May 27, 2010

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MINUTES

City Council Meeting

City of Butler, Pennsylvania 

May 27, 2010

 

Mayor Stock called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Mayor Stock and Council members Bratkovich, Reese, and Schontz were present. The pledge of allegiance to the flag followed the invocation given by Pastor David Maitland, First Baptist Church.

 

PUBLIC HEARING   7:10 PM

Mr. Perry O’Malley, Executive Director of the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Butler, will brief Council and the public on modifications and revisions to the 2007, and 2009 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs and the 2010 CDBG application.

 

 

PRESENTATIONS:

 

Pittsburgh City Councilman William Peduto briefed Council about his plan for distressed cities of Pennsylvania. He believes there are three issues that need to be targeted; health insurance reform, pension reform and tax reform.

 

 

Motion by CM Schontz with second from CM Bratkovich to approve the minutes of the regular City Council meeting of April 22, 2010.

 

MONTHLY DEPARTMENT REPORTS

(Note: Department Reports Distributed to Council at Tuesday’s Forum Meeting for Review)

 

All department reports for the month of April, 2010 were approved by individual, unanimous votes.

The following actions took place at the City’s Forum Meeting held on May 25, 2010:

 

  • City Council, acting the Board of Health, and under the provisions of the Third Class City Code, Section XXIII, (b) Abatement of Public Nuisances, Section 2321, found the following subject structures detrimental to public health and order their removal by demolition:

316 S. Chestnut Street

512 Virginia Avenue

401 W. Diamond Street

123 Knox Avenue

Motion made by CW Kline. Second by CM Reese. All voted aye.

 

  • A Public Hearing was held for a conditional use request from PA American Water Company. Several residents voiced their concerns about safety, parking and noise. One resident had believed that when Armstrong bought the property there were provisions on what the lot would be used for, however in researching the purchase of the lot on June 7, 1996 no provisions were made.

 

  • Mr. Timothy Morgus and Beth Dittmer attended the Forum meeting and briefed Council on the single audit report for Fiscal Year 2009. These minutes contain two attachments pertaining to the audit – FY 2009 Statement of Revenues, Expenditures and Changes in Fund Balance and General Fund Excess (Deficiency) of Revenues over Disbursements for FY 2001 through FY 2009.

 

COUNCIL REPORTS/ACTIONS

 

Councilman Bratkovich

 

  1. Motion to approve City Ordinance No. 1624; an ordinance increasing the indebtedness of the City of Butler, Butler County, Pennsylvania by the issue of a General Obligation Note in the amount of $500,000.00 for the purpose street paving. Second by CM Reese. All voted aye.

 

  1. Motion to approve City Ordinance No. 1625; an ordinance increasing the indebtedness of the City of Butler, Butler County, Pennsylvania by the issue of a small borrowing loan in the amount of $93,000.00 for the purpose of purchasing two police vehicles and one streets department truck. Second by Mayor Stock. All voted aye.

 

  1. Motion to approve the request from members of the Police Pension Board to invest 5% of Police Pension funds in the Wells REIT fund. Second by Mayor Stock.

 

 

After discussion, a Motion to table business items 3, 4, and 5 was made by CM Schontz. Seconded by CM Reese. CM Bratkovich, CM Reese and CM Schontz voted no. Mayor Stock voted aye. Motion not carried.

 

Thereafter, the primary motion was placed back on the table. CM Bratkovich, CM Reese and CM Schontz voted no. Mayor Stock voted aye. Motion not carried.

 

  1. Motion to approve the request from members of the Firefighter Pension Board to invest 10% of Firefighter Pension funds in alternative investments as follows: 2 ½ % Hines Global REIT, 2 ½ % Wells REIT II, 5% Wells Timberland. Second by Mayor Stock.

 

  1. Motion to approve the request from members of the Municipal Pension Board to invest 5% of the Municipal Pension funds in the Wells REIT fund. Second by Mayor Stock. CM Bratkovich, CM Reese and CM Schontz voted no. Mayor Stock voted aye. Motion not carried.

 

  1. Motion to approve City Resolution No. 2010-05-27A, modifying the 2007 and 2009 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program budgets as outlined therein. Second by CM Reese. All voted aye.

 

  1. Motion to approve City Resolution No. 2010-05-27B, authorizing the submission of the 2010 CDBG Program application as outlined therein. Second by Mayor Stock. All voted aye.

 

 

 

 

Councilman Schontz

 

8.   Motion to enter in an agreement with Keytex Energy to reduce the price of kilowatt per hour on street lighting. Second by Mayor Stock. All voted aye.

 

9. Install a stop sign on Vogely Avenue at the intersection of Vogely and Church on a 90-day trial basis. Second by Mayor Stock. All voted aye.

