Agenda
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Ebensburg Borough Council Meeting Agenda
Date: Monday, October 26, 2020 Time: 6:30 p. m.
Meeting Officials
- Borough Council: Doug Tusing (President), Dave Kuhar (Vice-President), Jeffrey Ball, Cecilia Houser, Theresa Jacoby, Scot May, Michael Owatt
- Mayor: Randy Datsko
Agenda Items
1. Consent Agenda The following routine items are recommended for approval by a single motion:
- Item 9A: Approve minutes from the September 28, 2020 meeting.
- Item 9B: Approve the financial statement and quarterly transfers.
- Item 9C: Approve payment of bills.
2. Appointments to Address Council
- Item 3A: Mayor’s Report on the Police Department.
4. Council President Comments
5. Water, Wastewater & Stormwater Committee (Ball & Kuhar)
- Item 5A: Report from Inframark on Wastewater Treatment Plant Operations.
- Item 5B: Report from Inframark on Water Treatment Plant Operations.
6. Recreation Committee (Jacoby, May & Owatt)
- Item 6A: Winter Plowing. Staff recommends contracting snow plowing for the YPCC and tennis center on an as-needed basis. The estimated cost is less than $100 per lot for heavy snow events, allowing borough crews to focus on intersections and sidewalks.
7. Street Committee (Ball, Houser & Owatt)
- Item 7A: 2020 Sidewalk Project. Primary work is complete; minor punchlist items are expected to finish before the meeting.
- Item 7B: 2020 Street Resurfacing. Milling began October 12th, and resurfacing started October 20th. Work is currently underway in the northeast quadrant.
- Item 7C: Street Trees. Bids were sought for 76 trees.
- Eisler’s Nursery: $13,103. 00
- Schichtel’s Nursery: $11,538. 00
- Recommendation: Award contract to Schichtel’s Nursery for $11,538. 00.
- Item 7D: Sidewalk Ordinance. Grant final approval to Ordinance #655, which deletes the required sidewalk on the south side of West Sample Street between West Street and Marian Street.
8. Administration Committee (Houser, Jacoby & Kuhar)
- Item 8A: Borough Manager Retirement. The vacancy has been advertised. Applications are due November 9th. Interviews will occur in November and December, with a target start date of February 22nd for the new manager.
- Item 8B: 2021 Annual Budget. The tentative budget calls for revenues of $6,115,030 and expenditures of $6,063,450. This represents a 2.9% overall increase from 2020, primarily driven by higher healthcare and pension costs.
- General Fund: Increased by 2. 5% to $2,125,250.
- Water Fund: Increased by 3. 9% to $1,794,140.
- Wastewater Fund: Increased by 2. 7% to $1,918,060.
- Stormwater Fund: Remains flat at $226,000.
- Tax Rates: Resolution 2020-13 proposes maintaining current real estate tax rates (30. 75 mills on land, 8. 5 mills on buildings) and a 2. 5 mill rate for stormwater.
- Recommendation: Grant tentative approval to the 2021 budget and advertise for public inspection.
- Item 8D: Zoning and Property Maintenance Enforcement. The Borough Manager currently handles these duties. The committee recommends engaging the Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency for zoning enforcement (fee: $55 per opinion) while keeping property maintenance enforcement in-house, assigned to the new Borough Manager without additional pay.
9. Diversity Committee (May, Kuhar & Houser)
- Item 9A: Gender-Neutral Code Revisions. Ordinance #656 is ready for final adoption to replace gender-specific terms with neutral language throughout the Borough’s Code of Ordinances.
10. General Business
- Item 10A: Approve minutes of the September 28, 2020 meeting.
- Item 10B: Approve the September 2020 financial statement and quarterly transfers.
- Item 10C: Approve payment of bills totaling $*******.
- Item 10D: Middle School Football Field. A request to rezone the former field from single-household to multi-household residential is pending. Both the Cambria County and Ebensburg Borough Planning Commissions recommended approval, subject to satisfying Land Development Ordinance and Historic Character Overlay requirements.
- Item 10E: Zoning Amendment. A request regarding front yard fences has been referred to the planning commission for their November 5th agenda.
- Item 10F: LERTA Ordinance. Tentative approval is requested for Ordinance #657 to establish a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) exemption for the former Cambria County Prison site. The 10-year tax abatement schedule is:
- Years 1 & 2: 100%
- Years 3 & 4: 80%
- Years 5 & 6: 60%
- Years 7 & 8: 40%
- Years 9 & 10: 20%
- Item 10G: Building Code Waiver Permits. The Borough is the only municipality served by Laurel Municipal Inspection Agency that does not issue waiver permits. A recommendation to implement a free waiver permit process for minor residential projects (e. g. , roof replacement, siding) is under discussion.
- Item 10H: Reaffirm Actions of September 28, 2020 Meeting. Due to a Zoom interruption, the Council must reaffirm five actions taken during the second portion of that meeting, including:
- Awarding a garbage/recycling contract to Pro Disposal (starting Jan 1, 2021).
- Approving Ordinance #654 banning outdoor burning (except recreational fires).
- Adopting Resolution 2020-12 for a $375,240 Covid-19 Relief Grant application.
- Approving the site plan for a dog park at Lake Rowena.
- Referring the front yard fence zoning amendment to the planning commission.
11. Department Reports
- Item 11A: Police Department (Chief Wyland)
- Item 11B: Public Works Department (Director Jeff Evans)
- Item 11C: Community Development (Director Danea Koss)
- Item 11D: Recreation Department (Director Dirk Johnson)
- Item 11E: Codes Enforcement
- Item 11F: Ebensburg Municipal Authority (Minutes included in packet)
- Item 11G: Ebensburg Planning Commission. A lot merger at 320 East High Street was finally approved in October after being tabled in September.
- Item 11H: Ebensburg Zoning Board (No activity)
12. Media Comments/Questions
- Representatives of the media are invited to comment and ask questions on any issues.
13. Public Comments
- Members of the public are invited to comment on any issues, whether or not they appear on the agenda.
14. Adjournment