Borough Council

MINUTES Stroudsburg Borough Council Meeting Tuesday, January 2, 2019 at 7 p.m. 1. Call Meeting to Order/Roll Call – Present were: Council Member Joanne Kochanski, Council Member Anthony Lanfrank, Council Vice President Boyd Weiss, Mayor Tarah Probst, Solicitor Joseph McDonald, Council President James Smith, Borough Manager Maier, Council Member Matt Abell, Council Member Mark Connors and Council Member McCabe. A Quorum was present. 2. Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 3. Public Hearing, An Ordinance of the Borough of Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Amending Chapter 15, Motor Vehicles and Traffic, of the Stroudsburg Code of Ordinances. Motion by Mr. Lanfrank to close Public Hearing, An Ordinance of the Borough of Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Amending Chapter 15, Motor Vehicles and Traffic, of the Stroudsburg Code of Ordinances, second by Mr. Weiss. Solicitor McDonald advises the Public Hearing was properly advertised. All in favor, Motion Carries. 4. Consideration to Adopt An Ordinance of the Borough of Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Amending Chapter 15, Motor Vehicles and Traffic, of the Stroudsburg Code of Ordinances. Motion by Ms. Kochanski to Adopt An Ordinance of the Borough of Stroudsburg, Monroe County, Pennsylvania, Amending Chapter 15, Motor Vehicles and Traffic, of the Stroudsburg Code of Ordinances, second by Mr. Lanfrank. All in favor, Motion Carries. 5. Public Hearing, An Ordinance Requiring Defining and Registering Vacant and Abandoned Properties and Storefronts, Establishing Registration Fee Schedule, and Penalties for Non-Compliance. Mr. Jack Muehlhan was in attendance and is requesting a 30-day delay since this was just advertised last week and was not available to the public until this morning, copies were not available at the Planning Commission as advertised. Solicitor McDonald advises the Ordinance was properly advertised December 26, 2018 and copies were available at the Pocono Record and the Monroe County Law Library. Solicitor McDonald advises no copies were provided to the Planning Commission since they do not review Health, Safety and Welfare Ordinances. Ms. Maier advises the purpose is for Health, Safety and Welfare. If an owner of a vacant structure is working with realtors and making an effort to rent the property, they need to register their property and can be given a waiver for the fee. However, if no effort is being made then the registration fee will be required. Ms. Maier also advises buildings in bankruptcy would qualify for a waiver. Mr. Jack Muehlhan also advises page 5, paragraph B lists “interested lessors” and should be listed as “lessees”. Commissioner John Christy asked if the County’s property at Quaker and 6th would be considered vacant as it’s being used for storage. Ms. Maier advises we need a letter from the County stating the use to waive the registration fee. Ms. Connie McCool from LaBar Village has been waiting 13 years for this Ordinance. Motion by Mr. Lanfrank to close Public Hearing, An Ordinance Requiring Defining and Registering Vacant and Abandoned Properties and Storefronts, Establishing Registration Fee Schedule, and Penalties for Non-Compliance, second by Mr. Weiss. Solicitor McDonald advises section 8 of the Ordinance (page 6) lists a penalty of not more than $2,000 in the packet, it was advertised correctly at $600. All in favor, Motion Carries. 6. Consideration to Adopt An Ordinance Requiring Defining and Registering Vacant and Abandoned Properties and Storefronts, Establishing Registration Fee Schedule, and Penalties for Non-Compliance.  Motion by Mr. Weiss to Adopt An Ordinance Requiring Defining and Registering Vacant and Abandoned Properties and Storefronts, Establishing Registration Fee Schedule, and Penalties for Non-Compliance and will include the changes of lessor to lessee and $2,000 to $600, Solicitor McDonald advises this wording does not need to be re-advertised. second by Mr. Lanfrank. All in favor, Motion Carries. 