[0:03] I aliance to the flag of the United
States of America and to the republic
[0:09] for which it stands. One nation under
God, indivisible, with liberty and
[0:14] justice for all.
[0:19] » At this time, we'll have public appeals
part one. If you have a personal appeal,
[0:24] please sign in. State your name, where
you're from, and you have five minutes
[0:28] for your appeal.
[0:34] All right. Do we have any online guests?
[0:41] » Yes.
>> Give me just a second.
[0:44] » All right. Uh
[0:48] » Western unmuted. I don't know.
>> All right. You're unmuted. If you have a
[0:54] virtual appeal, please state your name
and where you're from and what your
[0:58] appeal is. Anybody?
All right. Hearing none, we'll move on
[1:03] to community minute. Does anyone have a
community minute to bring forward? Oh,
[1:07] for the record, uh, Councilman Balot and
President Deframe will be on Zoom.
[1:15] Does anybody have a community minute to
bring forward? Councilman Anders. Well,
[1:19] since this is hot off the press or or
text, uh just a reminder for the
[1:24] residents that the refues and recycling
will be collected Friday instead of
[1:28] Thursday this week due to the holiday.
Thank you, Mr. President.
[1:31] » Oh, thank you. Uh anyone else?
I attended the first uh Cyclacross
[1:37] event. Well attended. Um I ran one of
the races and uh very well attended and
[1:44] it seems to be growing every year. So,
hope that can keep going.
[1:48] All right, moving to new business. We
have the certification of civil service
[1:52] results for the chief of police. Uh
would somebody like to make a motion to
[1:57] certified the civil service exam results
for chief of police Joseph Sokalowski
[2:02] and to award him a civil service
protection as recommended by the Civil
[2:06] Service Commission? Councilman Brown. Is
there a second? Councilman Anders. Any
[2:11] discussion? All those in favor say I. I.
>> I. Those oppose.
[2:17] There are six eyes.
At this time, I'd like to invite the
[2:22] Madame Mayor and our new chief, Joseph,
to come up to be sworn in.
[2:47] That's good.
[3:07] » Swear or
>> soare.
[3:11] Constitution.
[3:57] sexual orientation.
National
[4:11] » resation.
[4:43] I just want to acknowledge since it's
not on the camera that all the officers
[4:46] that are here and uh retired officers
and previous officers and I I appreciate
[4:51] seeing all the faces here. Thank you for
showing up and this is a big moment for
[4:55] our police department.
Uh we'll have a brief recess
[5:01] 607 for uh some photos
[5:08] 11.
Say it again.
[5:11] » Uh we're reconvening at 611.
We have the August 17, 2026 public
[5:18] hearing minutes. Does anybody like to
make a motion to approve those minutes?
[5:23] Councilman Brown. Seconded by
Councilwoman Bman.
[5:27] Any corrections or additions.
All those in favor say I.
[5:32] » I.
>> I.
[5:34] Those opposed. I'm not sure if I'm
hearing them online.
[5:37] » No, it's because I got to ask them to
unmute every time.
[5:39] » All right. Uh Chris and Chad, if you can
unmute yourselves. We're not hearing you
[5:46] win your vote. Join the voice vote.
>> Go ahead. Go ahead and ask for the vote
[5:49] again.
>> All right. All those in favor say I.
[5:52] » I.
>> I.
[5:53] » I.
>> All right. There we go. Those opposed,
[5:56] there are six eyes. Hey, Nate. Where
where's your microphone?
[6:01] » Hi.
>> All right. Uh,
[6:06] that was the public hearing minutes and
now we have the August 17th, 2026
[6:10] council meeting minutes. Would somebody
like to make a motion to approve that?
[6:14] Councilwoman Brem. Second. Councilman
Brown. Any corrections or additions?
[6:20] » Hold it down.
>> All those in favor say I.
[6:22] » I.
>> I.
[6:24] » Those opposed. There are six eyes.
>> Seven.
[6:29] » Seven eyes.
>> Seven eyes. Did I say six before, too?
[6:32] » Yeah.
>> Yes.
[6:33] » Yeah. You said six.
>> I stand corrected.
[6:36] » You're out of practice.
