Borough Council

STROUDSBURG BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES – MARCH 17, 2020 A regular meeting of the Stroudsburg Borough Council convened at 7:00 P.M. on March 17, 2020 with the following members present: Matt Abell, Vice-President of Council; Councilman James Smith; Councilman Boyd Weiss; and Councilman Jim Evanisko. Council members Anthony Lanfrank, Erica McCabe, and Victoria DeVries advised of their absences prior to the meeting as did Borough Manager Brian Ace. Mayor Tarah Probst, Solicitor Joseph McDonald, and Executive Assistant Mary Pat Quinn were also present. The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Consideration to Declare a State of Emergency in the Borough of Stroudsburg A motion was made by Mr. Weiss, seconded by Mr. Smith to adopt “A Proclamation by the Stroudsburg Borough Council Declaring a Local Disaster Emergency in Stroudsburg Borough, County of Monroe, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania”. The motion was carried. (4-yes; 0-no, 0- abstain). A PROCLAMATION BY THE STROUDSBURG BOROUGH COUNCIL DECLARING A LOCAL DISASTER EMERGENCY IN STROUDSBURG BOROUGH COUNTY OF MONROE, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA WHEREAS, Title 35 Pa.C.S.. §§ 7501-7504 (General Provisions – Emergency Management Services) provides for the general authority of political subdivisions to establish a local emergency management organization and to provide for emergency management, response and recovery within territorial limits of the municipality; and WHEREAS, the Borough Council of the Borough of Stroudsburg (Borough Council) in the County of Monroe, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, adopted the Stroudsburg Borough Emergency Operation Plan on February 5, 2019; and WHEREAS, the Borough Council appointed Mr. Mehmet Barzev as the Emergency Management Coordinator of the Borough of Stroudsburg on October 17, 2017; and WHEREAS, the Honorable Tom Wolf, Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, declared a Disaster Emergency in Pennsylvania on March 13, 2020 due to threats to public health caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and implemented numerous statewide COVID-19 mitigation efforts emphasizing the need for every Pennsylvanian to take actions that may contribute to stopping the COVID-19 spread and flattening the viral pandemic surge or “curve”; and NOW THEREFORE, the Borough Council has determined that it is in the best interest of protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public, and hereby declares that: 1. Borough Council under the authority of §7501 (b) of Title 35 Pa.C.S. HEALTH AND SAFETY, Part V EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT SERVICES declares a Local Disaster Emergency in the Borough of Stroudsburg, effective immediately for the period March 17, 2020 through April 30, 2020; 2. Stroudsburg Borough Council hereby adopts the “Coronavirus (COVID-19) Split Shift/Work Hours Policy”, attached hereto as Exhibit A, and the “Coronavirus (COVID-19) Sick Leave Policy”, attached hereto as Exhibit B, which will be implemented during the Local Disaster Emergency period March 17, 2020 through April 30, 2020. 3. Borough Council is hereby authorized to exercise the powers vested under Title 35 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 7501 (a) through (e) including, without limitation the power to enter into contracts and incur obligations necessary to disaster emergency management, response and recovery; …as well as the powers vested under this section in the light of the exigencies of the emergency situation without regard to time-consuming procedures and formalities prescribed by law (excepting mandatory constitutional requirements) pertaining to the performance of public work, entering into contracts, the incurring of obligations, the employment of temporary workers, the rental of equipment, the purchase of supplies and materials, the levying of taxes and the appropriation and expenditure of public funds. Consideration to adopt Temporary Policies and Procedures to be followed by the Election Officials and Staff of the Borough of Stroudsburg A motion was made by Mr. Weiss, seconded by Mr. Evanisko to adopt “Coronavirus (COVID- 19) Split Shift/Work Hours Policy” which was marked as Exhibit A of the Proclamation by the Stroudsburg Borough Council Declaring a Local Disaster Emergency in Stroudsburg Borough, County of Monroe, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The motion was carried. (3-yes; 0-no; 0- abstain- Mr. Weiss). EXHIBIT “A”: CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) SPLIT SHIFT/WORK HOURS POLICY The Borough of Stroudsburg in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic is instituting the following policy regarding shift and work hours. The policy will help to ensure that the public will continue to receive municipal services without disruption. 