Council of the Municipality of Murrysville

THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, March 16, 2022 Council of the Municipality of Murrysville held a Regular Voting Meeting on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building. Present at the meeting were Council members Dayne Dice, Jamie Lee Korns, Jason Lemak, Mac McKenna, Tony Spadaro, and Carl Stepanovich. Also, present were Chief Administrator, James Morrison, Director of Finance, Diane Heming, Building Inspector, David Jobe, and Director of Public Works, Bill Paiano. Mayor Synan and Council member Jamie Lingg were absent. PUBLIC HEARING TO TAKE COMMENT CONCERNING A HAZARDOUS STRUCTURE LOCATED AT 6026 SINAN DRIVE, TAX PARCEL #49-07-00-0-059 A Public Hearing was held at 7:00 p.m. to receive public comment concerning a hazardous structure located at 6026 Sinan Drive, Tax Parcel #49-07-00-0-059. A stenographer was present to record the meeting. Mr. Morrison stated that a few months ago Council updated the Demolition Ordinance. There is a structure on Sinan Drive that burned in a fire. Mr. Jobe, Murrysville Building Inspector, is here this evening to testify on the actions that have been taken for notification on this structure. Mr. Jobe presented pictures of the structure to show that the building is not a fixer upper. The property was posted as a hazardous structure on December 1, 2021. A registered letter was sent to the owner on the same date. A second registered letter was sent on January 11, 2022. A response was never received from the owner and neither letter was returned. The property was posted for a Hearing this evening. We ask to move forward with a decision to issue the violation notices and take them to the magistrate to have it demolished if he doesn’t do it within 30 days. The structure is dangerous and lacks structural integrity Mr. Dice asked for any comments from the audience. Hearing none, Dr. Lee Korns moved to close the Public Hearing. Mr. Spadaro seconded. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. The Public Hearing was closed at 7:03 p.m. REGULAR VOTING MEETING AGENDA ROLL CALL/VOTING ORDER: Jamie Lee Korns, Tony Spadaro, Carl Stepanovich, Jason Lemak, Mac McKenna, Jamie Lingg - absent, Dayne Dice, and Mayor Synan - absent. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Mr. Dice led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. UNISTED AMENDMENTS: Mr. Morrison stated that an Executive Session was scheduled for Legal and would also like to add Personnel to that. CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS: A. Approval of March 2, 2022, Council Meeting Minutes B. Accounts Payable C. Cash Investments and Transfers Mr. Dice noted that he will abstain from any accounts payable matters related to KU Resources. vmp -1- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, March 16, 2022 Mr. McKenna made a motion to approve the Consent Calendar Items. Mr. Stepanovich seconded. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. MAYOR’S COMMENTS: Mr. Morrison presented the following comments on behalf of Mayor Synan: The Glass Recycling “Pop-Up” Collection Event will be held this Saturday, March 19th at Veterans Field parking lot from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Residents are also encouraged to support the Loaves and Fishes Emergency Food Pantry by donating non-perishable food items. On Saturday, March 26th at 10:00 a.m., Murrysville Recreation will be sponsoring a Hot Chocolate Hike. This is a family-friendly, 2–3-mile hike to Scouting Knob in MCP. Meet at the Dog Park parking lot. Joey Gombosh Fishing Derby will be held Saturday, April 2nd from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. at Townsend Park for children up to age 15. No fishing license is required and there is no fee. Easter Pet Photos will be Saturday, April 9th from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at the Westmoreland Heritage Trail Visitor Center. This is free to attend but please provide a donation to Pet Friends Animal Rescue. Treat bags will be provided by Walker’s Pet Hotail. Contact the Murrysville Recreation Department for more information. Egg My Yard is back by popular demand. Registration will close March 31st. So far 190 have registered. The Murrysville Recreation Department wants to egg your yard for an at-home Easter egg hunt. This event is open to those who live within the Franklin Regional School District. Easter Drive-Thru will be on Wednesday, April 13 from 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. in the Library parking lot. Say hello to the Easter Bunny and Yellow Chick and pick up a free treat bag. This event is free and open to the community. Murrysville Clean-up Week at Pleasant Valley Landfill will be April 25 through April 