>> We have no decisions on bids
[6:40] communications. We received a Canal
Homestead event request for a salsa
[6:45] dance. Um
I believe because it's a new event and
[6:51] they have alcohol, we just need to
approve the alcohol with insurance.
[6:55] » Uh and in the event as well.
>> And the event. Okay. So, is there a
[6:58] motion to approve uh the salsa dance at
the Homestead Canals or Canals Homestead
[7:06] uh with the approval of alcohol sales
with proof of insurance? Councilwoman
[7:11] Bman, seconded by
Councilwoman Brem.
[7:17] Any discussion?
Sounds exciting. It sounds like they're
[7:21] doing it on the barn patio, I'm
guessing.
[7:24] » Yeah,
>> in that area,
[7:25] » definitely.
>> All right. All those in favor say I.
[7:29] » I. Those opposed.
>> There are six eyes.
[7:32] » Seven eyes.
>> Seven.
[7:33] » Seven eyes.
>> I like the even numbers.
[7:39] » All right. We received a communication
from Pathways to Change, which is a
[7:44] business downtown concerning uh this the
smoke shop downtown.
[7:50] Uh it's a three-page letter with some
photos. Some legitimate concerns. I'm
[7:55] going to refer to the zoning officers.
>> No,
[7:59] » that needs to go to public safety.
>> Go to public safety.
[8:02] » I was going to refer to there too
because there's zoning issues and the
[8:05] public safety.
>> I would go with public safety first.
[8:08] » They'll and they'll refer to
>> the zoning officers are researching
[8:11] which we'll go to we'll go to his
committee as well,
[8:14] » but maybe both.
>> Okay. Because there were I mean I
[8:17] thought there were more issues regarding
zoning with signs and beyond.
[8:21] » Yeah. If you read the underllayment of
the concern, it's
[8:24] » all right.
>> That's that's an aftermath.
[8:26] » Well, we'll send it to both committees
uh with the expectation that they'll get
[8:29] back to them
>> with a um an answer.
[8:34] Does anybody else have a communication
to bring forward?
[8:39] All right. Hearing none, Burough
Engineers report.
[8:52] No report.
>> No report.
[8:56] Sorry, I wanted a break for a drink
there. Solicitor's report.
[9:00] » You kept looking at me like I was the
>> Maybe I'm still delirious from my run. I
[9:03] don't know.
>> Have a PE of the solicitor report. No
[9:06] report progress.
>> Thank you. Unfinished business part one.
[9:09] We have ordinance 1288 which will
address in the committee reports.
[9:13] There's no unfinished business part two.
Uh, anybody have anything to bring
[9:17] forward on items not on the agenda?
All right, hearing none, madame mayor's
[9:23] report. Thank
>> you. Um, the one I Well, I have two
[9:26] items, but u tomorrow the department is
hosting a virtual workshop on cyber
[9:31] crime prevention. The event is from 1 to
4 in the community room. It's a webinar
[9:35] designed to provide practical tips on
recognizing online threats and financial
[9:40] scams, safeguarding personal
information, and knowing what to do if
[9:43] you or a loved one becomes a victim of
uh the crime. Also on your iPad, you
[9:49] have proclamation 2026 649 in honor of
the 25th anniversary of September 11th,
[9:54] 2001 and designate September 11th, 2026
as Patriot Day and National Day of
[9:59] Service and Remembrance. Um, I'll read
this one for a change. I normally don't
[10:05] read them anymore, but
>> All right.
[10:06] » Whereas on September 11th, 2001, the
United States was a target of a brutal
[10:11] act of terrorism that took the lives of
2,977
[10:15] innocent individuals at the World Trade
Center, the Pentagon, and Flight 93 in
[10:19] Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the lives
fighting the global war on terrorism
[10:25] following the attacks. And whereas a
quarter century later, we continue to
[10:29] mourn the victims, offer our deepest
condolences to the families who lost
[10:33] loved ones, and reaffirm our solemn
promise to never forget their memory.