 

10. Motion to approve the conditional use application of Pennsylvania Water Company for the installation of a 378 square foot, one story prefabricated building to house a pump station on a lot to be purchased from Armstrong Utilities conditioned upon the following:

  1. A gravel drive shall be installed for vehicles entering from Maple Avenue and Draper Avenue.
  2. All building set back lines shall be honored
  3. Three (3) trees and shrubbery shall be installed to soften the look of the structure, per the drawing provided by Gateway Engineers.
  4. The fence along the hedge row maintained by the property owner to the east shall be set back from the property line to the extent required to permit the neighbor to maintain her hedge.
  5. An earthen berm shall be installed along the southwest property line as shown on the drawing provided by Gateway Engineers; being drawing number C-101 dated April 1, 2010.
  6. The fence to be installed shall include vinyl strips on three (3) sides.
  7. Applicants request to install barbed wire at the top of the seven (7) foot fence is granted. Based upon the consent of representatives of Pa American Water who were present at the meeting, approval for the barbed wire is conditioned upon the barbed wire being installed so that it is facing inward towards the structure.

 

Second by Mayor Stock. All voted aye.

 

Mayor Stock

 

11. Motion to approve the HVAC Maintenance Agreement with Cunningham Shanor for May 1, 2010 through April 30, 2013. Maintenance Contract Price per year is $1,188.00. Second by CM Bratkovich. All voted aye.

 

 

12. Motion to approve City Resolution No. 2010-05-27 obligating $17,500 of City revenues to the Butler Transit Authority for fiscal year 2010/2011. Second by CM Schontz. All voted aye.

 

13. Motion to designate Councilman Bratkovich as the City’s voting delegate and member of the resolutions committee for the annual convention of the Pennsylvania League of Cities and Municipalities scheduled for June 21st – 25th in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Second by CM Reese. All voted aye.

 

14. Motion to approve the second amendment to contract no. C000027031 proposing the DCED pays for the administration for Year 3 of the Main Street Program in the City of Butler. Second by CM Schontz. All voted aye.

 

15. Motion to direct the City Clerk to advertise for sale one used 2006 Chevy Impala and one used 2008 Chevy Impala from the City’s Bureau of Police.   Second by CM Reese. All voted aye.

 

16. Motion to approve Pennsylvania Heart & Lung Act benefits for Sergeant William E. Mayhugh beginning on May 28, 2010 for surgery to a work-related injury he sustained on September 19, 2009. Second by CM Schontz. All voted aye.

 

17. Motion to approve Pennsylvania Heart & Lung Act benefits for Patrolman Erik J. Hertzog beginning on May 24, 2010 due to a work-related injury he sustained on May 16, 2010. Second by CM Bratkovich. All voted aye.

 

18. Motion to authorize the Mayor and City Clerk to execute a Memorandum of Understanding with Butler County for the 2010 Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program Award. The public has 30 days to comment on this grant. Second by CM Schontz. All voted aye.

 

19. Motion to approve City Resolution No. 2010-05-27C, authorizing the filing of a proposal for funds with the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for $446,049.00 for prevention and elimination of blight under Section 4 ( c ) of the Housing and Redevelopment Assistance Law, as amended. Second by CM Schontz. All voted aye.

 

20. Motion to enter in to a cooperation and sub-recipient agreement with the Butler Downtown Revitalization Committee authorizing using Housing and Redevelopment Assistance Funds in the amount of $466,049 to renovate two (2) properties located at 232 South Main Street and 234-240 South Main Street in the City of Butler. Second by CM Reese. All voted aye.

 

21. Motion to approve City Resolution No. 2010-05-27D, a resolution of the City of Butler authorizing the filing of a grant application with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for the Rotary Park Trails Project and further authorizing the mayor to sign, on behalf of City Council, all documents pertaining to said grant/project. Second by CM Reese. All voted aye.

 

 

 

The City Controller presented bills for payment as follows: from the general fund – $309,392.28 ; from the capital projects fund – $7,052.80; and, from the liquid fuels tax fund – $19,056.03 for a grand total of $335,501.11. Motion by CM Bratkovich with second from Mayor Stock to approve payment of bills as presented. All voted aye.

 

 

  • ANNOUNCEMENTS:

MS4 announcement

WISR City Hall – Mayor Stock

Farmers’ Market at Quarry St. lot during renovation

Blue Sox – June 3rd (opener)

Centre City Summer Jam – June 11th – 6PM – 10PM

Thunder in the Streets – June 12th                                                                        

                Road Race – June 26th

Cruise-a-Palooza – June 27th

Thanks to PennDOT-District 10 for the sign removal project

             

At the end of the meeting a resident spoke about his concerns for the heavy traffic and noise on Miller Avenue during the summer months. His suggestion is to make Miller Avenue one way (heading south) for the months of June through August. The City will look into this matter.

 

Mayor Stock adjourned the meeting at 8:05 PM.

 

 

 

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Butler Downtown is a grassroots revitalization initiative involving local citizens and people from business, education, government and community organizations throughout the region.

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