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January 22, 2013 Middletown, PA 17057 The January 22, 2013 regular business meeting of the Middletown Borough Council was called to order at 7:01 p.m. by Council President Christopher R. McNamara. Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Councilor Robert Louer asked the agenda be amended to reflect the date of the meeting was January 22, 2013, not 2012 as was mistakenly printed. The following Council members answered roll call: Barbara Arnold, Donald Brooks , John Brubaker, Robert Louer, Christopher R. McNamara, Judy Putric, David Rhen, and Suzanne Sullivan. Mayor Robert G. Reid was absent due to illness, Council President McNamara reported. Also in attendance were Borough Borough Manager Tim Konek, Borough Secretary Chris A. Courogen, and Adam Santucci, of McNees, Wallace and Nurick, the Borough's solicitors. Prior to public comment, Council President McNamara invited Frank Intrieri, of Intrieri Construction, to make a presentation about a proposed subdivision plan. Mr. Intrieri told Council he represented the family of Bruce and Phyllis Lohr, whose home on Spring Street was heavily damaged in a fire. Mr. Intrieri said the family wished to demolish the damaged structure and to do a reverse subdivision to consolidate lots, then build a new single family home. Councilor Rhen moved the plan be referred to the Planning Committee. The motion was seconded by Councilor Putric and approved by a unanimous 8-0 vote. PUBLIC COMMENT Dawn Knull said she does not make public comment in meetings to be critical of Council, but to seek answers. She then delivered a critique of what she said were mistakes in the meeting minutes posted on the Borough's Web site. Knull also asked when she would get answers to questions she had posed in a previous meeting and commented on items discussed in meetings of the Public Works/Utilities Committee and the Administration and Personnel Committee. Council President McNamara told her he had answers for some of her previous questions at the last Council meeting, which she did not attend, and said he would retrieve those answers and get them to her later. Rachelle Reid also commented on matters that had been discussed at the Administration and Personnel Committee meeting. Michael Bowman complained about Council placing an executive session near the top of the meeting's agenda. Jack Still commented on one of the issues Knull had raised, saying she must not be aware of the payouts Borough retirees receive. EXECUTIVE SESSION
Councilor Sullivan also read a letter from assistant finance director Linda Houser about the lack of any borough employee handbook or written policies, as well as the lack of a uniform system for employee evaluations. Council President McNamara commented on the letter, saying it was an example of the many problems with the Borough government that were inherited by the current Council. Councils in the past hired an HR director to develop policies and a handbook, but the project was never completed, Council President McNamara said. Costs to develop a handbook, and for other HR resources, might be covered by a state grant under the Department of Community and Economic Development's Early Intervention Program, which the Borough is enrolled in, Council President McNamara explained. Council President McNamara also discussed the lessons learned about the Borough's IT system when Borough Hall suffered a power outage Christmas Eve. He suggested the Borough might also explore asking the state for IT help through the Early Intervention Program. Our predecessors did not address these issues, Council President McNamara said. We are trying to fix what is broken. Councilor Arnold said she felt developing an HR manual is needed. Councilor Sullivan said she recommends the Borough look to get both HR and IT assistance from the state. Councilor Brooks made a motion to appoint Steven R. Wheeler as acting chief of police, effective February 11, 2013, pending a background check and the execution of an employment agreement, to become Chief of Police once the Civil Service Commission approves his appointment. The motion was seconded by Councilor Rhen. Councilor Brooks said Mr. Wheeler currently serves as Chief of Criminal Investigations with the state Attorney General's office. He also read a letter of recommendation for Mr. Wheeler written by Col. Frank Noonan, the state police commissioner and asked the letter, along with Mr. Wheeler's resume, be posted on the Borough's Web site.
Borough Secretary