OXFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING
JULY 12, 2010
The meeting of Borough Council was held on July 12, 2010 at the Borough Municipal Building. The meeting was called to order by President Teel at 7 p.m. President Teel then led Council in the Pledge of Allegiance which was followed by a moment of silence.
IN ATTENDANCE
Mr. Teel, President Mr. Hershey, Vice President
Dr. Doyle, Member Mrs. Lombardi, Member
Mr. Stevenson, Member
Mr. Atkinson, Member
Mr. Henry, Mayor Ms. Brantner, Secretary
NOT IN ATTENDANCE
Mrs. Andrews, Member
SCHEDULED VISITORS
There were no scheduled visitors.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mr. Dorety asked if anyone had done a study to see what the citizens would like to see come to the downtown area of Oxford. Council confirmed that studies have been done. He mentioned that Kennett Square has a “Token Tuesday” and explained the concept. He thought it would be a good idea to keep on the back burner for the future.
AGENDA ADOPTION
Mr. Hershey made a motion to adopt the agenda, Mr. Stevenson seconded the motion.
Ms. Brantner added Item A. Invoice #4 for Streetscape; Item B, Change Order #4 for Streetscape; and C. Copperfield Escrow Release #12 to New Items of Business; Mayor Henry added Item D to New Items of Business, Rescinding Two Handicapped Parking Spaces; one at 603 Broad Street and the other at Oxhaven. Motion carried to adopt the agenda as amended.
BUSINESS CARRIED FORWARD
Traffic Ordinance, Four Way Stop, 6th & New Street – Ms. Brantner said this is still with our engineers as they will have to perform studies in order to do this. Item carried forward.
Review of Ordinance #832 – Common Open Space Advertised for Adoption on July 19, 2010 – Ms. Brantner said the copy enclosed is for review and adoption is set for the next meeting.
Review of Ordinance #833 – Cost Revenue Analysis for Major Subdivisions Advertised for Adoption on July 19, 2010 – Ms. Brantner said the copy enclosed is for review and adoption is set for the next meeting.
OARA Policing – Ms. Brantner said the Borough solicitor is reviewing this issue. Item carried forward.
NEW ITEMS OF BUSINESS
Invoice # 4, Streetscape – Ms. Brantner said this is a request for the work that has been done on Streetscape thus far. The amount recommended for payment is $90,987.53 which comes out of grant money. If approved it is sent on to the Department of Community Development. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to approve Invoice #4 in the amount of $90,987.53; Mr. Hershey seconded the motion. Motion carried. Ms. Brantner said that they are satisfied with the work. It goes through an extensive review by her, David Bright and John Schaible.
Change Order #4, Streetscape – Ms. Brantner said this has been reviewed by two of our engineers and John Schaible. They have recommended this change order in the amount of $35,933.00 which provides for additional work, some of which already has been completed. Ms. Brantner said we must coordinate this between PennDOT and PECO which can cause some delays. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to approve Change Order #4 in the amount of $35,933.00; Mr. Stevenson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Copperfield Escrow Release Request #12 – Ms. Brantner said John Schaible and the engineers have reviewed this. She said they are requesting a partial release in the amount of $7,742.56. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to release escrow funds in the amount of $7,742.56; Mr. Hershey seconded the motion. Ms. Brantner explained that there is always an extensive review of the work completed at any development. She also noted that with this particular development it resulted in partial releases. Motion carried.
Rescinding Two Handicapped Parking Spaces – Chief Slauch noted that John Schaible has informed him that the house at 603 Broad Street has been sold. The handicapped parking was provided for the previous owner. The new owners have requested the removal of the sign so that they can park in front of the house. He said the second one at North 4th Street, Oxhaven was done at the request a resident who is no longer at Oxhaven. Mr. Stevenson made a motion to rescind the Handicapped parking spaces at 603 Broad Street, and the one at North 4th Street at Oxhaven; Mr. Hershey seconded the motion. Motion carried.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
There were no Discussion items.
PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS
President Teel thanked the Borough for the flowers that were sent and for all the cards and letters.
President Teel said that John Stevenson, Ron Hershey and he attended the Solar Panel Seminar. He said some information was worthwhile. Mr. Stevenson said he did speak with David Welsh after the meeting. Mr. Welsh gave the presentation at the meeting. He said he is willing to attend a Council meeting and talk specifically about municipal solar energy. Mr. Stevenson will set something up with Mr. Welsh.
MAYOR’S COMMENTS
Mayor Henry said for future planning, Homecoming will be the week of October 11th in Oxford. He said the Halloween Parade is scheduled for October 28th. He said the route will be very similar to last year but there will be some changes in the judging in order to speed up the flow. Mayor Henry said the Police and Public Safety Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. Mr. Stevenson asked what night Trick or Treat will be held in the Borough. Mayor Henry said it is traditionally held on October 31st.
BOROUGH MANAGER’S COMMENTS
Ms. Brantner had no comments.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Council went in to Executive Session at 7:30 p.m. to discuss two Personnel Contracts, a Personnel Resignation, and Personnel Hiring. Council came out of Executive Session at 9:20 p.m. No decisions were made. Mr. Atkinson made a motion to approve John Kempf’s resignation effective July 22, 2010 from Public Works; Doctor Doyle seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Mr. Atkinson made a motion to approve the hiring of Jeff Dillard as a full-time Public Works employee; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Mr. Atkinson made a motion to post for the hiring of one full-time Public Works employee; Mrs.
Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Mr. Atkinson amended his second motion adding that Jeff Dillard would be hired at a pay rate of $14.00 per hour; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr. Atkinson made a motion to adjourn at 9:25 p.m.; Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Beatrice V. Brantner
Secretary
OXFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING
JUNE 21, 2010
The Meeting of Borough Council was held on June 21, 2010 at the Borough Municipal Building. The meeting was called to order by Mrs. Andrews, Second Vice-President at 7:00 p.m. Mrs. Andrews then led Council in the Pledge of Allegiance which was followed by a moment of silence.
IN ATTENDANCE
Mrs. Andrews, 2nd Vice President Mr. Atkinson, Member
Mrs. Lombardi, Member Mr. Stevenson, Member
Mr. Henry, Mayor Ms. Brantner, Secretary
NOT IN ATTENDANCE
Mr. Teel, President Mr. Hershey, Vice President
Dr. Doyle, Member
SCHEDULED VISITORS
There were no scheduled visitors.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mr. Buzz Dorety said at the last Council meeting someone brought up the lack of parking space within the Borough. He said they also suggested that we need restaurants and antique shops. He asked what happened to Peppercorn’s Restaurant. He asked if Council members felt that the reason they closed was due to lack of parking. Mr. Stevenson said that he thought parking could have been part of it. Mr. Dorety asked why Oxford can’t keep the businesses here. He feels we need stores in Oxford that will be helpful and beneficial to the citizens.
Mr. Dorety said all OMI wants to do is put people in these stores. Ms. Brantner disagreed. She said OMI gave us $200,000.00 towards putting in streetlights which makes a lot of senior citizens feel safer when they are trying to cross the streets. She said she thinks OMI has helped a lot. Ms. Brantner said seven new businesses have come in the Borough within the last few months. Mayor Henry asked Mr. Dorety how he would handle it. Mr. Dorety felt that we could use clothing stores, shoe stores and etc.
Ms. Brantner discussed the handicapped ramp issue with Mr. Dorety. The problem has been corrected.
Ms. Mary Baringer asked if there is going to be handicapped parking spaces put at the other end of town when they do Broad Street. Ms. Brantner said we follow guidelines and there will be handicapped parking spaces.
RECURRING REPORTS FOR APPROVAL
The following reports were presented to Council for approval: Council Meeting Minutes of 5/17/10 (Stevenson-Lombardi); Council Meeting Minutes 6/14/10 (Stevenson-Lombardi); Report of the Treasurer 5/31/10 – it was noted the school district paid their money to the Borough, (Atkinson-Lombardi); Paid Bills – 6/15/10 (Atkinson-Lombardi); Unpaid Bills 6/15/10 (Lombardi-Atkinson); Report of Tax Collector 5/31/10 (Lombardi-Stevenson); Building Codes Report 6/15/10 (Lombardi-Stevenson); Zoning Officer Report (Lombardi-Atkinson).
AGENDA ADOPTION
Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to adopt the agenda, Mr. Stevenson seconded the motion. Ms. Brantner added Item B, Police Station Project to the Executive Session; Item F., Copperfield Escrow to Items Carried Forward; Item E, Gorecon Agreement, Item F, PO #0176619 to H.D. Supply; Item G. PO #017711 to Kirby Built to New Items of Business. Item H., OARA Policing was added by Mr. Stevenson. This item will be tabled until the next meeting. Motion carried to adopt agenda as amended.
REPORT OF THE MAYOR
Mayor Henry gave his report on accidents/incidents, citations and fees collected for the month of May. Mayor Henry said he will need approval for the month of May for 26.5 hours of overtime. Mr. Stevenson made a motion to approve 26.5 hours of overtime; Mr. Atkinson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Mr. Stevenson made a motion to approve the Mayor’s report submitted; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Codes Committee – Mrs. Lombardi apologized for the confusion of her first paragraph on the Codes Report. She said considering this is a draft copy that the first paragraph should be removed. She promised that in the future her reports would be a little more precise.
Finance and Personnel – Minutes of the June Finance & Personnel Committee were submitted for review.
Police and Public Safety – Mr. Atkinson said a meeting was held and a written report will follow. He said the two goals for the month of June is the start of the tactical rifle training and to get officers qualified; and to go through evidence at the Police Station. He said the positives for the month of May was the dedication of the new police building, and the fact the Mayor and Chief were bailed out of jail. He said there were several positive comments about officers on the Police website.
Local Traffic Advisory Committee –Mr. Stevenson said a meeting was held. He said they talked about the curb set-back problems. No written report was submitted.
Public Works – A meeting was not held.
Special Projects – Minutes of the June 7th meeting were submitted for review. Mr. Stevenson said parking garages were also discussed at the meeting. He said Bill Reiter of Walker Parking Consultants is willing to attend a Borough Council meeting and educate us about parking garages. Mr. Stevenson said he feels we need background information regarding this matter. He said the July meeting has been rescheduled for July 6th.
Planning Commission – Minutes of the March 23, 2010 meeting were submitted for review.
Historical Commission – Minutes of the May 12th meeting were submitted for review.
Police Activity Report, Chief Slauch – No report submitted.
Public Works’ Supervisor’s Report – John Schaible submitted the May 2010 Report for review.
Oxford Borough Workplace Safety Committee – Minutes from the May 25, 2010 were submitted for review. Ms. Brantner said they will be getting training tomorrow on the AED’s and CPR.
Union Fire Company Report – The 5/1 through 5/31 report was submitted to Council.
Oxford Area Recreation Authority –April 8 and May 13 – Minutes of the Regular Meeting of April 8 and May 13 meeting were submitted for review.
Mayor Henry said in the most recent Borough News magazine there was an article about Committee Meetings. He said it suggested that even if no one was there from the public to comment that the minutes should indicate that.
Mr. Stevenson made a motion to accept the Committee reports; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried.
BUSINESS CARRIED FORWARD
Sewer Authority Resolution/Water Turn-Off Agreement – Ms. Brantner said our solicitor has approved the agreement. Mr. Stevenson made a motion to approve the OASA agreement; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Church Donation – Mayor Henry said there has been no further discussion regarding this matter. He asked that it be removed from the agenda at this time.
Traffic Ordinance, Four-Way Stop, 6th & New Street – Ms. Brantner said they are still working on this ordinance. Item carried forward.
Solar Energy Seminar – Ms. Brantner said the expenditure would come before Council at some point. Mr. Stevenson made a motion to table the expenditure until it comes forward and we know the cost.
Approval to Advertise Ordinance to Delete Section 22-502-B4f3 Removal of Fiscal Cost/Benefits Analysis – Ms. Brantner said all that we are doing at this point is asking for approval to advertise. She said we have to send it to the county and get their approval as well. Ms. Brantner said that Planning had agreed to this. She said it is something that needs to be taken out because we don’t use it. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to advertise, Mr. Stevenson seconded the motion. Motion carried
Copperfield Escrow – Ms. Brantner said the project was not completed in the amount of time it was supposed to be completed. She said the Borough was requesting more escrow money. As per Mr. Jefferis letter of May 14, 2010, Mr. White would like to use the option as permitted in Section 22-411(5) of the Borough of Oxford Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance to increase the required escrow. This option allows him to rebid that portion of the project which has not yet been constructed. Ms. Brantner said Mr. Jefferis is requesting a 75-day extension in time for submitting information for Borough Council’s review. Mr. Jefferis letter said all information would be submitted by August 31, 2010. Mr. Stevenson made a motion to approve the Copperfield due date to August 31, 2010 as submitted in the letter from Mr. Jefferis of Concord Land Planners for the escrow improvements information; Mr. Atkinson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
NEW ITEMS OF BUSINESS
Water Tank Grant Public Hearing & Resolution #1133 – Ms. Brantner said Resolution #1133 is enclosed in the packets. She said we are submitting a request for funding for improvements to the Oxford Borough’s water tank storage and treatment facility. Ms. Brantner said it was published in the newspaper and the hearing was advertised. Ms. Andrews opened the hearing and asked if there were any public comments or questions about the water tank project. Ms. Brantner said we are doing infrastructure improvements to the raw water tank and the treated water tank. The cost is in the amount of just under $500,000.00. She said we are also applying for the demolition of the old water tank. We will be applying to the Chester County Department of Community Development under the Community Development Block Grant/Community Revitalization Project. There were no questions. Mrs. Andrews closed the hearing. Mr. Stevenson made a motion to approve; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Permission to Advertise Ordinance #832-2010, Common Open Space, for Adoption July 12, 2010 – Ms. Brantner said the solicitor recently reviewed this ordinance and became aware there was an error in their office. The Common Open Space Ordinance adopted by the Borough on 9/21/09 was not forwarded to the Law Library as required by the MPC. Council will need to readopt the ordinance. The solicitor will be covering the cost for readvertising this notice. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to readvertise; Mr. Atkinson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Sycamore Crossing, Dedication of Phase 1 Improvements – Ms. Brantner said this is to give Council an idea where they are with the project. She said it is not ready to be dedicated yet. She said that right now our solicitor is working on an easement for the waterline that will be coming over. No motions needed at this point.
Bid for Borough Hall Renovations – Ms. Brantner referenced the letter from SSM recommending that we go with the low bid for each contract submitted by Vanderhoef Builders of Nottingham, Pa. The bid has been approved by both SSM and our solicitor. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to approve the bid from Vanderhoef Builders for general contracting and flooring at $15,800.00. Mr. Stevenson amended the motion by saying it should include the required bonds and certificate of insurance that match; Mr. Stevenson seconded the amended motion. Mrs. Andrews said we have the bids for the Borough Hall renovations from Vanderhoef for $15,800.00 approved under the conditions of the last paragraph of letter of June 16 from SSM (authorize issuing the Notice of Aware, including the requirement to provide the required bonds and certificate of insurance, to Vanderhoef.) Motion carried.
Gorecon Agreement – Ms. Brantner said this Settlement Agreement resolves the 2008 lawsuit filed by Gorecon against the Borough of Oxford seeking in excess of $100,000 in a breach of contract claim arising out of the North Third Street Storm Sewer project. The Borough denied liability and filed a motion for summary judgment to have the case dismissed. After discovery, Gorecon was able to document that they were entitled to some portion of the claimed amount and they reduced their demand to approximately $45,000. In an effort to avoid the continuing legal costs associated with defending the suit and as a result of the new documentation of costs owed to Gorecon, the parties have agreed to compromise and settle this dispute for the sum of $22,500.00. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to accept the settlement agreement and mutual release between the Borough and Gorecon, Inc. and to authorize C. Randy Teel, President of Council, to execute the agreement on behalf of the Borough once it has been signed by Gorecon; Mr. Atkinson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
PO #0176619 to H.D. Supply – Ms. Brantner said this is for supplies for the Water Department in the amount of $6,100.40. She said it is in their budget. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to approve PO #0176619 to H.D. Supply in the amount of $6,100.40; Mr. Atkinson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
PO #017711 to Kirby Built – Ms. Brantner said this purchase order is for signs in the amount of $2,333.48. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to approve PO #017711 to Kirby Built in the amount of $2,333.48 for the purchase of signs; Mr. Atkinson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
OARA Policing – Item carried forward.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
There were no Discussion Items.
PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS
The President was not in attendance.
MAYOR’S COMMENTS
Mayor Henry mentioned At the Edge – Classic Rock – RELYKS is scheduled to perform on July 9th from 8 to 10 p.m. at 3rd and Locust Street, (Fulton Lawn) in Oxford. He said admission is free. Mayor Henry asked that due to hot weather we have to please check on their elderly neighbors.
BOROUGH MANAGER’S REPORT
Ms. Brantner said her monthly report was enclosed in the packets.
Mrs. Lombardi mentioned that Ms. Brantner has connected the Borough calendar with Google calendar. She said this is very helpful to her. Ms. Brantner said they are also connected to OMI and the Chamber of Commerce.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Council went into Executive Session at 8:13 p.m. to discuss two Personnel Issues and a Police Station Matter. Council came out of Executive Session at 8:31 p.m. No decisions were made.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr. Atkinson made a motion to adjourn at 8:31 p.m.; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Beatrice V. Brantner
Secretary
OXFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING
JUNE 14, 2010
The Meeting of Borough Council was held on June 14, 2010 at the Borough Municipal Building. The meeting was called to order by President Teel at 7:00 p.m. President Teel then led Council in the Pledge of Allegiance which was followed by a moment of silence.