[10:38] And whereas today marks the 25th
anniversary of this faithful mourning, a
[10:42] milestone that not only underscores a
quarter century of grief for the
[10:46] families left behind, but also the 25
years of enduring national resilience,
[10:50] unity, and strength. And whereas we
continue to honor the courage of the
[10:54] first responders, firefighters, law
enforcement officers, emergency medical
[10:58] technicians, and military personnel who
rush into danger to save others, many
[11:02] making the ultimate sacrifice. And
whereas the thousands of service
[11:05] members, intelligence professionals, and
citizens who stepped forward in the
[11:10] weeks and years following the attacks to
defend freedom and secure our nation
[11:14] deserve our never-ending gratitude. And
whereas out of the ash and ruin of that
[11:18] day, the American people united in a
profound spirit of service, compassion,
[11:22] community, demonstrating that our shared
values are stronger than any act of
[11:27] terror. And whereas the passage of 25
years has not dimmed our memory or
[11:32] lessened our resolve to teach future
generations about tragedy, heroism, and
[11:38] the unity that defends this patriotic
moment in our history. Now therefore, I,
[11:44] Leanne Gilbert, mayor of the burough of
eassle county, Pennsylvania, do hereby
[11:47] proclaim September 11th, 2026 as patriot
day and national day of service and
[11:51] remembrance in EMass, Pennsylvania. I
call upon our citizens to observe the
[11:55] 25th anniversary with moments of
silence, the fly flying of flags at half
[11:59] staff and by participating in acts of
community service and charity to honor
[12:03] the lives lost and the spirit of unity
that binds us together. Done this 8th
[12:08] day of September, 2026 in the burrow of
Mass Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.
[12:12] progress.
>> Thank you, Madam Mayor. It's hard to
[12:15] believe it's 25 years already and uh I
remember it specifically and uh it's the
[12:20] biggest thing I remember is just coming
home from work and hugging my kids
[12:24] » and at the time they were 5, four and
three. So, yeah, very dramatic time in
[12:29] our lives when that happened. So, thank
you.
[12:33] » Yeah, thanks for reading that.
>> Um public works committee chairman
[12:37] Baliot.
>> Thank you, Mr. Vice President. Uh, I
[12:41] don't have anything for official action
tonight. Uh, our next meeting is
[12:47] September 14th at 4:45. And with that,
I'll report progress.
[12:51] » Thank you. I just want to point out, uh,
two of the rows adjacent to where I
[12:56] live, uh, East Green Leaf and East
Burger were completed, and the neighbors
[13:02] are extremely happy. They did a great
job. I also was able to check Sixth
[13:06] Street. I know it's been a while since
they did that one. That was the first
[13:09] one. That looks fantastic. I'm not quite
sure what other other roads they did,
[13:13] but Roy, I I think I know what you want
to say. I'll let you jump in.
[13:17] » Oh, no. I um Yeah, I just wanted to
maybe if Shane could give us a just a
[13:22] quick update on the POS uh building
where we're at.
[13:26] » I thought you were going to say Lions
playground.
[13:28] » No, that's for that'll be in
>> I I actually Well, I was going to wait
[13:33] until the end, but um Oh, sorry, Shane.
>> Yeah, I that's okay. Uh
[13:40] so
[13:43] well number one
we'll be online in seven days.
[13:47] » Woohoo. We got to have a ribbon cutting.
>> Um not in seven days. Uh
[13:55] um we will we will because we we
definitely have to thank uh um those who
[14:02] helped get that funding possible. um uh
and everything that was involved with
[14:08] that entire project. Um that doesn't
mean well two is up and running, but
[14:12] well one will be up and running. Um and
we'll be running the tests and
[14:15] everything else to check all the
formulas and the chemicals and um
[14:20] there's a lot to it. So we need to make
sure that it's it's running right before
[14:24] we send it through the system. Um but to
be able to say that in seven days well
[14:29] one will be activated
uh is
[14:34] a relief I think is the best thing I can
say at this point
[14:37] » and and long anticipated.
>> Yeah that's good news. Uh the uh all the
[14:43] finishings and things like that aren't
aren't completed in the building yet but
[14:47] at least we are at a point of well one
being turned on.
[14:50] » Fantastic. And I I noticed that they
were kind of cleaning up the outside
[14:53] there and and doing a lot of work
recently. And the building does look
[14:57] good when you drive by it and doors are
all on now. And you know, uh, thank you,
[15:02] Shane. I just I apologize for stealing
your thunder.
