During the hearing of persons present portion of the Feb. 7 Catasauqua Borough Council meeting, a resident addressed the new council about her perception of them not working together, as evidenced by the move to reopen the budget earlier this month and the tone of the current meeting, she said.

The budget, which included no tax increase, was passed by the previous council in December 2021.

The resident said she was miffed by the discussions at the meeting, particularly the comments made about the borough’s municipal complex by freshman Councilwoman Jill Smerdon. Smerdon brought up the cost and debt of the new building as excessive, in her mind.

Smerdon was absent from the meeting that entertained a reopening of the budget due to a family emergency. She publicly apologized for missing the meeting but said she reviewed the meeting’s recording.

“I wanted to address this tremendous debt for this building. These are shocking numbers,” Smerdon said.

The resident said she “thanks God for this building.”

Before construction of the new municipal building, which now houses the fire department, police department and borough administration offices, borough buildings were spread out and antiquated, the resident said.

The police department was reportedly essentially an oversized closet, the fire department had three outdated buildings and the administration space was inadequate. The new building reportedly makes it easier to conduct business and better serve the community.

“We cannot live in the past. We need to look forward,” the resident said to council. “You (council members) have to work together for all of us. I do not like the way this council is starting out. This is not someone’s political agenda.”

Under new business, Councilman Paul Cmil requested a review of staff salaries. His perspective is to review all expenses of the borough’s government, noting this is what residents want, based on comments he received during the November 2021 election.

“We are running the borough day to day. I don’t know where we can cut,” council President Brian Bartholomew told Cmil. “You keep talking about the election. To me, that’s unrealistic.”

Cmil said council needs to examine costs to ascertain how the borough costs are relative to similar municipalities. This prompted Bartholomew to remark the budget is done.

“I do not think there is anything we can do right now,” Bartholomew asserted.

Cmil retorted, “We are higher than everyone else.”

Councilman Cameron Smith and council Vice President Howard Cunningham said they were against cutting salaries.

Smerdon again weighed in on costs, citing the borough’s cellphone bill and pool costs, despite not opening the pool. She noted she is in favor of small cuts. This is why she suggested reopening the budget and possibly cutting funds to civic organizations. She said these costs add up.

Borough Manager Stephen Travers explained the reasons for the ongoing pool costs.

Vincent Smith, former council president, then took the floor to assert that some members on council do not understand the borough’s budget. He explained the borough government has been responsible.

He said when he was elected to council in 2005, “The first two years, I kept my head down and kept my mouth shut” in order to fully learn about the workings of a governmental budget.

Referring to salaries, Smith said there has been capable government for a number of years, constantly seeking the least expensive route, but he believes fair pay for fair work is important to keep valuable employees.

“We have good employees,” Cameron Smith added.

In other news, a resident, who has consistently attended meetings, voiced his objections to the fire pit ordinance he believes is not being enforced. He noted he has been presenting this issue to council for 21 months. Bartholomew told Travers he wants an answer to this issue by next month’s meeting.

The resident also asked about the reported number of residents not paying fees or real estate taxes. Borough Solicitor Thomas Dinkelacker gave a thorough explanation of the process of collecting delinquent taxes and fees. Cameron Smith suggested an executive session be held to review the situation and develop a plan moving forward.

In his recreation committee report, Councilman Gene Schlegel said the borough’s Shade Tree Commission is planning an event for April 29 - Arbor Day. Arbor Day is always observed the last Friday of April. It is a national holiday created to recognize the importance of planting trees. It is usually celebrated by folks planting trees that day.

Mayor Barbara Schlegel noted April 9 is the borough’s egg hunt and will be held at the municipal park. She also mentioned George Taylor House volunteers are holding a Mother’s Day tea May 7. Additionally, the annual yard sale to benefit the borough’s police department K-9 unit is being organized. More information is forthcoming on these events.

The next borough council meeting will be 7 p.m. Feb. 28 at the municipal complex, 90 Bridge St. It is a hybrid meeting, with both in-person and virtual options. Visit catasauqua.org for the call-in and access code numbers to participate virtually.