The Sept. 18 meeting of the Macungie Borough Council began with a presentation from Amy Resh, of the Emmaus Public Library. Resh mentioned 38 percent of residents in Macungie borough have a library card.

The total circulation for the library is also up 5 percent. The library holds events for kids, teens and adults and has recently upgraded their technology to have more Wi-Fi points and two new computers. The public library has received a $500,000 Keystone grant from the state for a 2,400 square foot addition.

Business owner Tim Romig questioned whether council had notified its insurance provider and auditor general regarding the fraud uncovered within the borough fire department.

Romig also asked about certifications for the department’s ladder truck. It was said the ladder truck had been tested, but the results of the test have yet to be revealed. There was some concern that the leadership is working to revamp the fire department, but the lower officers are not aware of what is going on.

Council also talked about the Main Street Streetscape and Church Street traffic light project. The project is on schedule to be finished Jan. 16, 2018 but it may be extended in the future.

There were concerns from the public regarding the safety of the intersections. Council President Chris Becker explained the intersection had to be modeled by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

“If PennDOT says the turning radius is acceptable, than I trust that it is acceptable,” Council Member John Yerman said.

Becker said during the planning phase, PennDOT was more concerned with truck and vehicle traffic than pedestrian traffic.

Borough Solicitor Patrick Armstrong talked about Allentown’s Industrial Waste Ordinance. He noted there are some additions and changes needed, but it is not as extensive as originally thought.

Another topic discussed by Armstrong was the cluster mailboxes in the borough. Council wanted to find out how many cluster mailboxes there were in the borough. Armstrong said there can’t be a general ordinance for the borough; an ordinance had to be specific based on each cluster box. There was talk about the cluster mailboxes facing the sidewalk so the back is facing the street.

There was also a discussion about the Non-Uniformed Defined Benefit Pension Agreement. It was explained the opt out from health insurance is not a pensionable wage.

Pennsylvania House Bill 1620 was another topic discussed during the meeting. The bill would give wireless providers the permitted right to use the borough’s right of way. Wireless providers would be allowed to co-locate on pre-existing towers.

One of the borough’s police officers had a grievance because he had not received a uniform allowance after his first year of service. He was asking for the typical uniform allowance of $500 twice a year, once in March and once in September.

The meeting ended with an executive session for a personnel issue and there was action taken.

The next Macungie Borough Council meeting will be 7:30 p.m. Oct. 2 at Macungie Borough Hall. Meetings take place on the first and third Mondays of the month.