Reynoldsville Borough Council meets in regular session

Reynoldsville Borough Council met in regular session on February 23. Without a Citizen of the Month to award or an executive session at the beginning of the meeting, the council went right to public comments.

Despite being on council, Ralph August requested time to speak. He took issue with recent posts on the Internet about borough employees. He defended the salary of the borough secretary Jaqueline Dixon, stating that she’s been on the job for 40 years and that her salary is set by union contract. He also said her efforts in reclaiming back taxes gets and saves the borough money.

“She does a good job,” he said.

August also defended Rick Troutman, road supervisor, and the borough road crew citing their hard work.

“We plan our attack every morning…of what we’re going to do,” he said.

The other council members agreed.

“Everyone’s done a good job and earned what they have,” commented Council President William Cebulskie.

Borough resident Stacy Snedden was next on the agenda and she asked if the borough was going to hire a part time employee for the borough crew, and if someone was hired recently it should have been advertised. 

The conversation then ensued between Snedden and Councilman August about an employee’s leave of absence. That conversation became heated at times, before Council President Cebulskie gaveled it to a close.

Borough resident Leeanne Toombs then asked about a letter residents received about removing grass from sidewalks. Council member Nichole Walk, who is also the Code Enforcement Officer, said it was not an issue at this time. She said she should have first consulted with Street Committee Chairman Ralph August before sending out the letter. 

Council member Max Smith clarified that, while there was an ordinance, there was no deadline at this time to remove the grass from the sidewalks.

Yellow Brick Road problems

Nicole and Andre St. Laurent, residents who live along Yellowbrick Road just before it heads into Winslow Township, approached council with pictures and video of ice and water problems as well as broken pipes along their section of the road at their driveway

Nicole St. Laurent said she’s been trying to get help with the problem for seven years.

Council member August said the road crew has been looking at the problem and that it was going to be fixed.

Another problem at Second Avenue and Gordon Alley was also discussed. 

Camera Policy

Council attempted to adopt a policy concerning cameras in the borough building used by the police department, but Mayor Mark August, who is in charge of the department, questioned why the policy required two people to access the system, with keys going to Police Sergeant Tammy Murray as well as Mayor August and Council President Cebulskie.

Both Mayor August and Sergeant Murray expressed concern about someone viewing the video who is not authorized, but council member Max Smith and others stated that it would not happen. Smith said the policy was designed to safeguard the system by documenting who is accessing it.

After considerable debate, including Sergeant Murray’s suggestion the policy be recovered by the union representing the police department, Council Member Kyle Gordon suggested the policy vote be tabled for further review.

“Given that, obviously, that there’s some different perspectives to be considered, I feel comfortable having further discussion and tabling it until next month,” Gordon said.

Council took the suggestion and set the policy aside for further review.

No parking signs

Council Member Nichole Walk brought up the problem of the location of some no parking signs and the difficulty it posed in ticketing the violators. She presented pictures of locations where some signs did not allow for parking while others set the restrictions during a certain time period. She also pointed out the need to update the ordinance to match.

After some discussion, it was decided to have Walk, in her role as Code Enforcement Officer, put together a list of places that need to be addressed so they can be reviewed in the Street Committee before coming to council for final action.

Mayor’s report

In his report, Mayor Mark August said Sergeant Murray was doing a good job and that she’s handled a lot of incidents.

Mayor August also asked if there was an area near the borough garage where an impounded car could be securely stored.

It was determined there was a location right behind the borough garage that was set aside for that purpose.

Police call box

Council approved a request to install a call box in the entrance way of the borough building that residents can use when Sergeant Murray is off duty. One suggestion was the call would go directly to Jefferson County Control for dispatch.

The cost of the box will be $255.00 plus the cost of an outside dedicated line.