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City Council

April 17, 2024 ·6:30 PM Final

Council Chambers

Agenda PDF Minutes PDF 📹 Watch video Official record ↗

Agenda — 49 items

  1. 1 Invocation: ▶ jump to 0:05
  2. 2 Pledge to the Flag ▶ jump to 0:24
  3. 3 Roll Call ▶ jump to 0:41
  4. 4 Courtesy of the Floor Courtesy and Privilege of the Floor Rules ▶ jump to 1:13
  5. 5 Contract Approvals ▶ jump to 5:45
  6. 6 R60 Authorization of a $34,020 increase for a previous awarded contract with Maxiom Corp. in the amount for the development and implementation of the new City website. The initial contract sum was $122,000, requested increase of $34,020 would bring the contract to $156,020. 15-6835 approved Pass ▶ jump to 8:04
  7. 7 R61 Authorization of Cooperative Contract(s) in an amount greater than $40,000.00 to provide the City with various goods/services. 15-6836 approved Pass ▶ jump to 10:42
  8. 8 Minutes of Previous Meeting: None ▶ jump to 10:59
  9. 9 Communications ▶ jump to 11:04
  10. 10 Old Business: None ▶ jump to 12:46
  11. 11 REPORTS Special Meeting: The special committee on co-responder models will be meeting on April 24th at 6:15 PM. A Committee of the Whole is scheduled for May 1st at 6 PM to review Bill 40 introduced this evening increasing penalties for parking violations. Budget and Finance: Chair Napoli, Hendricks, Gerlach The Committee met on April 10, the next meeting is scheduled for April 24th at 5:30 PM Community and Economic Development: Chair Hendricks, Mota, Napoli The committee met on April 10th; the next meeting is scheduled for April 24th at 5:45 PM. Human Resources, Administration and Appointments: Chair Affa, Napoli, Santos The Committee has not met since the last council meeting; the next meeting is scheduled for May 1st at 5:30 PM. Parks and Recreation: Chair Santos, Affa, Gerlach The Committee has not met since the last Council meeting, the next meeting is not yet scheduled. Public Safety: Chair Zucal, Hendricks, Mota The committee met this evening; the next meeting is not yet scheduled. Public Works: Chair Gerlach, Affa, Zucal The Committee has not met since the last council meeting, the next meeting is scheduled for May 1 at 5:45 PM. Rules, Chambers, Intergovernmental Relations, and Strategy: Chair Mota, Napoli, Gerlach The committee has not met since the last council meeting, the next meeting is not yet scheduled. Controller’s Report (3 minutes) Mr. Jeffrey Glazier stated that this evening's report is the gift card review for Human Resources. They started this is November and finished it recently. As Council knows, the Controller's office looked at gift cards in other departments and this is the last of these audits. He knows that there are some audits that they do on regular and recurring basis. This happens to be one of them. In this department, they did a gift card audit in 2017. They did another one in 2020 and then they did this one in 2023. Basically, they noted some of the problems they identified in 2017 were not corrected. And, some of the problems that they identified in 2020 had yet to be corrected. In brief, the city gives out gift cards for employee recognition. They noted from the logs it's impossible to determine which cards were given to which employees. That is important to preserve an audit trail. They made recommendations to correct it and the administration has said that they will comply. They noted that there was inadequate controls in the Employee Recognition Program. What they mean by that is sometimes the paperwork authorizing the award wasn't to be found or was not complete. They also note that there is a gift card log in Treasury where gift cards are held so they are safe and the gift card log in the department and it was not always possible to reconcile the two. He stated that they recommended that be corrected. Gift cards are considered income because they can be cashed. It is important that when a gift card is handed out whether it will be for the HR department or through Lights in the Parkway that information be reported to the Payroll Department so that it could be included as income on the employees W-2. They found that was not consistently done. Those processes need to be worked on. He stated that the last item that he would like to comment on is that they have been purchasing gift cards for a long time. He stated that they go back to 2016. They still have gift cards that they purchased in HR in 2016. Some of this money came from the medical. Brue Cross will give the city wellness money. This might be used as encouragement or spiff for doing something. He stated that they still have these cards. They have a number from 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2021. The