City Council

STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Thursday, December 19, 2024 Present: Vanessa Bowers, President Randy Watts, Engineer, HRG Natashia Woods, Vice President Ryan Gonder, Solicitor Denae House, Councilmember William Shaub, Police Chief Willie Slade, Councilmember Aaron Curry, Codes Director Julianna Paioletti, Councilmember Jeff Baltimore, Public Works Director Michael Segina, Councilmember Ciera Dent, Mayor Councilmember(s) Absent: Mr. Brian Proctor Call Meeting to Order: President Bowers called the meeting to order at 6:30 PM. Pledge of Allegiance: The Pledge of Allegiance was led by President Bowers. Moment of Silence: A Moment of Silence was led by Mayor Dent in honor of the holiday season. Special Presentations: None Council Meeting Roll Call: Mr. Gonder noted that Borough Manager Kathy McCool was absent due to unexpected circumstances and as such, asked him to present the items on the agenda in her absence. Then, the roll was called by Mr. Gonder. The individuals listed above were present. Notice of Executive Session: An executive session was held before tonight’s meeting at 5:30 p.m. to discuss personnel, legal, and/or real estate matters. Public Comments on Agenda Items Only: None Approval of the Minutes: Consideration and approval for the 11/18/2024 Council meeting minutes. The motion to approve the 11/18/2024 minutes was made by Vice President Woods and seconded by Ms. Paioletti. The motion passed unanimously. Department & Committee Reports: • Fire Department and Ambulance (Written Report) - None • Police Department (Written Report) – Nothing to add • Codes Department (Written Report) – Nothing to add • Public Works (Written Report) - None • Public Safety Committee - None • Codes Committee – Nothing to add Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – December 19, 2024 Page 1 of 8  STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Thursday, December 19, 2024 • Public Works Committee - None • NEDC Committee – Nothing to add • Events Committee (Upcoming Events) – None • Intergovernmental Committee - None • Borough Manager’s Report - None • Mayor's Report - None The motion to approve the reports was made by Mr. Segina and seconded by Mr. Slade. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Segina motioned to table the following agenda items due to the next Council meeting being held next Thursday at 1:00 PM: • Consideration and Approval of appropriately advertised Ordinance 2024 – ____ Making Appropriations for the Year 2025. • Consideration and Approval of the 2025 Steelton Borough Operating Budget-Including General Fund, Capital Reserve Fund, Liquid Fuels Fund, Grants Fund and Sewer Fund. • Resolution 2024-R-___Fixing Tax Rates for Fiscal Year 2025 • Resolution 2024-R-_____ Fixing Tax Discounts and Penalties on Tax Rates for Fiscal Year 2025 • Resolution 2024-R-______ Establishing Annual Salaries, Hourly Rates, and Employee Benefits for Non-Uniform, Non-Union Employees for 2025 Mr. Slade seconded the motion and the items were tabled. New Business: Mr. Gonder presented Resolution 2024-R-36- Establishing Police Pension Mandatory Member Contributions for 2025. The motion to approve was made by Mr. Segina and seconded by Ms. Paioletti. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Gonder presented Resolution 2024-R-37 - Appointing Independent Auditor for Fiscal Year 2024. The motion to approve was made by Vice President Woods and seconded by Ms. House. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Gonder presented for Approval of 2024 Audit Contract with Zelenkofske Axelrod LLC. Segina stated that the contract amount was $49,650, the DCED compilation of $3,875, and a single audit if necessary (grants, etc.) for $8,000. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – December 19, 2024 Page 2 of 8  STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Thursday, December 19, 2024 The motion to approve was made by Mr. Segina and seconded by Vice President Woods. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Gonder presented for Consideration and approval of PENNVEST request #10 for $36,111.50 for the Hoffer Street Pump Station Project. The motion to approve was made by Mr. Segina and seconded by Mr. Slade. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Gonder presented for Consideration and approval to advertise the 2025 Steelton Borough Council meeting dates with the understanding that Committee meeting dates will be advertised at a later date. Vice President Woods corrected the meeting scheduled for Tuesday, January 21 due to the holiday. Segina stated this also will advertise the zoning hearing board and planning commission hearings as well. The motion to approve was made by Vice President Woods and seconded by Ms. Paioletti. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Gonder presented for Consideration and approval of AN AMENDED RESOLUTION AMENDING RESOLUTION 2024-R-34, WHICH AMENDED RECYCLING AND TRASH COLLECTION RATES, PURSUANT TO THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL COOPERATION AGREEMENT ENTERED INTO BETWEEN THE CITY OF HARRISBURG, AND THE BOROUGH OF STEELTON ON DECEMBER 12, 2019, AUTHORIZED BY ORDINANCE NUMBER 2019-11, AND SUBSEQUENTLY RATIFIED BY RESOLUTION NUMBER R- 2024-26. Mr. Segina mentioned that starting in January 2025 until 2026, the cost of trash service will be $105 per quarter with an $8 admin fee. 2026-2027 will be $112.50 with an $8 admin fee. 2027- 2028 will be $117.50 with an $8 admin fee. 2028-2029 will be $125 with an $8 admin fee. 2029- 2030 will be $130 with an $8 admin fee. The motion to approve was made by Vice President Woods and seconded by Mr. Segina. