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Politics & Government

Emmaus Council Housekeeps in Short Meeting

New worker, new utility deal, new personnel policy, new street trees, snow penalties and more in less than 60 minutes.

In a short meeting Monday night , Emmaus Borough Council hired a new borough worker, adopted a new personnel policy, proposed stricter penalties for tardy snow removal and approved the replacement and planting of three new trees on the Triangle.

Council also announced that Broad Street from 5th to 6th streets will be closed beginning April 11 for reconstruction. Limited access for Broad Street residents will be provided during the project, which will last until mid-July, said Borough Manger Craig Neely.

Mayor Winfield Iobst cast the tie-breaking vote to approve a two-year contract to lock in lower electric service rates for the borough. Several council members favored a one-year contract because they thought rates might go even lower next year. Others said they preferred a two-year deal because it provided “budget stability.”

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Borough resident Brent Reed of North 10th Street was hired for the public works crew from a pool of 120 applicants for the job, said councilman Brent Labenberg, who  called Reed “an outstanding candidate.” Labenberg said as a borough resident, Reed will be “very accessible for emergencies.”

Adoption of the new personnel policy provoked debate, with councilman R. Erick Reinhard voting nay because he said some parts of the policy were not specific enough and allowed “too much discretion” by council. Neely replied that having some discretion could be desirable. Neely said the policy will affect borough workers and staff in different ways.

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The new snow removal ordinance, which received its first reading, increases fines for property owners who fail to clear snow from their sidewalks 24 hours after a storm. Fines would be set at $100 for a first offense, $150 for a second violation and $200 for third and subsequent failures to clear sidewalk snow.

Three pear trees that were planted several years ago on the north side of Main Street on the Triangle “sometimes can be a nuisance” and will be replaced with a different species of tree selected by the borough Shade Tree Commission, said councilman  Nathan Brown.

First Niagara Bank and Lehigh County are each donating $2,000.00 to pay for the new trees, he said. Labenberg voted against the tree replacement, saying he preferred spending the money on planting more trees rather than replacing “mature” trees.

Council also appointed David Biles to a new four-year term on the planning commission and approved a $2022.00 contract to upgrade video cameras for council chambers.

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