IN ATTENDANCE
Mr. Teel, President Mr. Stevenson, Member (arrived at 7:05 p.m.)
Mrs. Andrews, Member Mrs. Lombardi, Member (arrived at 7:43 p.m.)
Mr. Hershey, Vice President Mr. Atkinson, Member (arrived at 7:05 p.m.)
Ms. Brantner, Secretary
President Teel noted that Council did not have a quorum. He noted Council could not conduct any business until a fourth member arrives. He also noted that on June 3, 2010 an Executive Session was held at 6 p.m. with four Council members present to discuss a legal matter regarding Gore Con. No decisions were made.
President Teel noted that Mr. Atkinson arrived at 7:05 p.m. and Council now had a quorum and was capable of conducting business. Mr. Stevenson also arrived at 7:05 p.m.
NOT IN ATTENDANCE
Dr. Doyle, Member
Mr. Henry, Mayor
SCHEDULED VISITORS
OMI – Economic and Restructuring Development Committee – Sue Cole, Director of Administration at OMI addressed Council. She noted that members of the Economic Development Committee, Jim Price and Wilson King were also in attendance. She said that the Economic Development Committee meets on a monthly basis. She explained that OMI is trying to support economic development and business within the district. Mrs. Cole said OMI is also evaluating what is available as far as resources to ensure that OMI is able to help the district economically. She referred to the studies and surveys that have been done over the years, which indicate that parking falls short as far as the needs of the district. She said there is a large population that utilizes parking on a daily basis, customers, consumers, and employees of the businesses, residents and visitors. Mrs. Cole explained that OMI is adding a Business Development Facilitator to their staff that will be geared to help fill the vacant stores. Mrs. Cole said we have larger anchor style buildings which are empty. She said what they hope to do is decide what type of businesses they would like to bring in to fill the anchor spots. She said usually the anchor locations are the bigger draw and will pull in the higher volume of customers which then supports the other smaller shops. She said we already know, through studies, that parking is not ample enough. She said the Business Development Facilitator will be trained to bring in some of these larger places which will require additional parking over and above what we have right now. She mentioned the steering committee for the theater project which seems to be going very strong. She realizes we can’t make a decision with something that is not physically there today. But, with future thinking if we are going to recruit these larger businesses and look for investors to help us build them ,so the first and foremost thought will be how are we going to park one-hundred cars? She feels we need to start talking about this. She said they would like the Borough Council to take the lead on this. Council member Sherry Andrews said they have been looking for parking for years. She noted that money is also an issue and they have looked for grants. President Teel said he is not against additional parking, but does not want to raise taxes in order to get it. He would like to make it self-sufficient. He said the original concept was lack of convenient parking. President Teel said convenient is not easy to do when it must be spread over a large area. Mrs. Cole agreed. She said we have some office space available throughout South and North Third. Mrs. Cole said we are actively hearing that there is not enough ample parking available to initiate motivation for the businesses to move in. President Teel feels we need a full-time meter attendant. Mr. Drennen said he thinks we need to develop and execute a plan. He understood that Council did not want to raise taxes. However, he said if we don’t do something with the business district taxes will have to be raised. Mr. Drennen said what we need to do with all the Committees is to make sure they are in-line and in agreement that parking is the number one issue in bringing back a vibrant downtown. He said we need a leadership core of people to push this thing forward. He said event parking is not the same as customers repeat parking. He said if want to fill these store fronts we have to think about 600 to 800 parking spaces down the road. Council person John Stevenson asked what the target is for the downtown. He said we are in competition with Oxford Square. He said as much as we want to appeal to our own people we need to bring money in from the outside. Mr. Price said their vision is Arts, Antiques and Authors. He said we need an anchor restaurant, antique and gift shops. President Teel said in a 2007 Feasibility Study the number one theme for Oxford was food and agriculture. President Teel feels that the Borough failed years ago by allowing a lot of buildings downtown to be turned into residential. This affects the parking and perception of security issues. Council person Andrew Atkinson said you have come to us with a request to help with the parking problem and take the lead. He said he thinks they deserve a response back. He said his response is yes, we will help you out. Mr. Atkinson said he would like to serve on a parking Committee, with Council’s permission. He said he would also like to meet with OMI and come back on July 19th with some sort of framework of action. President Teel also felt that a Committee was needed. Ms. Brantner said we do discuss the need for parking. She said we need to make that into a commitment and plan. Mr. Atkinson said parking is the issue and we need to stick on that topic and not veer off on something else. Ms. Brantner said OMI is making a big move in the right direction, by getting a business facilitator. She said Mrs. Cole and her frequently meet with people that are coming into the area and want to open a business. She said the first thing they ask about is the parking. Ms. Brantner said we met with a big health firm from Maryland and their concern was the parking issue. Mr. Price said we are business people, but we are also passionate about the town of Oxford. He said Oxford has been good to all of us. He said it has been his town for 25 years. He said he looks at it for the town as much as anything else. He said it is a great place to live. Council person Hershey said that he does not feel parking is the only issue. He said there is definitely a perception of a security problem. Members of the Economic and Restructuring Development Committee and Council members continued to discuss the entire matter in length. Mr. Drennen asked if President Teel and Ms. Brantner could put a group of people together with Mr. Atkinson and get back to them so a joint committee can be determined.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mr. Dorety asked about the handicapped ramps. Ms. Brantner said they will be removing it.
He discussed the matter in detail.
President Teel asked that the record reflect that Mrs. Lombardi arrived at 7:43 p.m.
AGENDA ADOPTION
Mr. Hershey made a motion to adopt the agenda, Mrs. Andrews seconded the motion. Ms. Brantner added Item K., Solar Energy Conference, and Item L. Railroad Exhibit – Borough Hall, to New Items of Business. Ms. Brantner added the following to the Executive Session, Item A – Gorecon Legal Issue; Item B – Oxford Corp. -Zoning Hearing Board Legal Issue; and Item C., Police Personnel Legal Issue. Ms. Brantner also moved Item B, Fasick Legal Agreement, under Business Carried Forward to the Executive Session as Item D. Motion carried to adopt amended agenda.
BUSINESS CARRIED FORWARD
Sewer Authority Resolution – Water Turn-Off Agreement – Item carried forward.
Fasick Settlement Agreement – Moved to Executive Session.
Church Donation – Item carried forward.
Traffic Ordinance, Four-Way Stop, 6th & New Street – Item carried forward.
NEW ITEMS OF BUSINESS
Approval to Advertise Ordinance to Delete Section 22-502-B4f3 Removal of Fiscal Cost/benefits analysis – Ms. Brantner said there is an item in our ordinances right now that requires that a Fiscal Cost Benefit Analysis is needed when filing plans. This is something we seldom use. Our Zoning Officer has suggested that we remove this ordinance. It has also been discussed at Planning. Mr. Stevenson said our concern was it would inhibit us from putting in development fees. President Teel said we should wait for the paperwork. Item carried forward.
Correction to Minutes of May 10, 2010 – Ms. Brantner said a correction was needed to the minutes of the May 10, 2010 meeting. She said we needed to clarify what was said when we went into the litigation with our solicitor, specifically Gorecon, Inc. v. Borough of Oxford. The minutes now note the docket number 08-09816 that was pending in the Chester County Court of Common Pleas. Mr. Hershey made a motion to amend the minutes of the May 10, meeting as per the correction in red; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Copperfield Escrow Release Request No. 10 – Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to approve a partial escrow release for Copperfield Request No. 10 in the amount of $4,582.56; Mr. Atkinson seconded the motion. Mr. Stevenson questioned why Mr. Schaible is involved in this. Ms. Brantner said this has been our process. Mr. Schaible works with the engineers on inspecting and verifying work has been completed satisfactorily. Motion carried.
Copperfield Escrow Release Request No. 11 – Ms. Brantner said our engineers have reviewed this and are recommending a partial release in the amount of $3,000.00. Mr. Stevenson made a motion to approve escrow release No. 11 as stated in the letter; Mr. Atkinson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Copperfield Possible Increase in Escrow – Ms. Brantner referenced the enclosed letter from David Bright, SSM dated May 28, 2010. Ms. Brantner said this has not been completed in the time that the agreement stated. She said we needed to grant an extension, and ask for an increase in the amount of funding and security. Ms. Brantner asked if Council would grant an extension and she would follow-up with a letter notifying him of the extension and the request for an increase. Mr. Hershey made a motion to grant an extension and increase the escrow; Mrs. Andrews seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Concord Land Planners & Surveyors Extension Request Frost Development (Meadowview) - Mr. Stevenson made a motion to accept the extension, (Sept. 21, 2010) - Mrs. Andrews seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Stone for the Road to the Power Lines on OARA Property – Parley Hess said the stone is no longer needed. We do have an outstanding balance from the various municipalities for the donations that were due in February. Some of the municipalities have requested additional information prior to fulfilling the obligation. He said we are supposed to provide an audit each year for our finances. He said the audit this year will cost $6,000.00. The total donation from all the municipalities is $16,000.00. He said they will continue to do the audit every year as it is required in the corporation agreement. Mr. Hess said they are looking for some feedback from the municipalities regarding what they need to do in order to receive the donations that were due in February. Ms. Brantner said all of our obligations, dues and donations are paid in July. She said she will speak to the treasurer to see if it can be paid in February in the future. They also discussed Boy Scouts and volunteer work that could be done at the OARA Park.
OARA Agreement/ Police Services - Chief Slauch said he was seeing this agreement for the first time. Mr. Hess said there are issues with the properties at the edge of town. Mr. Hess said the position he has taken within the corporation agreement is that the Borough can provide some coverage out there. Mr. Hess said he is not asking for the Police to station someone there. He asked that if in the process of making their tours they could swing-in and see if anything was going on. Mr. Hershey asked if there was a 911 call from the area would it be the Oxford Police or the State Police that would respond. Chief Slauch said in that regard there is a section in the Borough Code that talks about police authority outside of the borough limits that addresses property outside of the Borough on property that is owned by the Borough, or by a municipal authority. Chief Slauch said he spoke about this with the district attorney to see if a municipal authority that is not solely owned by the Borough falls under that. He believes it probably does, however, in order for us to do that, there would have to be a borough ordinance that authorizes us to patrol properties that are owned by an authority of which the borough is part of. He said there would also have to be a mutual aid agreement, either an extension of the agreement we already have with East Nottingham Township, or a specific agreement that would address the property that is part of the OARA. President Teel suggested having our solicitor take a look at the agreement.
Roof Repair, Borough Hall (Oxford Home Improvements) – Ms. Brantner said we had an estimate regarding a leak in the roof. He believes the leak may be coming partly or wholly form the cupola. He would install another copula and replace some of the shingles. The estimate is in the amount of $1,250.00. Ms. Brantner said that bids will be coming in shortly for the Borough Hall Renovation as well. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to approve $1,250.00 to Oxford Home Improvements for roof repairs; Mr. Stevenson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Third Street Streetscape Project Request for Payment No. 3 – Ms. Brantner said payment is being requested for Payment No. 3 in the amount of $70,759.63. Mr. Hershey made a motion to approve Payment No. 3 to Flyway Excavating, Inc., Mr. Stevenson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Solar Energy Seminar – Ms. Brantner said the Chester County Economic Development Council with be holding a seminar regarding financing solar energy projects on June 29, 2010. Ms. Brantner asked if Council members wished to attend. The cost is $25.00 per person. President Teel said that he and Mr. Stevenson are interested in attending. Mr. Hershey said he was also interested. Ms. Brantner asked if Council wishes to pay for Council members to attend. President Teel asked that Ms. Brantner find out if a motion is needed to approve this. Item carried forward.
Railroad Exhibit at Borough Hall – Ms. Brantner said Mr. Ralph Denlinger would like to hold a railroad exhibit in the Borough Hall for three days around the end of November or early December. Ms. Brantner said he would need Council’s permission to do this. President Teel asked if he could provide us some dates. December 18th is the actual day of the 150th Celebration. There were no objections to this from Council.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Oxford Area Sewer Authority Re: 2010 Regional Act 537 Plan – Ms. Brantner said Mr. Lennex will be attending the June Planning Commission meeting regarding this matter.
OASA’s Application to USDA Notice of Potential Impact – Ms. Brantner said the response to the advertisement is included in the packets.
PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS
President Teel said that the Mayor, Chief and he attended the Oxford High School graduation. He also had the CD for the Oxford Town Center Feasibility Study if anyone was interested in copying it.
MAYOR’S COMMENTS
Mayor Henry was not present.
BOROUGH MANAGER’S COMMENTS
Ms. Brantner had no comments.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Council went into Executive Session at 8:55 p.m. to discuss four legal matters. Council came out of Executive Session at 9:12 p.m. No decisions were made. Four legal issues were discussed: Gorecon, Inc., Oxford Corp., Police Personnel Issue and the Fasick Legal Agreement.
Mr. Hershey made a motion to enter in an agreement with Mary Fasick on settlement on 204 South 5th. Street; Mrs. Andrews seconded the motion. Motion carried.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr. Stevenson made a motion to adjourn at 9:13 p.m.; Mrs. Andrews seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Beatrice V. Brantner
Secretary
OXFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING
MAY 17, 2010
The Meeting of Borough Council was held on May 17, 2010 at the Oxford Senior Center, 12 East Locust Street, Oxford, PA. The meeting was called to order by President Teel at 7:00 p.m. President Teel then led Council in the Pledge of Allegiance which was followed by a moment of silence.
IN ATTENDANCE
Mr. Teel, President Mr. Hershey, Vice President
Dr. Doyle, Member Mrs. Andrews, Member
Mr. Stevenson, Member Mrs. Lombardi, Member
Mr. Atkinson, Member
Mr. Henry, Mayor Ms. Brantner, Secretary
Mayor Henry thanked everyone for coming. Mayor Henry said this is the 4th year he will be presenting the Citizen Recognition Awards. He said the awards are for individuals that volunteer or work for an organization within the Borough of Oxford that assists in improving the quality of life in Oxford. He noted organizations are also eligible. Citizen Recognition Awards went to:
Kathy Book
Sue Cole
Buzz Dorety
Gregory Duke
Christine Grove
Brie Harris
Kasey Harris
Neighborhood Services Center
Eleanor Roper
Union Fire Company No. 1
Mayor Henry said he was pleased to make presentations to the seven girls that have achieved the Girl Scouts Gold Award. He said in Boy Scouts young men strive to achieve the Eagle Scout Award. He said in Girl Scouting the equivalent to an Eagle Scout Award is the Girl Scout Gold Award. The following girls received the Girl Scout Gold Award:
Erin Carter
Kierra Johnson
Hope Crowl
Ashley Ramberger
Michelle Hoover
Catherin King
Jessica Jordan
After the presentations there was a break for a photo-op; Council went back in session at 7:30 p.m.
SCHEDULED VISITORS
Oxford Youth Advisory Council – End of School Year Report – Hope Crowl passed out a letter to Council members regarding the events, fund raising, and community projects they did the past year. She noted the applications for the OYAC for next year have been sent to the local schools.
Mr. Stevenson thanked the group for the example they are setting. Mr. Atkinson thanked the two adult co-advisors to the group, Ashley Whiteman and Rachel Walsh, for being very supportive. Mayor Henry offered to help the group next year with a webpage. President Teel thanked them for the time they have donated.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mr. Greg Duke – Mr. Duke said that at their next meeting on May 25th the County will be making a presentation. He encouraged everyone to attend to get an overview of what has been done. It will be held at the Borough at 6 p.m.
RECURRING REPORTS FOR APPROVAL
The following reports were presented to Council for approval: Council Meeting minutes of 4/19/10(Doyle-Stevenson); Mr. Hershey and President Teel abstained due to absenteeism. Council Meeting minutes of 5/10/10 (Doyle-Hershey); Report of the Treasurer 4/30/10 (Hershey-Doyle); Paid Bills 5/15/10 (Hershey-Doyle); Unpaid bills 5/15/10 – (Hershey-Atkinson); Report of Tax Collector 4/30/10 (Lombardi/Hershey); Building Codes Report, not submitted; Zoning Officer Report 5/15/10 (Doyle-Lombardi).
AGENDA ADOPTION
Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to adopt the agenda, Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. Mayor Henry added Item M, Oxford Area Rec. Authority Minutes to Committee Reports; and Item A., Distractive Driving to Discussion Items; Ms. Brantner added Item F., Police Pension Ordinance; and Item G., Police Station, Change Order No. 9 to Business Carried Forward. Motion carried to adopt agenda as amended.
REPORT OF THE MAYOR
Mayor Henry gave his report on accidents/incidents, citations and fees collected year-to-date through the end of April. Overtime for the month of April was 106 hours. Mayor Henry said he would need authorization for an additional 46 hours of overtime. Mr. Stevenson made a motion to approve the 46 hours of overtime, Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Mr. Stevenson made a motion to accept the Mayor’s Report, Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. Motion carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Codes Committee –Mrs. Lombardi submitted minutes from the April 26, 2010 Codes Committee meeting. Items for Council will be presented at a later date.
Finance and Personnel – Mrs. Andrews submitted minutes from the May 13, 2010 Finance and Personnel Committee meeting.