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Gonder presented for Consideration and approval of extension of contract with ARRO Water Services, effective January 1, 2025 for $5,795/month. Segina stated this was originally supplemental due to the retirement of an employee who was certified to operate the pump stations. He mentioned that the Borough now has a certified employee and is questioning the justification of this contract and spending moving forward in 2025. The motion to approve was made by Mr. Segina and seconded by Mr. Slade. The motion passed unanimously. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – December 19, 2024 Page 3 of 8  STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Thursday, December 19, 2024 Mr. Gonder presented for Consideration and approval of 2025 Municipal Domestic Animal Protective Services Agreement with the Humane Society of Harrisburg, Inc. for prices as listed in the agreement. Chief Shaub stated that he does like the agreement and they did not abide by the previous terms, failing to notify the police within 30 days of a reclaimed animal so the police could cite. Chief Shaub stated that stipulation is not included in the contract and the prices have increased, causing a budget increase, but there are no other options locally. President Bowers asked if the Humane Society justified their price increases and Chief Shaub stated they have dealt with accounting issues and managerial turnover, which led to the Borough refusing to pay due to breach of contract. Vice President Woods asked if the services increased and Shaub explained that they only accept found animals and do not provide anything else, as they have not provided follow-ups of picked- up animals for over 18 months. Chief Shaub reccomnded looking into another provider, potentially Sparenza. Mayor Dent asked how many animals they average and Shaub stated approximately 23 this year, as his budget went over about $2,000. Mayor Dent asked if this could be tabled so renegotiations could be made, as this same contract was sent to all local police departments. Chief Shaub stated that they changed their fee policy so that each dog was $250 plus an annual fee of $1,200, instead of deducting costs from the annual fee and billing once that balance was $0. The recommendation was to table this until the next meeting and get in contact with the organizations in the meantime. The motion to table this item was made by Mr. Slade and seconded by Ms. Paioletti. The motion was tabled. Mr. Gonder presented for Consideration and approval to authorize Borough Manager to develop Request for Proposals (RFPs) for Borough Solicitor. The motion to approve was made by Vice President Woods and seconded by Ms. Paioletti. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Gonder presented for Consideration and approval to authorize Borough Manager to develop an RFP for Accounting Services to conduct an investigation of the Borough’s finances. Mr. Segina asked if there has been a scope of services, as there is approval to create but no outline of what to create. Mr. Segina mentioned that the finance committee has been requesting this information, but does not know which departments, accounts, and grants need to be reviewed and audited. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – December 19, 2024 Page 4 of 8  STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Thursday, December 19, 2024 Mayor Dent asked who they had been asking. Mr. Segina stated that former Borough manager Jack Gombach received the request via email. Mayor Dent stated that the email was forwarded and Mr. Segina replied that nothing in there required a forensic audit. Mr. Segina stated that auditors met with them and went through three years of budgets, with no findings of misappropriation or missing funds. Mayor Dent asked if the purpose of those findings was for account balancing confirmation or to get a more comprehensive look at how and why funds were spent. Mayor Dent stated that specific items need to be looked at, including legal services, consulting, etc. Mr. Segina stated he provided information and motions of each legal services expenditure approval, including the $39,000 to secure land for the Brickyard Park that was not budgeted, approximately $20-25K related to nuisance business ordinance legal services, and other Council-approved projects. Mr. Segina stated that the Borough underspent their budgeted amount for HRG by over $100K due to grants and pre-defined projects. Mr. Segina stated that the legal services are significantly over budget by approximately $80-100K which includes $40K tied to property acquisition and nuisance business court fees. Vice President Woods asked if there could be approval for the Borough Manager to create an RFP with a list of scope ideas that are sent to finance for approval. Mr. Segina stated that he is frustrated with the insinuations of misappropriated funds when all of the mentioned items in the public statement were approved by the Council. Mr. Segina also stated that no one is submitting financial fraud complaint forms to the attorney general’s office. Mr. Segina stated that there have been no criminal findings, contrary to the allegations contained in the news reports. Mr. Segina stated that there is concern regarding the statement made to the public by the Mayor and members of Council and the specific wording of the alleged actions. Vice President Woods asked if the items included can be ready by the next finance meeting on January 16. Mr. Slade stated that there needs to be careful consideration of spending taxpayer dollars, so there needs to be a scope of how much, what, and why this audit is being performed, as there should be no money wasted in figuring out if money was wasted. Mr. Segina stated that they want to avoid paying an accountant hundred of dollars per hour to scan over every purchase order of everyday items. Ms. House mentioned that the state auditor and other money-saving measures have to be considered. Mr. Segina stated that the state auditor general only investigates state funds and/or criminal complaints. Mayor Dent stated that