City Council

Steelton Borough Council Meeting November 19, 2007 The regular monthly meeting was called to order at 6:31 p.m. by Vice-President Stephen Shaver, with the pledge of allegiance, followed by a moment of silence. In Attendance: Absent: Stephen Shaver Lisa Wiedeman-Krosnar Jeffery Wright MaryJo Szada Dennis Heefner Michael Kovach Michael Albert Thomas Acri Michael G. Musser, II, Secretary (entered at 6:45 PM) David A. Wion, Solicitor Kathleen D. Handley, Asst. Secretary Jennifer Brown-Sweeney, Executive Assistant APPROVAL OF MINUTES: Mr. Wright motioned, seconded by Mr. Heefner, to approve the October 1, 2007, October 9, 2007, and October 17, 2007, Minutes as presented. Motion approved unanimously by all members present. Motioned by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Heefner, to approve the October 23, 2007 Minutes as amended. Motion approved unanimously by members present. APPROVAL OF DEPARTMENT REPORTS: Motioned by Mr. Albert, seconded by Mr. Wright, to approve the Department Reports as presented. Motion approved unanimously by members present. COMMUNICATIONS: Mohn Street Accessible Housing, Inc. – Invitation to the Mayor and Council to attend the Groundbreaking Ceremony for Baldwin Village, Tuesday, November 20, 2007 at 10 AM, 400 Mohn Street, Swatara Township, PA. Mr. Shaver stated anyone wishing to attend should contact Mrs. Handley. Daniel P. Scheitrum, Supervisor of Water Filtration and Lab – Providing Council with a Certificate of Completion for a 5 hour course in Gas Chlorination Systems Operation, Maintenance and Safety. - 1 -  Steelton Borough Council Meeting November 19, 2007 Motioned by Mr. Albert, seconded by Mr. Heefner, to place the certificate into Mr. Scheitrum’s personnel file. Motion approved unanimously by members present. Dauphin County Planning Commission – Invitation to the Quarterly Outreach Meeting Thursday, December 6, 2007 at 7 PM at the Swatara Township Municipal Building. Mr. Shaver asked Mrs. Zell to attend the meeting and invited all Council Members to attend. He asked anyone attending to let Mrs. Zell know. Tina Fackler, Steelton Shur Fine Project Manager – Invitation to a Community Meeting to Preview the Coming Steelton Shur Fine Grocery Store on Thursday, November 29, 2007 at 7 PM at the Steelton VFW, 747 North Front Street, Steelton, PA. Mr. Shaver requested that all persons attending to let Mr. Musser know. Thomas M. Oliverio, President, PSAB – Letter of Thanks to Mr. Musser for his Presentation on the New Steelton at October Fall Meeting of PSAB at State College. Mr. Shaver stated that two members of Council attended and Mr. Musser did a very nice job. Mr. Wright stated that he attended the presentation, and Mr. Musser did an outstanding job. Mr. Houser, Steelton Planning Commission – Letter of Resignation from the Steelton Planning Commission. Motioned by Mr. Heefner, seconded by Mr. Wright, to approve the letter of resignation for Mr. Houser. Motion approved unanimously by members present. Mr. Shaver requested that staff prepare a letter of thanks to Mr. Houser, and that Mr. Houser’s recommendation for a replacement be turned over to the personnel committee. UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Mr. Musser – Discussion of Potential Change Order with the Hometown Street Project Affecting an Area on Locust Street Between Front Street and Second Street. - 2 -  Steelton Borough Council Meeting November 19, 2007 Mr. Musser stated that the estimate to add the two lines of red brick to the curb line was $4,411.80. The price to do the whole area was $32,464.59. Mr. Musser said that he recommends doing the entire area, if the project is going to be done at all. Mr. Shaver stated that he would like to hold off deciding until next meeting, so Mr. Musser can gather more information. He then asked Mr. Musser to look into whether a grant will cover that expense. Mr. Wion – Requesting Council Execute the Easement Agreement Between the Borough and the Steelton-Highspire School District. Mr. Wion stated that in February 1998, the Borough, while developing Kelker Park, found that because of the location, an easement from the Steelton-Highspire School District was needed. Since then, the new elementary school was built. There was some area of the easement that we couldn’t utilize. The School District agreed to give us another access to Kelker Park. Mr. Wion stated that the School District passed the easement agreement. He said the new agreement is almost identical to the new agreement. Mr. Wion noted that the easement requires that the Borough maintain the area. He then showed Council a sketch of the area. Motioned by Mr. Albert, seconded by Mr. Wright, to approve the Easement Agreement between the Borough of Steelton and the Steelton-Highspire School District. Motion approved unanimously by all members present. Mr. Musser – Requesting an Update from Mr. Wion on the 2008 Municipal Domestic Animal Protective Services Agreement. Mr. Wion stated that several municipalities met in regards to this matter. He said that the Humane Society is pretty much the only organization in the area that handles this situation. Mr. Wion stated that he has not received any answers to his questions about interpretations in the agreement yet. He noted that the agreement will have to be entered into, since there is nobody else to provide this service. Mr. Wion recommended tabling the matter to the next meeting. NEW BUSINESS: ORDINANCE 2007-7 – An Ordinance to Amend the Code of the Borough of Steelton, Pennsylvania, Chapter 102, “Taxation”, Article IV, “Local Services Tax”, Providing for the Imposition of the Tax During the Calendar Year 2008 and Each Calendar Year Thereafter. Mr. Wion stated that in September we adopted an amendment to the Local Services Tax, previously known as the Emergency Services Tax. When these changes