MINUTES
City Council Meeting
City of Butler, Pennsylvania
December 21, 2021, 7PM
Agenda: 2021 Agenda Dec 21
Mayor Smith called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Mayor Smith and Council members Smith, Bonus and Dandoy were present. Councilman Walter joined via telephone. The pledge of allegiance to the flag followed an invocation given by Rev. John C. R. Silbert, Covenant Presbyterian Church.
Mayor Smith recessed the meeting at 7:03 PM for an executive session to discuss personnel and legal issues. Mayor Smith reconvened the meeting at 7:17 PM.
Motion by Mayor Smith with a second from CM Bonus to approve the agenda for the regular meeting of December 21, 2021. All voted aye.
Motion by Mayor Smith with a second from CM Dandoy to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of December 9, 2021. All voted aye.
Motion by Mayor Smith with a second from CM Dandoy to acknowledge receipt of the monthly minutes from RACB, including the CDBG/HOME Program activities. All voted aye.
MONTHLY BOARDS AND AUTHORITIES LIAISON REPORTS
Liaisons of the City’s boards and authorities gave a brief report from the board or authority that met in November.
MONTHLY DEPARTMENT REPORTS
(Note: Department Reports Distributed to Council electronically)
Motion to accept the monthly reports from the Office of the City Clerk, the Police Department, Fire Department, Office of Business & Community Development/Code Enforcement, Department of Public Works, and Parking Department for the month of November. Motion by Mayor Smith. Second by CM Bonus. All voted aye.
COUNCIL REPORTS/ACTIONS
Councilman Walter
1.Motion for the second reading and adoption of City Ordinance No. 1805, an ordinance of the City of Butler fixing the tax rate for Fiscal Year 2022. Second by CM Dandoy. All voted aye.
2.Motion for the second reading and adoption of City Ordinance No. 1806, an ordinance of the City of Butler adopting the annual budget and appropriating specific sums estimated to be required for the specific purposes of the City government as set forth therein during Fiscal Year 2022. Second by Mayor Smith. All voted aye.
3.Motion for the second reading and adoption of City Ordinance No. 1807, an ordinance of the City of Butler fixing the wages and salaries of employees of the City in conformance with the budget for Fiscal Year 2022. Second by Mayor Smith. All voted aye.
Councilman Smith
4.Motion for the introduction and first reading of City Ordinance No. 1808, an ordinance of the City of Butler amending Ordinance No. 1641, to add PA Skill Games. Second by Mayor Smith. All voted aye.
5.Motion for the introduction and first reading of City Ordinance No. 1809, an ordinance of the City of Butler amending Chapter 232; streets and sidewalks; Article VII; Street use permits for parades and special events; Section 232-45. Second by Mayor Smith. All voted aye.
6.Motion to amend the current agreement with Statewide Tax Recovery, Inc. Second by CM Dandoy. All voted aye.
7.Motion to approve an operating agreement with Butler Pickleball for the 2022 season.
Second by CM Bonus. All voted aye.
Councilman Smith made the following statement:
“I have been doing this for 30 plus years and I know that I am going to miss it.
I want to thank Mindy for all her help and for putting up with me over the years. Also want to thank John Evans, the Chiefs, and Jimmy as well for their help.
I especially want to thank Ben for his leadership. I’m not sure that in today’s Facebook focused world that the public really appreciated him for all he did as Mayor. But I have been involved in local government for a long time and I can assure you that he has been one of the finest municipal leaders that I have ever worked with.
Also want to thank Kenny, Bob, and Mike for being a good Council to work with.
The goal of anyone in public service should be to leave it a little better than when they arrived. I think that Kenny, Ben, and I can say that we have done that.
The City is poised for even bigger and better things and I wish Bob, Mike, Larry, Don and the Councilperson to be named all the best in making that happen.”
Councilman Bonus
8.Motion to approve the sale of one 8-foot Highway Equipment Company salt spreader; Model Super P-8 in the amount of $3,500.00 to Mahoning Township. Second by CM Dandoy. All voted aye.
Councilman Bonus shared a quick note on his experience on city council:
“I will always look back on my time as “Councilman Bonus.” Everyone at the city; employees, fellow council members and the solicitors have always done a fantastic job of guiding the City in the right direction. I have enjoyed learning how city government works and have come to know how certain projects, like Sullivan Run, can take decades to complete.
I will miss coming into a council meeting with the chambers crowded with citizens who believe passionately about something. I will not miss complaints from residents about the neighbor’s noisy chickens.
As I reflect, I get most excited about young people being involved in local government and being able to make a difference in their community. I will always have the wonderful relationships I have made, and I am excited to know Butler is in great hand with our new incoming council. Thank you.”
Councilman Dandoy
9.Motion to accept a proposal from Air Cleaning Systems, Inc. in the amount of $52,000 for the installation of a Plymovent Magnetic Vehicle Exhaust Extraction System in the fire station (COSTARS Contract # 008-047), through a Fiscal Year 2020 Assistance to Firefighters (AFG) Grant. The federal funding share is $49,523.81, and the city match is $2,476.19. Second by CM Bonus. All voted aye.
10.Motion to direct the city clerk to sign all documents pertaining to the National Opioid Settlement program to be administered by the County of Butler. Second by CM Bonus. All voted aye.
Mayor Smith
11.Motion to approve the hiring of Barbara Foster for the Assistant Code Enforcement Clerk in the Office of the Business & Community Development, based on a recommendation from the City Zoning & Code Management Officer with an effective date of January 1, 2022. Second by CM Walter. Mayor Smith made a motion to table the motion. Second by CM Bonus. All voted aye. Motion tabled.
12.Motion to approve City Resolution No. 2021-12-21, a resolution of the City of Butler adopting the Butler County 2021 Mitigation Plan. Second by CM Dandoy. All voted aye.
13.Motion to accept the bid from John Zanicky in the amount of $400.00 for one used 2006 Chevrolet Impala from the City’s Bureau of Police that is surplus to the needs of the Police Department. Second by CM Dandoy. All voted aye.
The City Treasurer presented a Monthly Intake Report for November 2021.
The City Controller presented bills for payment as follows: from the general fund – $220,455.46; from the parking fund – $25,706.68; and from the liquid fuels tax fund – $1,297.10; for a grand total of $247,459.24. Motion by Mayor Smith with second from CM Bonus to approve payment of bills as presented. All voted aye.
December Public Announcement – Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4)
As part of an ongoing education plan, we would like to remind local residents to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations for salting driveways and sidewalks. If too much salt is applied, it will runoff into the storm sewer system and impact our local waterways. Please keep the de-icing materials away from landscaping and keep it isolated to the walkway or driveway.
Also, if you change the fluids in your automobile, please recycle the used oil and other automotive fluids at participating service stations. Do not dump these chemicals down the storm drains or dispose of them in the trash. If you want to temporarily store any of these chemicals on your property, just make sure that they are in sealed containers that will not rust or leak and try to keep them in a dry place.
- ANNOUNCEMENTS
- First Responder Light Up Night – Saturday, December 25th
- City Building closed Friday, December 24th and Friday, December 31st
- Councilman Dandoy announced that he will resign his position as councilman effective January 3, 2022.
Mayor Smith adjourned the meeting at 7:48 PM.
