Regular Meeting of California Borough Council, December 12, 2009, 6:30 pm
President Bittner called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm
PRESENT: Mr. Difilippo, Mrs. Gallo, Mr. Bittner, Mr. Mariscotti, Mrs. Chambers, Mayor Durdines, Jr. Councilman Kurilko
ABSENT: Mr. Weld and Miss Roberts
ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO THE AGENDA:
There were no additions or changes to the agenda
MINUTES
Chambers/Difilippo motion to accept the minutes of the special meeting of Nov. 5, 2009 duly carried with all members present stating aye
Chambers/Difilippo motion to accept the minutes of the regular meeting of Nov. 12, 2009 duly carried with all members present stating aye.
PUBLIC COMMENT
No public comment
SECRETARY/TREASURER REPOT- MISS PFROGNER
Miss Pfrogner read the accounts payable and bank balances as of November 30, 2009
Motion by Difilippo/Gallo to accept the Secretary/Treasurer report duly carried with all members present stating aye.
PRESIDENTS REPORT – MR. BITTNER
CONTINUED MEETING
Mr. Bittner announced the continued meeting for general purposes on Dec. 22, 2009 at 4:00 pm. additionally; we will adopt the budget for the 2010 year. That budget is a balanced budget with no tax increase.
REORGANIZATION MEETING
Mr. Bittner stated that the reorganization meeting will be held January 4, 2010 at 6:30 pm.
COMMITTEE MEETING
Mr. Bittner stated that we should set the January committee meeting date and then the following meetings will be left up to new council to set their agenda for the year. January 7th is the first Thursday of the year so that will be the first committee meeting.
SPECIAL REVENUE FUND
Mr. Bittner stated that at the one budget session, the auditors were here and said that we could establish a Special Revenue Fund for the money we get from building permits.
Motion by Chambers/Difilippo to establish a Special Revenue Fund for large building permits revenues duly carried with all members present voting yes. Mr.Bittner added that that money can be spent upon motion by council on any particular item they see fit.
RESOLUTION 09-109
CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds for 2010. We have to adopt this resolution which basically states what the CDBG money is going to be used for this year, which is the beautification of the downtown area.
Motion by Chambers/Gallo to adopt Resolution 09-109 duly carried with all members present voting yes.
HANDICAP STALL
John Regis Grebb has requested a handicap reserve stall. There is currently one by his home that he can use since that person who was issued that handicap stall has passed away. So we need to transfer that stall to Mr. Grebb
Difilippo/Chambers motion to transfer the handicap stall near Mr. Grebb’s residence to his name duly carried with all members present stating aye.
Mr. Bittner said it seems like we are not keeping track of the handicap stalls, so he is entertaining a motion that they come in and renew every year. Mrs. Chambers stated that she would suggest a letter be sent out by Dec. 20th of each year asking if the stall is still needed and in use by its original assignee. Mr. Bittner said that Mayor Durdines can handle that administrative change.
PA MUNICIPAL SERVICE (PAMS) PROPOSAL
Mr. Bittner stated that he would entertain a motion to accept PAMS proposal to collect the delinquent per capita tax contingent upon the review by the solicitor. Mr. Bittner added that there were discussions about getting everyone on the tax rolls and the tax collector is also looking into ways to obtain that information.
Motion by Chambers/Difilippo to accept PAMS proposal pending review by the solicitor duly carried with all members present voting yes.
Difilippo/Chambers motion to accept President Bittner’s report duly carried with all members present stating aye.
PUBLIC SAFETY – MR. WELD
Mr. Bittner stated that since Mr. Weld is not here tonight it is his recommendation to put off hiring a street department employee until the continued meeting of Dec. 22, 2009.
PUBLIC HEALTH – MRS. CHAMBERS
MONTHLY SEWAGE REPORT
Mrs. Chambers read the monthly sewage report
ENGINEERS REPORT
Mrs. Chambers stated that in the engineers report he talked about several of us getting together and holding a workshop to review the sewage treatment plant design. He asked that the sewage department, street department, council members, president of council and chair of sewer dept. and any other council member who would like to sit in and attend. Mr. Brower suggested it would probably be best during a work day so the employees can attend. Mr. Bittner suggested perhaps before the continued meeting on the 22nd at 2:00 pm. All confirmed that date and time.
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
Mrs. Chambers stated that Mr. Koehler, President of the California Chamber of Commerce, proposed that we meet four times a year, with a program. The first one will be on January 20, 2010. That is a Wednesday and will be held at the Natalie Student Center in the Breakfast room, Gold Rush room at 7:00 am. . The internship program that California University offers to the business leaders of the community will be presented.
The next meeting will be in April and it will be a tour of Rose Plastic, date to be announced. July’s meeting will be a get together, called a patio bash and will be held at Lagerheads, and will be an opportunity to bring guests in, possible business owners and just have an hour or two of fellowship. Then in October, we have not yet decided because events change so quickly with the economy, that we’ve chosen to wait until it gets closer to see if we can find a speaker pertaining to an issue at hand during that time.
Motion by Difilippo/ Gallo to accept Mrs. Chambers’s report duly carried with all members present stating aye.
PUBLIS SAFETY – MRS. GALLO
ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES
Mrs. Gallo read the animal control report for the month.
FINANCE REPORT
Mrs. Gallo read the monthly finance report for the Police department
CURRENT WORKERS COMPENSATION SITUATION OFFICER FILONI
Motion by Gallo /Difilippo to have the Solicitor proceed with the Workers compensation claim with Officer Filoni duly carried with all members present voting yes
Motion by Difilippo/Chambers to accept Mrs. Gallo’s report duly carried with all members present stating aye.
FINANCE –MR. DIFILIPPO
Mr. Difilippo stated that he has nothing to report, but he would like to thank everyone that he has had the pleasure of working with for the past 26 years.