1. The Street Department (8 employees) will be split in to two (2) teams with each team working different days so as to not expose all of the staff in the department to the virus should an individual contract the virus. The revision in the work hour policy is in connection with the Emergency Declaration and shall not be construed as a past practice.The Department call-out list will be on a seniority order basis for the employees who are scheduled to work the day of the call-out. The call-out work day will be from 12:00 A.M. of the first day scheduled to work until 12:00 AM. the morning after the last day scheduled to work (per the current Collective Bargaining Unit Agreement). In the event of a snow, ice or other weather emergency the normal operation of the Department will supersede the split shift policy above. 2. The Administrative, Parking Enforcement and Codes/Zoning Departments shall be on a 3-day on 2-day off shift schedule. (See attached spreadsheet). 3. The Twin Boroughs Recycling Center will continue the bi-weekly curbside recyclable pickup. The Recycling Yard at Lincoln Avenue, East Stroudsburg will be closed for drop off until further notice. 4. An employee shall work on the assigned work day only and shall not be on Borough property on days that he/she is not scheduled to work unless written authorization is granted by the Borough Manager. 5. All employees shall receive a regular paycheck based on their regularly scheduled work week. 6. The following employees are considered “essential employees” and will attend to their offices Monday to Friday from 8:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M.: Brian D. Ace, Jr., Borough Manager; Mary Pat Quinn, Executive Assistant to the Borough Manager;Ronald Kimes, Code Enforcement/Zoning Officer, and John Schnatter, Superintendent of Streets. 7. The Stroudsburg Borough Municipal Building will be closed to the public to limit the potential exposure to the virus; HOWEVER, THE FOLLOWING PROCEDURES HAVE BEEN INSTITUTED:  Parking Tickets – Payment may be made on line by following the instructions on the Borough Website www.stroudsburgboro.com or by inserting payments in the metal drop box at the curb on North 7th Street next to the entry door. The Parking Enforcement Officers will not issue tickets for parking violations other than for alternate side of the street parking, timed parking or serious violations of the Stroudsburg Parking Ordinance.  Building, Zoning and other permit applications may be dropped off by calling the office at (570) 421-5444 to make arrangements. A staff member will go to the entry door to receive the permit application and payment. A receipt will be handwritten and given to the applicant or his designee at drop off. The staff member will wear rubber gloves. Cash payments will not be accepted.  Staff members will wipe down doorknobs, counter services, the copier, the postage machine and other commonly used equipment and surfaces in all office spaces.  All departments will continue to attend to their duties and will be prepared to assist the public telephonically, via email or U.S. mail. A motion was made by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Weiss to adopt “Coronavirus (COVID-19) Sick Leave Policy” which was marked as Exhibit B of the Proclamation by the Stroudsburg Borough Council Declaring a Local Disaster Emergency in Stroudsburg Borough, County of Monroe, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The motion was carried. (4-yes, 0-no, 0-abstain) EXHIBIT “B”: CORONAVIRUS (COVID-19) SICK LEAVE POLICY The Borough of Stroudsburg in response to the Coronavirus Pandemic is instituting the following Policy regarding sick leave. 1. All employees exhibiting symptoms will be required to contact their immediate supervisor at the onset of the first symptoms including, but not limited to: fever, cough, difficulty breathing. 2. Said employee shall go to a medical facility to be tested for the virus and provide proof of testing to the Borough of Stroudsburg. 3. Employee shall then be quarantined for fourteen (14) days or until the results of the test are provided and shall NOT REPORT TO WORK, but if possible, be available to work from home UNLESS a positive test result is confirmed. 