with situations and problem areas that affect the quality of life, to be pro-active, as well as reactive to any complaints. Since the Code Enforcement officers also act as building inspectors and zoning officers. Because of the high volume of construction, it was found that more time is being spent on building inspection and less on code enforcement. After discussions with Mr. Morrison, Dave Jobe and Mark Pisone, and studies of how the two officers spent their time, it was determined that a plan must be drawn up to most efficiently use their time to address the issues. In order to be pro-active, it was determined that inspection of neighborhoods needed to be done on a regular cycle – looking for issues such as high grass, junk vehicles, debris, etc. Also, the GEO system would be used to input all data and enforcement actions so problem areas and issues can be tracked. A detailed summary of the various code violations and enforcement actions will be added to the monthly reports provided to Council. It is proposed that the officers also be more involved in the early building development process so that they will be aware of any issues that might come up in future inspections as a building or developed site plan is being built. A new initiative is being developed that will assist in fire enforcement and car 6/21/2016 Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, June 1, 2016 safety; it is a program offered by a company that provides a database tracking system (Compliance Engine) that will provide notices to businesses advising them that they will have to contract with one of the companies for inspections, which is a substitute for the Municipality’s code officers doing the work. The Municipality will incur no cost by using this program, and more information will be presented to Council at a future meeting. Mr. Spadaro asked about the process when a violation is noted. Mr. Morrison explained that a notice is sent out and the resident is given a certain amount of time to correct it. If the violation is not corrected, there is a hearing at the Magistrate, at which time a fine could be imposed. The amount of the fine is determined by the Magistrate based on the Municipality’s code. COUNCIL - ACTION ITEMS ADMINISTRATION: 13A. CONSIDER AWARD OF CONTRACT FOR TRASH AND RECYCLING SERVICES TO REPUBLIC SERVICES FOR THE PERIOD OCTOBER 1, 2016 THROUGH SEPTEMBER 30, 2021. Mr. Perry moved to approve the contract for trash, recycling, household hazardous waste, and electronics waste to Greenridge Waste Services, d/b/a Republic Services of Scottdale, for the Municipality of Murrysville from October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2021 as outlined in the cost summary included with the briefing. Mr. Spadaro seconded. Upon a roll call vote: Mr. Lorenz – yes, Mr. Kepler – yes, Mr. Spadaro – yes, Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Perry – yes, Ms. Lee – yes. Motion approved. 13B. CONSIDER AUTHORIZATION TO ADVERTISE ORDINANCE NO. 949-16, AN ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING THE GRANT OF AN EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE TO THE LOWEST RESPONSIBLE BIDDER (REPUBLIC SERVICES) FOR THE COLLECTION OF RESIDENTIAL SOLID WASTE, RECYCLING COLLECTION, ELECTRONICS WASTE, HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE, AND DISPOSAL SERVICES, AND AWARD OF CONTRACT TO IT FOR SUCH PURPOSE. Mr. Lorenz moved to approve advertisement of the Ordinance. Ms. Lee seconded. Upon a roll call vote: Mr. Lorenz – yes, Mr. Kepler – yes, Mr. Spadaro – yes, Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Perry – yes, Ms. Lee – yes. Motion approved. 13C. CONSIDER APPROVAL OF ORDINANCE NO. 948-16, AN ORDINANCE AMENDING THE FEE-IN-LIEU ORDINANCE TO INCLUDE MAINTENANCE AS AN ELIGIBLE USE OF FUNDS. Mr. Kepler moved to approve. Ms. Lee seconded. Mr. Morrison said that staff has recommended that the use of funds for maintenance be restricted to Capital Improvement items. Upon a roll call vote: Mr. Lorenz – yes, Mr. Kepler – yes, Mr. Spadaro – yes, Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Perry – yes, Ms. Lee – yes. Motion approved. car 6/21/2016 Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, June 1, 2016 13D. CONSIDER AWARD OF CONTRACT FOR TRAFFIC SIGNAL MAINETNANCE SERVICES, PROJECT NO. DPW-10- 16. Ms. Lee moved to award the three-year traffic signal maintenance contract to Traffic Systems & Services at the hourly rates on the attached bid tabulation. Mr. Spadaro seconded. Mr. Morrison said that the previous contract had expired and it went out for competitive quotes on the service, with two bids being received. Staff recommends the contract be awarded to Traffic Systems & Services. Upon a roll call vote: Mr. Lorenz – yes, Mr. Kepler – yes, Mr. Spadaro – yes, Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Perry – yes, Ms. Lee – yes. Motion approved. 13E. CONSIDER AUTHORIZATION TO ADVERTISE ORDINANCE NO. 950-16, AMENDMENT TO THE FEES ORDINANCE. Mr. Lorenz moved to advertise Ordinance No. 950-16, an amendment to the fees ordinance, to authorize for the payment of a registered landscape architect from the developer’s review escrow account. Mr. Kepler seconded. Mr. Morrison explained that, as a result of the work done with the community development plan review process, staff feels it is necessary to have the ability to engage a registered landscape architect for review of commercial site plans as part of the Planning Commission review and recommendation process, and then also review once installation and bond release is requested. Mr. Perry asked how staff would find a qualified landscape architect. Mr. Morrison said an advertisement would be sent out requesting an hourly rate, along with qualifications and references. Upon a roll call vote: Mr. Lorenz – yes, Mr. Kepler – yes, Mr. Spadaro – yes, Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Perry – yes, Ms. Lee – yes. Motion approved. 13F. CONSIDER APPOINTMENT OF ALLEN COHEN AS THE CHIEF ZONING OFFICER FOR THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE. Mr. Kepler moved to appoint Allen Cohen as the Chief Zoning Officer of the Municipality of Murrysville. Mr. Spadaro seconded. Upon a roll call vote: Mr. Lorenz – yes, Mr. Kepler – yes, Mr. Spadaro – yes, Mrs. Kearns – yes, Mr. Perry – yes, Ms. Lee – yes. Motion approved. OLD BUSINESS: Mrs. Kearns reminded everyone that Council will meet again on June 22, which is a week later than the normal meeting date. NEW BUSINESS: None. car 6/21/2016 Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, June 1, 2016 EXECUTIVE SESSION: Council adjourned to an Executive Session at 8:23 p.m. and reconvened at 8:38 p.m. There was no action coming out of the session. ACTION ITEMS: None. ADJOURNMENT: Ms. Lee moved to adjourn. Mr. Spadaro seconded. All present voted aye. Motion approved. The Council Meeting concluded at 8:39 p.m. The Regular Voting Meeting was broadcast on local government Channel 19. A true copy of the Council meeting DVD is available for the public to purchase from the Municipality of Murrysville and is in the Murrysville Public Library for review. car 6/21/2016