RICHLANDTOWN BOROUGH COUNCIL MINUTES
The Regular Meeting of Richlandtown Borough Council was held on June 14, 2010. Council President Jim Bowman opened the meeting at 7:00pm. Council Members Matt Scheetz and Thom Gross were absent.
PUBLIC COMMENT
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The minutes for May 10, 2010 were accepted on a motion by Jocelyn Myers, seconded by John Calder, and approved by all. The minutes for the Water Superintendent’s Report will be changed to reflect the $1,769.65 collected through water shutoffs.
COUNCIL & STAFF REPORTS
Mayor’s Report
I would like to establish a date to meet and convene a discussion and review of the snow emergency routes after this meeting tonight. After the discussion and review process, this committee would then prepare a recommendation to bring before borough council for review. At this time our Borough Manager Joe Geib and Fire Chief Todd Fox have consented to serve on this committee. I invite any member of Council to join us. If we could set up a meeting to review the current snow emergency routes on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, please advise what works the best. I wish to present a proposal for the next council meeting in July.
I am slowly reviewing the information that I have received on Crosswalks. In addition, I am in the process of contacting the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs and the Pennsylvania State Mayor’s Association for more insight on this project. At this time, I am looking to establish a task force consisting of elected officials and borough residents interested in participating in this proposed project. If you are interested, please contact either myself or Joe Geib in the borough office.
Finally, since our May meeting, I have officiated at 2 Wedding Ceremonies.
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.
Ordinance Updates: for Sex Offender and Adult Entertainment ordinances were advertised, and are ready to be approved.
BCWSA Agreement: Suggestions were made for changes to the agreement.
Borough Manager
BC Conservation District MOU: Renewing land development and E&S review procedures with BCCD. Council approved the continuation of the MOU.
Quakertown Fireworks: In the past, we have donated $500
MOTION A motion to donate $500 to Quakertown Borough for the Community Day Fireworks was made by John Calder, seconded by John Wassmer, and approved by all. The funds will come from the Recreation Fund.
Richlandtown “Images of America”: Dr. Robert Leight wishes to copy images from the Centennial book to be incorporated in his new book. Photos will be credited to us. Council approved Dr. Leight’s access to the photos.
Bucks County Municipal Open Space Program Grant Application: **Resolution 2010-05**
MOTION A motion to pass Resolution 2010-05 was made by Jocelyn Myers, seconded by Floyd Bless, and approved by all.
Non-Solicitation Ordinance: We will review what ordinance we may have on the books, and look to update, if needed. If there is none, we may want to look into drafting one.
Benner Hall Sign: Sign permit approved, according to RTZO. It will be installed this month, and will be 12sqft, double-sided.
Phoebe
PILOT: Letter sent to Ms. McMahon. Attorneys will draft agreement.
Forum on Aging: Ms. McMahon sent a “Thank You” letter, and included the results of the survey to attendees.
LTAP: Manager has attended more LTAP courses: Traffic Signs and Work Zone Traffic Control
Water Superintendent
MOTION The Water Superintendent’s Report was approved on a motion by Floyd Bless, seconded by John Calder, and approved by all.
BCWSA Sewer/Water Shutoffs: The Solicitor wants to clear up some language in the agreement before it is signed. We have drafted a resolution provide BCWSA to ensure that we will follow through with the agreement. The Solicitor will work with the BCWSA’s Solicitor to finalize things. Currently, there are about 20-25 customers on the shutoff list. **Resolution 2010-06**
MOTION A motion to pass Resolution 2010-06 was made by Floyd Bless, seconded by John Calder, and approved by all.
Arsenic Update: We are moving ahead with BCWSA for the required allowance to discharge the excess water produced when the remediation system is backwashed. Well #1 is online, and has an arsenic level of 0 coming from there post-treatment.
DEP Tier I Regulations Elaine and the Manager are working to make sure that our customer phone list is up to date to be in compliance with the regulations. Bucks County Health Department also has a phone list on file for a reverse-911 system. In the past, we have used the Community Alert Network (CAN) with limited success.
