Jan. 3 marked the first Emmaus Borough Council meeting of the new year held at St. John’s UCC, as Emmaus Borough Hall is now closed and under construction due to the renovation project.

The first order of business was the oath of office.

Lee Ann Gilbert was sworn in as mayor and Roy Anders, Brent Labenberg and Shana Baumgartner were all sworn in as council members. Debra K. Gouldy was sworn in as tax collector. Judge Douglas Reichley presided over the oaths of office.

Next, the reorganization of council began. Labenberg was elected as council president. Chris DeFrain was elected as council vice president. “It’s a privilege and an honor to represent you,” Labenberg said.

Anders commented on the feature spot the Emmaus Field Hockey coach and team received on NBC recently.

Council awarded the bid for a mobile office and home for Central Station Renovation during decisions on bids. The office trailer is $28,000 and the mobile home is $120,000.

There were four requests from the Emmaus Main Street Partners in communications. Three of the requests were to have alcohol at events. The 2022 Farewell to Summer event Sept. 17 and the 2022 Old Fashioned Christmas Dec. 3 were approved. However, the 2022 Food Truck Festival April 23, needs further review since it is a new event.

In another communications items, Patty Feninez was reappointed to the arts commission.

In general administration, John Stover was appointed to the vacancy board and Sherry Palinkas was hired as the police department data entry clerk.

The firm Grant & Eisenhofer was hired as perfluorooctanesulphonate legal counsel; they are specialized environmental attorneys to help the borough deal with groundwater issues.

Additionally, the public works department union contract received a 30-day extension.

The Lehigh County Humane Society contract agreement for animal control services was accepted for 2022.

In budget and finance, Resolution 2022-3 was approved. This resolution adopts the low income reduced refuse rate. This means the borough participates in a program offering a discounted refuse rate to certain individuals meeting particular financial guidelines. This resolution amends the “current low income reduced refuse rate policy to better reflect current standards and establish consistency with other low income and financial hardship opportunities.”

The nonunion employee health care policy was approved. The tax collector fees for services were approved. The police pension cost of living adjustment was approved.

Labenberg announced meeting dates and times will be announced soon.

Borough Manager Shane Pepe thanked St. John’s UCC for their hospitality in his report. He said the temporary facility on Tenth Street is up and running.

Pepe noted COVID-19 is skyrocketing in the borough. Cases are high among employees and volunteers. Effective Jan. 4, Pepe mandated the mask policy in all borough buildings.

Currently, M-95 masks are at about $1.50 per mask. But, they have enough of the standard hospital masks for everyone. However, Pepe stated it’s time for the borough to get up to standard on safety protocols.

The next Emmaus Borough Council meeting will be 7 p.m. Jan. 19. The meeting will take place at St. John’s UCC, 139 N. Fourth St. The meetings take place in fellowship hall.

Residents can also access the meeting virtually through the Emmaus Borough website.