4. The employee shall not be charged any paid time off, such as sick leave, vacation, personal or compensatory time for this quarantine period. The Borough of Stroudsburg will pay a quarantined employee a regular paycheck based on his/her regularly scheduled work week. Consideration to Schedule a Public Hearing for An Ordinance of the Stroudsburg Borough Council to Amend Chapter 5, Code Enforcement, Part 2, Adoption of Codes, Section §5-201, “Adoption by Reference”. The subject Ordinance will update the reference to the International Property Maintenance Code from 2009 to 2018. A motion was made by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Weiss to scheduled a public hearing for consideration of the aforementioned Ordinance at the April 7, 2020 Council meeting at 7:00 P.M. The motion was carried. (4-yes; 0-no, 0-abstain) Consideration to Adopt a Resolution of the Stroudsburg Borough Council to Authorize the Borough Manager, Brian D. Ace, Jr. as a Signatory of Banking Instruments of the Borough of Stroudsburg and to Set Forth the Limits of Said Authority. A motion was made by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Weiss to adopt the aforementioned Resolution. The motion was carried. (4-yes; 0-no, 0-abstain) Consideration of a Zoning Amendment Application from Todd A. Detrick re: 354 North 9th Street for the addition of fireworks as a permitted use in the C-1 and MU-A Zones. Dan Lichty was present to answer questions of Council in the absence of Mr. Detrick. Mr. Lichty explained that the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania legalized consumer fireworks sales providing the business is located in a stand-alone building. Mr. Detrick would like to use 354 North 9th Street, which is a stand-alone building, as a consumer fireworks retail store. A motion was made by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Weiss to refer the Zoning Amendment Application to the Stroudsburg Borough Planning Commission for review and recommendation. The motion was carried. (4-yes; 0-no, 0-abstain) Consideration to Appoint John Schnatter as the Superintendent of Streets at an annual salary of of $63,773.00 A memo dated March 13, 2020 from Borough Manager Brian D. Ace, Jr. recommending the promotion of John Schnatter as the new Superintendent of Streets was acknowledged. John Schnatter was appointed as the Superintendent of Streets at an annual salary of $63,773.00 on a motion made by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Evanisko. The motion was carried. (4-yes; 0-no, 0-abstain) Consideration to Appoint John Stevens as the Assistant Zoning and Codes Officer (part-time) at his current rate of pay. Ms. Quinn explained that Mr. Stevens has been given zoning related duties by his supervisor in addition to the code enforcement duties that he was hired to perform. The appointment as the Assistant Zoning and Codes Officer will permit Mr. Stevens to file zoning citations with the District Magistrate when necessary. It was noted that Mr. Stevens is a part-time employee. A motion was made by Mr. Weiss, seconded by Mr. Evanisko to appoint John Stevens as the Assistant Zoning and Codes Officer, part-time, at his current pay rate. The motion was carried. (4-yes; 0-no, 0-abstain) Consider the Application of Kelly and Jonathan Mark, as recommended for approval and issuance by the Historic Architectural Review Board, for the replacement of roofing at 702 Thomas Street. A motion was made by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Weiss to approve the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness to Kelly and Jonathan Mark for the replacement of roofing at 702 Thomas Street. The motion was carried. (4-yes; 0-no, 0-abstain) Consider the Application of Dan Lee for Monroe County Admin, as recommended for approval and issuance by the Historic Architectural Review Board, for the demolition of a building at 14- 18 North Sixth Street. A motion was made by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Weiss to approve the issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness to Monroe County for the demolition of a building at 14-18 North Sixth Street. The motion was carried. (4-yes; 0-no, 0-abstain) Approval of Bills on Warrants 200317 A motion was made by Mr. Weiss, seconded by Mr. Smith to approve the payment of bills on Warrants 200317. The motion was carried. (4-yes; 0-no, 0-abstain) Public Input for Non-Agenda Items Mayor Probst advised that Jennifer Schucatis would like to speak with the Borough of Stroudsburg, the Borough of East Stroudsburg and Stroud Township to ascertain the interest in a regional fire department. The matter will be placed on the April 7 agenda of the Borough Council. Mr. Smith questioned the need to fill the vacant positions of a full-time Assistant Zoning and Codes Officer and a full-time Street Department worker (created by the promotions of Brian Ace and John Schnatter). A motion was made by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Weiss to refer the matter to consider the necessity of filling these vacancies. The motion was carried. (4-yes; 0-no, 0-abstain) Mr. Abell announced that all subcommittee meetings are cancelled until further notice due to the COVID-19 situation. The meeting was adjourned at 8:40 P.M. on a motion made by Mr. Smith, seconded by Mr. Weiss. The motion was carried. (4-yes; 0-no, 0-abstain)