Police and Public Safety – Minutes were submitted from the May 12, 2010 meeting. Mr. Atkinson mentioned that grant money was obtained for overtime to put out a bike patrol several times a week. They will most likely start out when the school year ends. Mr. Atkinson said the Open House at the Police Station will be held on May 22nd at 10:00 a.m.
Local Traffic Advisory Committee – Minutes were submitted from the May 3rd meeting.
Public Works – Minutes were submitted for the May 6th meeting. Mr. Atkinson said the three points of pride that Mr. Schaible focused on for the month of April were the progress of Streetscape, the success of the spring clean-up; and the clean out of unwanted items at Public Works. The two goals for the next month are Streetscape, and to compile a list of items of value from Public Works to sell.
Special Projects – No meeting was held. Mr. Stevenson discussed what projects the Special Projects are presently working on.
Planning Commission – No minutes submitted.
Historical Commission – Minutes from the April 14th meeting were submitted for review.
Police Activity Report, Chief Slauch – Report submitted.
Public Works’ Supervisor’s Report – April support submitted. Mr. Atkinson said that at the Police Station there are two poles at the end of the driveway. He said from what he understands they need to be painted yellow. He said he was going to talk to Mr. Schaible to see if this could be done before the dedication on Saturday.
Oxford Borough Workplace Safety Committee – Minutes were submitted from the April 27th meeting. President Teel commented on the article about the Oxford Safety Committee in the magazine. He asked that we thank Mrs. Anderson for doing this.
Union Fire Company Report –Report submitted, 4/1 through 4/30.
Oxford Area Recreation Authority – Minutes were submitted for the March 11th meeting and the April 8th meeting for Council’s review.
Dr. Doyle made a motion to accept the Committee reports, Mr. Hershey seconded the motion. Motion carried.
BUSINESS CARRIED FORWARD
Sewer Authority Resolution – Water Turn-Off Agreement - Ms. Brantner said the solicitors are still working on the agreement. Item carried forward.
Fasick Settlement Agreement - Item carried forward.
Church Donation - Item carried forward.
Skateboard Ordinance - May 17, 2010 Hearing and Adoption – President Teel opened the hearing for the Skateboard Ordinance (#830-2010) to the public. Mrs. Lombardi clarified the change. She said it refers specifically to the park and the use of pedicycles. Council discussed the changes. Mr. Stevenson moved to close the hearing. There was a motion from Committee to adopt the ordinance. Motion carried unanimously.
Traffic Ordinance, Four-way Stop, 6th & New Street - Item carried forward.
Police Pension Ordinance – Ms. Brantner said that Council approved the ordinance for advertisement and adoption May 17, 2010. (Ord. 831-2010). She said this ordinance is to change the contribution portion in order to make it coincide with the contract adopted for the police. It affects the Police Pension Fund. The hearing was opened for the Police Pension ordinance. There were no questions from the public or Council. The hearing was closed. There was a motion from Committee to adopt the Police Pension Fund ordinance. Motion carried.
Police Station – Re-Bid Change Order No. 9 - Ms. Brantner said that Change Order 10 was recently approved. She said we were holding Change Order No. 9 pending getting some things worked out at the Police station. She said it covered ceiling tiles. Chief Slauch said the ceiling tiles should have showed as a credit and the remainder of Change order No. 9 must be approved. The Borough engineer said Council had tabled action on No. 9 because of a dispute over one of the items. The ceiling tile issue was resolved in CO #10. Mr. Hershey made a motion to approve Change Order No. 9 in the amount of $2,058.73, Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. Motion carried. Chief Slauch said the majority of problems have been resolved.
NEW ITEMS OF BUSINESS
Letter of Interest, Historical Commission - Karen A. Panckeri – Ms. Panckeri was present at the meeting. Council thanked her for volunteering to serve on the Historical Commission. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to appoint Karen Panckeri to the Oxford Historical Commission; Mr. Stevenson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Distractive Driving – Mayor Henry distributed a draft Resolution regarding Distractive Driving to Council members. He said he did not think we should go to the expense of passing an ordinance that possibly could not be enforced; or might be contradicting as to what the Commonwealth is planning on doing in the future. Mayor Henry suggested Council consider drafting a Resolution that be sent to the Commonwealth asking that they consider legislation. He said perhaps at a later meeting Council may decide to take some action on trying to let our legislators know we are concerned about distractive driving. Council members discussed the matter in detail.
PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS
President Teel said he attended the Methodist Church Ceremonies last month. He said they appreciate everything everyone does for the community. He commended Corporal Brown on his narration. He said he has been in touch with Susan Fasnacht regarding the alternative energy field. She will be looking into what is available for the Borough.
MAYOR’S COMMENTS
Mayor Henry said the public is invited to attend the Open House this coming Saturday at 10 a.m. at the Police Station. The Mayor said that the Chief and he will be garbed in jailhouse attire and in the cells. He said people will have the option of bailing them out and any proceeds will be going to the Oxford Town Watch. Mayor Henry said he attended a meeting at OMI last Friday and a lot of positive things are happening. He thinks 3 or 4 new businesses will be opening shortly.
BOROUGH MANAGER’S REPORT
Ms. Brantner asked if there were any questions on her report. President Teel thanked her for the article she wrote on the trees. Ms. Brantner said we are getting good feedback from the project. She said there seems to be a lot more interest from potential businesses. Ms. Brantner said Dunkin Donuts is going through their inspections and the grand opening will be happening shortly.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
No Executive Session was held.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr. Stevenson made a motion to adjourn at 8:54 p.m.; Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Beatrice V. Brantner
Secretary
OXFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING
MAY 10, 2010
The Meeting of Borough Council was held on May 10, 2010 at the Borough Municipal Building. The meeting was called to order by President Teel at 7:00 p.m. President Teel then led Council in the Pledge of Allegiance which was followed by a moment of silence.
IN ATTENDANCE
Mr. Teel, President Mr. Hershey, Vice President
Dr. Doyle, Member Mrs. Andrews, Member
Mr. Stevenson, Member Mrs. Lombardi, Member (Arrived at 7:05 p.m.)
Mr. Atkinson, Member (Arrived at 7:12 p.m.)
Mr. Henry, Mayor (Arrived at 7:09 p.m.) Ms. Brantner, Secretary
Stephen Mc Donnell, Solicitor
SCHEDULED VISITORS
Tina Skinner, Managing Director, Oxford Arts Alliance – Ms. Skinner, the new Managing Director of the Oxford Arts Alliance said she would be helping all the wonderful volunteers organize the monthly events. She said they include a performing arts series starting in the fall in addition to their monthly events for adults. She said they are going to have Saturday morning events for children in the gallery. She mentioned the monthly art shows and the First Friday Art Strolls. Ms. Skinner said they are planning a Garden Party for June 5th in the parking lot of Oxford Feed and Lumber. Jahan Sheikholeslami, President of the Oxford Arts Alliance, said that the last First Friday event was incredibly successful. He said approximately 150 people were in attendance. President Teel mentioned his meeting last Friday with the Southern Chester County Chamber of Commerce along with Eleanor Roper and Sue Cole. He said they were very ecstatic about what is going on with Oxford Arts Alliance.
Mr. Stevenson said that on May 25th there will be representatives from the Chester County Planning Commission that are controlling the Regional Comprehensive Plan in attendance at the Borough Planning Commission meeting. Borough Council members are invited to attend the meeting. They will be explaining where we are and where we are going with the Comprehensive Plan. He encouraged everyone to attend the meeting for an update.
Allen Fowler, Union Fire Company was on the agenda as a scheduled visitor but asked to be heard at 8 p.m.
PUBLIC COMMENT – Mr. Dorety was in attendance about his continuing problems on N. Third Street. Mr. Dorety said it is his understanding that due to Government Stimulus Money all of the main intersections have been made handicapped accessible. He said his 90-year old neighbors were out trying to clear the dirt from the storm grate. He said because of the storm grate project and the improper drainage – the water now runs the length of Third Street and ends up running up and over his front and side yard. He would like to know who is responsible for this. He also asked why PennDOT subcontracted the work. He thanked Ms. Brantner for coming down and meeting with him regarding this matter. Ms. Brantner told Mr. Dorety that she did meet with PennDOT. She has sent a number of PennDOT representatives’ photos of what is going on there. She said she is hoping they will put the curb back and get rid of the ramp all together. President Teel said this has ended up a nightmare for many people.
AGENDA ADOPTION
Mr. Hershey made a motion to adopt the agenda, Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. Mayor Henry added two items, New Business, Item G, Oxford Area Recreational Authority; and under Executive Session, Possible Legal Issue; Ms. Brantner added a Personnel Item to the Executive Session. President Teel moved Item A. of the Executive Session, Gorecon, Inc. to immediately after the agenda adoption; and Item B, Senior Assistance Program to Discussion Items. Ms. Brantner said for point of clarification we are going into Executive Session to discuss pending litigation with our solicitor, specifically Gorecon, Inc. v. Borough of Oxford, docket number 08-09816, pending in the Chester County Court of Common Pleas. Motion carried to adopt agenda as amended.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Council went in to Executive Session at 7:20 p.m. to discuss the pending litigation with Gorecon, Inc. with solicitor. Council came out of Executive Session at 7:50 p.m. No decisions were made.
SCHEDULED VISITORS, CONTINUED
Allen Fowler, Union Fire Company - Mr. Fowler thanked Council for their support in the past. He gave Council members a copy of the 2009 Annual Report. He said in 2014 the 1989 ladder is due to be replaced mostly due to safety issues. He discussed the money needed for this purchase. He said Tanker 21 will need to be replaced sometime in the next 5 years. He discussed the Borough and Township funds that take care of apparatus purchases. Due to cost, they may need an increase again in 2012. He said the Nottingham Station went in to service in December of 2009. He said the land was donated and the mortgage was approximately $500,000.00. He said he was proud to say the mortgage is down to $163,000.00. He said they have two acres of ground that is paid for in East Nottingham Township. He said they hope to put a sub-station in that area in the future. The Deputy Chief was also in attendance to answer any questions. Mayor Henry asked about the increase. Mr. Fowler explained cost and assessment in detail. He stressed they are not asking to go against their letter of 2011. President Teel commended them for trying to keep the cost down but also trying to keep safety as the number one item. Ms. Brantner asked if they could attend the Borough Safety meetings. Mr. Fowler said they would love to participate but the work schedules are the problem.
BUSINESS CARRIED FORWARD
Sewer Authority Resolution - Water Turn-Off Agreement – Ms. Brantner said we are still waiting on the agreement. Item carried forward.
Fasick Settlement Agreement – Item carried forward.
Church Donation – Item carried forward.
Skateboard Ordinance Review -Advertised for May 17 Adoption – Mrs. Lombardi noted some of the language has been changed. Adoption is set for the next meeting.
Boiler Repair Quote from Cameron’s - Ms. Brantner said a quote was received but we are not moving forward with it at this time. She said we have to see if we can get a variance. Ms. Brantner said the engineers are working on this matter.
NEW ITEMS OF BUSINESS
Resolution #1132-2010 -Designation of Agent Resolution – FEMA – Ms. Brantner said this is a Resolution to make Chief Slauch the agent as far as moving forward collecting the money from the snow storm. Mr. Hershey made a motion to adopt Resolution #1132-2010, Mr. Stevenson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Four-Way Stop / 6th Street and New Street Ordinance Permission to Advertise – Ms. Brantner said we had planned to ask for permission to advertise, however, the solicitor advised that according to a 2006 law we would need to do a traffic study in order to do this. Ms. Brantner said it is not on a state road. She said we will have to look into this further before asking for permission to advertise. Patrick McKenna will be researching this item. Item carried forward.
Police Station – Re-Bid Change Order No. 10 (Revised) – Ms. Brantner said we have been going back and forth regarding this matter. Chief Slauch and the engineer have been working on this. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to approve Change Order No. 10 (Revised) – SSM File #100659.0059 in the amount of $1,788.64; Mr. Atkinson seconded the motion. Motion carried. Maintenance on Water Tanks – Seeking Funding – Ms. Brantner said we had a company come out regarding what needed to be repaired on our water tanks. She said the final figure is $520,505.00. She said two separate estimates were enclosed in the packets. Ms. Brantner said she will try to seek funding. She said this needs to be done as soon as possible. Dr. Doyle said on one of his previous terms on Council he had finally convinced other members that money needed to be put away each year for this project. Dr. Doyle said this was not done. Ms. Brantner reiterated that she will try to find grant money. She said that we have been successful in the past to the tune of over four million dollars in grant money over the last six or seven years. It was noted that if we can’t get grant money that our only option would be a bond. Mr. Hershey noted a bond would increase water rates. DEP has said this needs to be done. Mr. Stevenson asked if Council could be advised what amount of the $520,000.00 a grant would cover. Ms. Brantner said if she is able to get a grant it would cover everything but 15% to 25% depending on the type of grant. She said the 15% to 25% is usually our engineering costs. Mrs. Lombardi asked what happens if we don’t repair it. Ms. Brantner said DEP would require us to repair it. She said our water is important to all of us so we have to maintain it.
President Teel brought up alternative energy. He said there is 100% federal funding for these projects for municipalities. He said he would like to see some sort alternative energy put into the Borough. Mr. Stevenson asked if Council would entertain having someone from Tangent Energy Solutions come in. President Teel said no because he would like to see the Borough own it. He said he would like to see the Borough get the energy credits as that is the most valuable thing on the whole project. Mr. Stevenson asked if the Borough Council would not be educated better if they heard the alternatives that are out there. He said we don’t have $500,000.00 or a million dollars to go around putting up solar panels. President Teel reiterated there is 100% federal funding for municipalities that go into this alternative energy. Mr. Stevenson asked if we wanted to do this now or wait ten years when we get through the process of getting grants for solar electric. Mr. Atkinson said that David Sweet is looking for direction from Council regarding this matter. Mr. Stevenson said the Oxford Planning Commission has been after Mr. Sweet for two years to draft legislation in the form of an ordinance for wind and solar to be presented to the Planning Commission to present to Council for review. Mrs. Lombardi said there is a lot to look into. She thinks Mr. Sweet is doing a lot of research. Council continued to discuss the matter. Mr. Atkinson suggesting moving on because this subject was not on the agenda for discussion.
Western Terrace/Coach Street , Parking – Mr. Hershey said at the LTAC meeting it was brought to our attention from a letter from a resident that we might want to think about taking out the parking on the west side of Western Terrace and also the parking (along the park) on Coach Street. He said with the library construction that will be taking place there will be increased traffic after that is done. He said along the park side on Coach Street children dart out between parked cars. Mr. Stevenson said the Planning Commission had the same concerns when the plans for the expansion of the library came through. Ms. Brantner said a traffic survey might have to be done on this as well. This can be pursued along with the ordinance. President Teel asked that they check the cost of a trip box as compared to how much it costs per site.
Third Street Streetscape Project Request for Payment No. 2 – Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to approve Payment No. 2 for the Third Street Streetscape Project in the amount of $57,728.33 to Flyway Excavating, Inc.; Mr. Hershey seconded the motion. Motion carried. Ms. Brantner said everyone is very pleased with Flyway Excavating.
Oxford Area Recreational Authority – Mayor Henry said there was email sent on 4/29/2010 to all the municipalities who are participating in the OARA. Mayor Henry read the email to Council members. Mayor Henry said it was discovered during the new organization that there were some things that were never officially signed when the authority was organized. He said one thing was the by-laws which were attached to the original resolutions that all the municipalities signed as well as a copy of the joinder agreement. The solicitor has recommended that we move forward and execute these two documents as they should have been executed eight or nine years ago. The authority’s obligation at this point is to notify the municipalities of its intent to do so.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Copy Machines – Security Risk? - www.wimp.com/copymachines/ -Ms. Brantner said Mrs. Anderson brought this issue to her attention. She wanted to make everyone aware that copiers made after 2002 contain a hard drive and save all the documents. Our concern is about how to dispose of old copy machines.
Senior Assistance Program – President Teel said he had several Boy Scout groups, and Cub Scouts troops volunteer their services when needed by senior citizens and handicapped individuals. He said he trying to set up a data base of information. He said there are some seniors out there that could use help with things like snow removal. Ms. Brantner said the Oxford Senior Center also has a list of students that will help with yard work and snow removal. The Borough has the list and can give out the names as needed.
PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS
President Teel said we do have the graduation coming up and he will be attending.
MAYOR’S COMMENTS
Mayor Henry reminded everyone that the next meeting (May 17th) will be held at the Oxford Senior Center. He said in addition to the Citizens ‘Awards, presentations of the Gold Award will be given to 8 Girl Scouts. The Mayor said the dedication to the Police Station will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 22nd. He noted that the fax number on the invitation is not correct. Please RSVP to fax number 610-998-0036.
BOROUGH MANAGER’S COMMENTS
Ms. Brantner said to check the Borough website to see what is happening with the Streetscape Project. She also noted that the Chester County Press did a nice article about the Streetscape. Ms. Brantner said she had sent an email to the Chester County Press about the tree situation. She said she thinks that might be on the op-ed page this week.
Mayor Henry said he appreciated what Ms. Brantner has done to try and explain the issue of the tree removal. He said she did an excellent job. Mayor Henry said Friday night was a great time in Oxford despite the construction. He said the jazz group was wonderful.
