Council of the Municipality of Murrysville

THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, December 4, 2024 Council of the Municipality of Murrysville held a Regular Voting Meeting and Public Hearing on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. in the Municipal Building. Present at the meeting were Council members Eli Diacopoulos, Jason Lemak, Jamie Lingg, Mac McKenna, Matthew Olszewski, Carl Stepanovich, and Mayor Synan. Also present were Chief Administrator, Michael Nestico, Director of Finance, Jacie Milchak, Director of Public Works, Bill Paiano, and Solicitor, Adam Long. Council President Dayne Dice was absent. PUBLIC HEARING CU-4-24, A CONDITIONAL USE APPLICATION FOR A CHANGE IN USE FROM A HARDWARE STORE TO A KARATE STUDIO – 5270 OLD WILLIAM PENN HIGHWAY, TAX PARCEL 49-15-10-0-004, MIXED USE ZONING. A Public Hearing was held at 7:00 p.m. for CU-3-24, a Conditional Use Application for a change in use from a hardware store to a karate studio, 5270 Old William Penn Highway, Tax Parcel 49-15-10-0-004, Mixed Use Zoning. A stenographer was present to record the hearing. Mr. Nestico stated that the applicant was present. This is a Conditional Use Application. It is a change in use so it does require a public hearing. This item went before the Planning Commission who recommended sending it over to Council with a waiver to the landscaping requirements based on the layout of the property. There is nowhere for them to put in side yard landscaping. There will also be a chiropractor office at that location. It meets all the zoning requirements. Parking was adequately addressed. There are 36 parking spaces which would satisfy both of the uses at that location. Mr. James Fox, the applicant, stated that the reason for the landscaping waiver is that there is a stream on the one side of the property. The front will be landscaped and there will be a little courtyard behind where the one building was. Mr. Stepanovich asked if the parking area was going to be paved. Mr. Fox answered that the parking area already is paved. It will get repaved in the spring. The outside has already been renovated with stucco/stone, new windows, and metal awnings will be put on the front. Mr. Nestico noted that the only other item they are working on now is signage, which has to go through the zoning officer. That is in process as we speak. Hearing no further questions from Council and no public comment from the audience, Mr. McKenna closed the Public Hearing at 7:06 p.m. REGULAR VOTING MEETING AGENDA PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Council Vice President, Mac McKenna led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. vmp 1 THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, December 4, 2024 ROLL CALL/VOTING ORDER: Matthew Olszewski, Eli Diacopoulos, Dayne Dice-absent, Jason Lemak, Jamie Lingg, Mac McKenna, Carl Stepanovich, and Mayor Synan. UNISTED AMENDMENTS: None CONSENT CALENDAR ITEMS: A. Approval of November 19, 2024 Council Meeting Minutes. Mr. Stepanovich made a motion to approve the November 19, 2024 Council Meeting Minutes. Mr. Olszewski seconded. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. MAYOR’S COMMENTS: Mayor Synan presented the following: Santa at Sardis will be Saturday, December 7th from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. at Sardis Park. Get there early. The last Glass Recycling “Pop-Up” Collection Event will be Saturday, December 7th from 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. at Veterans Field parking lot by the soccer fields. Sponsored by the Municipality of Murrysville and Republic Services. Residents are also encouraged to support the Loaves and Fishes Emergency Food Pantry by donating non-perishable food items. Murrysville and Hempfield Parks and Recreation are sponsoring a bus trip to People’s Gas Holiday Market on Wednesday, December 11, 2024. Stop one is at Hempfield Park at 10 a.m. Stop two at Murrysview Shoppes (5030 William Penn Highway, Monroeville) at 10:30 a.m. The bus will leave the Market at 3 p.m. Cost is $35 per person. Light snacks will be provided. Register online at www.murrysvilleparecreation.com. Curbside Leaf Collection Program: This is the last one which will be December 14. To schedule a pick-up, please fill out the “Curbside Left Collection Program Form” on the website. There is a 20-bag limit. The deadline to sign up for collection is the Thursday before the pickup date. Murrysville Recreation Hot Chocolate Hike will be Saturday, December 14th at McGinnis Reserve at 10 a.m. Parking is off Hunter Drive. Join the Recreation Department for some fun 2-3 mile hikes over the winter. These are wooded hikes with some slopes and may require stepping over fallen trees. Please dress for the weather and plan for the terrain. Finish the hike with a cup of hot chocolate. For more information call 724- 327-2100 x131 or go to www.murrysvilleparecreation.com. CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR’S COMMENTS: Mr. Nestico stated that the bridge on Old William Penn Highway is open. Some of the paving leading up to the bridge is going to be redone in the spring. The contractor will be out there doing some milling depending on the weather. COMMUNITY INPUT: None LIAISONS COMMENTS AND COMMITTEE REPORTS: Mr. Diacopoulos: Nothing to report from the Pension Committee. vmp 2 THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, December 4, 2024 Mr. Olszewski: The Environmental Action Committee will meet at the end of this month. Mrs. Lingg: The next Planning Commission meeting is December 10th. Mr. McKenna: Parks and Recreation has some events coming up that the Mayor had mentioned. The next meeting will be next Tuesday. Mr. Stepanovich: Medic One met on November 21st. There were 1,112 emergency calls and 46 non- emergency calls. The subscription rate is 27.5%. Medic One is required and completed a vehicle safety audit to make sure all vehicles are safe. All vehicles will be equipped with carbon monoxide detectors. They are switching their employee health insurance from UPMC to Highmark. UPMC was going to have a 47% increase. Highmark is having a 25% increase. There will be a $50 gift card for all employees of Medic One. The Murrysville Parks and Recreation Foundation met on Monday. There is a possibility of disc-golf with the location to be determined. There is continuing discussion of the Gifting Policy. The natural playground was installed by Public Works. There are two prospective Foundation members, Mike Marion and Colin Kernick. They will be drafting some descriptions for internships at the Foundation for either high school or college ranks. Mr. Lemak: The Murrysville Library met last Thursday. They are working through the 2025 Budget, and they are looking at the ARPA Grant and how to allocate that. WORKSHOP ITEMS ADMINISTRATION: None ENGINEERING: None COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: None PUBLIC WORKS AND PARKS: None COUNCIL ACTION ITEMS ADMINISTRATION: 13.A. Approve Ordinance No. 1094-24, the 2025 Salary Ordinance Mrs. Lingg made a motion to approve Ordinance No. 1094-24, the 2025 Salary Ordinance. Mr. Olszewski seconded. Mr. Nestico stated that the Salary Ordinance is adopted annually. We are hoping to expand to a few more positions in the municipality which is incorporated into the Salary Ordinance. This would be for a public works truck driver, a police officer, deputy director of planning, an engineering tech, and a maintenance position. Police and Public Works employees will receive raises pursuant to their contracts. All non-union vmp 3 THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, December 4, 2024 employees are receiving a cost-of-living salary increase according to Social Security cost of living adjustment at 2.5%. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 13.B. Approve Ordinance No. 1095-24, the 2025 Tax Ordinance Mrs. Lingg made a motion to approve Ordinance No. 1095-24, the 2025 Tax Ordinance. Mr. Diacopoulos seconded. Mr. Nestico stated that this is for approval of the 2025 Tax Ordinance. The Tax Ordinance sets the same tax millage of 12.15 mills for property taxes, which has been the same for previous years. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 13.C. Approve Resolution No. 793-24, the Operating Budget for the 2025 Calendar Year Mr. Lemak made a motion to approve Resolution No. 793-24, the Operating Budget for the 2025 Calendar Year. Mr. Stepanovich seconded. Mr. Nestico stated that this is the 2025 Operating Budget. A Public Hearing was held on November 6th to discuss the budget. There were no revisions requested at that time. Ms. Milchak had noted that there were some typographical errors and adjustments that needed to be made regarding the initial entries. This budget is in line with prior years’ budgets other than the additional positions mentioned earlier. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 13.D. Advertise Ordinance No. 1096-24, the Fee Ordinance Mrs. Lingg made a motion to advertise Ordinance No. 1096-24, the Fee Ordinance. Mr. Diacopoulos seconded. Mr. Nestico stated that this is a Fee Ordinance adopted annually but is modified from time to time. There is one set of fees in the ordinance that needs to be adjusted. That would be the Zoning Hearing Board fees. When a Zoning Hearing is conducted for a variance, changes in nonconforming use, home occupations, or other type of zoning matter, there are costs to the Municipality for having a court reporter, solicitor and other fees associated with conducting those hearings. Those fees have gone up in recent years, but our fee schedule has not. Fees for a Zoning Hearing is $750 per hearing which is paid by the applicant. The proposal is to increase that fee to $1,000 per hearing which would allow us to cover those various costs. A continuation request is currently $150, which would go up to $300. Mr. Nestico asks Council to consider that. There is also the potential to increase fees for park and facility rental and field usage. We are doing quite a few more rentals than we have done previously. The Municipality is absorbing a lot of the costs to conduct these rentals. These are items that Council does not have to consider increasing but it would be recommended by staff. The field usage fees have not changed in 15 years, but our costs have gone up to vmp 4 THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, December 4, 2024 maintain the fields. Staff is looking at a 20% increase per field per time slot. The Fee Ordinance is presented tonight for advertising only and can be brought up for further discussion at the next meeting. If Council only wants to do the Zoning Fees, we can do that and come back at a later time and reconsider the field fees and rental fees. Mr. Stepanovich asked how many zoning appeals there are in a year. Mr. Nestico answered that there aren’t