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February 2024 Work Session Agenda

Freeland Borough February 2024 Work Session

February 15th, 2024 6:00pm TENTATIVE Agenda

  1. Call To Order
  2. Pledge to the Flag
  3. Roll Call of Council
    1. John Budda
    2. Marilyn Calderon
    3. Richie DeStefano
    4. Frank Kislan
    5. Thomas Myers
    6. Joshua Richie
    7. Barbara Tulanowski
  4. Executive Session was held on 02/14/2024 for legal matters
  5. Secretary & Tax Collector Reports
  6. Mayor’s Forum
  7. Comments & Recommendations
    1. Engineer – 2nd Pay App on hold due to project issues and inconsistencies
    2. Solicitor
  8. Committee Reports
    1. Budget, Finance, & Administration
      1. Garbage Service Analysis
        1. Where are we?
        2. How did we get here?
        3. What can we do about it?
      2. APRA Storm Water Project 
        1. Due to project issues and inconsistencies we have been advised by our solicitor and engineer to acquire testing services for the work performed to date and inspection services for all project work moving forward.
    2. Police
    3. Code Enforcement and Zoning
      1. Multiple Notices of Violation were issued by code enforcement, including 185 South St..
        1. Additional enforcement measures are being taken on the property at 185 South St.
      2. Have a few set hours for each code officer per week so residents can come in with issues, questions, and concerns.
      3. Zoning Hearing Board
        1. Received one letter of interest
      4. Multiple Garbage Exoneration Requests
        1. Waiting on inspections by code enforcement
    4. Streets & Sanitation
      1. 1028 Center St. Sewer Issue
        1. Water Authority is working with the owner to find the cause and location of the issue to determine responsibility.
      2. Costars salt contract renewal
        1. Yearly renewal, no change from last year
    5. Fire
    6. Buildings & Grounds
    7. Recreation Board
      1. Multiple Letters of Interest have been received.
  9. Acceptance of Committee Reports
  10. Unfinished Business
    1. Hire additional Code Officer(s)?
    2. Theresa Morrison asked about residents discharging water from their property onto the street.  
      1. Stormwater Management Ordinance Section 702. Roof Drains, Sump Pumps and Foundation Drains states “…shall discharge to infiltration or vegetative BMPs…” which means it needs to be dealt with on their property and not discharged into the street.
      2. We are looking into what measures can be taken to deal with this issue borough wide.
  11. New Business & Correspondence
    1. Letter from Sons of Erin and Parade Route Application
    2. Technology
      1. New web and email hosting – Scalahosting
        1. $2.95/month for 36 months
        2. Unlimited Email Accounts
        3. 10GB Storage
        4. Compliant with the highest standards of security
          1. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
          2. Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA)
          3. Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX)
          4. Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS)
          5. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
        5. Daily Offsite Backups
      2. Website Redesign
      3. Register for .gov domain
        1. Free Forever
        2. Official Status
        3. Scalahosting will provide their hosting services for free
      4. Register for an official FB account
        1. Create Freeland Borough FB page
          1. Ad Free
          2. Real-time alerts and notifications
          3. Channel for community engagement
          4. Possibility of streaming council meetings
      5. Digitize forms and applications for distribution via the new website
    3. Create a Blighted Properties Ordinance
      1. Schuylkill Township is a leader here
        1. Schuylkill Township Ordinance 2019-3
      2. Possible new PA law on the horizon
        1. House Bill 775
    4. Create a Freeland Borough Code of Conduct
      1. A draft is currently being worked on and will be available for review by council and the public as soon as it is ready.
    5. Update Polling Place Name from “Freeland Event Center” to “Freeland Borough”
    6. Digitize and Codify Codes
      1. Very long process
      2. Collation and Digitization has already begun
      3. Codification of the code was last done in 1992
    7. Assessment for Solar Panels and HE climate control systems
      1. We received a response on 02/14/2024 and have provided it to council for review.
    8. Develop an onboarding process for new council members
  12. Public Input
  13. Adjournment