Mayor Henry said the Oxford Area Youth Center has worked hard on the landscaping at the Police Station. He said they did a real nice job.
Mr. Stevenson said we lost a member of our community on May 5th, Steven Jon Alleman. Mr. Alleman was only 51 years old. He dedicated 33 years of service to AMTRAK where he was a general manager of the Mid-Atlantic Division.
Steven
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Council went into Executive Session to discuss a property issue, legal issue, and a personnel issue. Council came out of Executive Session at 10:08 p.m. No decisions were made.
ADJOURMENT
Mr. Stevenson made a motion to adjourn at 10:08 p.m.; Mrs. Andrews seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Beatrice V. Brantner
Borough Manager
OXFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING
APRIL 12, 2010
The Meeting of Borough Council was held on April 12, 2010 at the Borough Municipal Building. The meeting was called to order by President Teel at 7:00 p.m. President Teel then led Council in the Pledge of Allegiance which was followed by a moment of silence.
IN ATTENDANCE
Mr. Teel, President Mr. Hershey, Vice President
Dr. Doyle, Member Mrs. Andrews, Member
Mr. Stevenson, Member Mrs. Lombardi, Member
Mr. Henry, Mayor Ms. Brantner, Secretary
NOT IN ATTENDANCE
Mr. Atkinson, Member
SCHEDULED VISITORS
Representatives of the Oxford Youth Advisory Council, Hope Crowl and Tiffany Scholz, were in attendance. A letter was distributed to Council discussing the projects that are coming up. On April 25th the OAYA will be at the police station to plant bushes and shrubs, paint railings and poles, and spread mulch. On May 16th they will plant flowers around the station.
The 2nd Annual Youth Day will be held May 1st from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Oxford Memorial Park. The rain date for the event is May 2nd. There will be various booths set up for games for children of all ages. Everyone will be able to bring their own food for a “tailgate” and there will be live musical entertainment.
They recently finished a Yankee Candle sale which proved successful. The profits made by this fundraiser will be used towards the project at the police station and Youth Day.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Buzz Dorety was in attendance. He said he wanted to refresh Council’s memory about his continuing nightmare on N. Third Street. Mr. Dorety had some questions about the donations to the Borough and how they must be handled. He also discussed the elderly people and snow removal. He suggested we have a “hotline” for those that need help with things like snow removal. He also suggested having the Boy Scouts help the elderly. President Teel said he has been in touch with a new Boy Scout troop that is in the Borough and they are willing to help. He also mentioned that the first block on South 5th Street will be going together to purchase a community snow blower. He said senior citizens will not have to worry about snow removal on this block. President Teel said he will be talking further to the Boy Scouts about volunteering their time.
AGENDA ADOPTION
Mr. Hershey made a motion to adopt the agenda; Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. Ms. Brantner added Item C, regarding the Oxford Area Sewer Authority to Discussion Items. Motion carried to adopt agenda as amended.
BUSINESS CARRIED FORWARD
Disruptive Conduct Ordinance – Review, Advertised for Adoption April 19, 2010 – Ms. Brantner said this ordinance is on the agenda for everyone’s review. It has been advertised and is scheduled for a hearing and proposed adoption on April 19, 2010.
Police Purchase Request for Two Colt Assault Rifles – Due to the fact Mr. Atkinson was absent Chief Slauch addressed Council regarding this purchase request. Chief Slauch said he had the information Council requested at the last meeting. He handed out a written proposal regarding the Patrol Rifle Purchase. The proposal covered the cost of the rifles, the ammunition and the training. He said it would be a three day training which is composed of both class room and “Live Fire” instruction. Chief Slauch said the instructor has agreed to do the training for a cost of $150.00 per officer, bringing the total to $2,100.00. He said if Colt were to provide the training it would cost $3,600.00. He said the funding amount that was approved back in October was set at $5,750.00. This leaves a balance of $1,091.62 remaining after the proposed expenditures. Chief Slauch said he is planning active shooter training in one of the schools in the Borough. He said that money will be a part of grant that was received from the Stimulus Funds. He said this will involve more advanced training in the use of the patrol rifles and it will also include one of the regional CERT teams.
Chief Slauch said it is a semi-automatic rifle that is built specifically for general patrol utilization. He said it is not an automatic weapon and it is not capable of being switched or easily modified. The Chief and Council continued to discuss cost and training. Mr. Stevenson made a motion to approve the purchase; Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. Mr. Stevenson amended his motion to say that we accept as submitted by the Chief the purchase of two Colt LE6920 weapons at a cost of $927.00 per rifle for a total of $1,854.00; and the training ammunition at a cost of $443.73, and the Duty Ammunition at a total cost of $260.65; and the training at a total cost of $2,100.00; he also noted that there is still an outstanding remaining balance of the donated funds in the amount of $1,091.62 that could be used to add accessories or additional training; Dr. Doyle seconded the modified motion. Mr. Hershey asked if we will be paying time and one-half during training. Chief Slauch said not for everyone, it will depend on how we are able to schedule it. Mr. Hershey questioned the total cost of training. Chief Slauch said we will try to schedule training with the least impact on the budget as possible. Motion carried with one Nay vote by Mr. Hershey. President Teel noted this will come out of the Gift Fund.
NEW ITEMS OF BUSINESS
Skateboard Ordinance – Mrs. Lombardi said after much previous discussion this clears up the ordinance stating skateboards may be operated on sidewalks and paved or macadam surfaced trails and paths. She said they also removed the word pedalcycle. Mrs. Lombardi said bicycle and skateboard comes out and motorbike stays in. Council discussed the changes and definitions. Mrs. Lombardi said Committee would like permission to advertise. Motion carried to advertise skateboard ordinance with the changes of bicycle and skateboard being deleted in Section J.
Police Pension Fund Ordinance –Ms. Brantner said in their contract we changed their contribution figure and that is what this basically does. This formalizes the change to the contract. Mr. Stevenson made a motion to advertise the police pension fund ordinance; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Cell Phone Ordinance – Ms. Brantner said there was a discussion about a cell phone ordinance. She said the Codes Committee asked that we take it to our solicitor. Ms. Brantner said the written response from the solicitor is enclosed in the packets. She said we were advised to simply wait for the Commonwealth to pass its own ban on hand-held cell phone use rather than enact an ordinance now, which the Borough will only have to repeal or never enforce once the state Act becomes effective. President Teel said he had a problem with H.B. 2070. He said he is not in favor of people using cell phones while they are driving. He thinks if we write an ordinance it should be written for all distractions. Council discussed the matter in detail. Dr. Doyle said he is not in favor of passing unnecessary and intrusive regulations, or nonproductive ones. Mayor Henry suggested sending a Resolution to Senator Pileggi. Ms. Brantner said she would prepare a draft Resolution.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Codes Commercial Property Campaign –Ms. Brantner said she has been working with OMI for a number of years. She said one of the biggest issues that always come up is people questioning why we have empty store fronts. She said they have been trying to narrow down what we feel is the problem. Ms. Brantner said they feel some of the properties are in need of repair and there are some code issues. Ms. Brantner said that George Guss and she have discussed this with the solicitor. We questioned if the Residential Rental Property Ordinance under the International Property Maintenance Code covers commercial properties. We have been told that it does cover commercial properties. Ms. Brantner said that OMI has given us a list of properties that are in need of attention. She said that OMI, our Codes Inspector and she will be starting a Commercial Property Campaign and Mr. Guss will be visiting the properties. She said in order to rent the properties they must be brought up to Code. Ms. Brantner said there hope is to get these properties into shape and rented.
Tax Incentives for Businesses for Property Owners – Ms. Brantner said one of the things that we need to do in order not to raise taxes is to bring businesses into the Borough. She said one of the ways the municipalities around us bring in business is by offering tax incentives. Ms. Brantner said she is asking Council to think about this issue. She noted that we are in the middle of a Revitalization Plan Update and this is one of the issues that will come up. Council discussed the pros and cons of this matter. President Teel said that he feels Kennett Square did an exceptional job of revitalizing their business district. Ms. Brantner said that OMI, and she met with two Chester County Planning Officials. She said they were very pleased and surprised with the things that Oxford Mainstreet and the Borough are doing.
Oxford Area Sewer Authority 537 Plan – Ms. Brantner said an updated schedule is enclosed in the packets. She said the Draft Plan will be sent to all the municipalities in May. In August, they hope to have a Final Draft Plan approved by each municipality and the Authority and submitted to DEP.
Oxford Area Sewer Authority – Ms. Brantner said we were asked to come up with a Water-Turn-Off Agreement. She said right now if someone does not pay their water bill we can turn off the water. Ms. Brantner said we recently had a situation where someone paid their water bill, but did not pay their sewer bill. She said we are trying to get an agreement that allows us to turn their water off for non-payment of the sewer bill. The solicitor is working on this and next week she hopes to have an agreement for Council to review.
PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS
President Teel referenced the letter enclosed in the packets from the Union Fire Company about their upcoming meeting. He will not be able to attend this year but encouraged other members to attend the meeting if possible. President Teel said he planned to attend the event at the Oxford United Methodist Church and mentioned it was a very nice gesture.
MAYOR’S COMMENTS
Mayor Henry said that this coming Saturday, April 17, the Little League Parade will occur. He hoped everyone could attend. Mayor Henry said kudos to OMI, the Chamber and the merchants for the last First Friday. He said it was really nice in the middle of the day to see hundreds of kids and families walking the streets in Oxford. He said many folks that have not been here in awhile and happened to be in Oxford during this time indicated how impressed they were to see where Oxford has come over the last several years. Mayor Henry said he wanted to comment on OMI. He says he knows we have been asked if we need to continue to contribute to OMI. He said we should realize that if OMI was not out there in the forefront trying to attract businesses and improve downtown it would probably default to the Borough. He said that would mean at some point in time we would have to consider hiring a downtown manager that would cost a lot more than our annual contribution to OMI for the same services. Mayor Henry said those three groups worked extremely hard to make the last First Friday a success. He also mentioned that the second meeting in May will be held at the Oxford Senior Center in order to present the “Citizens Awards.” Mayor Henry said on April 22nd he will be meeting with the other Mayors from West Grove, Avondale and Kennett Square. He said he did get some information from the PSAB. He was given a list of the previous officers. He said they are more than willing to come down as an organization to help plan, and even fund, another planning meeting. The Mayor said it would probably behoove this area of the county to reformat, adopt by-laws, and actually have a seat on the PSAB Board. He said this will be discussed further at his next meeting with the other Mayors.
BOROUGH MANAGER’S COMMENTS
Ms. Brantner said that Memorial Park really took a beating the other night. She said there were tires, beer bottles, trash cans turned up, and etc. Officer Coverly said he was going to speak to the Chief about getting a regular patrol there. She mentioned it is getting very costly to the Borough. She said that we recently painted the tables and now they have more graffiti on them; the Lion’s Club paints the gazebo and then destruction is done again. Ms. Brantner said we will need more police coverage at the Park. She said we also need a copy of the Code regarding destruction to the park property.
President Teel said that Andrew Atkinson had mentioned that school is only being held half-days this week. He said Mr. Atkinson said there were some complaints from senior citizens that the park was being overrun.
Ms. Brantner brought up the stimulus money that went to PennDOT for handicapped ramps. She said she asked for a punch list from Mr. Tudor, PennDOT Project Manager. She said we have 126 ramps in the Borough, and they have 80 some issues. Ms. Brantner said Senator Pileggi and Representative Houghton have been extremely helpful to us. She thinks it made a world of difference once we contacted them. She said some people are working through the night on some of these things. Ms. Brantner said after getting together with these people they at least are trying to fix these problems.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
There was no Executive Session.
President Teel said that neither he nor Mr. Hershey will be able to attend the April 19th meeting.
ADJOURMENT
Mr. Stevenson made a motion to adjourn at 8:24 p.m.; Mrs. Andrews seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Respectfully Submitted Beatrice V. Brantner
Secretary
OXFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING
MARCH 15, 2010
The Meeting of the Oxford Borough Council was held on March 15, 2010 at the Borough Municipal Building. The meeting was called to order by President Teel at 7:00 p.m. President Teel then led Council in the Pledge of Allegiance which was followed by a moment of silence.
IN ATTENDANCE
Mr. Teel, President Mr. Hershey, Vice President
Dr. Doyle, Member Mrs. Andrews, Member
Mr. Stevenson, Member Mrs. Lombardi, Member
Mr. Atkinson, Member
Mr. Henry, Mayor Ms. Brantner, Secretary
SCHEDULED VISITORS
There were no scheduled visitors.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mr. Dorety was present to discuss the damages to his home. President Teel thanked him for his comments.
RECURRING REPORTS FOR APPROVAL
The following reports were presented to Council for approval: Council Meeting Minutes of 2/15/10 (Atkinson-Andrews) Mayor Henry said the amount of tickets issued in his report should be corrected to read 59, Mr. Hershey abstained; Council Meeting Minutes 3/8/10 (Hershey-Andrews); Report of the Treasurer 2/28/10 (Stevenson-Doyle); Paid Bills 3/15/10 (Doyle-Andrews); Unpaid Bills 3/15/10 (Doyle-Lombardi) Dr. Doyle questioned the cost of the shovel, Dr. Doyle also questioned Item #365 for Bright Beginnings: Ms. Brantner noted there is a legal issue with this matter; Report of the Tax Collector (Atkinson-Stevenson); Building Codes Report (Hershey-Lombardi) Mr. Stevenson questioned the Certificate of Occupancy date for the Wine and Spirits Shop; Zoning Officer Report (Hershey-Doyle).
AGENDA ADOPTION
Dr. Doyle made a motion to adopt the agenda, Mr. Hershey seconded the motion. President Teel questioned Item A, Police and Public Safety Legal Issue for the Executive Session; he was not sure if it really constituted a legal matter. President Teel said the item may be covered before the Executive Session. Motion carried to accept agenda.
REPORT OF THE MAYOR
Mayor Henry said for the month of February there was a total of 76 ½ hours overtime. Mayor Henry said the Resolution allows for 56 hours so he would be asking for approval of an additional 20 ½ hours of overtime. Mayor Henry gave his report on accidents/incidents, citations and fees collected for the month of February. Mayor Henry said his Annual Report to Council was also included in the packet. He noted on the back of the report there was a three year comparison report of overtime and police activity. Mayor Henry noted that in regards to police activity for the past three years they have reached 9651 calls per year; conducted on average 1089 initial investigations; and 303 supplemental investigations. The three year average in terms of revenue generated and put in to the operating fund is approximately $65,020.33. Mr. Stevenson made a motion to approve the 20.5 hours of overtime; Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. Motion carried. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to accept the Mayor’s Report; Mrs. Andrews seconded the motion. Motion carried.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Codes Committee – Mrs. Lombardi submitted minutes from the February 22, meeting for review. Mayor Henry asked if the cell phone ordinance will be looked at by the Codes Committee. President Teel questioned the enforcement of a cell phone ordinance. Mayor Henry said he felt the constitutionality of whether it can be enforced or not would be up to our solicitor to determine. Council members discussed the issue. President Teel questioned the amendment to Item 3, skateboarding in the park: Committee decided to amend Chapter 115 to delete pedicycle and Chapter 16 to delete bicycles and skateboard. Mr. Atkinson said that some of the language in this ordinance had to be cleaned up. Mr. Atkinson said he would like to be a little more active in regards to the skateboarding issue. Mayor Henry asked if anyone had seen the Facebook page for Oxford Skateboarding. Mr. Sweet is working on the clarification of this amendment.
Finance and Personnel – Mrs. Andrews submitted report from the March 11th meeting. Mrs. Andrews said she discussed the Collection of Local Services Tax (LST) with Mrs. Anderson. Mrs. Anderson recommended using a single tax collector. Mrs. Andrews said they are also working on contract negotiations.
Police and Public Safety – Dr. Doyle said he was unable to attend the meeting. He said Mr. Atkinson attended and submitted minutes from the meeting. Mr. Atkinson said that the three positives that came up with the Committee for the month are: 1. Christine Whisler and the compliments she has received. She was the lead investigator in five of six child abuse cases that have resulted in arrests. 2. The successful outcome of a missing person; the Lancaster Police will handle the case since the girl was located in the city. 3. The First Quarterly staff meeting was a positive. He said the two goals are to complete the Police Manual and acquire a police car and rifles with gift money.
