City Council

Steelton Borough Council Meeting March 17, 2003 The regular monthly meeting was called to order at 6:31 p.m. by the Council-President, Michael Kovach, with the pledge of allegiance, and a moment of silence. Mr. Kovach asked everyone to please keep Councilman Gornik, who is ill, in their thoughts, as well as the men and women of the armed forces. In Attendance: Absent: Michael Kovach Albert Gornik Jeffrey Wright Jeffrey Wrightstone Thomas Acri Mike Albert Maryjo Szada Mayor George Hartwick, III (arrived 6:36 p.m.) David A. Wion, Solicitor Michael G. Musser, II, Secretary Kathleen D. Handley, Assistant Secretary ADDITIONS: Mr. Musser presented the following additions to the Agenda for this evening: 1) If Deb Fry is present this evening, the Mayor will swear her in to serve on the Borough of Steelton’s Fire Police, when the Mayor arrives. 2) Council was given an amended set of Minutes for October 21, 2003, to replace the ones in their packets. 3) Council was given a copy of the Spring Clean-Up Flyer for their information. 4) Thomas Zimmerman, Conrad Siegel – Presented the Preliminary 2003 Actuarial Evaluation results. 5) Prior to this Council meeting, there was a presentation by Mellon Bank to review the Police Pension 6) Lou Verdelli, presented some bond financing options to Council Members prior to this evening’ Council Meeting. 7) There is a change in schedule ‘C’ of the Coca-Cola contract to include the 6% sales tax. 8) An e-mail from Ron Acri, Code Enforcement Officer giving Council an over-view of the Seminar he attended. 9) Letter from Barry Baumgardner to schedule a meeting with Steelton, Highspire and School Board to discuss mutual concerns. 10) President Bush approved snow emergency aid for Pennsylvania covering February 14-19.  11) Letter of Resignation from Kevin Scott, Part-time Police Officer. 12) Letter from Passo Family, Chief Lenker and Officer Basonic will address this. Steelton Borough Page (2) Council Meeting March 17, 2003 APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Minutes from the May 20, 2002, July 15, 2002, October 21, 2002 Special Hearing and Regular Council Meeting, and February 24, 2003 Council Meetings were presented for Council’s approval. Mr. Wion noted the following changes: May 20, 2002, Page 4, third line from the bottom, quick claim, should be quit claim; February 24, 2003, Page 4, Paragraph 4, 5th line, should read: send it to the Tri-County Planning Commission, advertise a public hearing and adopt it as appropriate. The next sentence should read: Mr. Wion said as long as there are no gaps in service, they can’t put something up unless it complies with whatever zoning requirements exist at that time. On a motion by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Albert, Council Members present voted unanimously to approve the minutes as presented, with the changes noted by Mr. Wion. EXECUTIVE SESSIONS HELD BETWEEN MEETINGS: On a motion by Mr. Acri, seconded by Mr. Wright, Council Members present voted unanimously to approve the executive session held between meetings. APPROVAL OF SCHEDULES OF BILLINGS, REQUISITIONS AND CHANGE ORDERS AS PRESENTED: On a motion by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Albert, Council Members present voted unanimously to approve the Schedule of Bills, requisitions and change orders as presented. APPROVAL OF DEPARTMENT REPORTS: On a motion by Dr. Szada, seconded by Mr. Albert, Council Members present voted unanimously to approve the Community Development, Finance, Fire and Ambulance, Personnel, Police, Public Works, Code Enforcement, and Senior Center Departmental Reports for February, as presented. MAYOR’S REPORT: Mayor Hartwick asked if the Borough has advertised for the summer recreation staff. MR. Musser said we haven’t advertised that yet. Mayor Hartwick asked if we still plan to do that jointly with the School District. The Mayor congratulated the Steel-High Boys, Girls and Midget Basketball teams and thanked Ms. Sviben for her foresight in arranging a parade on the 29th of March. PUBLIC COMMENT: Agenda Items Only Leonard Yablon, 720 S. 2nd St – That he is not here for an Agenda item, but appreciates the opportunity to speak at this time, since he is unable to stay until the end of the meeting. Mr. Yablon said that he has come in advance of what he believes to be several problems. He said the parking between Dupont and Hoffer Streets is a problem and seems to be caused by numerous non-residents co-habitating with residents in the area. He asked Council members to be creative to come up with something for a tax base. He said that the Police cannot be several places at once and they do the best they can and with summer coming he foresees a problem. He said the majority of his neighbors are senior citizens. Mr. Yablon said that he is a long-time resident and is very proud of Steelton, but at age 59, he has had it. He thanked Council for allowing him to express his concerns. Paul Cronin, Steel-High Principal – thanked Council for the opportunity to inform Council and the audience about changes being implemented