MARTINSBURG BOROUGH COUNCIL MINUTES
DECEMBER 4, 2006
The regular meeting of the Martinsburg Borough Council was held on Monday, December 4, 2006, in the municipal building. The meeting started at 7:00 p.m. with prayer by Randy Stoltz and the Pledge of Allegiance.
ELECTED OFFICIALS PRESENT: Mayor Donald C. Greenleaf, Pro-tem Nathan P. Ormsby, Councilman Christopher E. Brooks, Councilwoman Suzanne B. McNally, and Councilman Sheldon O. Smith
ALSO PRESENT were Manager Randy Stoltz, Borough Secretary Jane Staily, Attorney Cathy Miller, Richard Brantner, Jr., Chief Kerry Hoover, Sgt. Justin Davis, Patrolman C D Gunnett and Dan Horton of the Morrisons Cove Herald; and the following from the Boy Scout Troop: Ed Bennett, Matt Brown, Brandon McClain, Daryl Replogle, Tim McClain, Kaden Bennett, Cody Hunter, Daryl Replogle (Jr.) and Tammy Hunter.
The MINUTES of the regular meeting of November 6, 2006, were approved on a motion by Chris Brooks, seconded by Suzanne McNally. The motion passed unanimously.
The FINANCIAL AND TREASURER’S REPORTS were presented for November 2006 as written.
The LIST OF BILLS for November 2006, check nos. 3414-3467 in the amount of $35,339.67 was approved on a motion by Chris Brooks, seconded by Suzanne McNally. The motion passed unanimously.
Mayor Don Greenleaf complemented the Martinsburg Police department and the other local departments that assisted on the successful resolution to several critical incidents that happened in our jurisdiction within the past month.
Chief Hoover presented his monthly police report as written. He thanked the Boy Scouts for their donations to the food bank; this year’s donations for the Toys for Kids Program were coming in slow – the department would like to hand out all of the donations throughout a two week period; the vest grant was approved late – the vest sales representative was in and the vests have been ordered; two laptop computers were received through grant money from the terrorism task force; the department is currently testing wireless connectivity to the cruiser laptops – with a booster the Cingular connection receives at least one bar of power – Verizon will also be checked into; the department has been busy with volatile incidents and Chief Hoover was proud of his department and the surrounding departments for their assistance; the police arrested Frederick Asper, notorious for shooting an officer back in 1979, after two separate chases originating from traffic violations only to find out he was wanted by authorities in Kentucky for a domestic violation shortly following his recent release from jail; two weeks later the Omega Bank is robbed – this was handled by the State police since no officer was on duty at the time; the next day the department handled a serious domestic situation where the gunman barricaded himself in for hours; Officer Garlena was slightly injured the next day when taking a person into custody who was being convicted of an armed robbery in East Freedom; needless to say, the part-time patrolmen wage category will show an increase on next month’s financial statement. The department has been extremely busy. Chief Hoover recommended everyone keep checking the “case solvers” on the borough’s web site as it changes daily. Chief Hoover thanked the Martinsburg Volunteer Fire Department for providing the police with food, lighting, etc. the evening of the standoff.
Manager Stoltz reported that he attended the Hollidaysburg Rotary meeting on November 7th to discuss the manure digester project; attended a DEP training session on November 8th regarding the emergency operations plan for the water system and updating the drought contingency plan; attended the Martinsburg Rotary to discuss the digester project and the community fund; town Christmas lights were turned on November 24th; attended the meeting of the Martinsburg Municipal Authority on November 16th; cracks in the streets were sealed on November 21-22; the final draft of the community map was returned for printing on November 28th – maps to be distributed in early January; 175th Anniversary Fundraiser door stops are made and ready for sale for $20 each or two for $35 – a photo of the door stop will be placed on the web site; Chief Hoover and Chris Brooks have done a good job setting up the borough’s web site.
There was some discussion about the authority saving water and production costs as well as wear and tear on the pumps since the leaks were fixed.
Sheldon Smith reported that he will not be attending the January meeting due to his scheduled heart operation. Council will keep him in their prayers.