President Teel brought up Item #5 on the minutes regarding the 63 potential violators who didn’t shovel their snow within 24 hours. Mr. Atkinson read the following from his minutes: Chief Slauch sent several officers out to scour the town and there were 63 potential violators who didn’t shovel within the 24 hours. The Chief believes that to cite this many people would lead to poor public relations. Chief Slauch would like some direction from Council on how to proceed with this. The Chief wrote down his thoughts and wanted to address this at the Borough Council meeting during the Executive Session under a Legal Item. However, it was decided that it was not a legal item. Chief Slauch said some of the people had their walks cleared to the degree that the Borough ordinance requires. He said they did not have them completely open due to the snow that was left over from the storm before which was plowed up to the curbs. He said there were a number of elderly people on the list that were very concerned when the police officers showed up at their properties, took pictures and wrote citations. Based on those circumstances he held off on filing those citations until he could get some direction from Council as to how they wanted to handle that amount of snow in a very short period of time. He said the end results being the visits to the various locations did get the sidewalks clean. President Teel agreed there was an issue particularly with the elderly. Mr. Stevenson said he thinks the question is that he has 63 outstanding write-ups. Mr. Atkinson said he felt that if 63 citations were issued there would have been a lot of complaints from our residents. Mayor Henry said there is some judgment that officers utilize when enforcing the laws and ordinances. President Teel said if he was not mistaken, the snow was on a Wednesday. He said on Sunday there was still snow in areas that he knows are not senior members. Dr. Doyle asked to make a few pragmatic suggestions. A.) He said that he thinks the Chief did exactly the right thing; B.) He thinks we should leave our ordinance alone. C.) He said the next time we have once in a 100-year snow storm we can hope the Chief at that time will have the good judgment to do the same thing. Dr. Doyle said he thinks we can save a lot of talk if we just do that. Council continued to discuss the situation. Mr. Stevenson moved that we respect Chief Slauch’s handling of this and that we authorize him to eliminate the 63 citations. President Teel said he did not think this motion could be made. He said if he wanted to do something he could make a resolution due to the circumstances involved. President Teel said there may be a solution to some of this but the ordinance is going to have to be changed. Mr. Stevenson said he thinks what the Mayor said is absolutely true. He thinks the Chief has the flexibility and discretion to issue citations within the realm of what the citizens approved that ordinance for in the first place. President Teel said our duty is to write ordinances and enforce them. He said if we did not write it correctly then we don’t enforce it. If we wrote it correctly then we enforce it or we have to change it to make it adapt to what it is suppose to be. President Teel said we will have to come up with what is too much snow; what needs to be cleaned and what doesn’t need to be cleaned. Mr. Hershey said he thinks the ordinance is fine. He said for the most part we get 3, 4 or 6 inches of snow and 24 hours is enough time to get your sidewalks clean. Mayor Henry said the ordinance is pretty specific; he said the property owners have to clear a path 30 inches wide within 24 hours after the end of the snow storm. President Teel said we have to enforce the ordinances as we write them or we have to change them. He said there is nothing in ordinance that addresses excessive accumulation. President Teel said there is no doubt in his mind that this was excessive accumulation but it is not what the ordinance states. Mr. Stevenson asked to revise his resolution to say that we allow Chief Slauch to table the citations until such time this ordinance issue is resolved. Mayor Henry asked if there was a statue of limitations on writing citations. Chief Slauch said there wasn’t but it seems reasonable that you write them shortly after the violation occurs. President Teel said that originally, which is a good way of doing it, was to go around and warn the people first. He said if you have an elderly person that cannot get out there and shovel themselves that is clearly an exception. Mrs. Lombardi asked if people were responsible to hire someone if they can’t do it themselves. She said there are all kinds of circumstances that can lead someone to not have their sidewalk cleared. Mrs. Lombardi said if we follow the ordinance wouldn’t they be responsible to have the neighbor boy, or the neighbor down the street with the snow blower take care of the situation. She said she does not know if we can make an exception. She said if we are going to take the strong line that we have to enforce the ordinance with no exceptions to the rule and no discretion to the Police, then we need to do that. She likes the fact that people are able to use discretion in this type of situation. Council continued to discuss the subject. President Teel continued to ask what amount of snow will be considered excessive. He said either you are going to follow an ordinance, or you’re not going to follow it. He said you follow ordinances as written. President Teel said that when he took this position this year he said we would follow policies, ordinances and the law. He said he does not feel we have to site these people now because as far as he is concerned the snow is gone. He said but we have to do something that when it snows like that again we are ready to have it covered. He does not want to have all of Hodgson Street blocked in and people walking in the middle of the streets. He said that would be a big safety problem. President Teel then discussed the state code regarding this matter. Mr. Atkinson said that it sounds like he would like the Codes Committee to work with David Sweet to amend this ordinance. Mr. Stevenson made a resolution to table the 63 citations that were issued during the snow storm until such time the ordinance is clarified to the satisfaction of all the Council members. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion that we do not issue the 63 pending citations and we table the ordinance to take it back to Codes to look at the snow removal issue; Mr. Stevenson seconded the motion. President Teel asked that the motion be amended to say that we do not issue the pending citations due to the unusual circumstances in which they were acquired. Mrs. Lombardi amended her motion to include this statement; Mr. Stevenson seconded the amended motion. Motion carried. Doctor Doyle suggested not laying the discretion for the amount of snow on any one individual because they may be hung.
President Teel then inquired about Item No. 6 on the Police and Public Safety Minutes. He said on the Colt rifles, what type are these? What caliber are they? Chief Slauch said they are a police tactical riffle. Mr. Atkinson said this matter is listed on the agenda under Discussion Items.
Local Traffic Advisory Committee – Mr. Hershey submitted a report from the meeting. He said the only thing he wanted to discuss was listed on the agenda under Discussion Items. President Teel brought up Item No. 5 regarding the congestion at South and 3rd Streets. He felt many areas are congested when school lets out. He also mentioned a note from the Mayor in which the School Bus Coordinator requested that on 8th Street to the entrance of Nottingham School be made a one-way. He said in the past we have asked that the school bus coordinator meet with the LTAC Committee. Ms. Brantner said she would contact the bus coordinator in regards to this matter. Mr. Stevenson said there was a request in a conversation that Ms. Brantner was going to take a look at the status of the 5th and Broad Stop sign. Ms. Brantner said she would check into this matter.
Public Works –Mr. Atkinson said the three positives for the month of February were: 1.) the dedication and perseverance of the Public Works crew; everyone was at work through the duration and continued to do their regular work; this showed the dedication of the employees. Mr. Atkinson said everyone worked 3 days in a row. 2.) The quick response and cleanup of snow. 3.) happy with the communication with Mayor, Manager and Police Chief during snow emergency; everything clicked.
President Teel commented they did a very good job.
Mr. Atkinson said the goals this month were to complete the list of items Pubic Works wants to get rid of or sell; and complete the Gift Wish list.
Special Projects – The Special Projects meeting was not held. President Teel said he would like to make a request that the Committee researches alternative energy. He said he would like to find a way to power our own energy and hopefully recruit some energy credits. Mr. Stevenson said he already has a phone call in to Tangent Energy Solutions. He said they are doing the whole roof of one building at the high school. Mr. Stevenson said the charges for doing this are zero. He said it is an energy monitoring and payback system. The School District will buy their electric power back from the solar people at a reduced rate which is already set into the contract. He said Phase 1 is to experiment with it and see how it goes. If that works out well after 18 to 24 months there is a consideration to do every roof. President Teel said he also has some pamphlets from another group in Maryland.
Planning Commission – No minutes submitted.
Historical Commission – No minutes submitted.
Police Activity Report, Chief Slauch –Chief Slauch submitted his February 2010 Activity Report for Council’s review.
Public Works’ Supervisor’s Report – John Schaible submitted his February Supervisor’s Report. It was noted that 13 out of 19 days have been snow related. Spring Clean-Up will be held April 21, 22, 23 and 24th.
Oxford Borough Workplace Safety Committee –Minutes were submitted from the February meeting. There were no questions.
Union Fire Company Report – February report submitted.
Mr. Atkinson made a motion to accept the committee reports; Mr. Hershey seconded the motion. Motion carried.
BUSINESS CARRIED FORWARD
Police Station – Re-Bid Change Order No. 9 -Net Change in Contract Price, $2,058.73 - Chief Slauch said on Thursday he met with Don Snyder from Spotts, Stevens and McCoy, the general contractor and sub-contractors. He said he believes we will be hearing from SSM about some of the issues that have been resolved; and to release the funds that pertain to those issues. Chief Slauch explained the issues in question in detail.
Disruptive Conduct Ordinance – Rental Units - Permission to Advertise – Ms. Brantner said that everyone received the ordinance last week. She said the summary of revisions was emailed to all members this week. Mr. Stevenson moved to proceed with the advertisement of the ordinance as presented; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried. Ms. Brantner said that when Mrs. Andrews and she attended the PSAB Conference this ordinance was picked up. She stated she feels it is well worth it to attend the conferences.
Oxford Borough Rehab. – Ms. Brantner said that John Schaible and she are still working on this matter. She said we had to bring the Borough engineer in regarding putting out a bid. We wanted to bring him down to take a look at this and see if we could save some money. There was more discussion about what the Public Works employees could do. Ms. Brantner says she expects to hear back from the engineer this week. She said they would be coming to Council to request putting a bid out. She said we are hoping to stay under the $25,000.00 dollar mark so we don’t have to pay prevailing wage.
Collection of Local Services Tax (LST) – Mrs. Andrews said that Mrs. Anderson has suggested having one single tax collector. Ms. Brantner said she felt as a group we can get a better price. An ordinance or resolution will be done at a later date.
Handicapped Parking Request - Judith L. Brown - Ms. Brantner referenced the letter enclosed in the packets from Judith Brown. Ms. Brantner said this would be on 4th Street. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to approve the handicapped parking request at 211 Conowingo Circle; Mr. Stevenson seconded the motion. President Teel suggested that handicapped parking spaces have expiration dates. He said when the date runs out it could be reapproved if still needed. He said a lot of old signs are out there and we don’t know if they are active or not. Ms. Brantner suggested having Public Works periodically check if the parking spaces are still active. Mr. Hershey feels Public Works should have a list of the handicapped parking spaces. President Teel felt we should make a policy and stick to it. Ms. Brantner was going to check with Public Works as to how often the spaces are checked. Motion carried.
NEW ITEMS OF BUSINESS
Regional Comprehensive Plan – Mr. Stevenson discussed the Draft Future Land Use Map and the Proposed Future Land Use Categories for the Oxford Region Multimunicipal Comprehensive Plan. He said a meeting was coming up on March 24th to do the second half of the Land Use Categories and Economic portions of the Comprehensive Plan. Mr. Stevenson said they are getting near the end and are hoping to have it completed between June and August. It will then be sent back to the municipalities for their approval and adoption. He encouraged all to read over the information provided and attend the meetings.
Borough-Wide Yard Sale- June 19, 2010 – Ms. Brantner said the Borough-Wide Yard Sale is being scheduled for June 19th if Council allows. She said this cuts down on the amount of yard sale signs posted around town during the summer months.
Change Orders -Streetscape Project - Ms. Brantner said we have two change orders. The first Change Order is in the amount of $8,773.00 (Change Order No. 2) which is due to the project being delayed for approximately five months by Change Order No. 1. There have been some changes to prices. Ms. Brantner said we hope to start on the parking area off of Broad Street. She said the reason for that is so that we can have parking set there for when it is taken off of Third Street. Ms. Brantner said we were delayed because we had a number of ramps in this project and PennDOT wanted to stop and look at our project. PennDOT received stimulus money for ramps. Ms. Brantner said we will still do the ramps planned in our project. Mr. Atkinson made a motion to approve Change Order No. 2 in the amount of $8,773.00; Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Ms. Brantner said Change Order No. 3 is for $55,403.00 to approve a parking lot. She said OMI has the money for the streetlights. Change Order No. 3 would be for the landscaping and paving of the parking lot. Ms. Brantner said the grant was for 1.4 million. Right now the cost is up to $994,000.00. She also noted there will be a sign to identify it as a municipal parking lot. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to approve Change Order No. 3 in the amount of $55,403.00 to include the Broad Street area; Mr. Atkinson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Police Purchase Request for Two Colt Assault Rifles – Mr. Atkinson said the Police Department has Gift Money. He said Chief Slauch also has a Gift List. He said at the Committee meeting the colt assault rifles were discussed. He mentioned that Dr. Doyle was unable to attend the last meeting. Mr. Atkinson said it came to his attention that this discussion item has caused some concern. He said that he and Mr. Stevenson had given their blessing on this purchase. Mr. Atkinson said that as a teacher; he did some research on this matter. He said that if there is ever an incident at the Oxford School that the Oxford Police officers would most likely be the first ones there. The shooting out in Pittsburg was also discussed at the meeting. He said he was looking at the pros and cons of this matter and passed out two articles on the subject. He said one of the main concerns for many police departments is the cost, however this is Gift Money. Secondly, a concern is where would the weapons go? He read an article from Wichita, Kansas on the subject. He said he supports the Chief’s request on this issue. Mr. Stevenson said in addition to everything Mr. Atkinson has said, the Chief has done his due diligence on this matter. He looked at recommended assault rifles and firearms to be matched up with the current world. As far as the cost goes, he ended up with a pretty good deal for the Borough. He said amazingly we are looking at two purchases for far less than the original price of one. Mr. Stevenson said he supported this because it is what Chief Slauch wants. Mr. Atkinson said after doing more reading he noted training was discussed. Chief Slauch began by saying that he preferred saying tactical rifles, verses assault rifles. He said an assault rifle instills different opinions as to how these weapons would be used. He said in the 1970’s they used 38’s; when the bad guys began to outgun us with 357’s we had to change weapons in order to keep up with them. Chief Slauch said we then had to go to 9 millimeters, then 45 automatics. He said we keep getting outdone. The primary purpose for police officers to carry a weapon is to protect them. He said his obligation is to protect the police officers; the secondary obligation is to protect the citizens. The Pittsburg police officers were killed responding to a domestic disturbance by a person that was heavily armed and waiting for them to pull up. He ambushed them and killed three police officers. He said that more recently a state trooper was killed in Pennsylvania responding to a domestic disturbance under the same circumstances. He got out of his car and was shot dead with a high powered rifle from an upstairs window of the house. Chief Slauch said the police respond to domestic disturbances everyday and many times they are violent. Domestic disturbances are the most dangerous response a police officer can make because you don’t know what is going to happen and you become the enemy. Most officers that are killed in the United States are not killed in cities. They are killed in rural areas where they have minimum resources. Many times officers are by themselves. He brought up the fact that we have a school system in the Borough. He said that we have been lucky but that is not to say something could not happen tomorrow. He said the Oxford Police would be the first responders. Chief Slauch said we will not, and cannot wait for a special operations’ team to be assembled three to five hours later while someone is in the school shooting children. He said the first cop that arrives at the scene is going through that door. He said we need to be prepared for that and we need to have the capability of fending off whatever the enemy has. Chief Slauch said right now we are not equipped to do that. Chief Slauch continued to explain his reasoning regarding this matter. Mrs. Andrews said the guns are very high powered. She said it will take the mentality and training and asked if the offices would be able to do that. Chief Slauch said, “Absolutely.” The Chief said the training is a requirement. Nobody would be touching the weapons until they are trained. And, Colt would be providing the training if we want them to do it. He said they will be properly secured in the vehicles. Officers will sign it in and out for every shift that they have it. Mayor Henry said that the rifles and funds are available, and as Mr. Atkinson said, he would not want to be the one to speak to a family member saying it may have been prevented. Mr. Hershey said he had some concerns. He said they sound like tactical weapons that might be used by snipers or highly trained personnel. He realizes our officers will be trained on how to use them. However, that does not make them good enough to be a sniper in a school situation. Chief Slauch said there is a difference between a sniper situation and an active school shooter situation. He said we have learned some very expensive lessons with the school shootings that have occurred in the past. He said we have learned that you can’t wait in an active school shooting situation for a SWAT team to arrive. He said that would take hours. He said the first officer on the scene must go in and take out the shooter. President Teel asked exactly what is this tactical rifle and how does it differ from an assault rifle. Does it have sniper capabilities? Chief Slauch said it probably does, it has been modified from the military rifle which is the 556. President Teel asked if the County Strike Force uses these. Chief Slauch said we have a regional SWAT team. President Teel said that he has done a little research in this area. He said that Parkesburg uses M 14’s for protection. He said there are different parts of the county that have different members that are specialized on the Strike Force. He said the response time he got from that is not three to five hours. Dr. Doyle said that he tends to agree with the Chief. He said if you are going to go up against somebody armed with a rifle, and you are armed with a side arm; you are either dead or totally ineffective. He said you can’t be waiting if you have some nut in there that is shooting people the time to interdict is now. The requirement for two of these rifles is basically you cannot develop a cross-fire with one rifle. He said the other point he would like to make was, if we end up getting the rifles, which he thinks we probably should, is that he would rather have a semi-skilled well meaning police officer operating a firearm then somebody totally out of their head trying to see how many people he can kill. Your odds are better with the policeman even if he is not an expert. Dr. Doyle said if we get these we should set aside a fair sized chunk of that Gift Money for training and ammunition because it is not going to be cheap. Andrew Atkinson said he understands the concern because gun sales were at an all time high in 2009. He said a lot of people think President Obama is going to take away all the guns. He said that as far as the ban on assault rifles, nobody wants to touch that in terms of national politics. Chief Slauch said there is Gift Money for training. He said he received an email from Colt saying that could provide the training. He noted there is a prescribed course of training already in place through the state. President Teel asked if Colt would provide the annual certification for the state. The Chief said there is going to be a cost involved but the cost is nowhere as near as great as somebody getting killed or seriously wounded. Mrs. Lombardi asked what went into his rational for this particular gun. Chief Slauch said he looked at a number of tactical weapons. He said when he was in Denver at the IACP he looked at the Colt and spent several hours talking with their representative. He said he was looking for a weapon that had some history behind it, but also one we could afford. President Teel questioned the difference between an assault rifle and a tactical rifle. Chief Slauch said that he does not know that there is a tremendous amount of difference in the actual gun itself. He thinks it more on how you would use the weapon. He said he is not a big weapons person. President Teel asked what the caliber? Chief Slauch said a 223 caliber. President Teel asked the ammunition readability? President Teel said that when they tried to get ammunition last year people did not have it because it was all overseas. Mr. Hershey said that .223 ammunition is pretty standard. Council members and Chief Slauch continued to discuss the matter. Former Councilman Jim Sumner asked to speak. He said he was not sure escalating the fire power of the community police force will make the citizenry safer. He said when he was a Council member he approved going from 38 to 357s. He said the argument always was the bad guys have them and we have to match their fire power. He asked what if the bad guys have IEDs. He asked what if they have weapons much larger then assault rifles? He asked when the argument fails, if ever. He said he heard Council tonight discuss that the Chief should have selective enforcement. He said you can’t selectively enforce your ordinances. He asked Council to sit back and think if we are safer if we are going to have our officers with assault rifles, going to the middle school, and searching from room to room for the bad guy. He said the purpose of the police department is public safety and enforcing our ordinances. He asked if we are safer if we give them fully automatic assault weapons. He said he won’t dispute that the officer would be safer. But will we as citizens be safer? Mr. Sumner said that is your responsibility to determine. He encouraged Council members to go slowly in how much more we escalate the fire power of a small town community police department. He thanked Council for the opportunity to speak. Dr. Doyle said in a philosophical sense he agrees with Mr. Sumner, but in a pragmatic sense he does not agree. President Teel said he believes in a rifle, but is not in favor of anything that can switch to automatic. He felt a semi-automatic was enough. Mr. Stevenson said when you really get into trouble is when you’re putting a septic tank in your backyard and you tell the contractor what kind of shovel to use to dig that hole out because it is your opinion. Mr. Stevenson said he thinks we have to trust the Chief here. President Teel said he has used full automatic. Mr. Stevenson said he was trained in full automatic; he was a machine gun operator in Viet Nam. Mr. Stevenson said the point is that if the Chief says this is what he needs to keep up with today’s tactics and he has checked around. He said in the Committee meetings we have had it was agreed to let the Chief inform us as to what he felt he needed. He went through a very reasonable explanation of what it was he needed; and why he selected it. He said it is not a money issue. President Teel agreed it was not a money issue; it is a liability issue and a responsibility. Mrs. Lombardi said initially it was a money issue. She said if we go back to why the Chief went to look at other things that his initial thought was the cost. President Teel asked Dr. Doyle if a semi-automatic would be just as effective as a full automatic. Dr. Doyle said he would certainly think for police use it would be. President Teel said it is not the question of the money; his question is the full automatic situation. Mrs. Lombardi asked if it would be fair to have the Chief to explore if this particular gun could be made into a semi-automatic as opposed to automatic and bring the information back to Council next month. Council members then discussed training again. President Teel stated he would like to see the specifications before he would vote to purchase it. Mr. Stevenson said prior to being a Council member he will never forget sitting in the audience and listening to a six month discussion about approving a police car that was free. He does not see how Council can end up having a fight over two $950.00 rifles that the Chief says that he needs to do his job and we are sitting here saying what we want him to have. He thinks it is ridiculous. He said for each of us to profess our own knowledge of firearms and tactics in the police business of today is maybe fun, but it’s foolish. Mr. Stevenson asked if we could take a vote to see where we stand. The discussion continued. Mrs. Lombardi asked that if next month the Chief could come back with the complete specifications of the gun. She asked that he also check into the amount of training Colt will provide and the cost; or other training options and what that will cost. President Teel said when you have a request to purchase an item you should have all the information provided. He said we don’t need an hour discussion on it. He said if we had all the information now we could vote on it. The Chief was also asked to inform Council the amount of overtime the training would take. Item carried forward.
