The Plan Southwest Lehigh is a drafted, multi-municipality agreement between Lower Macungie Township, Lower Milford Township, Upper Milford Township, Alburtis Borough, Macungie Borough and Emmaus Borough. This plan would allow municipalities to “enter into an agreement with the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission to assist with the development of an updated multi-municipality comprehensive plan.”

As stated in the document, this plan would “enable municipalities to jointly cooperate in the performance of their respective government functions, powers or responsibilities pursuant to a written agreement.” This would allow boroughs to discuss and potentially stop any development from other municipalities they feel would affect their own municipality in a negative way.

Councilwoman Terri Sorg-McManamon said the community relations, planning and development committee felt the negatives in signing the agreement far outweighed the positives and would not benefit the borough.

“We’ve already approved the comprehensive plan [Lehigh Valley Comprehensive Plan], and do work with our neighboring communities on many levels,” Sorg-McManamon said. “Without a solicitor, engineer and other experts and professional support and people being appointed to this without any cause, a committee of this nature will only add a bureaucratic layer without any significance.”

Borough Manager Shane Pepe reiterated several times council members and committee members have expressed their concerns over one specific issue and not the plan itself as a whole. Pepe, along with the rest of council, did not feel they should allow other municipalities to have a say as to what goes on in Emmaus and “force them to meet because they disagree.”

“The problem is when elected people are weighing in on a development that they have no real insight or professional knowledge about,” Pepe said. “How does an elected person from Emmaus have any insight or real professional knowledge on what is going on in Alburtis Borough?”

“So the real concern isn’t anything but the way that the agreement is written, and it forces every municipality to be subject to what could be a political football,” Pepe said.

Pepe went on to say this agreement can be a very positive and beneficial thing to other municipalities such as Macungie Borough, who have been getting “trampled on for years and years by another municipality,” but not for Emmaus, which is almost completely developed.

Councilman Wesley Barrett noted, that while he agrees Emmaus should not enter the agreement, he thinks it’s great all of the communities are talking, working together and having a conversation to plan things out even before this agreement came about.

Pepe and Barrett both agreed they do not want other municipalities to see Emmaus as some place that is no longer interested in cooperating or working with other municipalities just because they don’t want to sign into this specific agreement.

In other business, Pepe said they are almost done drafting the bid specs for the upcoming refuse and recycle bid.

“We’re looking at a lot of different options to bid, and a lot of different ways to bid,” Pepe said.

Pepe said he has been talking and meeting up with a number of different haulers to get their ideas and opinions on how they can make the bid specifications competitive for a wider bid. Pepe said they have additionally been looking at neighboring towns and how they put their refuse and recycle bids together.

“I really think that we’re going to throw out a bid spec that is more comprehensive, but also offers us the opportunity to look at some additional services in a couple of different ways,” Pepe stated.

The bid specs are much more detailed and refined then previous contracts and already have 60 pages.

Ordinance 1173 passed its final reading which will establish rules and regulations regarding the usage of portable storage containers throughout the borough.

In addition, it was passed 6-1 to amend the proposed ordinance regarding the storage permit fees. The fee for a portable storage container permit will be $50 for 30 days and $25 for a 30-day extension. Council President Brent Labenberg voted against the change because he felt residents should not have to pay an additional fee for a permit they have already purchased.

Ordinance 1176 passed its first reading which will create a community garden commission. This commission will help “administer the community garden, educate the public and gardeners and promote the advantages and healthy lifestyle of gardening in the community garden.”

Mayor Lee Ann Gilbert declared the week of May 13 to 19 as Emmaus Police Department week.