Nathan Ormsby reported that he attended the last meeting of the Martinsburg Municipal Authority. The board has a huge decision to make regarding the removal of nitrates from our drinking water. The two alternatives have a lot of pros and cons to decipher.
The Well Head protection plan has finally been approved and accepted. The committee must hold annual meetings as a requirement.
Suzanne McNally reported that the 175th Anniversary T-shirt sales have dropped. The door stops are for sale as Manager Stoltz reported previously.
Chris Brooks made a recommendation for council to consider a partial reimbursement of $10 to $12 per month to each full-time police officers for the use of their personal cell phones while on duty. During the last few incidents, the officers were relying heavily on their own cell phones to make contact with one another and other departments to keep their conversations private. The part-time officers also call the full-time officers on their cell phones when they need them for something. The topic will be brought up at the January meeting. Chris will discuss this further with Chief Hoover.
Council on a motion by Chris Brooks, seconded by Sheldon Smith, adopted the 2007 Budget as previously presented at last month’s meeting after being properly advertised. The motion passed unanimously.
Council, on a motion by Chris Brooks, seconded by Suzanne McNally, adopted Ordinance No. 2006-564 maintaining the 2007 Real Estate Tax at 23-mills (no increase). The motion passed unanimously.
Council on a motion by Suzanne McNally, seconded by Chris Brooks, adopted Ordinance No. 2006-565 to maintain the 2007 Per Capita Tax at $5.00. The motion passed unanimously.
On a motion by Chris Brooks, seconded by Sheldon Smith, council adopted Ordinance No. 2006-566 to maintain the 2007 Earned Income Tax at 5-mills. The motion passed unanimously.
MARTINSBURG BOROUGH COUNCIL MINUTES
DECEMBER 4, 2006 – PAGE 3
On a motion by Chris Brooks, seconded by Suzanne McNally, council approved of the following year 2007 meeting dates to be advertised. The motion passed unanimously:
JAN 2(Tue) FEB 5 MAR 5 APR 2 MAY 7 JUN 4
JUL 2(Tue) AUG 6 SEP 4 (Tues) OCT 1 NOV 5 DEC 3
Correspondence was received from the County of Blair Department of Emergency Services regarding the Blair County Street Naming and Addressing Guidelines. A copy of the sample ordinance was attached. Attorney Cathy Miller reviewed the ordinance and approved of it with a few minor language changes. On a motion by Chris Brooks, seconded by Suzanne McNally, council approved to advertise the proposed ordinance as No. 2007-567 to provide uniform standards for the naming of streets; fabrication, erection and maintenance of street name signs; establishing a street numbering system; address posting requirements and enforcement procedures for the Borough of Martinsburg for consideration for adoption at the February 2007 meeting. The motion passed unanimously.
The community map is scheduled for completion and should be ready for distribution in early January. The boyscout troop present agreed to take on the project of delivering the 850 maps to borough residents. Council was appreciative. Mailing the maps would cost about $300.
North Woodbury Township would like to participate in the borough’s Christmas tree drop off. Trees can be dropped off at the municipal garage anytime before the chippers come in. The borough’s Christmas tree pick up date is scheduled for Tuesday, January 9, 2007, at 8:00 a.m.
Richard Over would like to reduce his real estate tax burden by showing the parking lot at E. Allegheny St. as a donation. An official appraisal will be necessary for his tax relief. Council on a motion by Chris Brooks, seconded by Sheldon Smith, authorized payment of $300 to Gerald Slick for preparing the necessary appraisal. The motion passed unanimously. Council felt the community would see a big benefit of the town center parking lot.
On a motion by Chris Brooks, seconded by Suzanne McNally, council accepted the 2007 engineering agreement with Stiffler, McGraw and Associates, Inc. on an as needed basis. The motion passed unanimously.
Mayor Greenleaf received correspondence from the Independence Law Center regarding legal rights and responsibilities concerning municipal holiday displays. This item was tabled and will be put on the February council agenda for discussion. Copies of the correspondence will be made available to all the council members.
The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:10 p.m. on a motion by Chris Brooks, seconded by Sheldon Smith. The motion passed unanimously.
Respectfully submitted,
M. Jane Staily
Secretary