Minutes

Ebensburg Borough Council Meeting Minutes - November 23, 2020

Meeting Details:

• Date: Monday, November 23, 2020
• Time: 6:30 p. m. to 8:03 p. m.
• Location: Via Zoom

Attendance:

• Present: Doug Tusing (President), Dave Kuhar (Vice President), Theresa Jacoby, Scot May, Mike Owatt, Cecilia Houser, Will Westrick (Jr. Councilor).
• Absent: Jeff Ball.
• Others Present: Mayor Randy Datsko, Borough Manager Daniel Penatzer, Solicitor Blair Pawlowski, and various department directors.

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Junior Councilor Appointment

• New Appointee: William Westrick, a junior at Central Cambria High School, was appointed to the Junior Councilor position.
• Background: The position was created in 2002 but had been vacant since 2012.
• Role: The Junior Councilor must be a resident completing their junior year of high school. They may attend all meetings (except executive sessions) and participate fully but do not have voting rights. The term runs from June to May.
• Action: Mayor Datsko administered the oath of office to Mr. Westrick.

Public Comments

• Wayne Templeton: Requested that the Council not rezone the former Middle School football field property. He also noted that a developer has left projects across the street unfinished for an extended period.

Consent Agenda

The following items were approved unanimously:

• Hiring of Robert Stofko as a janitor (effective 10/19/2020).
• Hiring of Michael Kush as a tennis assistant (effective 11/2/2020).
• Approval of minutes from the October 26, 2020 meeting.
• Approval of the Financial Statement and payment of bills.
• Awarding a $1,975. 00 contract to Midstate Consultants for an IFE (Initial Feasibility Evaluation) for the airport taxiway rehabilitation project.

Skatepark Proposal

• Presentation: Ms. Julie Horvath presented a proposal for a proposed skatepark.
• Decision: The Council approved the general concept of the skatepark unanimously.

Water/Wastewater Committee Reports

• Operations: Inframark provided written reports for both wastewater and water treatment plant operations.
• AWOP Award: Ebensburg’s water treatment plant received an Area Wide Optimization Program (AWOP) Award. This national award recognizes outstanding efforts in optimizing filter plant turbidity performance. Ebensburg was one of the 31 top-performing plants to receive this honor.

Water/Sewer Projects

• North Spruce & East Ogle Streets: Council initially approved seeking bids for small water and sewer projects. However, due to underground unknowns making specifications difficult without extra engineering costs, the most cost-effective approach is now a joint effort between borough crews and a private contractor (Kev’s Excavating).
• East Ogle Street Delay: The sewer project in the 700 block of East Ogle Street is delayed because the collector line is under porches and needs to be relocated.

Water Loss

• Current Status: Unaccounted water loss was as high as 47% but has been reduced to 26% through diligent work by public works crews and coordination with Inframark.
• Target: The accepted target is 20%. The loss rate is expected to hover between 20-30% due to the age of distribution lines. One valve and flow meter at the treatment plant still need replacement.

Ongoing Byproducts Violations

• Issue: November test results showed elevated HAA5 and TTHM levels in water purchased from Greater Johnstown’s Saltlick system. These are byproducts of chlorine disinfection.
• Impact: The issue primarily affects customers along Route 22, but regulations require all customers to be notified.
• Resolution: Greater Johnstown installed an aeration system earlier in the year to decrease byproducts. Test results are trending lower, and officials hope the running average will soon drop below the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL), ending the need for public notifications.

Street Committee - 2020 Sidewalk Project

• Completion: Mr. Owatt reported that all primary work is complete.
• Costs: The contract was awarded for $1,371,061. The final cost is $1,316,800 due to lower quantities of curb and sidewalk.
• Retainage: $1,800 is retained for reseeding and blacktop repair to be done in the spring. $10,000 is retained for alleged damage to a foundation wall.

Administration Committee

• Borough Manager Retirement: The vacancy for Borough Manager has been advertised. Nineteen applications were received, and twelve candidates are being interviewed in December. The goal is to select a candidate in early January with a start date of February 22, allowing for a two-week overlap with the outgoing manager.
• Non-Uniform Pension Plan: The Council granted tentative approval to Ordinance #658. This amends the non-uniform pension plan to create a defined-contribution component for new hires, while current employees remain in the defined-benefit plan. The old plan will be phased out through attrition.

2021 Annual Budget

• Overview: The budget calls for revenues of $6,115,030 and expenditures of $6,063,450. The general fund budget is balanced with no increase in real estate taxes.
• Fund Breakdown:
  • General Fund: Revenue $2,140,530 / Expenditure $2,125,250 (Surplus: $15,280)
  • Water Fund: Revenue $1,810,500 / Expenditure $1,794,140 (Surplus: $16,360)
  • Wastewater Fund: Revenue $1,938,000 / Expenditure $1,918,060 (Surplus: $19,940)
  • Stormwater Fund: Revenue $226,000 / Expenditure $226,000 (Surplus: $0)
• Action: The budget was approved unanimously.

2021 Salary Resolution

• Action: Resolution #2020-14 was adopted to establish wages for 2021.
• Details: AFSCME, FOP, and non-union wages will increase by 2. 5%.

General Business

• Middle School Football Field: A request to rezone the former football field from single-household residential to multi-household residential was tabled last month. The Zoning Enforcement Officer recommended approval, but the motion failed on a tie vote (Mayor Datsko voted "No").
• Zoning Amendment - Fences: Ordinance #660 was proposed to amend the Zoning Ordinance regarding fences.
  • Key Changes: Pre-existing non-conforming fences can be maintained. Hedges and retaining walls are not considered fences. Plants and landscaping items less than three feet high are permitted in front yards.
  • Action: The ordinance was approved unanimously.

LERTA Ordinance

• Purpose: Ordinance #657 establishes a Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance (LERTA) property tax exemption for the former Cambria County Prison site.
• Goal: To encourage economic opportunities and prevent deterioration of underdeveloped properties.
• Abatement Schedule:
  • Year 1 & 2: 100%
  • Year 3 & 4: 80%
  • Year 5 & 6: 60%
  • Year 7 & 8: 40%
  • Year 9 & 10: 20%
• Action: The ordinance was approved unanimously.

2021 Fee Resolution

• Action: Resolution #2020-15 was adopted to establish fees for 2021.
• Change: The only change is the addition of a $10 zoning opinion fee.

Disposal of Municipal Records

• Reason: The Borough is out of storage space. Records are regulated by Act 428 of 1968.
• Action: Resolution #2020-16 was adopted to authorize the disposal of certain municipal records, documents, and obsolete computer hardware. All records will be shredded by Burgmeier’s Hauling.

Department Reports

• Police: None.
• Public Works: The yard waste disposal site is closed for the year. Crews are working to locate a leak at the swimming pool. The ground by the Tennis Center was suggested as a possible site for the skatepark.
• Community Development: The Main Street Partnership canceled "Light Up Night" due to a spike in Covid cases. Plans are still in place for a Roving Christmas Parade.
• Recreation: None.

Public Comments (Continued)

• Derek Kauffman: Expressed interest in installing a fence at his property on Crawford Street. He requested that the Council allow him until January 1st to install the fence, which would sit 17 feet back from the road.
• Wayne Templeton: Thanked the Council for retaining the R1 zoning for the former Middle School Football Field.

Adjournment

• The meeting was adjourned at 8:03 PM.
• Next Meeting: The third Monday of December, which falls on the 21st.

Minutes Recorded by: Danea Koss, Community Development Director