After over six months of severely strained relations, the biggest news emerging from the July 5 Hellertown Council meeting was the formal termination of the tenuous relationship between the borough and Lower Saucon Township.

Multiple deals – including the Saucon Valley Partnership (which includes the SV School District) and ones impacting the Hellertown Pool and Saucon Valley Compost Center – have hung in the balance since concerns raised by Lower Saucon Council President Jason Banonis over funding for the Hellertown Area Library grew somewhat hostile earlier this year.

Discussion on the topic was predictably dour. Council member Theresa Fadem said she’s a “strong believer” in such formal arrangements between neighboring communities, however, she and her colleagues acknowledged that there has been no movement toward a solution since an unproductive “summit” in April arranged by Pastor Phil Spohn of Christ Lutheran Hellertown.

Council President Thomas J. Rieger went even further, saying he believes that the relationship remains “fractured beyond immediate repair.” He added that he felt LST had “already made their decision,” albeit informally, to abandon their mutual interests.

Eventually, council member Matt Marcincin moved to effectively “sever all inter-municipal agreements,” adding his belief that “the people of Hellertown have paid enough and it’s time to move on.” His colleague Andrew Hughes agreed, saying, “Partnerships are supposed to be just that – both parties contribute [and] help each other out. But when it’s all one-sided, it’s… not a partnership.”

After council member Mike McKenna seconded Marcincin’s motion, it passed unanimously via a roll-call vote.

In other news, borough engineer Bryan Smith was asked about the progress of the new Public Works building on Northampton Street. While a leak in a water line in the facility’s fire suppression system has delayed remaining code inspections, the rest of the project remains on schedule, he said.

Mayor David Heintzelman shared his concern that Community Day, which is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., needs more participants. “I do understand that everyone is shorthanded,” he said, adding that if a local business could not commit to purchasing a tent, “it would also be nice to send a donation to us.”

The mayor added that there will be ”hundreds” of attendees, a live band and several community groups (including the American Legion and Hellertown-Lower Saucon Community Chorus) participating, with about 50 spots remaining for those interested.

The council also bid a fond farewell to Angie Thiede, the borough’s outgoing administrative assistant. Rieger said she’s “done phenomenal things for the borough,” and a motion to accept her resignation was unanimously accepted “with regret.” As a result, the council also authorized the position’s advertisement to hire, with Maggie Ziegler temporarily filling the role.