Police Purchase Request to Replace Car 6 – Mr. Atkinson said this is Gift Money that would be used to replace an old car. Chief Slauch said Car #6 was to have been replaced last year. There was a motion from Committee to purchase the 2010 Chevrolet Police vehicle in the amount of $25,412.03 with money from the Gift Fund. Motion from Committee carried.
Sidewalks from Wheeler Blvd. to Shopping Center – Mr. Hershey said the need for sidewalks from Wheeler Blvd. up to the Shopping Center was brought up again at the LTAC meeting. He said we have an ordinance that would force landowners to put sidewalks in. We question if we want to do that. Mr. Hershey asked if there was grant money available to do this. He thinks it would put a hardship on some of the land owners. Mr. Hershey asked if Borough Council wanted to get this shovel ready enough for grant money. Ms. Brantner noted there was no guarantee they would get grant money even if it was shovel ready. He wondered if we wanted to push the land owners to put sidewalks in. Mr. Stevenson said we had talked about setting it up to be ready to go in for a grant request. He said then when the money was available we would be ready. Mr. Hershey noted it would cost the Borough money to do that. President Teel said he is not in favor of getting grant money for that section of the sidewalk unless we can do the entire Borough. All of the landowners should benefit. President Teel said if we pay for someone else’s sidewalk we better have the grant money in our pocket if we ask another landowner to put in a sidewalk. He said it is not what our ordinance states. Council discussed the sidewalks and options in detail. Ms. Brantner said she would speak to the County and our engineers regarding this matter.
PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS
President Teel said he thought they had some good discussion tonight. He asked that it be expressed to Public Works that the snow removal was a great success.
MAYOR’S COMMENTS
Mayor Henry encouraged everyone to get their Census Forms in by April 1st. He said the Oxford Area Recreational Authority will be changing its meeting time and location in April. He said they will be meeting at 7 p.m., the second Thursday, at the East Nottingham Municipal Building. He said the most recent appointment to the Rec. Authority has offered some good insight as well as the new members from Elk Township and Lower Oxford. He said it is the first time in a long time that the Authority has had a full complement of members. He reminded Council members that the deadline for the Citizen Recognition Awards is due on April 15th. Those awards will be given at the second Monday in May at the Oxford Senior Center. President Teel asked if a few of the Census Forms could be blown up and put in some of the store front windows.
BOROUGH MANAGER’S REPORT
Ms. Brantner’s monthly report was included in the packets.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Council went into Executive Session at 9:57 p.m. to discuss one Personnel Item. Council came out of Executive Session at 10:10 p.m. No decisions were made.
Council discussed ways to help senior residents with snow removal.
ADJOURNMENT
Mr. Stevenson made a motion to adjourn at 10:17 p.m. Mrs. Andrews seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Beatrice V. Brantner
Secretary
OXFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING
FEBRUARY 15, 2010
The Meeting of Borough Council was held on February 15, 2010 at the Borough Municipal Building. The meeting was called to order by President Teel at 7:00 p.m. President Teel then led Council in the Pledge of Allegiance which was followed by a moment of silence.
IN ATTENDANCE
Mr. Teel, President Mrs. Andrews, Member
Dr. Doyle, Member Mrs. Lombardi, Member (arrived 7:35 p.m.)
Mr. Atkinson, Member Mr. Stevenson, Member
Mr. Henry, Mayor Mrs. Anderson, Treasurer
NOT IN ATTENDANCE
Mr. Hershey, Vice President Ms. Brantner, Secretary
SCHEDULED VISITORS
There were no scheduled visitors.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mr. Dorety – Mr. Dorety said his sign was torn down during the snow plowing. Mr. Dorety asked the status of the litigation between the Borough and the contractor. President Teel said the litigation is still pending. He said it was his understanding that one of the Borough Council’s duties was to make sure the Borough citizens were properly taken care and helping to get matters resolved. Mr. Dorety said that Public Works did a wonderful job on the streets.
Mary Baringer – Ms. Baringer thanked Public Works for the good job they did with snow removal.
RECURRING REPORTS FOR APPROVAL
The following reports were presented to Council for approval: Council Meeting Minutes of 1/18/10 (Atkinson-Stevenson); Council Meeting Minutes of 2/8/10 (Andrews-Stevenson); Report of the Treasurer 1/31/10 (Andrews-Doyle); Paid Bills 2/15/10 (Atkinson-Andrews); Unpaid Bills 2/15/10 (Atkinson-Stevenson); Report of the Tax Collector 1/31/10 (Atkinson-Andrews); Building Codes Report 2/15/10 – No report submitted; Zoning Officer Report 2/15/10 (Doyle-Andrews). Mr. Stevenson said it does not touch on him receiving a directive from the Codes Committee to pursue the alternative energy ordinance. Mr. Atkinson said they met with Mr. Sweet today. He said there was no Codes meeting in January. Mr. Atkinson said it would probably be on his report for next month.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Codes Committee – A Codes Committee meeting was not held.
Finance and Personnel – Meeting was cancelled due to weather.
Police and Public Safety – Mr. Atkinson wanted to stress the three positives over the past month: moved into the Police Station; ALERT System is now operational for tickets; and two officers assisted in a cardiac situation which resulted in a life being saved. Officer Brown and Officer Hughes were complimented.
Local Traffic Advisory Committee –Mr. Stevenson said a meeting was held. He said they went over an outline to decide what they wanted to get serious about. They wanted to know if the 5th and Broad Traffic Study was done yet or not. They discussed the curb cuts and thought someone should write a report on the status of what is out there now. He said there have been some complaints about cracked concrete and blacktop not matching up with the curb cuts. President Teel said this is a state run operation. Mr. Stevenson reported to Council what was discussed at the meeting.
Public Works –Mr. Atkinson submitted his written report to Council. He mentioned that John Schaible said that Spring Clean-Up will be held April 21st, 22nd, 23rd and 24th and that SECRA and Monterey Trash will be working with the Borough. The Full Circle Recycling Company will give the Borough $6 for 100 pounds of metal per scoop which would help in recouping some of the money that is being used to pay Monterey and SECRA. He said the three positives this month were: Borough Hall demolition work was completed; the diversity of work that has been accomplished over the past month from plowing to hanging up lights for OMI; and for meeting goals for the month.
Special Projects – Mr. Stevenson said that Special Projects met on February 1st after the LTAC meeting. He submitted a written report to Council. He said they decided to go through and brainstorm the issues and ideas; some of them were carried over from past Special Projects. It said it was narrowed down to a list of potential projects in some sort of a desired priority level. Mr. Stevenson mentioned the following possible projects: Pepsi Cola Drive or an east to west alternative; North end of 4th Street extension; the 150th Octoraro Railroad Jubilee Celebration; Renovation of the existing Oxford Borough Hall; Research on the Chester County Economic Development; Visiting Phoenixville and studying their Community Development Model; Oxford Borough Council request to review and evaluate a Viable Employee Recognition Program. Mr. Stevenson said they had a very good meeting.
Planning Commission – Minutes from the Dec.15, 2009 were submitted for review.
Historical Commission –No minutes submitted.
Chief Slauch’s Oxford Police Department Report – Report submitted for review. Mr. Stevenson said that the discussion at the Townwatch Meeting, mentioned on Chief Slauch’s memo, was very informative and interesting.
Public Works Supervisor’s Report – January 2010 Progress Report was submitted by John Schaible. Mr. Atkinson said the items on the report marked with asterisks were John Schaible’s goals for the month.
Oxford Borough Workplace Safety Committee – Minutes of the January 26, 2010 meeting were submitted for review. Mr. Stevenson brought up the Borough Hall Renovations under New Items of Business. He said that looking at the reuse of the space at the far end of the building was also discussed by the Special Projects Committee. Mrs. Andrews said that John Schaible is working on this matter. President Teel said Public Works has this pretty much under control and they have already starting working on it. Mr. Atkinson said that at his next Public Works meeting he will mention that Special Projects has volunteered to assist if any help is needed. Different ways to dispose of old computers was discussed.
Union Fire Company, No. 1 –Report from Union Fire Company submitted for Council’s review.
Civil Service Commission Reorganization Meeting –Minutes of the Feb. 1, 2010 meeting were submitted for review.
Oxford Townwatch –Minutes of the Dec. 16, 2009 were submitted for review.
Mr. Stevenson made a motion to accept the Committee Reports as written; Mrs. Andrews seconded the motion. Motion carried.
AGENDA ADOPTION
Mrs. Andrews made a motion to adopt the agenda; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried to adopt the agenda.
REPORT OF THE MAYOR
Mayor Henry gave his report on accidents/incidents, citations and fees collected for the month of January. Mayor Henry noted that 59 parking tickets were issued. Mayor Henry said the new ALERT System is up and operating and is going to make it a lot easier to track the parking tickets. Mayor Henry said the overtime for the month of January is 108.5 hours. He said the Resolution allows for 62 hours; Mayor Henry requested the approval of 46.5 hours of additional overtime.
Mr. Stevenson made a motion to accept the Mayor’ Report; Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to approve 46.5 hours of overtime; Mrs. Andrews seconded the motion. Motion carried.
BUSINESS CARRIED FORWARD
Police Station – Re-Bid Change Order No. 9 Net Change in Contract Price, $2,058.73 – Chief Slauch said there was nothing new to report at this time. Item carried forward.
Resolution # 1129 – 2010 Census – Mayor Henry said passing this Resolution indicates to everyone that Council is in support of the 2010 Census. President Teel suggested starting an Ad Hoc Committee to encourage this matter. Mr. Stevenson made a motion to approve Resolution #1129-2010; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried. President Teel asked if there were any volunteers for the Ad Hoc Committee. Mr. Stevenson and Mayor Henry volunteered.
Recreation Authority Vacancy – Jamie Nardozzi is interested in the position but a letter has not been received yet. Item carried forward.
NEW ITEMS OF BUSINESS
There were no New Items of Business.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
There were no Discussion Items.
PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS
President Teel said the Police Association has signed the contract.
MAYOR’S COMMENTS
Mayor Henry said that the Oxford Area Recreation Authority meeting was cancelled due to the snow. He said it has been rescheduled for February 18th at 6:30 p.m. He said the Oxford Townwatch will meet this Wednesday, February 17th at 7:00 p.m. at the Police Station. The Mayor said Judge Harry Farmer will be present to conduct a mock trial at the Oxford Townwatch meeting. Mayor Henry said he has passed around the Police Fall Satisfaction Surveys. He said that 45 people responded to the survey. He noted that 83% of the respondents said that they do feel safe in Oxford. He said about 74% of the participants rated the Police services as excellent.
He suggested that at some point the Borough put out a survey on their website. The Mayor said if Ms. Brantner is interested in doing this he would be more than happy to help her with setting up the survey on SurveyMonkey.com. Mayor Henry said there is a new survey now on the Police website. He said the Citizen Recognition Awards will be presented in May. He said if anyone is interested in submitting a nomination the forms can be downloaded from his website. The Mayors of West Grove, Avondale and Kennett Square and I will be holding a Breakfast Meeting this coming Wednesday to talk about issues involving each one of our municipalities or boroughs to see what we can do collectively to improve this geographic area. They intend to meet on a regular basis.
Mr. Stevenson asked to comment on the Police Satisfaction Survey. He said that he thought it was fantastic that 24 people from outside the Borough say they feel safe in the Borough of Oxford.
BOROUGH MANAGER’S REPORT
Ms. Brantner was not present.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
There was no Executive Session held.
ADJOURNMENT
Mrs. Andrews made a motion to adjourn at 8:15 p.m.; Mr. Stevenson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Artemis Anderson,
Treasurer
OXFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING
MARCH 8, 2010
The Meeting of Borough Council was held on March 8, 2010 at the Borough Municipal Building. The meeting was called to order by President Teel at 7:00 p.m. President Teel then led Council in the Pledge of Allegiance which was followed by a moment of silence.
IN ATTENDANCE
Mr. Teel, President Mr. Hershey, Vice President
Dr. Doyle, Member Mrs. Andrews, Member
Mr. Stevenson, Member Mrs. Lombardi, Member
Mr. Atkinson, Member (arrived at 7:05 p.m.)
Mr. Henry, Mayor Ms. Brantner, Secretary
Ms. Stacey Fuller, Solicitor
SCHEDULED VISITORS
There were no scheduled visitors.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mr. Dorety was present in regards to the damage to his property. He questioned if the Police Report was printed in the newspaper. Mayor Henry said the report is sent every week and it is up to the editor whether it is printed or not. The Mayor told Mr. Dorety current arrests were listed in the Police Blotter section on the Oxford Borough Police website.
AGENDA ADOPTION
Mr. Hershey made a motion to adopt the agenda, Mrs. Andrews seconded the motion. Ms. Brantner added Item A. Oxford Corporation Litigation; and Item B. Gorecon Litigation to the Executive Session. Motion carried to adopt amended agenda.
BUSINESS CARRIED FORWARD
Police Station – Re-Bid Change Order No. 9 Net Change in Contract Price, $2,058.73 – Chief Slauch said there have been no changes at this time. He said that he does have a meeting this Thursday with Don Snyder from Spotts, Stevens, McCoy and Mr. Hall. This and other remaining issues will be discussed at that time.
NEW ITEMS OF BUSINESS
Extension Request – (Meadowview Estates) Through June 21, 2010 – Mr. Hershey made a motion to grant the extension, Mr. Stevenson seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Disruptive Conduct Ordinance – Rental Units Permission to Advertise – Ms. Fuller said this is a new ordinance which was started back in December of 2008. A memo with the changes made to the first version will be included in the packets next week. Item carried forward. Mr. Stevenson felt the definition of disruptive was a little weak and needs to be more defined. He also questioned if there was a set of parameters or rules the Police will follow to act on this so it can be carried forward. Ms. Fuller said as with any other ordinance we put into place the Code Enforcement Officer, or a police officer will carry out their normal protocol. She said we do not have specific procedures in place for how they do their part other then the deadline for filing and required documentation. Ms. Fuller said she is comfortable with the procedure in place which is consistent throughout the rest of the Borough Code. Ms. Fuller said the definition of disruptive conduct is a compilation of three or four different municipal ordinances of the same nature. Dollinger Electric Quote Borough Hall – Ms. Brantner asked that the matter be tabled until the next meeting. She said she had to discuss it further with the Borough Solicitor. Item carried forward.
