City Council

STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL AGENDA February 16, 2021 Call Meeting to Order: President Proctor Pledge of Allegiance: President Proctor Moment of Silence: Mayor Marcinko Council Meeting Roll Call: President Proctor Approval of minutes from previous meeting: February 1, 2021 Public Comments for Agenda Items Only Approval of schedule of billing, requisitions, and change orders as presented for: January 2021 Department & Committee Reports: Fire Department and Ambulance (Written Report) Police Department (Written Report) Codes Department (Written Report) Public Works (Written Statistical Reports) Parks and Recreation Committee (Oral Report) NEDC Committee (Oral Report) Stormwater Committee (Oral Update) Mayor’s Report (Oral Report) Borough Manager’s Report (Oral Report) Unfinished Business: New Business: Anne Shambaugh Introduction of Public Works Director Anne Shambaugh Discussion and Approval for GIS Aerial Mapping of the Borough. Anne Shambaugh Discussion and request for Traffic Study to determine if a stop sign is needed at the intersection of Locust and 4th Streets. Anne Shambaugh Approval of Pay Application #7 from E. K. Services for of $66,057.22 for partial completion of Phase II of Storm Sewer Rehabilitation Project. Communications: Dauphin County Office of Tax Assessment Notice of Increased Assessment at 111 Franklin Brown Boulevard. Thomastine Leggett-Robinson Thank You Note Public Comments: Council Concerns: Executive Session: Other Business: Adjournment:  STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES February 16, 2021 Present: Mike Segina, Vice President Maria Marcinko, Mayor Keontay Hodge, President Pro Tem Dave Wion, Solicitor Denae House Anne Shambaugh, Borough Manager William Jones Bruce Hulshizer - HRG William Krovic Anthony Minium, Police Chief Natasha Woods Gene Vance, Fire Chief Aaron Curry, Codes Director Gary Kline, Public Works Director Thommie Leggett-Robinson, Exec. Asst. Absent with Cause: Brian Proctor and Renee Drayton Bowers. In compliance with Governor Wolf's orders regarding Corvid -19, the Steelton Borough Council meeting was held by video/telephone conference. Vice President Segina opened the meeting at 6:30 p.m. Mayor Marcinko led the group in a Moment of Silent Reflection, and Ms. Shambaugh called the roll. Motion made by Mr. Krovic, seconded by Mr. Jones to accept February 1, 2021, Council Meeting Minutes as presented. Motion passed with a 5-1 vote. Public Comments on Agenda items only: Two members of the public attended the meeting; however, they made no comments. In any format, no communication with questions or comments about agenda items was received by Ms. Shambaugh. Motion made by Mr. Krovic, seconded by Ms. Hodge, to accept the January 2021 schedule of billing, requisitions, and change orders as presented. Motion passed unanimously. Department & Committee Reports: Fire Department and Ambulance presented a written report. Mayor Marcinko added verbal information:  Chief Vance and the Department have fielded a lot of telephone calls in the last two weeks. Some of the calls were responses to needs in the Borough, while others were calls for assistance. According to Ms. Marcinko, the Department's responses were excellent. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – February 16, 2021 1  She has made Chief Minium aware that persons are parking in the no-parking zone and on the ramp at the Fire House. Those cars will receive a warning and then be towed for a re-offense.  The Mayor instructed the Fire Department to move forward to a call even if automobiles are illegally parked in the yellow "NO PARKING" zones. Police Department submitted a written statistical report. Codes Department presented a written report, which was supplemented by remarks from Mr. Jones. He reported that the Committee met the week of February 7, 2021. The focus of the meeting was continuing work updating Borough Codes. Public Works Department presented Written Statistical Reports. Mr. Kline added that today was the first day of work for two new employees. One employee was assigned to the sewer plant, and the other to the highway crew. Parks and Recreation Committee – Ms. House reported that the Committee met and will bring the report to the next meeting. NEDC Committee – Ms. Hodge reported that the Committee has not met due to COVID- 19 restrictions. However, she said the work is moving forward as indicated by the Steel Works Project's progress. She has not received information from any committee that might impact NEDC Committee work. Stormwater Committee – Ms. Woods stated that the Committee has met. The results will be presented by Ms. Shambaugh later in the meeting. Mayor's Report – Mayor Marcinko reported the following:  She received correspondence from the Teamsters Union regarding the negotiation of a new contract for the Police Department. The current agreement ends December 31, 2021, and a new agreement will be effective January 1, 2022.  She has instructed Chief Minium to schedule the first bargaining session.  She is concerned about inaccurate Police, Public Works, and Codes Departments' information postedon non-Borough Facebook pages. She asked Mr. Wion what action, if any, can be taken against those who maliciously post erroneous information.  A resident called her regarding a parking problem related to snow removal. The resident had cleared a parking space claimed by a neighbor by placing an obstacle in the area. The resident was threatened with bodily harm if they removed the blockage and parked in the area. Borough employees were instructed to remove all parking space holders. They will continue to do so Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – February 16, 2021 2  throughout the snow season. Having parking space holders is a violation of a Borough Ordinance.  