REPORT OF THE FIRE COMPANY
Fire Police Requests: Please approve the following requests:
The following events have already passed, and RFD used their discretion for manpower attendance.
MOTION A motion to pass the above list of Fire Company requests was made by John Calder, seconded by Jocelyn Myers, and approved by all.
Fire Police Captain, RFD Chief, and Manager are working on a master list of all annual “standing events” that happen in the area. This list can be approved at the beginning of the year, with “non-standing” event requests to come before Council for approval.
Roof Grant The money is in-hand. They are obtaining other quotes before they move forward. John Calder should be involved in reviewing the proposals.
FINANCE COMMITTEE:
PennVest: reimbursement requests still need to be approved.
Professional Audit: We should look into getting a professional audit. We will have an estimate done. John Wassmer will follow up with the estimate.
PUBLIC WORKS:
Parking/Signs: Curbs should be repainted yellow where they have faded, and to fill in gaps. Low signs along the sidewalks will be addressed.
LTAP Tech Assist: Ron Brown from PSATS provided us with a Tech Assist on 6/11/10. His visit with the Manager and Mr. Bless gave them a good idea of the type of maintenance to prescribe to the roads in order to keep up the condition of the roads, and not have to embark on large-scale base repair projects.
Lollipops: Ms. Myers is having some fabricated through a Vo-Tech school. We should pick up this week.
Potholes and damaged water caps: Manager will get a list of all broken water caps from Mr. Bless, and will address them. There is one in the roll curb front of 107 First Ave.
Sign Inventory and Mandates: Manager will inventory all street signs and their current condition. This needs to be done by 2012. Street signs with 6” lettering included in 2012 mandate. He will report back with the status of every sign, and create a plan for replacement, based on a qualitative assessment and state mandates. This information should be used for long-term budgetary reasons. See handout for inventory database requirements
W. Union St.: Manager sent letter to Phoebe re: participation in project. We will need to acquire ROW from the Church Activity Center. We should look into extending the sidewalk all the way to the Borough Line on W. Union St.
PARKS & RECREATION:
Finances: $1774 income in May. $8162 in fundraising account, will be complimented by oldies dance $
Grants: Submitted Bucks Municipal Open Space by June 11- had to be completed to be considered for DCNR. We need commitments from businesses for donations- council please consider helping to get donations.
Events: Oldies Dance had 200 tickets sold, preliminary totals show about $1200 profit- will repeat event in the future.
Other
PUBLIC WELFARE:
Towne Court / HOA: Zoning Officer should tell Council the nature and amount of violations.
Megans Law Ordinance: review attached final draft. Move to adopt. **ORDINANCE**
MOTION A motion to pass the Megan’s Law / Sex Offender Ordinance was made by Floyd Bless, seconded by John Wassmer, and approved by all.
Adult Entertainment Ordinance: review attached final draft. Move to adopt. **ORDINANCE**
MOTION A motion to pass the Adult Entertainment Amendments to the Zoning Ordinance was made by Floyd Bless, seconded by John Calder, and approved by all.
BUILDINGS & GROUNDS:
OLD BUSINESS
Emergency Plan: These books should be updated. This should include an updated evacuation plan for the residents of Phoebe and the Boro residents.
NEW BUSINESS
Car Break-ins: Some in the community have mentioned to be on the lookout for break-ins into cars.
Weed Ordinance: Those in violation will receive letters this week. We will be sure to check with the current list of bank-owned properties and make sure they are aware of the violation. We will check with the County for the liens on some of these properties, to make sure that all of our liens are on the list.
Volunteer Projects: We should work with local Boy Scouts or High School students for some volunteer projects. We should post a current “wish list” on the website, and a “Volunteers Needed” posting on the sign.
PAYMENT OF BILLS
The bills were paid on a motion by John Calder, seconded by John Wassmer, and approved by all. The payment for the floor machines will be amended to come from account 409.26.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned at 9:00pm on a motion by John Calder, seconded by Floyd Bless, and approved by all.
Next Meeting: Monday, July 12, 2010. 7pm at Benner Hall.
Submitted by Joseph Geib, Borough Manager.