Letter of Interest –Oxford Area Recreation Authority (OARA) - Parley E. Hess, Jr., PE – Ms. Brantner said a Letter of Interest was received at the Borough for the open position on the OARA by Parley Hess. President Teel said he did have an update on the previous applicant, Jamie Nardozzi. His new work schedule will not allow him to be available on Thursday evenings when meetings are held. He apologized for holding things up regarding this opening. Dr. Doyle made a motion to appoint Mr. Hess to the open position; Mr. Hershey seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Oxford Borough Municipal Directory and Map for 2010 – Ms. Brantner said the Borough has been approached by a gentleman that has been working on a map for East Nottingham.
East Nottingham was kind enough to allow the Borough in on this and information about the Borough would be included. Ms. Brantner said the service is free. She said we would also get 75 free copies for distribution. The cost will be covered by advertisers. Ms. Brantner said there would be a charge for additional copies. President Teel said the Chamber of Commerce had asked him to look into this and the ads pay for everything. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to go forward with the Municipal Directory and Map; Mr. Hershey seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Collection of Local Services Tax (LST) – Ms. Brantner referenced the letter enclosed in the packets regarding the collection of the LST Tax. The Chester Tax Collection Committee is asking municipalities to seriously consider incorporating the collection of the LST under an agreement with a single tax collector. The use of a common tax collector should reduce the costs while streamlining the employer remittance and reporting requirements. It was noted the matter would be discussed further at the Finance Meeting on Thursday. The Finance Committee can make a recommendation after their meeting. Item tabled until the next meeting.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
Letter from PA. Dept. of Environmental Protection Re: Rumford Residence, 752 Broad Street – A letter was enclosed in the packets for Council’s information.
Oxford’s First Friday Art Stroll – Ms. Brantner said this was for informational purposes only and hoped Council members did attend.
PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS
President Teel said he was involved with several of the economical restructuring committees. He said there is an article that OMI has put out regarding the new findings of the shopping habits of 2009. He said it is amazing what has changed in one year due to the economy. The survey came from a website from the International Council of Shopping Centers. (www.icsc.org/)
President Teel said he would like to have all Committee Reports in by Thursday before the packets are completed. This would save time for Mrs. Himmelberger when she put the packets together and also insure that everyone had time to read the reports.
MAYOR’S COMMENTS
Mayor Henry said that Saturday, May 22, 2010 they will be holding the Open House and Dedication at the Police Station. The Dedication will be held at 10 a.m. Mayor Henry asked everyone to consider making recommendations for the Citizen Recognition Award recommendation for 2009. The due date is April 15.
BOROUGH MANAGER’S COMMENTS
Ms. Brantner had no comments.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
Council went in to Executive Session at 7:35 p.m. Council came out of Executive Session at 7:42 p.m.; two items of litigation were discussed. No decisions were made.
After Executive Session, Mrs. Andrews had some questions about a Committee Report that was given to the newspaper. After the article was printed she was questioned by residents about money being given to employees for recognition, roads being opened and etc. She said she did not know how to answer these questions. The issue of committee reports was discussed at length and the fact that the report was still a draft until approved by Council. Mr. Stevenson said that the report was approved by Council.
Ms. Brantner said that in the past Council had agreed that anything released to a newspaper should come before Council, so everyone was on the same page and could answer any questions. She said neither she nor her staff was aware anything was given to the newspaper. She stressed the importance of her and the staff having knowledge of such press releases so they could also answer any questions.
Ms. Fuller said ultimately the committee report will be a matter of public record after it is approved. Councils and municipalities take various steps along the way to insure the reports/minutes are accurate. She said you can deem them to be drafts until they are blessed by Council as a whole at a regular meeting. Ms. Fuller said once they are on the agenda, and approved they become a matter of public record and subject to searches. She said up until that point you can choose to treat them as draft minutes that you are presenting to Council for consideration. She said drafts are not public records until they have been approved by the body. Ms. Fuller said for example, if Council makes any revisions to the minutes during the course of a meeting, only after those revisions are made will the document become a public record.
President Teel said this is the reason we should get the Committee Reports in early so Council members can read them to make sure they are correct. Mrs. Lombardi suggested that when Council members email their reports to the Administrative Assistant that they also send a copy to other members for review. The reports/minutes would still be enclosed in the packets but this would give Council more time to look over the reports. This is not a mandatory step but acceptable.
It was also noted that the reports should be marked with draft until they are approved. Ms. Fuller suggested stamping the reports with an approval stamp after they are approved by Council. Mr. Stevenson asked about the issue of content. He noted the road improvements that were in the minutes were brought up. He said this item was discussed in both the LTAC meeting and the Special Projects meeting. He said this was done in a public forum and this matter was of interest to the three members of both committees. Mr. Stevenson said they were part of the minutes of the meeting.
Mrs. Andrews said that when she was approached regarding this matter some residents did not understand it was only a discussion at a Committee meeting verses a decision that was made by Council. Mr. Hershey said that Committee meetings are public; however, some things that are discussed are just that, a discussion. Before items can be approved, they must come out of committee as a recommendation to Borough Council, and then Council votes on that recommendation.
Mr. Stevenson wished to finalize something. He said if we have a public meeting and three people from Special Projects are in attendance and we write up a report about our discussion and submit it to Borough Council, does it then revert back to a non-public document? He said and then after Council’s approval it then becomes a public document again. He questioned how it goes from a public meeting and document to a non-public document and then back again to a public document? Ms. Fuller said this is where there seems to be some confusion. She said a document itself does not become public until it is approved. She said they are two different things; there is a public document and then what you discussed at a public meeting. She said you can talk about whatever you want to talk about at a public meeting, anyone can attend. She said then you can do your minutes or report. She said only after that is reviewed and approved by Council does it become a public document. Ms. Fuller said up until that point it is a draft of what was discussed at the meeting.
Mr. Atkinson said the lesson he is hearing is that we should use discretion when sending things to the press. He said also nothing should be sent to the press unless we as a Council have approved it.
Ms. Fuller said whenever you speak to the media or the public you need to identify in what manner you are speaking. She said are you speaking as an individual resident of the Borough? She said you always have that right to remain that; you do not give it up that right by being elected. She said if you are speaking as a member of a Committee, you have the right to do that if the full Committee has endorsed you to speak on their behalf. She said if you are speaking on behalf of Council; Council must endorse you to speak on their behalf. It is important for the public to know in what capacity you are speaking. Ms. Fuller said the law requests that your minutes reflect a reasonable and fair representation of the items discussed at the meeting. She said it is not clear on how much detail is required.
ADJOURNMENT
Mrs. Andrews made a motion to adjourn at 7:42 p.m.; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Beatrice V. Brantner
Secretary
MINUTES
OXFORD BOROUGH COUNCIL MEETING
JANUARY 10, 2011
The meeting of Borough Council was held on January 10, 2011 at the Borough Municipal Building. The meeting was called to order by President Teel at 7 p.m. President Teel then led Council in the Pledge of Allegiance which was followed by a moment of silence. President Teel asked that everyone pay special attention to the victims and the families of Tucson.
IN ATTENDANCE
Mr. Teel, President Mr. Hershey, Vice President
Dr. Doyle, Member Mrs. Andrews, Member
Mrs. Lombardi, Member Mr. Stevenson, Member (arrived at 7:07 p.m.)
Mr. Atkinson, Member
Mr. Henry, Mayor Ms. Brantner, Secretary
Ms. Fuller, Solicitor
SCHEDULED VISITORS
There were no scheduled visitors.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Mr. Buzz Dorety – Mr. Dorety said another year has passed and he has still received no help from Borough Council. He asked Ms. Fuller if it was permissible for him to speak to Council members privately. Ms. Fuller said there would be no problem with that.
Mr. James Sumner – Mr. Sumner said one of his concerns is how often we police outside the Borough. He noted that free policing has been given to East Nottingham over the years and eventually it costs money. He said if the police leave Oxford the residents are getting reduced services and they are the ones that pay for it. Mr. Sumner said he is tired of his tax dollars going into a township that praises itself for not having local real estate taxes. He said he was on Council and voted for free emergency policing and limited patrol for the OARA Park. He felt we could have asked for money for the limited patrol in the OARA Agreement. He also discussed police coverage at the school.
Mr. Sumner said his other concern was the fact a Borough vehicle went at least 1,000 miles away. He is not disputing the Borough employee going there. He said there is no way our vehicles should go that far away and be completely inaccessible in the event of an emergency situation.
Mr. Stevenson questioned if we would better for the employee to rent a car. Mr. Sumner said his concern would be lessened but he might disagree with what was negotiated in the contract as perhaps being too generous with certain perks. Council members and members of the audience discussed the matter in detail. Mrs. Lombardi said the issue is the Chief using the car to go to Florida. She wanted to get it on the table and deal with it so we can move forward. Mr. Sumner asked that the records show he did not identify the employee. Mrs. Lombardi said that she did. and it was her understanding that the Chief was given permission to do so. She noted he did nothing wrong. Mrs. Lombardi said from this point forward if we have concerns about how any Borough employee travels we will clearly identify that we prefer they fly and increase our finance budget than use a Borough vehicle. Mr. Atkinson said we will keep resident Jim Sumner’s comments and objections in mind and reference them when future similar decisions have to be made.
Ms. Mary Baringer – Ms. Baringer said she would like to ask a question when the topic she is concerned about comes up on the agenda during the meeting.
Mrs. Judy Abbruzzesi, Executive Director of the Oxford Chamber of Commerce – Mrs. Abbruzzesi came before Council to discuss whether a Community Garden could be put on a piece of Borough property. Mrs. Abbruzzesi discussed the many benefits of having a community garden. Her hope is for it to be self-governed and maintained by a Committee. She discussed all the considerations in detail. Mrs. Abbruzzesi said she wanted to know if the Borough would support this project. President Teel said it would have to be determined if this land is a wetlands. He also had some concern with theft. Mrs. Lombardi suggested it be discussed further in Special Projects. Mr. Stevenson asked if she could bring further written information to Council. Mr. Hershey asked if this would require an ordinance or if the property could be leased. Ms. Fuller said she has not done a community garden before. Ms. Fuller said it would depend on how we secured the property to begin with; she said if the Borough owns the property there are issues about how the property can be used. Ms. Fuller said it is easier for her to judge whether a proposal is legally appropriate if she has more details about what it is. Mr. Stevenson encouraged Mrs. Abbruzzesi to make a formal presentation to the Borough and do as much research as possible on the legal end of what has to be done.
AGENDA ADOPTION
Mr. Hershey made a motion to adopt the agenda; Dr. Doyle seconded. Ms. Fuller added Item A., Police Personnel Issue to the Executive Session. Mr. Atkinson added Item I, Civil Service Test Advertisement to New Items of Business. Mr. Atkinson requested that Item H., Officers of Council, be moved to immediately following the agenda adoption. Motion passed.
NEW ITEMS OF BUSINESS
Officers of Council – Mr. Atkinson wished everyone a Happy New Year. He said every other year we reorganize here at Council. He said since it is a new year he wished to bring Council’s attention to Section 1001 of the Pennsylvania State Borough Code. This Section states the President and Vice President serve at the pleasure of Council, and that Borough Council can reorganize our officers of Council at any time providing that there is a motion, a second and a majority vote. Mr. Atkinson made a motion to reorganize the officers of Council; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Mr. Stevenson asked what the basis was for the recommendation to do this. Mr. Atkinson said there was no basis. Mr. Atkinson thought it was a good thing to do at the beginning of every new year. President Teel questioned the reason for the reorganization. President Teel said that he had intended to resign. He said to make it easier he could resign and then Council could go straight into voting. Mr. Atkinson said if he was offering his resignation then he would withdraw his motion. Mr. Stevenson suggested that Mr. Teel be allowed to make his resignation formal with the action at hand. Mr. Teel then read his resignation to Council.
Mr. Teel said his resignation is effective January 10, 2011, 8 p.m.
Mr. Atkinson made a motion to accept Councilperson Randy Teel’s resignation with regret; Mr. Stevenson seconded the motion. Motion carried with one Nay vote by Dr. Doyle.
Ms. Fuller, Borough solicitor, said upon the President’s resignation the Vice President steps in and takes over the meeting. The motion that Mr. Atkinson originally made was withdrawn therefore there is no motion pending. Ms. Fuller said you have a vacancy for the Presidency, therefore there needs to be a motion to nominate someone. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to open the nominations to elect new officers; Mr. Stevenson seconded the motion. Vice President Hershey asked if there was any discussion. Motion carried to elect new officers.
Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to nominate Andrew Atkinson for president; Mr. Teel seconded the motion. Andrew Atkinson made a motion to nominate John Stevenson for Council President. Dr. Doyle made a motion to nominate Ron Hershey for Council President. Ms. Fuller said there are three motions pending, and you can’t have three motions pending at one time. She said if you want to open the floor for nominations you should go back to Discussion.
Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to nominate Andrew Atkinson as President, Mr. Stevenson seconded the motion. It was open for discussion. Mr. Stevenson questioned what this did to the rest of the candidates by putting it in this fashion. Ms. Fuller said by doing it in this manner you have a motion that needs to be voted on one way or the other. If Mr. Atkinson does not get the majority of the votes, the motion would fail and you would ask for another motion. Mr. Sumner, in the audience, raised his hand to ask a question. Mr. Sumner said with all due respect that he believes Ms. Fuller needs to read Roberts Rules. He said what you need is a motion to close the nomination and then poll the Council people. Ms. Fuller said she was not aware that Council was that married to Roberts Rules. Ms. Fuller said if you are that married to the protocol you may go ahead, whatever is your pleasure. She said it is also proper to do it as she advised. Mr. Atkinson said for all people interested he felt it would be best to go with a roll call vote. Mr. Atkinson said from his understanding the top two vote getters would then be chosen, then there would be a second roll call vote. Mrs. Lombardi withdrew her motion. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to do a roll call vote, Teel seconded. Vice President Hershey polled Council. Mrs. Andrews voted for Andrew Atkinson; Dr. Doyle voted for Mr. Hershey; Mr. Hershey voted for Andrew Atkinson; Mr. Teel voted for Andrew Atkinson; Mrs. Lombardi voted for Andrew Atkinson; Mr. Atkinson voted for himself; and Mr. Stevenson voted for himself. Ms. Fuller said there were five votes for Andrew Atkinson; one vote for John Stevenson; and one vote for Ron Hershey. Mr. Hershey stated there was not a top two, but a majority. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to elect Andrew Atkinson as Council President; Mrs. Andrews seconded the motion. Motion carried with two Nay votes by Mr. Stevenson, and Dr. Doyle.
President Atkinson said the position of First Vice President is open. He asked if there were any motions. Mr. Teel made a motion to open the nominations, Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried. Mr. Teel made a motion to nominate Mr. Hershey as Vice President; Mrs. Andrews seconded the motion. Mr. Stevenson nominated himself, Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. Motion carried. President Atkinson polled the Council members. Mrs. Andrews voted for Mr. Hershey; Dr. Doyle voted for Mr. Hershey; Mr. Teel voted for Mr. Hershey; Mr. Hershey voted for himself; Mrs. Lombardi voted for Mr. Hershey; President Atkinson voted for Mr. Hershey; Mr. Stevenson voted for himself. President Atkinson said the vote was 6 to 1 and Mr. Hershey was elected First Vice President.
Dr. Doyle made a motion to open the floor for nominations for Second Vice President; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to nominate Mrs. Andrews; Mr. Teel seconded the motion. Mr. Stevenson nominated himself; Mr. Teel seconded the motion. Mrs. Andrews made a motion to close the nominations, Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. President Atkinson polled Council members. Mrs. Andrews voted for herself; Dr. Doyle voted for Mr. Stevenson; Mr. Hershey voted for Mrs. Andrews; Mr. Teel voted for Mr. Stevenson; President Atkinson voted for Mrs. Andrews; Mrs. Lombardi voted for Mrs. Andrews; Mr. Stevenson voted for himself. President Atkinson said the vote was four to three. He congratulated Mrs. Andrews for being elected Second Vice President. Mrs. Andrews made a motion to close the floor; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried.
President Atkinson thanked Council members for their vote of confidence. He also thanked Mr. Teel for serving the past three years as Council President. President Atkinson stated that all would find out rather quickly that his knowledge of procedural manners lacks far beyond Mr. Teel’s knowledge. He asked for Council’s patience and guidance as far as procedural errors. Mr. Atkinson passed out paper and asked all Council members and guests to write two positives about Oxford on one side, and one negative about Oxford on the opposite side of the paper.
BUSINESS CARRIED FORWARD
OASA Guarantee – Ms. Fuller reviewed Resolution #1141-2010 that was adopted on the 20th of December in 2010. Ms. Fuller said after the Resolution was adopted it was decided to invite Mr. Wolf to the next meeting to discuss any questions concerning the guarantee of the USDA loan. Ms. Fuller said in the interim, there was a meeting held last week at East Nottingham Township. It was strictly an informational meeting for the elected officials for municipalities for the OASA to once again review the material. Ms. Fuller said she was not certain if Mr. Wolf needed to attend tonight’s meeting. She said between the two or three meetings we have had, most of Council has been apprised of what is going on. Ms. Fuller said Mr. Wolf is in attendance in the event there are any other questions.