29 from 6:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. and Saturday, April 30 from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Permit passes for residents will be available through April 29 at the reception desk, 4100 Sardis Road, Murrysville. CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR’S COMMENTS: Mr. Morrison stated that staff met with Olympus Energy for a pre- application on the Hermes Well, which is expected to be before the Planning Commission in April. Mr. Morrison stated that he attended a grant seminar sponsored by Representative Brooks on Monday, that provided various information of various grants available through the State. COMMUNITY INPUT: None LIAISON COMMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS: Mr. Lemak: The Library meets tomorrow evening. Mr. Stepanovich: The Planning Commission met on March 8th. There was an advisory hearing on a request by Redstone Highlands to rezone 36 acres from R-2 to R-3. The President and CEO, John Dickerson was vmp -2- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, March 16, 2022 there along with their engineer. They are now considering four 26-unit apartment buildings instead of three. If the plan is approved, they would go through a full market study and would see construction starting in 2024. There is no tax relief request. There was a discussion concerning a minor site plan application to add storage for bicycles which will be discussed later this evening. This was approved by the Planning Commission to be forwarded to Council. The next meeting is April 12th. The Parks and Recreation Foundation will meet next Tuesday. Mr. Spadaro: Medic One meets tomorrow night Dr. Lee Korns: The Pension account is down a net of about 5.4% year to date. Near term risks remain elevated because of the conflict in Ukraine and rising food and energy costs, but our funds are conservatively allocated so the downturn had not had as severe of an impact as it might otherwise have had. Mr. McKenna: Parks and Recreation will be holding their Egg My Yard and Drive-thru for the Easter Bunny. The parks will be up and running soon with more programs to register for. Visit the website for more information. Just a reminder to complete the Neighborhood Park Survey. We have been receiving a lot of response and comments, which is very helpful in planning what is needed in the parks. WORKSHOP ITEMS ADMINISTRATION: None ENGINEERING: None COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: None PUBLIC WORKS AND PARKS: None COUNCIL ACTION ITEMS ADMINISTRATION 13.A. Consider renewing the current property, casualty, automobile and professional liability policies with Municipal Risk Management for the period April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 for a total premium of $141,801. Dr. Lee Korns made a motion to renew the current property, casualty, automobile and professional liability policies with Municipal Risk Management for the period April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 for a total premium of $141,801. Mr. McKenna seconded. Ms. Heming stated that this is the same coverage that we have right now. The increase in the premium is mainly due to increase in property values which went up about 3.5%. Police officials and public officials went up $1,000. There were no large losses like in years prior. Our agent had noted that most increases are around 8-10%. With this program we will also be able to see some dividends come back. This year it will be around $23,000. Coverage not included is cyber insurance and fiduciary which will occur in July. vmp -3- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, March 16, 2022 All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 13.B. Consider designating Keystone Collections Group as the official collector of real estate taxes, the fire hydrant tax and all other Act 511 taxes including both current and delinquent tax collections where applicable for the term of five years beginning on March 27, 2022 and continuing until April 1, 2027. Mr. Stepanovich made a motion to approve a five (5) year contract with Keystone Collections to collect real estate and local taxes, except earned income taxes, for both the Municipality and the Franklin Regional School District. Mr. Spadaro seconded. Ms. Heming stated that Keystone Collections has been our personal income tax collector since 2005. We have had renewed contracts every 5 years. With her leaving, she wanted to start with a fresh contract. Nothing has changed but thought it would be easier for the administration going forward to start with a new contract. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 13.C. Consider approval of Resolution No. 748-22, establishing reasonable costs of collection for delinquent taxes and imposing the cost of such collection upon the delinquent taxpayer. Mr. Lemak made a motion to consider approval of Resolution No. 748-22, establishing reasonable costs of collection for delinquent taxes and imposing the cost of such collection upon the delinquent taxpayer. Mr. Spadaro seconded. Ms. Heming stated that this is required because of doing the new contract with Keystone. This resolution is in accordance with Act 511 which permits Keystone to impose fees for costs incurred while collecting delinquent taxes on behalf of the Municipality. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 13.D. Consider approval of Resolution No. 749-22, establishing reasonable attorneys’ costs of collection for delinquent municipal claims and taxes and imposing the cost of such collection upon the delinquent taxpayer in accordance with Act 20. Mr. Spadaro made a motion to consider approval of Resolution No. 749-22, establishing reasonable attorneys’ costs of collection for delinquent municipal claims and taxes and imposing the cost of such collection upon the delinquent taxpayer in accordance with Act 20. Mr. Lemak seconded. Ms. Heming stated that this also is required because of doing a new contract with Keystone. This resolution allows the tax collector to pass on any attorney fees, filing fees for the delinquent taxpayer instead of the Municipality. Rates are in accordance with Act 20. Ms. Heming noted that about 80% of the residents pay the 2% discount rate. There are about 12-15% that pay at face value and the rest pay a penalty or don’t pay. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. vmp -4- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, March 16, 2022 13.E. Consider approval of a tax appeal settlement for a residential property at 4162 Bulltown Road, identified as tax parcel #49-06-00-0-014, Christopher and Tanya Simchick. Mr. McKenna made a motion to consider approval of a tax appeal settlement for a residential property at 4162 Bulltown Road, identified as tax parcel #49-06-00-0-014, Christopher and Tanya Simchick. Dr. Lee Korns seconded. Mr. Morrison stated that this is a new structure assessed on the building permit issued. The property owner appealed the tax assessment which was reduced to $279,930 from $287,470. The Simchick’s did not agree with the revised assessment and appealed to the Common Pleas Court. After negotiations with the County, School District and the Municipality, the proposed settlement of assessed value of $234,490 for 2021 and $220,170 for 2022 was agreed to by the parties. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 13.F. Consider approval of Ordinance #1057-22, an ordinance amending ordinance #1009-19, an ordinance authorizing participation in an intergovernmental police mutual aid agreement for the purpose of responding to police emergencies in authorized jurisdictions. The proposed ordinance would add the City of Greensburg to the list of participating jurisdictions. Dr. Lee Korns made a motion to approve Ordinance #1057-22, an ordinance amending ordinance #1009-19, an ordinance authorizing participation in an intergovernmental police mutual aid agreement for the purpose of responding to police emergencies in authorized jurisdictions. The proposed ordinance would add the City of Greensburg to the list of participating jurisdictions. Mr. Lemak seconded. Mr. Morrison stated that Council discussed and authorized to advertise the ordinance at the last meeting. This is an intergovernmental police cooperation agreement with 6 other municipalities for the specialized training of police officers to respond to police emergencies as a unified force known as the Westmoreland SWAT Team. Greensburg was invited to participate and has decided to do so. This will amend the Ordinance to include Greensburg as part of the team. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: 14.A. Consider approval of a minor site plan, SP-9-21, an addition for an accessory structure for a bicycle security unit, 4491 School Road South, Tax Parcel 49-14-00-0-158, B Business Zoning Mr. McKenna made a motion to consider approval of a minor site plan, SP-9-21, an addition for an accessory structure for a bicycle security unit, 4491 School Road South, Tax Parcel 49-14-00-0-158, B- Business Zoning. Mr. Lemak seconded. John Frydrych, Civil & Environmental Consultants, representing the Sportzone facility located at 4491 School Road South, presented a drawing of the site and of the proposed storage unit. The application is to add an 8’ x 40’ secure bicycle storage unit to the property. The unit is a re-purposed shipping container which would have nine exterior rollup doors. The doors would be around 3 feet wide with the unit being 8 vmp -5- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, March 