at the Highs School. Mr. Cronin distributed packets, Steelton Borough Page (3) Council Meeting March 17, 2003 reviewed the contents, and answered some of Council’s questions. Mayor Hartwick thanked Mr. Cronin for Coming to the meeting He said that one of the Borough’s goals with the Senior Center and the Boys & Girls Club, was to have intergenerational programs Mayor Hartwick noted that Mr. Cronin mentioned scheduling guest speakers, with historical ties to the Boroughs to address classes as school. He suggested that Mr. Cronin consider a school project to compose a book on Steelton’s History, by interviewing seniors, current and former residents. Mr. Cronin agreed that this is a good idea. Mr. Kovach thanked Mr. Cronin for speaking with Council. Douglas and Elizabeth Passo, 2125 South Front Street. Mr. Passo presented their documentation of repeated incidents occurring to their vehicles, home and persons living in or visiting their home since June 30, 2000. Mr. Passo stated that he was not satisfied with the way the police have responded to the various incidents and their requests for help. Mr. Passo also expressed his disappointment that the Mayor did not return their calls until today. Mayor Hartwick apologized for not returning their calls sooner. He and Council assured Mr. and Mrs. Passo that they will meet with the Chief to determine a course of action. Mr. Kovach thanked them for bringing the situation to their attention, and encouraged them to contact Council sooner, if they believe that they aren’t getting the help they need. Chief Lenker – Requested that Council approve the new list for Part-Time Police Officers. He said that he, Mayor Hartwick, Mr. Acri, Mr. Kovach and Mr. Wright interviewed all applicants on the list and recommend placing Crystal Foster, Linda Rivera, and Robert Campbell on the list for Part-Time Police Officers. On a motion by Mr. Acri, seconded by Mr. Albert, Council members present voted unanimously to approve the list for part-Time Police Officers as presented. Chief Lenker requested that Council hire two (2) of the applicants, Crystal Foster and Linda Rivera. Chief Lenker said that they both have previous police experience and Ms. Foster is a Borough resident. Mayor Hartwick said he was thoroughly impressed with these candidates. He said they were the most qualified. On a motion by Mr. Acri, seconded by Mr. Wright, Council Members present voted unanimously to hire Crystal Foster and Linda Rivera as part-time police officers pending a background check and if they are certified by MoPac. COMMUNICATIONS: Robert Houser, Emergency Management Coordinator – Requesting permission to address Council in regards to the new PEMA Plan to standardize emergency operations. Mr. Musser said that Mr. Houser was not present this evening to discuss this topic. Commonwealth of PA, PennDOT – Informing Council and the Mayor that Governor Rendell has authorized the early release of Liquid Fuels Funding to Municipalities. There were no comments. Lisa Wiedeman-Krosnar, President, Steelton Business Association – Requesting permission to address Council to provide a Steelton Business Association update. Steelton Borough Page (4) Council Meeting March 17, 2003 Mrs. Wiedeman-Krosnar said that the Business Association members asked her to bring the following three (3) issues to Council’s attention: 1. Parking permits for use by construction/service companies, temporarily working at the business. 2. Place stickers on the meters. 3. Winfield’s asked that something be done about the scrap trucks that go back to the Bethlehem Steel Facility. She said that they are not covered and they are dropping sharp materials and many of their clients have gotten flat tires. Mr. Musser asked if the permits would only be used by service people. Mrs. Wiedeman-Krosnar said that the permits would be on marked vehicles. Mr. Acri said that in Harrisburg, the business pays for a bag on the meter, which costs $5.00 a day. He suggested that we charge less than that. Mr. Kovach thanked Mrs. Wiedeman-Krosnar and said that Council would consider the requests. Mr. Musser – Requesting Council to consider allowing departments which do not require 24-hour coverage to use personal or vacation days on December 26, 2003 and January 2, 2004. Mr. Wright said that this has been done in the past and we have not had any problems. On a motion by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Albert, Council members present voted unanimously to approve the request. Mr. Musser – Providing Council with a copy of the Swatara Township Newsletter. There were no comments.  