Mr. Wolf introduced himself to Council. He said he is serving as the financial advisor to the Oxford Area Sewer Authority. Mr. Teel inquired about the three ways in which the annual debt service can be repaid in the event of a default. Mr. Wolf noted that one year’s debt service is in reserve. Mr. Wolf said if there was any shortfall they would go to that debt service. He said the guarantees wouldn’t be needed until the debt service is exhausted. He also noted the guarantees are proportional. Mr. Wolf said if there was a shortfall it would be divided according to a prearranged percentage amongst the four contributors. Mr. Wolf said it is his expectation that before there would be a draw on the guarantees rates would be raised by the Authority. He noted it would be on all the rate payers at the time. They would raise the rates in order to make up the shortfall and repay the one year debt service. Mr. Wolf said if you think of it as a series of safety nets the first one would be the one year’s debt service in reserve. And the second safety net if that is exhausted is proportional draws, not of the full value of the loan, but only on the missing amount of the semi-annual next payment. Mr. Stevenson asked if it was pretty much impossible to need the guarantees. Mr. Wolf would like to say it is impossible but if the Authority doesn’t pay attention and ignores the warnings of the Trustees, and they refuse to raise rates, it could get so bad that there would be a draw. Mr. Wolf said since the municipalities send representatives to the Authority Board it is hard to imagine that the Authority could let that happen. Ms. Fuller said that prior to settlement on the USDA Loan the Authority’s engineer would need to certify that a minimum of 3,278 EDU’s are connected to the system. It does not say what happens if we don’t, but she assumes if it is a condition prior to settlement, we would not be able to go to settlement on the USDA loan. Ms. Fuller then discussed the projections from the four municipalities. Mr. Wolf said if only 50% of the numbers connect we will still be running positive surpluses through 2016. Mr. Sumner noted that when the Authority was first created the Corporation Agreement clearly stated that current rate payers would never have to pay for expansion of the system that would benefit new connections. He said that was supposed to be paid for by the developers. Mr. Wolf said the project has various components and some of it is clearly brand new for customers that have never been connected, but they are also doing a lot at the request of the DEP. They are raising the level of treatment on what is already connected to the system. Mr. Wolf said a good piece of the new USDA loan is to refinance the still unpaid balance on the two prior loans given that they were enacted in 1998 and 2003. He said they are viewed as largely a debt of the historic customers. He said another issue is that DEP has doubled the number of days of storage that are required. Council continued to discuss the matter in detail with Mr. Wolf. Mr. Stevenson said if we don’t move on this now and vote on this and show faith in ourselves as a region the opportunities are going to go downhill dramatically. Mr. Wolf said no matter what percentage you end up agreeing to with your fellow communities it won’t count against your abilities to borrow for other purposes.
Mrs. Lombardi asked what would happen if West Nottingham did not sign on. Ms. Fuller said she thought the OASA would have to make a determination about how to proceed. She said it is her understanding that both East Nottingham and Lower Oxford are prepared to proceed under the proposal from the Sewer Authority. She said they are looking to the Borough to confirm whether they can agree to the 44% and they are willing to move forward with that number. She said or we may need to schedule a joint public meeting which would have to be advertised. All of the municipality bodies would have to come together and hash out the percentage to reach the 100% to move forward. Ms. Fuller said if Council can live with the 44% then we could bring this issue to a close. If not, then we need to take the next step of creating a forum for that discussion to take place. Mr. Stevenson said he has been absent due to health reasons and needs to be brought up to date. Ms. Fuller since Council has only approved the Resolution agreeing to enter into an agreement. Mr. Stevenson asked if we are looking for a letter from our Borough Council that we concur with the current numbers. Ms. Fuller said in order for the next step to take place we need to agree on the actual percentage we are willing to guarantee. Mr. Hershey said he was opposed to the percentage but after attending some of the meetings and understanding if none of this goes through we have to come into compliance without all these other townships and that could cost us more money. He does not think anyone wants to guarantee this kind of money but it is a matter of necessity; he said if we want this area to grow with any kind of industries or commercial businesses. Mr. Teel said he is for the Act 537, and the USDA loan, but he is against taking care of someone else’s bill. Mr. Teel said this whole system is being upgraded for the purpose of expansion and getting into compliance. Mr. Wolf said that his understanding as an outsider is that during one winter when it stayed cold for so long that they could not spray the existing lagoon, the system threatened to overflow. He said that is when DEP said OASA needed to add a 17 million dollar lagoon. He said that means there is a terrible bill due now on just the existing customers regardless of any growth. Mr. Teel explained how he felt the percentages should be done. Mr. Stevenson made a motion that Oxford Borough Council would consent to sign off on a guarantee up to a maximum of 44% of the USDA Loan; Mr. Hershey seconded the motion. Dr. Doyle said we have a functioning sewer system and current users, that is where the money is available, to pay for or backup the loan. He said if the Sewer Authority’s projections turn out not to work as well as we would like, and we are on for 44%; we will have to back up whatever amount they can’t make. He said we are the source of the money to pay the loan. Dr. Doyle said on the other hand if they have to raise rates in order to be able to pay, that would spare us the back-up, but the money is still coming out of our hip pocket because we are the users. He said since we the only source we might as well shut-up and agree to the 44%. Motion carried 6 to 1 with one Nay vote by Mr. Teel.
Mr. Atkinson thanked Mr. Wolf for his attendance and members of the audience for their comments.
Oxford Borough Police Station (Final) Change Order #11 – Item carried forward.
Estimates for Pest Control at Police Station – Item carried forward.
Starr Road Farms’ Amendments – Ms. Fuller said she has been corresponding with Mr. Pia regarding this matter. She said at this point she is not prepared to comment. She said the Letters of Credit remain in place. Item carried forward.
Adult Uses Ordinance Amendment – Item was tabled.
Tattoo Parlor Ordinance Amendment - Item was tabled.
Wireless Communications Facilities Ordinance- Item was tabled.
Pittsburgh – Resolution –Council decided not to move forward with this Resolution.
NEW ITEMS OF BUSINESS
Pay Increase, David Sweet – Ms. Brantner since he has not has a raise since 2007 and our rate is lower than most of his clients. He is asking for an increase from $52.00 to $56.00. President Atkinson said he has done an excellent job. Mr. Stevenson agreed that he has done an excellent job and feels some consideration should be given, but at the same time due to the fact we just increased our taxes .5 mill, he has a hard time giving one of our consultants a raise. Mr. Stevenson suggested a compromise of a $2.00 raise. Mrs. Lombardi said she would usually agree with Mr. Stevenson but when she looks at the fact he is receiving $80.00 an hour from the other municipalities, to which he is charging us $52.00 an hour she did not think $4.00 an hour was unreasonable. Mrs. Andrews said she felt we could afford this amount. Mr. Hershey said he would be in favor of giving him the raise; however we are paying him for about 150 hours a year. Mr. Hershey feels we have been pretty free with his time. We may have to look at some of what we give him to do. Mr. Stevenson said this is why he offered a split. Ms. Fuller said she thinks that a lot has been sent to Mr. Sweet to work on, rather than sending it to her. She noted that having Mr. Sweet do it saves money. He charges about 1/3 of what her hourly rate would be. Ms. Fuller said both she and Mr. Sweet charge the Borough a lower rate than any other municipalities they represent. Mr. Stevenson made a motion to increase David Sweet’s pay from $52 to $54. Motion failed. Mr. Stevenson made a motion to increase David Sweet’s pay from $52.00 to $56.00; Mr. Teel seconded. Motion carried.
Appointment of Jim Sumner – Vacancy Board - Mr. Teel made a motion to appoint Mr. Sumner to the Vacancy Board; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion passed.
Resolution # 2010 Appointing Members and Alternates to the Property Maintenance Code Appeals Board – Ms. Brantner said we have discussed this with our solicitor. Ms. Brantner said we are setting up a Property Maintenance Appeals Board. We discussed what qualifications were required. Ms. Brantner said the Board was determined between George Guss, Patrick McKenna and me. Ms. Fuller said we adopted the Property Maintenance Code years ago. She said we have not had an appeal until now. An appeal has been requested. Mrs. Lombardi made a motion to adopt Resolution #1142-2011; Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. Motion carried with one Nay vote by Mr. Teel.
Second Street-One Way – Ms. Brantner said the engineer is reviewing this item.
Western Terrace/Coach – Ms. Brantner said the engineer is reviewing this item.
Market Street/Backing into Angled Parking – Ms. Brantner said the engineer is reviewing this item.
Third Street Streetscape Project Request for Invoice #9 - $9,577.90 - Ms. Brantner said this has been reviewed by both the engineer and John Schaible. Dr. Doyle made a motion to pay Invoice #9 in the amount of $9,577.90; Mr. Hershey seconded the motion. Motion passed.
Civil Service Test Advertisement – President Atkinson said this came from the Police and Public Safety Committee. Mr. Atkinson said the present list has expired. Mr. Teel made motion to advertise for the purpose of creating a list for Police Officers; Dr. Doyle seconded the motion. Motion carried.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
There were no discussion items.
PRESIDENT’S COMMENTS
President Atkinson wanted to say something positive about all of Council. First of all, he said Mr. Teel, a lifelong resident of Oxford, has shown a love for his town by serving on Borough Council and countless Committees. He thanked him for his service and his leadership as Council President. He would especially like to thank him for his guidance and knowledge of procedural manners during meetings. He said he is to be complimented for his efforts for the Oxford Borough Town Celebration several years ago which was one of his favorite moments on Council. He said he hoped he did not mind if he leaned on him and asked for his advice.
Doctor Doyle – President Atkinson said he is a huge Lord of the Rings fan and he considers Dr. Doyle to be the Gandalf of Oxford’s Borough Council. He said he is the wise sage and his experience and knowledge of history is such an asset to the Council. He said his Uncle who served on the Delaware Air National Guard with Dr. Doyle raves about what a tremendous person he is, and he totally agrees.
President Atkinson said about Mr. Stevenson, from the Planning Commission to attempting to bring train services back to Oxford; to serving on Council, shows a passion that inspires others, and especially me. Local writer Mark Bowden wrote an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer rooting for John and he knows countless others root for him as well. He said you are a fighter, and you have proven that by battling recent health problems and also defending others when you believe they have been wronged. Mr. Atkinson said his passion to Council is an asset and thanked him.
President Atkinson said he considered Mr. Hershey to be the quiet leader. He leads by example and he provides a calming presence when debates have the potential to get heated. He said his help on getting the Lighthouse Youth Center started should serve as an example to all of us on how to leave a lasting legacy in Oxford.
President Atkinson said Mrs. Andrews is Borough Council’s watchdog of our finances. He said her connections with members of the community are such an asset to Borough Council. He is still rooting for an Octoberfest in Oxford and he hopes Mrs. Andrews can help spearhead that in some way. Her leadership with the Borough’s financial matters serves us well.
President Atkinson considers Mrs. Lombardi to be one of the best question askers on Borough Council. He said when he hears her say “this might be a silly question” I know that it will be a well thought out question that clarifies remarks that previously may not have been made clear. President Atkinson said he is amazed with both her and Mr. Hershey on managing Council’s responsibility, while caring for their young children.
President Atkinson said he is thankful to Mayor Henry for the “Citizen Recognition Award” which is done every spring. The awards recognize people that make our town function and inspire others. He also wanted to thank him for maintaining such a helpful website which is www.themayorofoxford.com - the website has links to many great resources and is continuously updated.
President Atkinson thanked Chief John Slauch for bringing stability to the administration to our Police. He said from what he understands before Chief Slauch was named Police Chief in Oxford there was a revolving door of Police Chiefs. When you are asked to respond to a task; you have responded quickly. He said you have helped guide the transition to a new Police Station and morale seems to be at a record high since I have been on Council. He said to please tell the police officers that Council also thanks them for their service.
President Atkinson thanked Ms. Brantner for how she is able to handle so many personalities as Borough Manager from changing Council members, to constituents, from business owners, to working with leaders from local and state governments as well as PECO and PennDOT. I can tell that you care deeply about the job that you do. I know how much it can hurt when others might not fully see it. He said please know that I, as well as the other Council members, are here to assist you and support your work so hopefully the workload is a little less. He said, again, we want to thank you Ms. Brantner.
President Atkinson said Ms. Fuller, as our solicitor, has saved Borough Council several times from making poor decisions. He said you have also saved the taxpayers of Oxford money by guiding us through legal matters. He said you are quick to return a call. He said you have even been helpful to residents who might have questions, especially Mr. Dorety. President Atkinson said Mr. Dorety really appreciates you returning his calls.
President Atkinson said it was important for him to thank everyone because first of all it doesn’t happen that public officials get thanked that often. He said secondly, he never wants anyone to have any doubt that he does not have faith in their actions. He wants to start the 2011 Borough Council on a positive note. I never want us to ignore the negatives when they exist. He wants to encourage everyone to find the positives in others. Search for positives when the situation or tasks are unpleasant. He said he asks for three positives at the Committee meetings. He said it would be nice if our Committee chairs could do the same thing.
President Atkinson said sometimes he likes to day dream about the future. He said that he wonders what people will be saying about Oxford in the year 2020. He said he starts to wonder how the local historians will look back at their leaders from the start of the previous decade. President Atkinson said this is what he would like to hear Dr. Faye Doyle say when the Oxford High School asks her to come in and speak about the town history nine years from now. He would like her to say this:
Ladies and Gentlemen, at the start of 2011 the unemployment rate in the United States was 9.4%. It was extremely difficult for local, state and federal officials to balance the budget. Many people in Oxford and the surrounding area were pessimistic and it was very easy to fall into that mindset. However, the leadership of the Oxford Borough leaders never wavered. The Mayor’s Citizen Awards inspired residents to strive to improve their community. The Police Chief and his officers made sure that the crime rate remained low even though it was easy for people to be tempted to resort to crime during financially hard circumstances. The Borough Manager oversaw the revitalization and infrastructure of the town with several phases completed of the Streetscape Project. With the increased sewer capacity and leadership from OMI new and innovated businesses were attracted to Oxford. And, through it all was the encouragement of Borough Council who made quick strides to eliminate the negatives when they arose, kept expenditures to what was affordable, and comforted their constituents by focusing on the positive. Because of this mindset and because of the cooperation, the town of Oxford withstood a perfect storm that had hit the entire country. And now in the year 2020 the sun is out, things are better financially, and maybe we would not be where we are today without the encouragement of our local officials. And after Dr. Faye Doyle says this; she jogs on home.
President Atkinson wished a Happy New Year to all and hoped to make 2011 a positive year for everyone involved and that we could build on our successes.
MAYOR’S COMMENTS
Mayor Henry said the Citizen Awards this year will be given on May 16th. The deadline for submission is April 15th. The Mayor said in light of what occurred this past week in Tucson, Arizona he has reached out to Representative Lawrence, Senator Pileggi, Congressman Joe Pitts, Senator Casey and Senator Toomey. He said if any of them intend to visit our fine Borough he has encouraged them to contact the Chief and him. He said it happened in Tucson, and we don’t want anything to happen here. Mayor Henry said he wanted them to feel they do have the presence of the Oxford Police Department if they so desire when they are visiting the Borough.
Mayor Henry said he would like to publicly recognize Sgt. Mc Fadden and Officer Smiril. He said he understands there was an incident that occurred over the holidays near the Peoples Bank where there were some transformers that did catch on fire and caused minor explosions. Through the efforts of Sgt. Mc Fadden and Officer Smiril, the Fire Company and Public Works we avoided what could have been a catastrophic situation. He congratulated Sgt. Mc Fadden, Officer Smiril, the Fire Company and Public Works for responding.
Mayor Henry said there was an editorial published last week in the Chester County Press. He said it was with sincerity that he published it thanking the elected officials of this municipality, the school district and employees, the employees of the Borough, OMI, the Chamber of Commerce, and our State Representatives for making what has happened in Oxford the past couple of years a reality.
BOROUGH MANAGER’S COMMENTS
Ms. Brantner had no comments.
EXECUTIVE SESSION
President Atkinson said there was one item for Executive Session. Mr. Hershey made a motion to go into Executive Session at 9:57 p.m. to discuss one Police Personnel Item; Mrs. Lombardi seconded the motion. Motion carried. Council came out of Executive Session at 10:01 p.m.
No decisions were made.
President Atkinson reappointed the Committees.
Finance and Personnel – Mrs. Andrews, - Chair - Dr. Doyle and Randy Teel
Police and Public Safety – Dr. Doyle – Chair –Susan Lombardi, John Stevenson
Codes –Randy Teel, Chair, Sherry Andrews, Sue Lombardi
LTAC – Ron Hershey- Chair, Dr. Doyle, John Stevenson
Public Works – Sue Lombardi –Chair, Sherry Andrews, Ron Hershey
Special Projects – John Stevenson – Chair, Randy Teel, Ron Hershey
ADJOURNMENT
Mr. Stevenson made a motion to adjourn at 10:03 p.m.; Mrs. Andrews seconded the motion. Motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Beatrice V. Brantner
Secretary