total of these older cards totals $2,500. He stated that the Controller's office recommendations to the department and other departments as well that purchase cards is that the fist card that comes in, is the first card that goes out and that way you don't have stale cards sitting around. He stated just to recap, this is the third time they have audited this for a number of reasons in the past. The department has been slow to make corrections. It has been some turnover there. The department's response for all of these findings was that they would review, make changes to ensure that there was compliance. He stated that if they want to read about this in more depth and stated that it is certainly an engaging read so please. He is sure Mr. Hanlon put it up in Granicus and if Council has any questions, he will be more than happy to answer them. Mr. Ed Zucal stated that for the last few years anyway, the city does not have a record of who got them and how much they were for. Mr. Jeffrey Glazier stated no, they are not always complete. This is an issue that goes back to 2017. This didn't just start in 2022. He stated that they can piece most of it together, but they can't always piece all of it together. Some of the corrections are as simple as making sure that the space on the log for the employee to sign their name is large enough for them to sign their name. It's ok, but they need to do better. Mr. Ed Zucal stated that he remembers a few years ago someone got fired. Mr. Jeffrey Glazier stated that he is correct. In 2017, the Controller's office found malfeasance and turned it over to the police department immediately because it was over their heads. They duly followed through and they were short one employee then. Mr. Ed Zucal stated that he remembers that. Ms. Cynthia Mota asked if there were any other comments. Mayor’s Report (3 minutes) Ms. Genesis Ortega stated that she is here on behalf of Mayor Tuerk to provide a brief Mayor's Report. They are moving at the speed of light. Last weekend, they announced that the city of Allentown was awarded $50,000 to distribute micro grants to youth and youth serving organizations in Allentown focused on climate projects. They have received considerable interests so far. It is exciting. The city's Sustainability Coordinator is working with those who submitted ideas in managing these projects. They are excited to soon announce the public launch of the Safe Streets For All Initiative. They are holding a Press Conference next Wednesday at noon. She stated that they are all invited on Hanover Avenue. This launch will underscore the city's commitment to prioritizing safer roadways and transportation networks for all residents regardless of their mode of transportation and where they live in the city. Following that they will also be unveiling the results of the Community Health Needs Assessment and discussing our next steps in creating the city's community health improvement plan. They submit their application for the second phase of the Recompete Program on April 25th. That is the focus for the Planning team right now. It could be quite significant for the city. It is up to $20 million to implement a plan to address a planning gap in residents ages 25 to 54. They are talking childcare, transportation, professional development, among some of those ideas. They are very close towards the results of the Housing Study and the Zoning Code is out for public comment. The Zone Allentown website is officially live at Allentownpa.gov/ZoneAllentown. As she mentioned previously to Mr. Binder that they are looking to hold committee meetings sometime in mid June. She stated that Laura also mentioned earlier, the launching of a full revamp of the city website on May 10th. They will also be announcing the public launch of Parknership during a Press Conference on May 22nd. This information has all been shared with the City Clerk. Later that week, they are planning on a grand opening celebration of Irving Pool. She knows that the eastside is eager to dive into this new pool this summer. The city is happy to deliver on that project. She took a minute to be hyper-focused on Parks and Recreation because her and her team have been engrossed in the marketing and communication of all that they have going on. This weekend, Earth Day in the Park is happening Saturday at Cedar Beach Park. They have 38 eco-friendly vendors, five food trucks on site for the community to enjoy thanks to the work by our Recycling Bureau who also did a great job on a massive scale of the litter cleanup of MLK from the 15th jug handle to the Eighth Street Bridge on the north side last week. Next weekend at Cedar Beach, they will