the individual she spoke to, Mr. DeFoor, stated that an internal audit review should be conducted to determine which items would go to a forensic audit. Mr. Segina stated that forensic audits are used exclusively for criminal activity. Mayor Dent stated that spending needs to be looked into, with the given example of Jack Gombach’s interim borough manager contracts that exceeded $200K, which is more than what a Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – December 19, 2024 Page 5 of 8  STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Thursday, December 19, 2024 full-time Borough manager makes. Mr. Segina stated that Gombach’s contract was for 30 hours a week at a Council-approved hourly rate. The motion to approve was made by Vice President Woods and seconded by Ms. House. Vice President Woods amended the motion to table the request until the January 21 meeting so the finance committee can review it. Ms. House seconded the amended motion. The motion was tabled unanimously. Mr. Gonder presented for Consideration and approval to terminate the contract with Community Networking Resources, Inc. effective March 28, 2025. The motion to approve was made by Mr. Segina and seconded by Vice President Woods. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Gonder presented for Consideration and approval of the Teamsters Local 776 Collective Bargaining Agreement for the Police, effective January 1, 2025 through December 31, 2027. The motion to approve was made by Mr. Segina and seconded by Vice President Woods. The motion passed unanimously. Mr. Gonder presented for Consideration and approval of personnel action as discussed in executive session. The motion to terminate the employment of probationary employee Tia Kitner effective immeadiately was made by Mr. Segina and seconded by Vice President Woods. The motion was passed unanimously. Mr. Gonder presented for consideration and approval of proposal from EDM to provide accounting services. Mr. Segina stated that the agreement is for 20 hours of service at $125/hour, renewal upon when they are utilized. The motion to approve was made by Mr. Segina and seconded by Mr. Slade. The motion passed unanimously. Other Business: None Correspondence: • Notice of a change in Assessment for Parcel 57-016-011-000-0000 • Notice of a change in Assessment for Parcel 57-016-010-000-0000 Information: None Public Comments: Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – December 19, 2024 Page 6 of 8  STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Thursday, December 19, 2024 • Maria Marcinko, 2704 S 2nd St, Steelton, PA 17113 - Speaking on the contract with the Humane Society. She stated that when she started on Council in 2009, the bill to them was $49,805 due to an error where they billed all Steelton address intakes to the Borough, even though approximately 85 animals were from Swatara Township. She said they went to the Council of Governments and worked with other local municipalities to lower the cost. Steelton Community Cats came out of this and works with other jurisdictions. Also spoke on the East End Terminal project. She mentioned the environmental, wildlife, and residential concerns, deed restrictions, etc. She stated they met with the developer’s (Equity Partners Limited) spokesperson, Chuck Courtney, who is a member of McNees, Wallace & Nurick. She asked that everyone put two and two together for how this project came about. Mr. Segina then stated that McNees is no longer handling the developers of the East End terminals project. • Ben Thumma, 2154 S 3rd Ave, Steelton, PA 17113 – Spoke regarding the terminal project and asked about the new vote date. Mr. Segina stated it would most likely be the 21st as they just received updated plans today. Mr. Thumma also asked about any updates from the EPA and there were none. Mr. Thumma also mentioned the previous concerns about the projects. Mr. Thumma then asked about the fence at East End Park and Mr. Baltimore provided him with an update. • Carol Hawkins, 102 Felton Street, Steelton, PA 17113 – Ms. Hawkins stated that she attended the vision workshop and stated that the terminal project does not mesh. She also mentioned traffic concerns and trucks coming through town Council Comments: • Ms. House apologized for attending virtually and thanked the attendees. She wanted the record to reflect that she voted no for Tia’s termination. Wished everyone a Merry Christmas. • Mr. Slade thanked the attendees for voicing concerns and wished everyone a happy and safe holiday. • Mr. Segina apologized for his frustration and wished everyone happy holidays • Vice President Woods thanked the attendees and wished happy holidays • Ms. Paioletti stated that her Christmas present was getting Mike Musser out of the Borough. Wished happy holidays. • Chief Shaub wished happy holidays and will reach out to Speranza • Mayor Dent thanked the attendees. She stated she believes they are working to improve the community. She mentioned that next year is an election year and wants residents to take note of who is serving the community. She apologized to Segina for butting heads Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – December 19, 2024 Page 7 of 8  STEELTON BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Thursday, December 19, 2024 and knows that they are working together to better the Borough. She stated that she appreciates the employees and first responders. • President Bowers said that it has been a busy year. She thanked the Council for their leadership, the attendees for voicing concerns, Ms. Pat for always attending, and employees. Wished happy holidays. With no other business to discuss, a motion was made by Mr. Slade and seconded by Vice President Woods to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously and the meeting adjourned at 7:27 PM. Steelton Borough Council Meeting Minutes – December 19, 2024 Page 8 of 8