[15:05] » I can erase.
>> All right. Public works committee. Uh,
[15:10] chair.
>> No, I'm sorry. Health, Sanitation, and
[15:13] Coast Committee, Chairman Brown.
>> All right. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Uh,
[15:16] one thing for official action that's
ordinance 1288, an ordinance of the
[15:21] burrow of emmus, Lehigh County,
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, vacating a
[15:24] portion of Perky Street and providing
for severability and an effective date.
[15:30] Uh, Mr. Solicitor, have all the
advertising and the uh, correct
[15:35] notifications been put out?
>> Yes, sir, they have.
[15:38] » All right. Thank you, Mr. Solicitor. So
then I'd like to if there's no other
[15:41] questions or anything I'd like to form a
motion to go ahead and vacate.
[15:45] [clears throat] Motion by Councilman
Brown. Is there a second?
[15:50] » Some second.
>> Councilman Defrain.
[15:56] » Any discussion?
Well, we had two hearings on it, so I
[15:59] think we had a lot of discussion
already. So, this is a roll call vote.
[16:03] Councilman Defrain.
I,
[16:07] » Councilman Baliot,
>> I,
[16:11] » Councilwoman Brimm,
>> I,
[16:12] » Councilman Brown,
>> I,
[16:14] » Councilwoman Bookman,
>> I,
[16:18] » Councilman Anders,
>> I,
[16:19] » Councilman Leenberg, I, seven eyes.
>> Say seven.
[16:24] » Seven.
>> Stuck the landing there, Bren.
[16:28] Our
next meeting is uh Tuesday, September
[16:32] 15th at 4:45 p.m. That meeting may be
postponed
[16:37] uh due to a schedule conflict. So just I
will get that confirmation out to
[16:43] everyone once it is uh confirmed with
the the scheduling progress.
[16:48] » Thank you.
Parks and Recreation Committee Chairman
[16:52] Anders.
>> Yes. Thank you, sir. There is nothing
[16:55] for official action, although uh just a
couple updates. Um I sent council um
[17:01] some photos of Lion's Playground, which
is moving along uh very well. We are
[17:06] looking towards October for a completion
andor ribbon cutting. Um date to be
[17:12] determined. Correct.
>> You didn't send any photos of the
[17:14] install of the playground though.
>> I did. It was just on the one.
[17:17] » Okay.
>> It was on the first photo, but uh the
[17:21] they are moving along. Um, I stopped by
there yesterday. Uh, the ball field and
[17:25] everything looks good and and equipment
is going in as Mr. Pepe was just uh was
[17:31] alluding to. Um, can't wait to see the
uh the rest of the equipment because
[17:36] there's some special things there
that'll that'll really I think get the
[17:40] the neighborhood's attention. And it's a
park that we've been uh working on for
[17:44] nearly 3 years and um a lot of planning
grants were completed and again our
[17:52] public works is the one doing pretty
much 99% of the work. Yeah. Um so kudos
[17:58] to them for fitting this in and going to
bring it across the finishing line soon.
[18:04] Hopefully when we do that you all can
come out for a ribbon cutting and uh
[18:08] we'll see that uh start to come to
fruition. Uh the other one if if no one
[18:14] knew is uh or read it in the notes is we
are looking to have a uh over at furnace
[18:20] stands some work done that um
much needed work there. we uh put up
[18:25] some we'll be updating the bathrooms in
there and then also um the pavilion's
[18:31] going to be built that we had planned
for and budgeted for. Um and again,
[18:34] public works is doing that for us. Um
our public works does a lot of things as
[18:40] we just heard, pave roads and everything
else, but they're also our playground
[18:44] installers and pavers and just fabulous
work there. Um, our next meeting is
[18:51] scheduled for September 17th at 4:45 and
without a report progress. Thank you.
[18:57] Public safety Oh, did you want to say
something?
[18:59] » Ribbon cutting in November.
>> All right.
[19:03] » How dare you push it?
>> Have a mural and everything else to do.
[19:07] » Public safety committee. Uh, Chairwoman
Boopin.
[19:12] » Um, we had our last meeting. We have no
was last meeting the microphone please.