very many – maybe just 3 or 4 in a year. Mr. Mckenna asked if certain fields are higher maintenance – whether it’s baseball, soccer, football. Would it be 20% across the board. Mr. Nestico answered that it hasn’t been broken down to that extent. They were looking at a flat percentage-based increase across the board. Mr. Olszewski asked how far in advance are the fields reserved. Mr. Nestico answered that in the beginning of spring, there will be a fields meeting here. All of the local sports organizations in the community and outside the community are invited. There is an ordinance in place as far as how the reservations process works. The local community sports teams get first priority. Mrs. Lingg stated that she is fine with advertising the ordinance but feels that there needs to be more discussion, especially with the Clubhouse rentals and alcohol permit. Mr. McKenna agreed that there needs to be more discussion on that and to get the field fees settled before the spring meeting. Council can agree to advertise and then discuss and make a decision early next year. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 13.E. Advertise for various Board and Commission openings for the 2025 calendar year Mrs. Lingg made a motion to advertise for various Board and Commission openings for the 2025 calendar year. Mr. Stepanovich seconded. Mr. Nestico stated that this is done every year. There are a number of Boards and Commissions that have terms expiring. We want to get this advertised so we can make appointments in January of next year. Mr. Nestico noted that we will advertise the various openings, notify the individuals who have terms expiring to see if they want to be reappointed, and then fill any vacancies. All those in present voted aye. Motion approved. 13.F. Appoint Tricia Underwood to the Parks and Recreation Commission to fill the remainder of the unexpired term ending December 31, 2024 Mr. Lemak made a motion to appoint Tricia Underwood to the Parks and Recreation Commission to fill the remainder of the unexpired term ending December 31, 2024. Mrs. Lingg seconded. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. vmp 5 THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, December 4, 2024 13.G. Approve Resolution No. 796-24, a resolution to dispose of certain municipal records in accordance with the State Records Retention Policy Mr. Diacopoulos made a motion to adopt Resolution No. 796-24, a resolution to dispose of certain municipal records in accordance with the State Records Retention Policy. Mrs. Lingg seconded. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: 14.A. Approve CU-4-24, a conditional use application for a change in use from a hardware store to a karate studio, 5270 Old William Penn Highway, Tax Parcel 49-15-10-0-004, Mixed Use Zoning, Mrs. Lingg made a motion to approve CU-4-24, a conditional use application for a change in use from a hardware store to a karate studio, 5270 Old William Penn Highway, Tax Parcel 49-15-10-0-004, Mixed Use Zoning, including the landscaping waiver. Mr. Olszewski seconded. Mr. Diacopoulos asked when the karate studio would be open. Mr. Fox answered it would be sometime in January. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. ENGINEERING: None PUBLIC WORKS AND PARKS: 16.A. Award a one-year contract for rental of 17 portable restroom units for the Murrysville parks to Mr. John of Pittsburgh. Mr. Stepanovich made a motion to award a one-year contract with a three-year pricing renewal for rental of 17 portable restroom units for the Murrysville parks to Mr. John of Pittsburgh. Mr. Olszewski seconded. Mr. Paiano stated that Mr. John submitted the lowest bid for this contract. It is $110 for the standard units and $140 for handicap units. The price is for the 3 years that they bid. They are not our current provider. We had some difficulties with the existing company with the service they were providing. They are to be serviced once a week. The budgeted amount is not to exceed $21,500 All those present voted aye. Motion approved. 16.B. Award a three-year contract for deer carcass removal on municipal roads to Steve Boeser. Mr. Olszewski made a motion to award a three-year contract for deer carcass removal on municipal roads to Steve Boeser. Mrs. Lingg seconded. vmp 6 THE MUNICIPALITY OF MURRYSVILLE Regular Voting Meeting – Wednesday, December 4, 2024 Mr. Paiano stated that Steve Boeser has done our deer carcass removal for a number of years. His price has only gone up $5 across the board for the next three years. He removes about 200 carcasses a year. Mr. Olszewski asked who to call to get a deer carcass removed. Mr. Paiano answered that the police get the call and determine if it’s on a state road or municipal road. If it’s on a state road, a state contractor would be contacted. This removal is for deer only which are then taken to the landfill. We pay the fee for the landfill. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: None EXECUTIVE SESSION: 19.A. Legal Matters Mr. Stepanovich made a motion to adjourn to Executive Session. Mrs. Lingg seconded. There was no action anticipated coming out of the meeting. All those present voted aye. Motion approved. ACTION ITEMS: None ADJOURNMENT: The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 p.m. The Regular Voting Meeting and Public Hearing were broadcast on local government Channel 21. 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