16, 2022 feet deep. The units would be available for lease by members that play or use the facility or families that want to store bikes to take advantage of the Heritage Trail. The request is to place this unit as an accessory structure which would match the colors of the existing Sportzone. Mr. Stepanovich asked if the Sportzone & Deck Hockey Organization would be the landlord for these rental slots. Mr. Frydrych answered yes. They would purchase this facility and then establish an agreement and lease policy. Mr. Stepanovich asked who could apply to store their bikes there. Mr. Frydrych stated that it would be open to those first who came forward with the idea, which were actual players and athletes who use the facility on a regular basis. Then it would be on a first-come/ first-serve basis. Mr. McKenna asked if the storage facility was restricted to bike storage only. Mr. Frydrych answered yes, to encourage use of the trail. Mr. McKenna asked if there was anticipation that, if this was successful, to add more units to that property. Mr. Frydrych answered that was discussed, but just one is being added right now. They would have to come back if they wanted to add more units at a later date. Mr. Spadaro asked how many bikes would fit in each stall. Mr. Frydrych answered that he feels 4 to 6 bikes could fit in a unit comfortably. Each unit would have an individual lock on the door. Mr. Lemak asked about the trees on the drawing between the proposed unit and the trail. Mr. Frydrych stated that those are existing trees that were planted as part of the Sportzone Complex. Dr. Lee Korns asked if they had considered the more traditional bicycle racks that people chain their bikes to. Mr. Frydrych answered that they were looking for an enclosed facility Mr. Morrison asked if there was any advertising proposed for on this structure. Mr. Frydrych answered no. Mr. Morrison stated that Council might want to incorporate that into their motion. Dr. Lee Korns made a motion to amend the motion on the floor to include the condition that there shall be no advertising on the proposed structure. Mr. Spadaro seconded. All those present voted aye. Motion on the amendment was approved. All those present voted aye to approve the original motion of the structure incorporating the amendment. Motion approved. ENGINEERING: 15.A. Consider a motion to reduce the bond being held for the completion of the required improvements at the Barrington Heights Development in the amount of $216,520. Dr. Lee Korns made a motion to reduce the bond being held for the completion of the required improvements at the Barrington Heights Development in the amount of $216,520. Mr. Spadaro seconded. Mr. Morrison stated that the contractor has completed a portion of the required improvements, which has been inspected. Staff recommends reducing the bond. vmp -6- THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, March 16, 2022 All those present voted aye. Motion approved. PUBLIC WORKS AND PARKS: 16.A. Consider authorization to advertise for bids for various road materials, signs, and line painting. Mr. Stepanovich made a motion to authorize advertising for bids for various road materials, signs, and line painting. Mr. McKenna seconded. Mr. Paiano stated that this is their yearly solicit for bids for various materials used by Public Works to do patching, the pipe jobs, signs and line painting. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 16.B. Consider awarding a contract, DPW 2-22, to provide landscape services for the administration building, community center, Rt 22 medians and jug handles and streetscape. Mr. McKenna made a motion to consider awarding a contract, DPW 2-22, to provide landscape services for the administration building, community center, Rt 22 medians and jug handles and streetscape. Mr. Spadaro seconded. Mr. Paiano stated that this is their contract to do Route 22 streetscape and jug handles. There is an underfunded balance that will need a budget amendment. There was a bid last year that we thought was low and when it was rebid this year, there is a $7,000 difference from the highest bid last year. There was one bid this year from JPS Landscaping Construction, Inc. for a one-year contract with three-year pricing. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: None EXECUTIVE SESSION: Legal / Personnel Dr. Lee Korns made a motion to adjourn the meeting to an Executive Session at 7:42 p.m. Mr. Stepanovich seconded. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. No action was anticipated coming out of the session. ACTION ITEMS: None ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 8:30 p.m. The Regular Voting Meeting and Public Hearing were 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. vmp -7-