Macungie Borough Council discussed the creation of two postcards announcing an open house at the Macungie Institute and the opening of the farmers market at the May 1 meeting.

The Macungie Institute event is scheduled 5 to 7 p.m. June 12. Postcards would be sent to local companies and organizations who might be interested in renting out a room in the Macungie Institute for an event.

The second postcard displayed during the meeting was for the Macungie Farmers Market. The farmers market will be open 4 to 7 p.m. Thursdays May 18 to Oct. 26 at Macungie Memorial Park. There are 29 vendors at the farmers market.

There was a conversation about the Lehigh Valley Greenways Conservation Landscape 2017 mini grant of $7,000 which will be used to improve the landscaping around Macungie’s main streets.

Council talked about its Main Street Streetscape Plan. There was an issue because the project was $22,000 over budget. There were a few options discussed making up the difference including the carry over fund and the road repair fund.

The carry over fund began at $399,000 at the beginning of the year but there is $269,000 remaining in the fund. Another option would be to use some of the road repair fund of $90,000. Council said it is unlikely all the money allocated for road repair would be used this year. Council stressed the importance of making sure the streetscape plan and sidewalk reconstruction is budgeted for and completed.

The police budget was also discussed with the suggestion of a budget cap. Council argued there is only so much money the borough can afford to give the police force. A decision was made for the budget to be an average of the police force’s last five budgets, coming to $673,000 a year. The borough talked about the importance of the police department living within its means.

“You guys know how to manage it the best – manage it,” Council Member John Yerman said.

There was a debate about whether council should look at police spending monthly or quarterly. The borough council decided monitoring police department spending quarterly would be sufficient.

A final topic discussed was the Fairview Street stormwater. There was a plan to increase the grade from 0.5 to one inch in order to increase the water flow down Vine Street toward Route 100.

“There is not enough of a fast moving grade on the street,” Council President Chris Becker said. “More curb means more water control,” he continued.

The borough council stressed if the borough spends money to have streets regraded the grades will have to be followed when paving.

A request for Macungie Fire Police assistance July 1 was approved unanimously.

The meeting ended with an executive session where there was no action.

Macungie Borough Council will hold its next meeting May 15. Meetings are typically 7:30 p.m. the first and third Mondays of the month at Macungie Borough Hall.