City Council

Steelton Borough Council Meeting November 3, 2008 The regular monthly meeting was called to order at 6:32 p.m. by President, Michael Kovach, with the pledge of allegiance, followed by a moment of silence. In Attendance: Absent: Dennis Heefner MaryJo Szada Jeffery Wright Stephen Shaver Michael Kovach Lisa Wiedeman-Krosnar Michael Albert Mayor Thomas Acri David A. Wion, Solicitor Patrick Gehrlein, Secretary Kathleen D. Handley, Assistant Secretary APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes from the February 4, 2008 meeting were presented for approval. On a motion by Mr. Heefner, seconded by Mr. Wright, Council Members present voted unanimously to approve the minutes as amended. EXECUTIVE SESSIONS HELD BETWEEN MEETINGS: (Secretary Gehrlein): Mr. Gehrlein said he had nothing to report at this time. PUBLIC COMMENT: Agenda Items Only There were no comments. COMMUNICATION: Penn State Harrisburg; Environmental Training Center – Presenting Daniel P. Scheitrum with a Certificate of Completion for a Cross Connection Control Workshop on October 30, 2008. On a motion made by Mr. Shaver, seconded by Mr. Albert, Council Members present voted unanimously to place this letter into Mr. Scheitrum’s personnel file. -1-  Steelton Borough Council Meeting November 3, 2008 UNFINISHED BUSINESS: Mr. Gehrlein – Providing Council with a copy of the preliminary General Fund Budget for 2009 with the most recent updates and revisions from October 27, 2008. Mr. Gehrlein stated that this overview of the budget discussions serves as a reminder of the special Council meeting scheduled for November 6, 2008 at 6:30 pm in Council Chambers. He also asked anyone with questions to please contact him or Mrs. Handley. Mr. Wright encouraged all of Council to attend the special meeting, as a lot of time and effort has been put into determining the line items on the budget. NEW BUSINESS: Dr. Kambic and Fire Chief Gene Vance – Discussing the possible implementation of an ambulance tax to support the EMS services provided to the Borough of Steelton residents. Dr. Kambic urged Council to contemplate an ambulance tax. At this point, he stated that there is no room in the budget for vehicle replacement. Fortunately, the current vehicles are maintained very well. However, if one would unexpectedly need to be replaced, there is no money allocated to purchase a new one. Dr. Kambic stressed the importance for this money because of the service that Emergency Medical Services provide to those that live in the Borough. Mr. Gehrlein – Presenting Council with a contract from the Tri-County Planning Commission for Municipal Planning Advisory Service. On a motion made by Mr. Shaver, seconded by Mr. Heefner, Council Members present voted unanimously to accept the agreement as presented. OTHER BUSINESS: Mr. Gehrlein – Informing Council that an Executive Session is needed to discuss Personnel Matters, Pending Litigation and Land Acquisition Matters. There were no comments. -2-  Steelton Borough Council Meeting November 3, 2008 AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: Charles Williams; 608 North Second Street, Steelton – Stated that he had several questions for Council regarding the state of the Borough. Mr. Williams stated that he has lived in the Borough for a few years now. He noted that there is a curfew in place for minors but, asked that it be lowered to 10 years old. He has noticed a lot of children in his neighborhood under the age of 15 that are out very late. He also asked why Second Street is cleaned every week and stated that it does not need to be cleaned that often. Mayor Acri said he has lived in the Borough for 61 years and has never heard anyone ask for the streets to be cleaned less. Mr. Williams countered by saying that he takes care of his own property and others should do the same. Mr. Kovach agreed but, noted that, unfortunately, that is not the case. Mr. Williams also spoke about the advertised Revitalization Project that the Borough is embarking upon. He stated that an important element to the success of the project will be to eliminate transient property owners from buying houses and allowing Section 8 tenants to occupy the properties. He asked how revitalization compares to the number of Section 8 properties that are currently in the Borough. Mr. Kovach stated that there are 237 Section 8 properties currently in the Borough. If those properties meet the minimum state requirements, Borough Council is limited on what they can do to prevent this, other than code enforcement. Mr. Kovach stated that Council has a plan; they are sticking to it, and will continue to move forward. Mr. Heefner added that due to federal law, Council cannot govern who allows a Section 8 tenant move into their property. Lastly, Mr. Williams stated that he has noticed positive improvements at ArcelorMittal. Mrs. Wiedeman-Krosnar encouraged him to write them a letter to let them know that he has noticed what they are doing. Michael Brashears, 607 N. Second Street, Steelton – Stated that he lives across the street from Mr. Williams and next to a Section 8 tenant. He has complained to the owner of the property for not properly taking care of the property. This has, in turn, caused problems to Mr. Brashears’ property. He stated that he just wanted to support Mr. Williams’ comments and make his own concerns known to Council. COUNCIL’S CONCERNS: Mr. Albert: Had no comment. Mrs. Wiedeman-Krosnar: Had no comment. -3-  Steelton Borough Council Meeting November 3, 2008 Mr. Shaver: Had no comment. Mr. Wright: Thanked Mr. Williams and Mr. Brashears for attending the meeting tonight. He asked them to not get discouraged. Mr. Wright stated that he, and his colleagues, are doing their very best to make positive improvements to the Borough. He encouraged them to call Council Members if they have any other problems. Mr. Heefner: Had no comment. Mayor Acri: Had no comment. Mr. Wion: Had no comment. Mr. Kovach: Had no comment. On a motion made by Mr. Heefner, seconded by Mr. Wright, Council Members present voted unanimously to ratify the execution of the agreement. Mr. Gehrlein: Stated that he will send out a reminder email about the Turnpike Commission land dedication ceremony. On a motion made by Mr. Heefner, seconded by Mr. Albert, the Council meeting recessed into executive session at 7:08 pm to discuss personnel matters, land acquisition and potential litigation. The Council meeting reconvened at 7:40 p.m. After some discussion, Council asked Mr. Gehrlein to devise a voluntary cell phone plan for Council Members to participate in. Mr. Gehrlein will present the plan to Council upon completion. ADJOURNMENT: There being no other business before Council, on a motion by Mr. Wright, seconded by Mr. Heefner, the meeting adjourned at 7:48 p.m. Respectfully submitted, _____________________________ _______________________________ Kathleen D. Handley Dennise Hill Assistant Secretary Executive Administrative Assistant -4-