TOWNSHIP OF SALISBURY
LEHIGH COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA

MINUTES FROM THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
REGULAR MEETING – 7:30 PM
April 10, 2008

The Public Meeting of the Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners was held on the above date at the Township Municipal Building located at 2900 South Pike Avenue, Allentown, Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.

Members attending:
Larry Unger, President
James Brown, Vice-President
Robert Martucci, Jr.
Norma Cusick
Mary Yoder

Staff attending:
Gabriel Khalife, Township Manager
Carl Best, Director of Planning & Zoning
Cathy Bonaskiewich, Finance Director
Allen Stiles, Chief of Police
John Ashley, Township Solicitor

CALL TO ORDER
Commissioner Unger called the meeting to order at 7:30 P.M.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE

NOTIFICATION
Mr. Khalife informed the attendees that all sessions of the Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners regular meetings are electronically recorded for the purpose of taking the Minutes. All public comments on agenda items would be taken at the time of the vote. All public comments related to non-agenda items will be taken after the agenda has been satisfied.

PAYMENT OF THE BILLS
Mr. Khalife noted that there was an additional bill for Burkholder Heating and Air Conditioning, Inc. as final payment for worked performed on the Township’s HVAC system in the amount of $11,167.50.

On motion of Commissioner Cusick, seconded by Commissioner Martucci, the Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to authorize payment of the bills.

MINUTES
March 27, 2008
Commissioner Unger declared the March 27, 2008 Board of Commissioners Meeting Minutes approved as submitted.

ORDINANCES
None.

RESOLUTIONS
Consideration of a resolution to participate in the PACC (PA Capital City) Automotive and Equipment Contract for equipment purchases through a cooperative purchasing program.

Mr. Khalife noted that Mr. Andreas, Director of Public Works, makes equipment purchases through the PACC program.

On motion of Commissioner Cusick, seconded by Commissioner Martucci, the Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the resolution to participate in the PACC (PA Capital City) Automotive and Equipment Contract for equipment purchases through a cooperative purchasing program.

MOTIONS
Consideration of a motion to award the refuse/recycling contract to Waste Management for a three-year term identified as bid Option #4 to include the grass collection.

Commissioner Cusick commented that she would like to have statistics on the number of residents that utilize the grass pickup service as well as what other surrounding municipalities are doing. She noted that under the current economic conditions, the Township should be more conscious of the cost to taxpayers. She commented that the Township does not know how many residents use the service, although everyone is being asked to pay for the service. She explained that she had performed some research and mentioned several local municipalities without grass collection or with “pay-as-you-go”.

Commissioner Unger noted that when the Township looked at other alternatives for grass collection, it was found that the cost to implement and administrate a program where residents would pay for stickers or bags would not be feasible compared to a $13.00 per year fee per residence.

Commissioner Martucci noted that there are administrative costs related to giving out bags.

Commissioner Cusick noted that the cumulative figure of $160,000 would be paid by taxpayers over the course of the contract for grass collection.

Ed Tremba of 1076 Newgate Drive expressed that the cost to collect grass is minimal and he would like the grass collection to continue. He noted that if the Township discontinues the grass collection, there could be illegal dumping of grass.

Mr. Vendell Mukics of 706 Mortimer Street expressed that the grass collection should continue.

Ethel Hafner of 1627 Rader Avenue commented that the grass collection should be discontinued and suggested that when grass is cut, it should be left on the ground. She commented that she is unable to pay the increase due to a fixed income.

Shirley Lasso of 1624 Rader Avenue commented that in her neighborhood, no one rakes up or puts out grass.

Linda Milkovitz of 1611 Cardinal Drive inquired about the cost of garbage collection per resident per year.

Mr. Khalife noted that the Township property taxes have not increased in nearly 15 years, not including school district and county taxes.

Adelaide Higgins of 1667 Victoria Circle expressed her disappointment that the yard waste collection would not be put on for vote and the meeting should have been advertised better. She commented that the hours of the drop-off sites are inconvenient.

Karen Freitog of 1260 E. Emmaus Avenue commented that no one in her neighborhood puts out grass and she is against having it included in the contract.

Commissioner Brown suggested tabling the item and having an additional discussion.

There was a brief discussion about the ads that were placed as well as articles regarding the garbage contract. There was a lengthy discussion about grass collection and yard waste collection and selecting the best option for the Township as a whole. Another topic of the discussion was the increased garbage fees.

On motion of Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Martucci, the Board of Commissioners tabled the motion to award the refuse/recycling contract to Waste Management for a three-year term identified as bid Option #4 to include the grass collection.

Consideration of a motion to enter into a recycling reimbursement agreement with Green Star at the variable rate.

On motion of Commissioner Brown, seconded by Commissioner Martucci, the Board of Commissioners tabled the motion to enter into a recycling reimbursement agreement with Green Star at the variable rate.

Mr. Khalife explained that the Township has located a recycling company that will be able to recycle paper products and all of the items that are able to be put into the recycling bin. He noted that the Township will receive a reimbursement from Green Star for the recyclables and the reimbursement is factored into the residents’ garbage bills.

Mrs. Bonaskiewich gave a breakdown of the anticipated cost of the garbage increase per household and the reductions for the recycling reimbursements.

Consideration of a motion to allow SYA to change the location and size of the shed at Dodson Park.

On motion of Commissioner Cusick, seconded by Commissioner Martucci, the Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to authorize SYA to change the location and size of the shed at Dodson Park as requested.

PUBLIC COMMENT
A resident inquired whether the Township would maintain the alley that she and her neighbors access to get to their properties. Mr. Khalife explained that the alley is likely a private road and would be the responsibility of the abutters of the road. He noted that there are many such private roads throughout the Township that, historically, the Township has not maintained, particularly if they were not developed into roads that meet specific standards for public streets.

Additional Item
Consideration of Final Payment to Burkholder, Inc. for the Municipal Building HVAC system project ($11,167.00).

Commissioner Martucci inquired if there would be a retainage on the contract.

Mr. Khalife commented that the final payment appears to be the amount that had been retained until the final inspections of the system had been performed. He noted that the system improvements should be under warranty.

On motion of Commissioner Cusick, seconded by Commissioner Brown, the Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to authorize the final payment to Burkholder, Inc. for the Municipal Building HVAC system project ($11,167.00).

OTHER BUSINESS
Commissioner Martucci informed the Board about graffiti at Laubach Park. He inquired about the policy for having multiple vehicles on a property. He explained that he was contacted by a resident who received a citation.

Chief Stiles explained that both the police and code enforcement departments handle such matters. He noted that the vehicles have to be registered, inspected, and able to be driven. He noted that residents are given time to comply and if they do not, then they are cited.

Chief Stiles informed the Board that he attended a recent County Commissioners meeting to support the proposal for a computer system that would provide real-time information on someone stopped by police to all law enforcement agencies in Lehigh and Northampton Counties. He noted that Officer Frankenfield was again selected as the Regional DUI Top Gun for the most DUI arrests. He updated the Board on a recent bike race event meeting and fundraising event for Sexual Assault Forensics Examiners.

ADJOURNMENT
As no other business was presented, the meeting was adjourned. The Board of Commissioners went into Workshop.