The Mayor stated parking is a problem in the Borough which will have to be addressed eventually. Borough Manager's Report – Ms. Shambaugh reported that:  The new Windstream telephone system installation will begin the week of February 21, 2021, and should be completed in March 2021. Mr. Segina has helped her work with the contractor to ensure all telephonic needs and requirements are met. She anticipates a smooth transition.  There was an incident with the sanitary sewer system on Walnut Road. The problem was resolved.  The Borough's engineering contractor, HRG, adopted a new payment matrix, resulting in cost savings to the Borough. Motion made by Ms. Hodge, seconded by Mr. Jones, to approve the Department and Committee reports as presented. The motion passed unanimously. Unfinished Business: Motion by Ms. Hodge and seconded by Mr. Jones to hire Andre Steele as a highway laborer at $15.00 per hour. There was a roll call vote: Mr. Jones – yay Ms. House - yay Mr. Krovic – nay Ms. Hodge - yay Ms. Woods – yay Mr. Segina - yay The motion passed with a 5-1 vote. Following the vote, Ms. Hodge made the following points: 1. Mr. Wion, when the Mayor is not here, the Council President becomes the Mayor, so the vote on Mr. Steele's employment should have been voided. 2. Every candidate for employment was hired except Mr. Steele. His not being hired at the last meeting caused undue hardship on his family. 3. If the Council is going to continue to move forward and take their personal issues out on the residents who elected us, respect us, and trust us to carry out their will, she does not want to be a part of the Council. 4. She reminded Council members of the various roles they played in life and affirmed that leader of one of those roles. 5. Despite what issues people have with other Council members, if the measure is not right, then do not vote for it. However, if there is a concern about backdoor deals, she is not running for re-election, so is not worried about backdoor deals. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – February 16, 2021 3  6. She thought she was doing what she was instructed to do as the Chair of the Personnel Committee, which is to hire people. Voting for everyone except Mr. Steele said something about the Council. 7. She hopes the residents take notice of what the Council is doing to them. Council should not hold the residents hostage for their own personal gain. New Business: Ms. Shambaugh introduced Mr. Gary Kline, the newly hired Director of Public Works. She stated that Mr. Kline has 20 years of municipal experience and 25 years of management experience from work in various positions. Mr. Kline thanked everyone, stating that he has been working for three days and everything was alright. He said he is trying to build a team. As a start, he is assessing personnel skills and equipment. A committee meeting is scheduled for the week of February 21, 2021. He thinks that the meeting help will set the tone for the Department's work in the future. Ms. Hodge and Ms. House welcomed him to the Borough. Ms. Shambaugh began the discussion regarding the GPS Aerial Mapping of the Borough discussed in the Stormwater Committee. She asked Mr. Hulshizer from HRG to explain the project to the Council. Mr. Hulshizer stated that the flight would be used to gather impervious area data, which can be used to help the Borough to determine stormwater utility associated fees. The fee will be used to cover the stormwater program and requirements. The flight needs to be completed before leaves grow. The Borough can choose one of two options: 1.) get the impervious data for all properties, or 2.) get data on non-residential areas and a representative sample of the residential area. With the first action, the Borough could offer a tiered level of stormwater fees. The tiered option is the current trend. The second action could be used if the Borough decided to charge residential properties a flat fee. Mr. Hulshizer presented proposals from three companies - T3 Global Strategies, PA GEOlogic Data Exploration (GEODE), and Cooper Aerial Survey Company. Mr. Wion asked if the project had been placed out for bid. Ms. Shambaugh reported that the bidding process was completed in December 2020. She requested Council consider approving the proposal from T3, which was the lowest bidder. Motion made by Ms. Woods, seconded by Mr. Jones to accept the proposal from T3 Global Strategies for full aerial mapping at the cost of $42,835.00. Motion passed unanimously. Ms. Shambaugh presented a letter from Mr. James Fearn. Mr. Fearn requested Council consider placing a stop sign at the intersection of North Fourth and Locust Streets. He cited traffic incidents and accidents that have occurred at that location. Following a discussion, Council instructed Chief Minium to determine if a traffic study was previously conducted at that site. If not to, complete one and report the conclusion to the Council. Ms. Shambaugh requested Council approve Pay Application #7, presented by E.K. Services. Moved by Ms. Woods and seconded by Mr. Jones, E.K. Services will be paid $66,057.22 for partial completion of Phase II of the Storm Sewer Rehabilitation Project. Motion passed unanimously. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – February 16, 2021 4 Communications: The Council received notice from the Dauphin County Office of Tax Assessment of an increased tax assessment at 111 Franklin Brown Boulevard. The increase was caused by new construction on the property. Council received a Thank You Note from Thomastine Leggett-Robinson for its expression of sympathy upon the death of her husband, Dennis Jackie Robinson. Public Comments: Two members of the public attended the meeting; however, they made no comments. No communication, in any format, with questions or comments, was received by Ms. Shambaugh. Council Concerns: Mr. Krovic, Ms. House, Ms. Woods, Chief Minium, Ms. Shambaugh, and Mr. Kline expressed no concerns. Mr. Jones asked Council to remember the family of Ronyay Lee, Sr., who passed earlier in the day. Mr. Wion stated an Executive Session was necessary to discuss real estate acquisition. Mr. Vance reported that the fire engine was damaged and sent for repair. The Department will have to borrow one to use until the repairs are completed. No time frame has been given for the completion of the repairs. He also asked for permission to have twenty (20) persons in the building for training. Mr. Jones asked for information regarding the Facebook discussion about the sale of a police vehicle. Ms. Hodge responded that it was false information as presented by the Mayor earlier in the meeting. She said there are employees and Council members who share inaccurate information with persons in the community. She noted that any action taken with Borough assets must be brought before the Council for approval. The transaction discussed was a favor, not the trade or sale of a vehicle. Mayor Marcinko also expressed concern about a Facebook discussion regarding the Borough's inability to pay employee pensions. The statement is untrue. She asked Ms. Hodge, who does the background checks for the Personnel Committee. Ms. Hodge responded that they used to be done by the Steelton Police. No background checks have been conducted recently because the Committee has no staff. Ms. Marcinko stated that the Steelton Police cannot conduct background checks on employees because of a law change. She asked for confirmation that recently hired employees have not had background checks. Ms. Hodge responded in the affirmative. Ms. Marcinko stated that she has a personnel concern to discuss privately with Ms. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – February 16, 2021 5 Hodge. In response to a question, Mr. Wion confirmed that personnel concerns should not be addressed in a public meeting. Ms. Marcinko welcomed the new Public Works Director. Ms. House stated this is the first time she has heard about the issues discussed on the Facebook postings Ms. Hodge expressed the following concerns: 1. She reiterated her feelings that it was bad judgment on the part of leadership to delay the hiring of Andre Steele. 2. She stated that people elected to Council should work together to achieve Council goals, regardless of any personal issues. Doing otherwise causes scandal, which does not serve anyone well. 3. Problems arise when people share information or their personal issues about a Councilperson with other Councilpersons, staff, or persons in the community. The sharing of information resulted in inaccurate information posted on Facebook. 4. She said that people have to rise above their personal issues and do the work necessary to maintain the trust and respect of the community. 5. She encouraged persons to file a Right-to-Know request to obtain the information they wanted to know about any decision made in the Borough. Mr. Segina stated that any citizen who has questions about things happening in the Borough operation should talk to the Borough Manager, a member of the Council, the Mayor, or attend a Council meeting. Another source of getting information is by filing a Right-to-Know request. He hoped that people would not believe everything they read or hear about what is happening in the Borough. He hopes persons will use the website's information to get telephone numbers of key persons and discuss their concerns. He addressed comments made about a former vote. He declared that until the Council votes on it, nothing is official. Ms. Marcinko addressed a question to Mr. Wion regarding her absence from the meeting February 1, 2021, and the need for her to break a tie. She asked for clarification on the assertion that the Council President could have voted as the Mayor in her absence. Ms. Hodge stated that she said the Council President did not have a vote under those circumstances. Mr. Wion clarified that the Council President has a vote like every member of the Council. There are some areas in which the Council President can act as the Mayor, but those instances have nothing to do with voting. Regarding tie-breaking, he said if there is a tie vote and the Mayor is not present to break the tie, the vote is deferred for some time until the Mayor is advised. The Mayor has the right to call a special Council meeting to have the vote. He said the President could set a special Council meeting for the Mayor to take action on the vote, and the vote is deferred until the special session is held. Ms. Hodge stated that Mr. Wion did not present that option at the meeting. Ms. House noted that she was not available during the voting because she was on a telephone call with a constituent. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – February 16, 2021 6 Moved by Ms. Hodge and seconded by Mr. Krovic, the Council move into Executive Session at 7:31p.m. The motion passed unanimously. Executive Session: Other Business: Adjournment: Respectfully submitted, Anne Shambaugh, Secretary Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – February 16, 2021 7