Matthew D. Cichy, E.I.T., Staff Environmental Professional – Providing council with an engineering report from February 10, 2003 to March 10, 2003. There were no comments. Mr. Musser – Providing Council with a copy of the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission Letter. There were no comments. PSAB – Informing the borough of an up-coming seminar on Organizing Municipal Public Works: An Overview. Mr. Kovach said that anyone who wishes to attend should contact Mr. Musser. Zoran Dimovski – Requesting the Mayor Place a fourth stop sign at the intersection of Harrisburg and Pine Streets. Mr. Kovach said that Chief Lenker is working on a traffic survey to provide the proper recommendation. Deirdre R. Mays, CMC, City Clerk, IIMC Director, Region IV, City of Greenwood – Letter of Congratulations to Mr. Musser for achieving his Certified Municipal Clerks Designation. On a motion by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Acri, Council Members present voted unanimously to have the letter placed in Mr. Musser’s personnel file. Steelton Borough Page (5) Council Meeting March 17, 2003 Milt Carnes, Lt. 50-2, Steelton Fire Department – Letter challenging Chief Lenker and the Steelton Police Department to become shaves or sponsors to help raise money for the National Childhood Cancer Foundation. Mr. Wright said that he will be there and noted that he asked Ms. Sviben to contact local barbers to request their participation. Dauphin County Commissioners & the Dauphin County Economic Development Advisory Committee. – Invitation to a Breakfast Meeting with Arlen Specter on Monday, April 7, 2003, at the Harrisburg-Hershey Marriott. Mr. Kovach said that anyone who wishes to attend, should contact Mr. Musser. PSAB – Invitation to the 92nd Annual Conference & Exhibition at the Hershey Lodge & Convention Center, June 22-25, 2003. Mr. Kovach said that anyone who wishes to attend, should contact Mr. Musser The Employees alliance of Municipalities – Invitation to a Labor & Employment Law Seminar April 28th & 29th, Heritage Hills Golf Resort & Conference Center, York, PA. Mr. Kovach said that anyone who wishes to attend should contact Mr. Musser.  Mr. John A. Garner, Jr., Executive Director, Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities PLCM- Welcome Letter to the Borough for becoming a member of the PLCM and informing the Borough of some of their benefits. There were no comments. Pennsylvania Leage of Cities and Municipalities PLCM – Invitation to the Southeast Spring District Meeting Thursday, April 24th, at 6:00 p.m., at the Turk’s Head Inn in West Chester. Mr. Kovach said that anyone who wishes to attend should contact Mr. Musser. Dauphin County Juvenile Probations Office – Providing the borough with a copy of their newsletter. There were no comments. Ronald Acri, Code/Zoning/Planning Officer – Providing Council with an update on the Labor & Industry’s Uniform Construction Code. There were no comments. Ronald Acri, Code/Zoning/Planning Officer – Providing Council with a Code Office Status Report and other information materials. There were no comments. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Steelton Borough Page (6) Council Meeting March 17, 2003 RESOLUTION 2003-R-13 – a Resolution establishing a 15-Minute Parking Zone on North Second Street, was presented for Council’s consideration. On a motion by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Albert, Council Members present voted unanimously to adopt RESOLUTION 2003-R-13, as presented. Mr. Musser & Mr. Wion – Providing Council with the Agreement between the Borough of Steelton and Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. Mr. Wion noted that the borough has been dealing with Coca Cola for about two (2) years regarding a sponsorship agreement by which Coca Cola will be the sole vendor at all Borough Activities. Mr. Wion reviewed the agreement which was before Council for their consideration. Mr. Musser said that Coca Cola would like to execute the Agreement first but requested that Council Authorize Mr. Kovach to execute the Agreement after Coca Cola. On a motion by Mr. Acri, seconded by Mr. Wright, Council Members present voted unanimously to authorize Mr. Kovach to execute the Agreement at the appropriate time. Carl G. Wass, Caldwell & Kerns – Informing the Borough of Judge Bratton’s decision regarding the Bethlehem Steel Corporation-Office Building. There were no comments. NEW BUSINESS: Matthew D. Cichy, E.I.T.,Environmental Staff Professional – Providing the borough with the 2003 Municipal Wasteload Management Report. There were no comments. Mr. Musser – Providing Council with the Liquid Fuels Tax Fund Audit for the Years 2000 & 2001. On a motion by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Albert, Council Members present voted unanimously to approve the audit as presented. Mr. Musser – Providing Council with a copy of the Borough of Steelton Police Pension Plan as amended. Mr. Wion said that in order to be in compliance with both ARISSA and Act 30, Mr. Musser and he met with Thomas Zimmerman, of Conrad Siegel, the firm who initially drafted the ARISSA, which dealt mainly with rollovers, must must be in all Pension Plans and Act 30 mandated requirements are included. Mr. Wion said this has been provided to the Steelton Police Association for their review. Mr. Wion said that Council has a copy to review, pending the Police Association approval. Mr. Wion said he will then prepare an ordinance for Council’s adoption. Boyer & Ritter – Providing Council with a Letter of Understanding for services to be performed for the Borough of Steelton for the year ending December 31, 2003. On a motion by Mr. Albert, seconded by Mr. Wright, Council Members present voted unanimously to approve the Letter of Understanding, as presented. Steelton Borough Page (7) Council Meeting March 17, 2003 Mr. Musser – Providing Council with a copy of the MS4 NO1 Application. There were no comments. Mayor Hartwick, Chief Lenker & Police Committee – Recommending the Borough of Steelton hire Linda Ivette Rivera & Crystal Nachelle Foster as part-time officers in the Borough of Steelton Contingent upon successful background checks. Mr. Kovach said this was addressed earlier. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: Margaret Crawford, 154 Lincoln Street – said she was with her neighbor to protest the fact that the residence between their two houses, is going to be used as a half-way house for seven (7) ladies and workers. Mrs. Crawford said she is very upset because she doesn’t want junkies living next to her. She said that her grandchildren will not be able to visit her. Mr. Acri asked if that has to go before the Zoning Board. Mr. Wion said that it doesn’t. He said that there are Federal cases on this under the Federal Fair Housing Laws, saying you can’t limit the numbers or prevent it. He said he presented that o Mr. Acri when this was brought to his attention. Mr. Wion said that the courts have interpreted a family as those not necessarily related by blood and the Borough cannot discriminate against them. It is to incorporate them into the community. Mr. Wion noted that there is another establishment of this nature in the Borough. He said that it is his experience in these situations, hat most times residents’ fears do not come to pass. Mr. Kovach said they understand the neighbor’s concerns but under Federal Law, there is nothing the Borough can do to prevent it, but the Borough can make certain that the house is up to Code. Mr. Wright asked Mrs. Crawford to let Council know if there are any problems there with the residents. Jean Barr, 346B Locust Street said she would like to know why Council fired Donna Czeiner. Mr. Wright said that Ms. Czeiner resigned. Emmuel Powell, 321 Lebanon Street – asked if there is any law against a real estate man buying up a lot of property. He said he is concerned because some of the property is in disrepair. Mr. Kovach said the one thing we can do is make sure they are brought up to code. Mr. Powell asked how long they have to bring it up to code. Mr. Kovach said that depends on the nature of the violation. Mr. Musser suggested the Mr. Powell contact the Code Enforcement Officer, Ron Acri for his assistance. OTHER BUSINESS: Mr. Acri - Requesting an executive session to discuss Police Personnel Matters in regards to Officer Gaither. Kevin Scott – Letter of resignation from the Steelton Police Department, effective March 17, 2003. On a motion by Mr. Acri, seconded by Mr. Wright, Council Members present voted unanimously to accept Kevin Scott’s resignation as presented. Steelton Borough Page (8) Council Meeting March 17, 2003  Barry Baumgardner – Requesting Council appoint a Committee to meet with Highspire and School Board representatives on March 26th, at 7:00 p.m. to exchange ideas, and discuss matter of mutual interest. Mr. Wright said he would like to attend. Mr. Kovach said that any Council person who wanted to attend should do so. Chief Vance – Informing Council that a member of our Ambulance Crew, Tim Layman, was called to active duty. Mayor Hartwick – Letters of Commendation to Chief Lenker, and Officers John Fry, Troy Elhajj, Joseph Conjar, Dennis Basonic, and Sgt. David Crawford, for their involvement in a counterfeit detail, involving the US Secret Service. On a motion by Mr. Acri, seconded by Mr. Wright, Council members present voted unanimously to have the letters of commendation placed in their personnel files. John R. King and Scott E. Spangler – Certificates of Completion for 7 Habits of Highly Effective First Line Supervisors; Character Based Policing, from HACC. On a motion by Mr. Albert, seconded by Mr. Wright, Council Members present voted unanimously to have the Certificates placed in their personnel files. Chief Lenker – said he wanted to commend his officers’ work with the United State Secret Service on the counterfeit detail last week. Mr. Kovach agreed and thanked the Chief. COUNCIL’S CONCERNS: There was nothing additional at this time. On motion by Mr. Albert, seconded by Mr. Wright, the Council meeting recessed into executive session to discuss Police Personnel matters, regarding Officer Gaither. At 8:10 p.m. Mr. Wion added that the Bethlehem Steel Assessment Appeal will also be discussed. ADJOURNMENT: The meeting reconvened at 8:20 p.m., and there being no other business before Council, on a motion by Mr. Acri, seconded by Dr. Szada, the meeting was immediately adjourned. Respectfully submitted, ____________________________________ ___________________________________ Michael G. Musser, II Kathleen D. Handley Borough Secretary Assistant Secretary