host Veg Fest from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM. They are also debuting Yoga Fest in the city of Allentown. It is going to be free yoga classes every Thursday in the Arts Park and every Sunday in the Rose Garden from May to October. The Parks and Rec team has intentionally worked on building a Spring, Summer and Fall catalog for outdoor activities activating the city's outdoor spaces and bringing life to our parks. They will see that now in 2024, they are offering 12 free movies in the parks and pools. The Movies in the Park and the Movies in the Pool series, they are offering a free outdoor camp program for kids, also known as the Summer Playground Program. They are offering free outdoor concerts from May to October in West Park, Union Terrace, Cedar Beach and Midway Manor through the city's revamped Summer Concert Series in additional to Special Events as a whole. She stated Parks and Rec. kudos to them. They are working hard to activate those city spaces for residents. It is quite remarkable and she hopes that Council can join them for some of these events. Lastly, a feel good story. The city's EMS team raised $1,000 for autism awareness through a t-shirt sale earlier this year and did a small check presentation to the Autism Society Lehigh Valley earlier today. Several of the city's paramedics, Council may or may not know have children with autism. This was a good cause near and dear to their hearts. The city is very proud of that. Ms. Cynthia Mota asked if there were any comments from the dais. ▶ jump to 12:54
  12. 12 Controller Reports 15-6860
  13. 13 ORDINANCES FOR FINAL PASSAGE (To be Voted On): ▶ jump to 24:13
  14. 14 Bill 26 Amending §455-139B(6) of the Property Rehabilitation and Maintenance Code, Article XVIII, Licensing Residential Rental Units, Owner and Occupant duties, to remove the requirement that multiple disruptive conduct reports filed within a twenty-four (24) time period count as a single disruptive conduct report. 15-6765 approved Pass ▶ jump to 24:39
  15. 15 Bill 29 Amending the 2024 General Fund Budget to provide for a supplemental appropriation of Fifteen Thousand ($15,000.00) Dollars from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of The State Fire Commissioner (OSFC) Grant to the Allentown Fire and EMS Department for the purchase of items related to training, safety and equipment. 15-6788 approved Pass ▶ jump to 25:26
  16. 16 Bill 30 Amending the 2024 General Fund Budget to provide for a supplemental appropriation of Sixteen Thousand Nine Hundred Fifty One Dollars And Ninety-Nine Cents ($16,951.99) from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of The State Fire Commissioner (OSFC) Grant to the Allentown Fire Department for the purchase of Hydra Ram forcible entry tools. 15-6789 approved Pass ▶ jump to 26:11
  17. 17 Bill 31 ADOPTING FUND BALANCE POLICY FOR THE CITY OF ALLENTOWN Reminder: code this up 15-6790 approved Pass ▶ jump to 27:17
  18. 18 Bill 32 Amending the 2024 General Fund, the 2024 Risk Fund, the 2024 Solid Waste Fund, the 2024 Stormwater Fund, the 2024 Equipment Replacement Fund, the 2024 Golf Fund, and the 2024 Housing Fund by appropriating funds from the un-appropriated balances for the rollover of encumbrances for the prior year commitments. 15-6791 approved Pass ▶ jump to 28:16
  19. 19 Bill 33 Amending the 2024 ARPA Fund Budget to provide for a transfer of One Million ($1,000,000.00) Dollars from Ripple Community Inc. to the Revenue Replacement category of the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) award for HVAC systems. Ripple Community Inc. will receive One Million ($1,000,000.00) Dollars in funding from the CDBG HOME-ARPA program as indicated in DCED’s resolution to amend the 2021 One Year Action Plan allocation. 15-6794 tabled Fail ▶ jump to 30:52
  20. 20 CONSENT AGENDA approved Pass ▶ jump to 36:40
  21. 20 Bill 33 Amending the 2024 ARPA Fund Budget to provide for a transfer of One Million ($1,000,000.00) Dollars from Ripple Community Inc. to the Revenue Replacement category of the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) award for HVAC systems. Ripple Community Inc. will receive One Million ($1,000,000.00) Dollars in funding from the CDBG HOME-ARPA program as indicated in DCED’s resolution to amend the 2021 One Year Action Plan allocation. 15-6794 approved Pass ▶ jump to 35:19
  22. 21 R62 Sewage Planning Module at 1910 Walnut Street 15-6805
  23. 22 R63 Certificate of Appropriateness for work in the Historic Districts: 1515 Linden Street; 1525 W Chew Street; 213 N Poplar Street; 340 N 8th Street; 534 N 6th Street 15-6834
  24. 23 RESOLUTIONS FOR FINAL PASSAGE (To be Voted On): ▶ jump to 36:58