7. Position Appointments. a. Nomination and Election of Council President Pro Tem. Motion by Mr. Lanfrank to Nominate and Elect Joanne Kochanski as Council President Pro Tem, second by Mr. Connors. All in favor, Motion Carries. b. Borough Solicitor: Joseph P. McDonald, Jr., Esq. Motion by Ms. Kochanski to appoint Borough Solicitor: Joseph P. McDonald, Jr., Esq, second by Mr. Weiss. All in favor, Motion Carries. c. Borough Engineer: Nate Oiler, P.E., RKR Hess, a division of UTRS. Motion by Ms. Kochanski to appoint Borough Engineer: Nate Oiler, P.E., RKR Hess, a division of UTRS, second by Mr. Lanfrank. All in favor, Motion Carries. d. Financial Advisory Consultant: Christopher M. Gibbons, Concord Public Finance. Motion by Mr. Weiss to appoint Financial Advisory Consultant: Christopher M. Gibbons, Concord Public Finance, second by Ms. Kochanski. All in favor, Motion Carries. e. Zoning Hearing/Codes Hearing Board Solicitor: Todd Weitzmann, Esq. Motion by Ms. Kochanski to appoint Zoning Hearing/Codes Hearing Board Solicitor: Todd Weitzmann, Esq, second by Mr. Weiss. The Zoning Hearing Board appoints an attorney with the Borough paying the bills. Motion Withdrawn. Motion by Ms. Kochanski to appoint Codes Hearing Board Solicitor: Todd Weitzmann, Esq, second by Mr. Lanfrank. Lengthy discussion ensued. Codes Hearing Board does not currently exist. Motion Withdrawn. Mr. Smith advises a letter will be forwarded to the Zoning Hearing Board to appoint a Solicitor. f. Planning Commission Solicitor: Christopher Brown, Esq. Motion by Mr. Weiss to appoint Planning Commission Solicitor: Christopher Brown, Esq, second by Ms. Kochanski. All in favor, Motion Carries. g. Executive Assistant to the Borough Manager and Right-to-Know Officer: Mary Pat Quinn. Motion by Mr. Abell to appoint Executive Assistant to the Borough Manager and Right-to-Know Officer: Mary Pat Quinn, second by Ms. Kochanski. All in favor, Motion Carries. h. Health Officer: Thomas Detweiler Motion by Ms. Kochanski to appoint Health Officer: Thomas Detweiler, second by Mr. Lanfrank. All in favor, Motion Carries. i. Alternate Borough Engineer: Fred Courtright, P.E., Gilmore and Associates, Inc. Motion by Ms. Kochanski to appoint Alternate Borough Engineer: Fred Courtright, P.E., Gilmore and Associates, Inc, second by Mr. Lanfrank. All in favor, Motion Carries. j. Vacancy Board Chair: Kathleen Lockwood.  Motion by Mr. Weiss to appoint Vacancy Board Chair: Kathleen Lockwood, second by Mr. Connors. All in favor, Motion Carries. Note: Names in parentheses are members/alternates with terms that ended 12/31/2018. 8. Annual Board Appointments. a. Council of Governments representative: (Joanne Kochanski), Alternate: (Jennifer Maier). Motion by Mr. Abell to appoint Council of Governments representative: (Joanne Kochanski), Alternate: (Jennifer Maier), second by Mr. Connors. All in favor, Motion Carries. b. MECAB (Middle Eastern Council Assoc. of Boroughs) representative: (Boyd Weiss), Alternate: (Joanne Kochanski). Motion by Mr. Abell to appoint MECAB (Middle Eastern Council Assoc. of Boroughs) representative: (Boyd Weiss), Alternate: (Joanne Kochanski), second by Mr. Lanfrank. All in favor, Motion Carries. c. Tax Collection Committee: (Jennifer Maier), Alternates: (Joanne Kochanski) and (Mary Pat Quinn). Motion by Mr. Lanfrank to appoint Tax Collection Committee: (Jennifer Maier), Alternates: (Joanne Kochanski) and (Mary Pat Quinn), second by Ms. Kochanski. All in favor, Motion Carries 9. Board and Commission Appointments. a. H.A.R.B. (Historical Architectural Review Board) 4-year terms: (Ken Sandri, Earl “Ted” Hoyt, Daniel Lichty). 1-year term: (Ronald Kimes). Note: One (1) vacancy, must be a licensed architect per Ordinance. Motion by Mr. Abell to appoint H.A.R.B. (Historical Architectural Review Board) 4-year terms: (Ken Sandri, Earl “Ted” Hoyt, Daniel Lichty). 