RICHLANDTOWN BOROUGH COUNCIL MINUTES
The Regular Meeting of Richlandtown Borough Council was held on March 8, 2010. Council President Jim Bowman opened the meeting at 7:00pm. All Council Members were present.
ANNOUNCEMENTS There were no announcements.
PUBLIC COMMENT
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes for February 8, 2010 were accepted on a motion by Matt Scheetz, seconded by John Calder, and approved by all.
PRESENTATIONS / DEVELOPER’S ISSUES There were no Presentations or Developers.
COUNCIL & STAFF REPORTS
Mayor’s Report
During the month of February, I met briefly with Lloyd Ewer. As a result, I will be responsible for Snow Emergency declarations in the future. As a result, I declared a Snow Emergency for 2 significant snow storms during the past month. In addition, I performed my first Wedding Ceremony at the Borough Office on Sunday, February 14th.
I attended the Richlandtown Fire Company banquet held on Saturday, February 27th at Benner Hall. I delivered a few words and introduced all members of 2010 Richlandtown Borough Council and those that recently retired in December.
I have started contacting neighboring municipalities about how they proceeded with their respective Crosswalk Programs
The Mayor will look into the designated Snow Emergency routes and No Parking zones, and will discuss these safety matters with the Fire Chief. Upon review, some additional areas may be designated.
Solicitor’s Report
Zoning Matters: The solicitor provided an update on the Hinkle and Smith cases.
Phoebe Tax-Exempt Status: The Solicitor discussed the Tax Exempt status and Voluntary Agreement of Phoebe Richland.
Borough Manager
Upper Bucks Forum on Aging: Phoebe Richland is requesting that Richlandtown Borough be event co-sponsor again this year. The event is Friday, May 14, 2010, 10am – 1:30pm at Benner Hall. They request that we help advertise on the website, via the newsletter, and event flyers. They have booked the date with Benner Hall, and we will waive the rental fee for that day as well.
Bucks County Boroughs: March 23 meeting. See attached flyer
PSAB Webinars. See attached flyer.
Fee Schedule Update: Please review and move to pass.
MOTION: There was a motion made by Matt Scheetz, seconded by John Wassmer, and approved by all to pass the updated Fee Schedule, RESOLUTION 2010-01.
Volunteer Form: We have created a simple Volunteer Form to be filled out by all current and future Borough volunteers for record-keeping purposes. This will be added to the newsletter and websites.
Open Records: Borough Manager has attended an Open Records training session. We are creating an Open Records section of the website to accommodate all requests.
LTAP Training: Borough Manager has attended another PennDOT LTAP course (Stormwater Management). In the past, he has attended Winter Roads Maintenance, Sign Inventory & Management (webinar), and Asphalt Maintenance Problems seminars. He has registered for a few others as well (Traffic Signs, Workzone Safety, Equipment & Worker Safety, and Risk Management). He will need to complete 10 seminars to achieve the “Roads Scholar” certificate. We will look into any insurance discount for attending these safety courses.
Snow Reports: Hopefully for the last time this year. We will look into transferring funds from the Highway Aid account to the General Fund to reimburse from the snow clearing expenses, namely the cost of road salt. Jim Bowman and John Wassmer helped out during the Blizzard of Feb. 10. They relieved the plow operators for a few hours.
Water Superintendent
MOTION The Water Superintendent’s Report was approved on a motion by John Calder, seconded by Floyd Bless, and approved by all.
The $241.41 in the 120+ Days Outstanding bills is from multiple accounts.
Arsenic Update: We are moving ahead with BCWSA for the required allowance to discharge the excess water produced when the remediation system is backwashed.
Broken Water Meters: The Manager will meet with the Water Superintendent and Council President to discuss a replacement plan.
REPORT OF THE FIRE COMPANY
There were 8 calls for the month of February, 1 of which was for Fire Police.
Roof Grant Project: Upon discussion with the Solicitor, it is recommended by staff that we put this project to bid, due to the overall estimated cost of the project. The Manager will work with the engineer to draft the bid documents. There are questions regarding the need to pay prevailing wage because of the fact that it is a grant, or because of the overall price tag of the project. This will be discussed in subcommittee.
FINANCE COMMITTEE:
PennVest: There are still reimbursement requests that need to be approved.
QNB Online Transfer Forms: approved to allow intra-fund transfers.
Investments: Finance Director will get a report of all the current Borough investments.
PUBLIC WORKS:
“Welcome to Richlandtown” flags: some have come loose. The Manager will repair them when the weather improves this week.
Lollipops were installed before the February 9 blizzard. During the installation, we were about 10 short from finishing the job. Spring-loaded reflective markers tend to be an obstruction when using a hydrant wrench on the valve. We will possibly work with a local VoTech school about getting more fabricated.