  25. 24 R64 To be introduced this evening. A RESOLUTION OF CITY OF ALLENTOWN, COUNTY OF LEHIGH, COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA, APPROVING THE INTERMUNICIPAL TRANSFER OF LIQUOR LICENSE NUMBER E-1180 FROM HAAKS SCHOOL HOUSE, LLC, 8418 BAKE OVEN ROAD, GERMANSVILLE, PA 18053 TO CITY CENTER HOSPITALITY TEN, LLC, 950 HAMILTON STREET, ALLENTOWN, PA 18101 15-6833 approved Pass ▶ jump to 37:38
  26. 25 R65 Police Officer Appointments Shamari Dally – Freemansburg, PA Jose Reyes-Cerda – Allentown, PA 15-6842 approved Pass ▶ jump to 39:06
  27. 26 R66 Approves the submission of the formal application for the Economic Development and Community Development Initiatives Grant through the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development on behalf of the Allentown Police Department to support the renovation of the Police Academy Building. 15-6843 approved Pass ▶ jump to 43:00
  28. 27 R67 Authorizes the submission of the formal application for funding from the Local Share Account (LSA) grant in the amount of up to Three Hundred Thousand Six Hundred Thirty-Six dollars ($300,636.00) with no match required. 15-6844 approved Pass ▶ jump to 43:40
  29. 28 R57 Approves the Submission of an amendment to the 2021 Action Plan to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. 15-6793 approved Pass ▶ jump to 44:18
  30. 29 Request to pull Resolution 59 from the Public Works Committee, place on agenda and act on it. approved Pass ▶ jump to 44:54
  31. 30 R59 A resolution of the City Council of the City of Allentown, Lehigh County, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, adopting the South Whitehall Township Act 537 sewage facilities plan (Public-to-Public System Transfer) 15-6799 approved Pass ▶ jump to 46:34
  32. 31 Request to suspend the rules, introduce and vote on Resolutions 73 and 74. Suspend The Rules Pass ▶ jump to 47:03
  33. 32 R73 Authorizes the City to accept the donation of two used City of Easton Fire trucks, worth approximately $200,000, in exchange for waiving the City of Allentown Fire Academy tuition cost for two City of Easton Fire Department recruits, worth approximately $16,000. 15-6853 approved Pass ▶ jump to 48:15
  34. 33 R74 Approves the submission of the formal application for a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for improvements to the Rose Garden and Pavilion. The City is asking for $200,000 with no match required. 15-6854 approved Pass ▶ jump to 48:58
  35. 34 ORDINANCES FOR INTRODUCTION (To be referred to Committee with public comment prior to referral) ▶ jump to 49:16
  36. 35 Bill 37 An Ordinance providing for the expenditure of certain monies received by the City of Allentown under Title I of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1976, as amended; The Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing Act of 2009; and Title II of the National Affordable Housing Act of 1990, as amended; for the purpose of undertaking programs of housing and community development within the city. 15-6839 ▶ jump to 49:23
  37. 36 Bill 38 Amending the 2024 ARPA Fund to provide for a transfer of One Million Two Hundred Thousand ($1,200,000.00) Dollars to the General Fund unappropriated balance as a Revenue Replacement category of the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) award. These funds will be appropriated to a newly created Community Reinvestment program within the General Fund Dept of Community & Economic Development (DCED) Director’s Bureau. 15-6846 ▶ jump to 50:11
  38. 37 Bill 39 Amending Article XI, Department of Human Resources, by adding reporting requirements on salary adjustments. 15-6847 ▶ jump to 50:53
  39. 38 Bill 40 Fine Increases 15-6848 ▶ jump to 51:14
  40. 39 RESOLUTIONS FOR INTRODUCTION (Can be voted on or Referred to Committee): ▶ jump to 51:45
  41. 40 R68 Acceptance of Love Your Block Grant Funds for Neighborhood Revitalization through Civic Engagement. 15-6845
  42. 41 R69 Denial of a Certificate of Appropriateness – 107 N. 11th Street 15-6838 ▶ jump to 52:09
  43. 42 R70 CEDC, forwarded favorably Approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness – 1111 W. Turner Street 15-6837 ▶ jump to 52:29
  44. 43 R71 Approves the Submission of an amendment to the 2022 Action Plan to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. 15-6840 ▶ jump to 53:38
  45. 44 R72 Approves the Submission of an amendment to the 2022 Action Plan to the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. 15-6841 ▶ jump to 54:41
  46. 45 NEW BUSINESS: NONE ▶ jump to 55:06
  47. 46 GOOD AND WELFARE ▶ jump to 55:15
  48. 47 ADJOURNED: 7:26 PM ▶ jump to 56:16
  49. 48 Reference Materials: Council Rules Procurement Code Ethics Code 15-6577