1-year term: (Ronald Kimes, second by Ms. Kochanski. All in favor, Motion Carries. b. Planning Commission 4-year terms: (David Parfitt, Greg Christine). Note: One (1) vacancies. Motion by Ms. Kochanski to appoint Planning Commission 4-year terms: (David Parfitt, Greg Christine), second by Mr. Abell. All in favor, Motion Carries. c. Zoning Hearing Board 5-year term: (Kimberly Yarnall). Mr. Smith advises we received a letter of interest from Kris Battle. Motion by Ms. McCabe to appoint Ms. Kris Battle to the Zoning Hearing Board 5-year term, second by Mr. Connors. Lengthy discussion ensued. All in favor voting YES (Mr. Weiss, Mr. Smith, Mr. Connors, Ms. McCabe), voting NO (Ms. Kochanski, Mr. Lanfrank, Mr. Abell). Motion Carries. d. Shade Tree Commission 5-year term: (Bill Weitzmann). Motion by Mr. Abell to appoint Shade Tree Commission 5-year term: (Bill Weitzmann), second by Mr. Connors. All in favor, Motion Carries. e. Stroud Area Regional Police Commission 3-year term: (Tarah Probst). Motion by Mr. Abell to appoint Stroud Area Regional Police Commission 3-year term: (Tarah Probst), second by Ms. McCabe. All in favor, Motion Carries. f. Monroe County Control Center 1-year term: (Joanne Kochanski, Mary Pat Quinn). Motion by Mr. Abell to appoint Monroe County Control Center 1-year term: (Joanne Kochanski, Mary Pat Quinn), second by Ms. McCabe. All in favor, Motion Carries. g. Stroud Region Open Space and Recreation Commission 2-year term: Alternate: (Wanda Lasher).  Motion by Ms. Kochanski to Stroud Region Open Space and Recreation Commission 2-year term: Alternate: (Wanda Lasher), second by Mr. Abell. All in favor, Motion Carries. 10. Review bank proposals from Wayne Bank, ESSA Bank and Trust and Keystone Bank. Ms. Maier advises 10 proposals were sent and 3 responses were received from ESSA, Wayne Bank and First Keystone Bank. 11. Consideration of a Resolution to authorize Wayne Bank as the primary depository for the Borough. Motion by Ms. Kochanski to approve a Resolution to authorize Wayne Bank as the primary depository for the Borough per Exhibit A, second by Mr. Abell. All in favor, Motion Carries. 12. Consider Approval of Depositories. a. Wayne Bank. b. ESSA Bank and Trust. c. PA Treasury Invest Program. d. PNC Bank. e. PLGIT (Pennsylvania Local Government Investment Trust). Motion by Ms. Kochanski to Approve of Depositories, second by Mr. Lanfrank. All in favor, Motion Carries. 13. Committee Assignments as designated by the Council President. Mr. Smith advises all Committee Assignments will remain the same. a. Finance Committee b. Street Committee c. Sewer Committee d. Codes Committee e. Recycling Committee f. Parking Committee g. Public Relations/ Media Committee h. Redevelopment Committee i. Personnel Committee j. I-80 Expansion Task Force 14. Consider Approval of the 2019 Wage and Salary Plan. Motion by Ms. Kochanski to Approve the 2019 Wage and Salary Plan, second by Mr. Lanfrank. All in favor, Motion Carries. 15. Consider Approval of the Borough Mileage Reimbursement Rate, to be set the same as the Government/Internal Revenue Service Rate of 58 cents per mile driven for business use, up 3.5 cents from the rate for 2018. Motion by Ms. Kochanski to approve the Borough Mileage Reimbursement Rate, to be set the same as the Government/Internal Revenue Service Rate of 58 cents per mile driven for business use, up 3.5 cents from the rate for 2018, second by Mr. Lanfrank. All in favor, Motion Carries. 16. Consider Authorizing early payment of invoices for discounts and/or to avoid late charges. Motion by Ms. Kochanski to Authorize early payment of invoices for discounts and/or to avoid late charges, second by Mr. Weiss. Ms. Maier advises this is for mostly utility invoices. All in favor, Motion Carries. 17. Public Input on Agenda Items. 18. Approval of Council Meeting Minutes: December 18, 2018. Motion by Mr. Weiss to approve Council Meeting Minutes: December 18, 2018, second by Mr. Abell. All in favor Voting YES (Joanne Kochanski, Anthony Lanfrank, Boyd Weiss, James Smith, Matt Abell, Mark  Connors) with Ms. McCabe Abstaining. Motion Carries. Old Business 19. Status of Municipal Building Renovation Project. Ms. Maier advises instead of paying the $17K for the reception cabinetry, the contractor will build for less money. The tile and window have been installed. Once the cabinets are delivered, the contractor will come in to complete the counter top and bookcase. Ms. Maier will get a balance of money to Council and advises HVAC improvements are needed in the building. Barry Isett will prepare the Fire Alarm drawings, we received a proposal for $2,500, then the plans can be reviewed. Mr. Abell mentioned the tree taken down by St. Luke’s was supposed to have the wood used for Council’s counter-top. Mr. Ace advises there is not enough wood for the entire counter top. 20. Status of bike racks. Ms. Maier advises we are waiting for a proposal from Andrew Molinaro. New Business 21. Consideration of a proposal in the amount of $8,500.00 (Stroudsburg Borough’s cost) from RKR Hess, A Division of UTRS for the preparation and submission of the 2019 Monitoring Reports for the Joint Municipal Landfill Project to the P.A. Department of Environmental Protection. Motion by Ms. Kochanski to approve a proposal in the amount of $8,500.00 (Stroudsburg Borough’s cost) from RKR Hess, A Division of UTRS for the preparation and submission of the 2019 Monitoring Reports for the Joint Municipal Landfill Project to the P.A. Department of Environmental Protection, second by Mr. Weiss. All in favor, Motion Carries. 22. Consideration of a proposal from Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. in the amount of $17,000.00 for the “Lower Main Street Traffic Study”. Motion by Ms. Kochanski to approve a proposal from Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. in the amount of $17,000.00 for the “Lower Main Street Traffic Study”, second by Mr. Weiss. Lengthy discussion ensued. All in favor, Motion Carries. 23. Consideration to approve Payment Request #3 (Final) to Northeast Site Contractors for the Sarah Street Improvement Project in the amount of $13,209.23. Motion by Mr. Weiss to approve Payment Request #3 (Final) to Northeast Site Contractors for the Sarah Street Improvement Project in the amount of $13,209.23, second by Ms. Kochanski. All in favor, Motion Carries. 24. Solicitor’s Report – Solicitor McDonald wants to remind Council of the status conference Monday morning for the Whitmire Appeal. The DEP meeting was very productive and I will forward a memo by next week. Solicitor McDonald will be travelling the week of January 16th and has notified Attorney Chris Brown. Motion by Mr. Lanfrank to appoint Attorney Chris Brown as alternate Solicitor, second by Mr. Weiss. All in favor, Motion Carries. 25. Mayor’s Report – Mayor Probst asked about Christmas Tree pickup. Mr. Ace advises Monday, Wednesday and Friday in January. Mayor Probst has received a complaint about pot holes on Bank Alley and advised we are waiting for grant funding. Mayor Probst asked about the stencil brick on MainStreet/North 6th. Penn Dot will not re-do the stencil brick. Will refer back to the Streets Committee. LED lights are in the budget. Ms. Maier advises we can now begin. There is a pole on Park Avenue in front of Norm’s house. Mr. Ace is waiting for the lead wire to be run. 26. Council Member Reports Ms. Kochanski – No Report  Mr. Lanfrank – No Report Mr. Weiss – No Report Mr. Smith – Mr. Smith advises at the last meeting he spoke about the Sunshine Act and Committee Meetings being advertised for public input. Committees are for fact findings and information should be brought back to Council to discuss. Solicitor McDonald and Ms. Maier met about the definition of an “agency” and “agency business”. Committees would be considered an “agency”. Lengthy discussion ensued. Mr. Smith would like to advertise Committee dates, please forward the dates to Ms. Quinn. Mr. Abell – No Report Mr. Connors – No Report Ms. McCabe – No Report 27. Manager’s Report – Ms. Maier advises there is no report. 28. Approval of Bills on Warrants 190102. Motion by Mr. Weiss to approve Bills on Warrants 190102, second by Ms. Kochanski. All in favor, Motion Carries. 29. Public Input on Non-Agenda Items. Ms. Connie McCool from LaBar Village stated that the corner of Dreher and Katz is very dark. Mr. Ace will come up with something. Mr. Lanfrank advises he emailed Kimberly Yarnall and she received a letter for the Planning Commission and not the Zoning Hearing Board, she called the office and spoke to Jennifer about the Zoning position and her continued interest. 30. Executive Session – No Executive Session 31. Adjournment Motion by Ms. Kochanski to adjourn at 8:42pm, second by Mr. Abell. All in favor, Motion Carries.