[19:20] » Our last meeting um
was on when was our last meeting
[19:29] in August but we had um already had the
council meeting so I have nothing for um
[19:35] official action. Our next meeting is
tomorrow September 9th at 9:00 am
[19:40] progress.
>> Thank you. Uh general administration
[19:44] committee is myself. We have a few items
here. We have the hiring of a police
[19:50] officer. The general administration
committee interviewed Eric Vidal
[19:56] and is recommending him to
to hire him.
[20:03] So, I guess I need somebody to make a
motion to hire him.
[20:06] » Yeah. And if you could if you could
>> name the conditions that we had
[20:10] recommended, if you if you could please.
If you'd like, I can read what the
[20:14] formulation of the motion is for
everybody. And then
[20:16] » No, I I looked in the there's nothing
listed under the the tab. So I
[20:21] » Yeah, there there's notes in the action
area, but go ahead.
[20:24] » I Mr. Mr. President, I believe the
motion would be as follows. to hire Eric
[20:28] Vidal as an Ammasboro police officer
contingent upon successful completion of
[20:32] a physical eye examination,
psychological examination, successful
[20:36] completion of the MPEC Act 120
certification and a one-year
[20:41] probationary period is the formulation
of the motion.
[20:43] » I would make that motion.
>> All right. Motion by Councilman Anders.
[20:46] Is there a second? Councilman Brown. Any
discussion? All those in favor say I. I.
[20:53] I.
>> Those opposed? There are seven eyes.
[21:01] Uh the general administration committee
interviewed candidates for the full-time
[21:09] water sewer billing clerk. Uh we
originally well I shouldn't say we Shane
[21:13] had originally 850
applicants which was weeded down to
[21:19] maybe what 20 25ish which was narrowed
down to 10 for interviews actual
[21:25] interviews. We did we did 21 20
interviews.
[21:28] » 20 interviews and then uh the general
administration interviewed three and
[21:34] then it was uh uh recommended by the by
the committee to hire Lisa Wernern as
[21:42] the full-time water and sewer billing
clerk. So, and that's a recommendation
[21:46] of general administration committee.
Would somebody like to make a motion to
[21:50] approve that?
>> Yeah. And before you do
[21:52] » contingent upon something?
>> Yeah. Background is complete. Um, so it
[21:56] would simply be contingent upon
successful completion of our
[21:58] probationary period.
>> Okay. [snorts] So would somebody like to
[22:02] make that motion?
Councilman Brown. Seconded by
[22:07] » Councilwoman Brem. Any discussion? All
those in favor say I.
[22:11] » I.
>> I. I.
[22:14] » Those opposed. There are seven eyes.
Lastly, we have a request for uh a fee
[22:22] in lie of parking for 569-571
[22:27] Chestnut Street. The request
request for the fee and loo is actually
[22:35] $1,500.
And would somebody like to make a motion
[22:40] to approve that?
Councilman Brown, is there a second?
[22:47] » Second. Councilwoman Bman. Um,
discussion.
[22:54] I know why you're signing because you
would like to see that as a yearly fee
[22:57] versus a once and done. And I I know
that will be addressed in your
[23:01] committee. So,
>> correct. It's on our list of things.
[23:03] » Yep.
>> That's on the zoning ordinance update
[23:05] list.
>> That's correct.
[23:06] » And so, whoever gets in now, they're
lucky. So,
[23:10] » Exactly.
>> All right. All those in favor say I.
[23:13] » I. I.
>> I.
[23:15] » Those opposed. There are seven eyes's.
Uh we had two sets of meeting notes with
[23:22] uh our next meeting being September 16th
at 9 9:00 a.m. via Zoom. I report
[23:27] progress. Budget and Finance Committee
Chairman Defrain.
[23:31] » Thank you. So we have an item for
official action here. Resolution 2026-26
[23:38] resolv authorized payment of the
September 8, 2026 bill list as follows.
[23:44] Bill list 1,967,2453.
[23:50] Payrolls number 17 and number 18,
$437,49847.
[23:58] Payroll taxes $141,269.91
[24:02] for a total of $2,546,13.91
[24:09] done the 8th of September 2026. And I'll
put that in the form of a motion. Motion
[24:14] by President Defrain. Is there a second?