Potholes and damaged water caps will be repaired this week. We will be using High Performance cold patch.
Street Sweeping: The Manager is working on estimates and options for sweeping the streets this spring.
West Union St. Paving: The Manager will meet with the Public Works Councilman to discuss the plan for paving the road. These options will be presented to Phoebe for review. We will disc on-street parking with Phoebe, as well as their use of on-site storage containers.
PARKS & RECREATION:
Park Ordinance: The Manager is discussing this with the Richland Twp Manager, RT PD Chief, and the Solicitor. We are reviewing the legality of an ordinance on grounds outside of our jurisdiction. However, establishing park rules and regulations might suffice.
Events:
Bingo- 144 tickets, raised about $3100 for
playground, canned goods for Food Pantry
Movie night- March 19, 7pm- will feature a donation to soldiers overseas
Flea Market -April 10, 9am-2pm
Star Party -April 16, 8pm (17 rain date)
Work Day -April 17, 9-2
Fundraising Update: Account is up to about $6,600
Grants: Meeting Fran Rubert from DCNR Friday March 19, 10am
Sign: sign has been drafted. We will need to work with Richland Twp regarding sign regulations, and possibly some zoning relief.
Annexation: If we wanted to annex the Benner Hall property into the Borough, it would be a ballot item for the Boro and the Township.
PUBLIC WELFARE:
Stormwater Ordinance: we received a complaint from a resident about sump pump runoff from a neighbor’s property into their own. The Zoning Officer is reviewing this matter, to see if it may fall under the stormwater section of the SALDO Ordinance. Barring that, we have no other recourse. There is no Stormwater Ordinance on the Richlandtown books. We will look into this with the Solicitor and Zoning Officer. A draft will be supplied for the committee.
Megans Law Ordinance: We will propose this, despite legal concerns brought up earlier.
Adult Entertainment Zoning: Due to recent news articles regarding adult entertainment, Council may look in to passing an ordinance that may place these businesses in a correct location, with certain rules. A draft will be supplied for the committee.
Ticketing and towing of abandoned and illegally parked cars (particularly during a Snow Emergency). We will look in to contracting with a local bonded towing company to provide the service. We will also provide significant notice to residents regarding the possibility of towing, and who to contact once towed.
Linda Court parking: Parking compliance during Snow Emergencies has gone downhill. We may look into reviving the HOA, as well as looking to have homeowners re-establish their original 2 parking spots in the rear of the lot. We will embark on a friendly campaign first with the residents and the HOA.
BUILDINGS & GROUNDS:
Garage Heat: We received another estimate for $2700 for garage heat. This has been tabled for the time being. Parking Lot lights: Bob Schmoyer will install this week. He was sidelined because of the snow, a death in the family, and a scheduled vacation.
PERSONNELL COMMITTEE: nothing to report
OLD BUSINESS
USPS Meeting: Home Delivery is a viable option, but the route and siting of mailboxes still needs to be determined. We will write a letter with the USPS, requesting this meeting, to sort out this matter professionally. We will place a call to Congressman Murphy’s office, notifying them of the situation and progress.
Web page profiles: Jocelyn is awaiting profile information for the web page from the Council members.
Vision Statement: Matt suggested that we work on a Vision Statement for the Borough, with long- and short-term goals.
NEW BUSINESS
MOTION: There was a motion made by John Calder, seconded by Matt Scheetz, and approved by all to allow the Fire Police to provide support for the Plumstead event on March 27.
Public Comment Policy: The Manager will discuss with Council President some examples of a policy regarding public comment.
Fire Extinguisher Inspections: Ray Steever, our fire extinguisher inspector has passed away. We will look to have another company perform the inspections, perhaps Tilley or Kistler-O’Brien.
Mowing: Matt Scheetz reminded Council that he will be unable to help out with mowing at Benner Hall this season. The Manager is looking at more time- and cost-efficient ways to get the mowing done. This may incorporate some strategies where some areas are mowed less often. This will be discussed during subcommittee.
Increased Revenue: Matt Scheetz commented that there are numerous infrastructure and capital improvements that need to be made and planned for throughout the Borough, and that we should utilize the Manager’s resources to look in to how to implement these plans, and possibly increase revenue to do so.
PAYMENT OF BILLS
The bills were paid on a motion by John Calder, seconded by Matt Scheetz, and approved by all.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:40pm on a motion by Floyd Bless, seconded by Thom Gross, and approved by all.
Next Meeting: Monday, April 12, 2010. 7pm at Benner Hall.
Submitted by Joseph Geib, Borough Manager.