FINANCE – MR. MARISCOTTI
Mr. Mariscotti asked for a motion to pay the bills
Motion by Difilippo/Gallo to pay the bills duly carried with all members present voting yes.
Motion by Chambers/Gallo to accept Mr. Mariscotti’s report duly carried with all members present stating aye.
JUNIOR COUNCIL PERSON – MR. KURILKO
ATHLETIC COMPLEX
Mr. Kurilko stated that last month the school board approved the final phase of construction for the fields. This includes the field house, softball dugouts and field lighting, new roadway and parking, steps from the high school level to the softball area, new road entrance into the school, bus lanes in front of the high school, and additional visitor parking in front of the high school.
Mr. Kurilko added as a side note that the technology and CAD lab is going to be redone to make it more accessible to the students.
K-9 UNIT FUNDRAISER
The youth and government club in the high school has volunteered to raise money for the K9 unit. We have voted on doing the fundraiser which we will be selling t-shirts in the school district along with another fundraiser. Unfortunately, they could not meet yesterday due to the weather and all after school activities were cancelled; so he didn’t have any details on that second fundraiser other than it will be a district wide fundraiser.
Motion by Difilippo/Gallo to accept Mr. Kurilko’s report duly carried with all members present stating aye.
ENGINEERS REPORT - MR. BROWER
MORGAN EXCAVATING
Mr. Brower stated that he has submitted an invoice from Morgan Excavating for payment in the amount of $18, 857.10.
Motion by Chambers/Gallo to pay Morgan Excavating’s invoice in the amount of $18,857.10 duly carried with all members present voting yes.
BEAUTIFICATION PROJECT MEETING
Mr.Brower stated that Mrs. Chambers set up the meeting for the preliminary sewer plant design but he would like a meeting for the beautification project. That may be better to table until after the reorganization meeting of council. Mrs. Chambers interjected and stated that there is a group called the main street committee that wants to do a walk around town and we want to do a walk, and the chamber and the recreation authority is interested and she suggests that next year in January we select one or two representatives from each of those groups meet here and then we do a walk around come back and compare notes. That way there is not a lot of duplication. Possibly in January we could get together and do a small workshop and do a walk around town.
STREET DEPARMENT GARAGE ROOF INSPECTION
Mr. Brower stated that he submitted a report at the last meeting which basically listed three options. One of those was to replace the roof and that is expensive and may not work at all. The second is to patch it and we’re going to try and get you some costs on that and the third is erect a large steel building which will house the street department and sewer department in that building. You can get a large enough building for about $20.00 per square foot and house all the operations from one location. We think that is worth discussing. Mrs. Chambers asked if we will be discussing that at our 2:00 workshop on Dec. 22, 2009 meeting. Mr. Brower stated yes that is why he requested the street department be there.
Motion by Chambers/Difilippo to accept Art Brower’s report duly carried with all members present stating aye.
MAYOR’S REPORT – CASEY DURIDNES
JUSTICE ASSISTANCE GRANT MONEY RECEIVED
Mayor stated that we have received our reimbursement from the federal government for the justice assistance grant in the amount of $9, 575.00 and that is what helped us purchase the new police car. So I’d like to thank Betty and Chief Encapera for working so quickly to get that paperwork processed and getting that money back into the borough.
INTERNS
Mayor Durdines thanked his two interns Ann Blakely and Shawn Curtis they worked really hard this semester and were good representatives of the community. Not just good representatives of me. I appreciate their good work and would like to see our internship program continue next semester. Mr. Bittner added he thinks they are good representatives of California University also and the high caliber of students we have up there.
RECREATION AUTHORITY
Mayor Durdines added that being that he was re-elected and Mr. Alfano and Mr. Gardner got elected, he doesn’t feel we need to have three sitting borough officials on the recreation authority. Also being that I may be taking a board position with the fire department in January I’d like to devote a little more time for that and I will be resigning from my position from the recreation authority effective at the conclusion of the Decembers recreation authority meeting. At this time I’d like to ask the Borough council to advertise for that vacancy.
Motion by Difillipo/Gallo to advertise for letters of interest to serve on the recreation authority duly carried with all members present voting yes.
Motion by Chambers/Gallo to accept the Mayor’s report duly carried with all members present stating aye.
ATTORNEYS REPORT – KEITH MELENYZER
CHESTER ENGINEERS
Mr. Melenyzer stated that his law firm filed a motion to the court of common pleas to enforce the settlement agreement which we entered into when we supposedly had resolved that whole case. Of course they have been dragging their feet as they did before. So we went in front of Judge Mascara, who signed an order directing Chester within 7 days from the date this order was delivered to the defendant, who is us, the raw surveying data which our engineer says is the most valuable thing that they are holding. Drawings and auto CAD format, specifications in word format or whatever format the documents originated in. One of the arguments we made to the court this morning, Christian Sam was there on behalf of our office , what we gave it to you in was pursuant to the agreement and Christian Sam says wait a minute you need to give it to us in the original form which we’ll take or in a form that we ask you to do. They wanted to give us a different format. Therefore it created a nightmare for our engineer and the judge said look you either give it to them in the form we’re requesting or the original format. Within 30 days complete the design phase of the streetscape, which should have been done 4 years ago. The third paragraph is within 60 days present the streetscape design to Penndot for approval. That needs to be done critically, at this point because we could possibly lose a grant if we don’t get it in. Mr.Bittner added that yesterday Kerry Fox and Carl Deicas did meet up at District 12 office with Penndot and found out what needed to be submitted to Penndot, so at least that’s gotten started. Mr. Bittner stated that he will keep in touch with Kerry Fox and will keep Keith and his office up to date on where this is at.
ORDINANCE #517