were - 3 -  Steelton Borough Council Meeting November 19, 2007 made, the wording referred to the year as 2007. This ordinance changes the wording, making it effective January 2008. Motioned by Mr. Heefner, seconded by Mr. Wright, to adopt Ordinance 2007-7 as presented. Motion approved unanimously by all members present. Dauphin County Planning Commission- Providing the Borough with the Municipal Planning Advisory Service Agreement for 2008. Motioned by Mr. Heefner, seconded by Mr. Wright, to approve the Dauphin County Municipal Planning Advisory Service Agreement for 2008 as presented. Motion approved unanimously by all members present. Tri-County Regional Planning Commission – Requesting the Borough of Steelton Nominate two Individuals to Serve on the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission From the Dauphin Southwest Plan Development Section of Dauphin County. Mr. Wright stated that Mr. Heefner and Mr. Blain are presently serving on the Board. Mr. Shaver noted that this was a two year term, and that they would need re-appointed. Mr. Wright motioned, seconded by Mr. Albert, to nominate Dennis Heefner and David Blain to the Tri-County Regional Planning Commission, contingent upon Mr. Blain’s interest in the position. Motion approved unanimously by all members present. OTHER BUSINESS: Mr. Musser – Providing Council with an Update on the Special Purpose Parking Requests. Mr. Musser stated that Mr. Lagyak has submitted an application to Council. He stated that he cannot recommend its approval at this time. Mr. Shaver stated that Council had previously discussed reaching out to outside individuals to review the applications. Mr. Musser stated that he would like them to review the application of Mr. Lagyak. He noted that Louise Conjar and Marcus Lee Gibson submitted applications as well. Mr. Musser – Informing Council that Interviews for the Position of Water Filtration Plant Operator will be done by the Personnel Committee on December 4, 2007. Mr. Musser stated that letters will go out tomorrow. - 4 -  Steelton Borough Council Meeting November 19, 2007 RESOLUTION 2007-R-36 – Resolution Authorizing the Acquisition of the Real Property Located at the Intersection of Mulberry Street and River Alley, Steelton, PA. Mr. Wion stated that the property is located at the intersection. He said that this acquisition is tied to the Elm Street Project and currently has four garages on it. Motioned by Mr. Heefner, seconded by Mr. Wright, to approve Resolution 2007-R-36 as presented. Motion approved unanimously by all members present. RESOLUTION 2007-R-37 – Resolution Authorizing the Acquisition of the Real Property Located at 21-23 N. Second Street, Steelton, PA. Mr. Wion stated that this property is located in the Elm Street Area, and is currently a vacant lot. Motioned by Mr. Albert, seconded by Mr. Heefner, to approve Resolution 2007-R-37 as presented. Motion approved unanimously by all members present. RESOLUTION 2007-R-38 – Resolution Authorizing the Maintenance of Brick Pavers at the Intersection of Front and Locust Streets as part of the SR 0230 Front Street Enhancement Project with the Department of Transportation of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, After discussion, Mr. Albert motioned, seconded by Mr. Wright to approve Resolution 2007-R-38 as presented. Motion approved unanimously by all members present. Mr. Musser – Informing Council that an Executive Session is Needed to Discuss Personnel Matters and Land Acquisition Matters. AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: Tina Fackler, Steelton Shur Fine Project Manager – asked Council to clarify a letter dated November 15, 2007 from the Codes Department. Mr. Shaver requested that Ms. Fackler contact Mrs. Zell directly. Mark Andreozzii, Teamsters Representative – stated that he is here to stand in support of the police officers and the process that is currently in place. He said that he would like to urge the Borough to let the process proceed as new matters arise. Mr. Musser stated that he attended the meeting with the NAACP and spoke on Council’s behalf. He said that he explained to the audience that Council could not be - 5 -  Steelton Borough Council Meeting November 19, 2007 present because if something under the officer’s Standard Operating Procedures was not followed correctly, and Council would like to follow through, it would violate the officer’s due process. Mr. Andreozzi asked Mr. Musser if the individuals testifying were being sworn in. Mr. Musser stated that he did not personally see the court stenographer swearing in the residents, but was told that they would be sworn in under oath. COUNCIL’S CONCERNS: Mr. Wright – said that the Community Development meeting was very positive. He stated that Mr. Kovach attended, and it was overall a nice meeting. Mr. Albert – wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Mr. Heefner – expressed his concern over the distance between the trees and the lights at the Front and Locust Streets intersection. He said that when the trees bloom, the lighting will not be very good. Mr. Wright recommended that Mr. Musser and Mr. Gehrlein look into the issue to expedite the process and for Council to allow them to make a decision in regards to this matter. Mr. Shaver – thanked everyone for coming to the meeting and wished everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Motioned by Mr. Albert, seconded by Mr. Wright, to recess into executive session at 7:16 PM. Motion approved unanimously by all members present. The meeting reconvened at 7:40 PM. ADJOURNMENT: There being no other business before Council, on motion by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Albert, the Council meeting adjourned at 7:41 PM. Respectfully submitted, _______________________________ Michael G. Musser, II Borough Secretary - 6 -