Councilman Brown. Any questions on the
[24:19] bill list? All those in favor say I.
>> I.
[24:23] » I.
>> Those opposed. There are seven eyes.
[24:27] » You can see the significant revenue and
expenses for August and also the budget
[24:31] performance report through August. Uh
and also two sets of uh meeting notes.
[24:37] Our next meeting is Wednesday, September
16th at 11:00 a.m. Progress.
[24:44] » Thank you. Community Relations, Planning
and Development Committee, Chairwoman
[24:49] Brim.
>> Uh, thank you. Nothing for action this
[24:52] evening. Our meeting notes are attached.
Our next meeting is September 16th at
[24:56] 4:45 p.m. Progress.
>> Thank you. You have uh three sets of uh
[25:03] either meeting minutes or notes from uh
some of our organizations. We have
[25:09] personal appeals part two. There's no
one here, but do we have anyone online
[25:13] to unmute?
[25:20] All right. If there's anyone online and
you want to make a public appeal, just
[25:23] state your name and your address and
what your appeal is.
[25:30] All right, hearing none, we'll move on
to the burl manager report.
[25:35] » I have uh I have one item for you to
vote on. Um Charles Wes has uh per the
[25:42] union contract, he has um completed the
requirements to advance to a class 4 DPW
[25:49] uh employee. So therefore, I would
recommend council votes to approve that
[25:54] per the requirements of the contract.
>> All right. Is there a motion to approve
[25:58] that? Councilwoman Brown, seconded by
Councilman Brown.
[26:06] Any discussion?
>> All those in favor say I.
[26:09] » I.
>> I.
[26:11] » I.
>> Those opposed?
[26:14] There are seven eyes.
Um, so [clears throat] my favorite time
[26:20] of the year
has arrived. Uh, budget requests were
[26:25] due. Uh, yes, I made the department
manager submit them by Labor Day at 9:00
[26:31] a.m. Uh, they were all done in time. Uh,
we started our budget meetings with the
[26:37] departments today. I think I met with
three different department managers
[26:40] today. Um, you will be given access to
cleargov
[26:47] to uh if you want to get online and
start to review, uh, I will give that to
[26:51] you later this week. Those of you that
have never used clear gov, uh I can give
[26:56] you a crash course as to how to open it
up and and look at things. Uh if you
[27:01] choose not to look at clear gov, I will
be submitting your preliminary budget to
[27:06] you uh with um
uh the budget message on October 12th
[27:14] um [clears throat and cough] by uh 11:59
since it's not a council night. Um
[27:21] otherwise uh if you have any questions
please feel free to ask or I will report
[27:26] progress. Councilman Anders.
>> Yes. Um for council if you're not aware
[27:30] that uh today is a special day besides
us being here for council. Uh Mr. Pepe,
[27:36] it is his birthday. So I would request
if you all would like to uh give him a
[27:40] quick sing along happy birthday here.
>> I think we're good. Don't do that.
[27:43] » I think I think he deserves it. Um
>> we'll let you sing it.
[27:47] » Uh no no no. It would just have to be
Mr. Brown over there.
[27:51] » I would like you want to enjoy what they
did to me on my birthday. Just walk
[27:54] downstairs.
>> Oh, I saw the sign outside as I entered
[27:57] the building. It
>> was very cruel. I turned 46 today.
[28:00] » Thank you, Mr. Pepe. Good luck. That's
enough.
[28:02] » I still remembered you as a teenager.
>> That was good enough. [laughter]
[28:06] » Well, we do wish you the best. We do
wish you the best, sir. And uh I'd be
[28:10] remiss if I did not bring it up.
>> Thanks, Roy.
[28:15] » Anything?
>> No. to report progress.
[28:18] » All right. I have nothing on the
president's business. I was going to
[28:20] wish him a birthday then. Happy birthday
then, but Roy, you took that, you know,
[28:24] like two minutes before. Uh, we do not
have an executive session this evening.
[28:29] » No executive session.
>> All right. Ask for a motion to adjourn.
[28:35] Councilman Brown, second by Councilwoman
Bman. All those in favor say I. I.
[28:41] » I.
>> Those opposed. Seven eyes. Meeting
[28:44] adjourned. 6:35.
[28:48] Okay.