Emmaus Borough Council met Nov. 7 with several requests on the agenda.

An event request from Faith Presbyterian Church was received for use of Triangle Park 11:30 p.m. Dec. 24 for an informal Christmas Eve service.

Next, an event request came from the Emmaus Arts Commission to hold the annual SnowBlast Winter Arts Festival 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 4, 2023, at Triangle Park. This is the 16th year of the event.

Last, a notice of resignation was received from an Emmaus emergency medical technician. Borough Manager Shane Pepe thanked the employee for his eight years of service. Pepe said he was a tremendous employee.

In Mayor Lee Ann Gilbert’s report, she highlighted her list of activities from August through the end of October. There were eight proclamations made in this time period.

The first two resolutions introduced were in health, sanitation and codes.

Resolution 2022-39 was a Sewage Facilities Planning Module for 300 Furnace St. This is for the new 144-unit Iron Works Apartments.

Resolution 2022-40 granted conditional approval and waivers for the development of 680 Ridge St. Three new town homes are being created on the existing lot.

Councilman Chad Balliet wanted to remind the public they are looking for a new member to the zoning hearing board. Any interested parties should contact him for details. His information can be found on the borough website.

The next three resolutions were discussed.

Resolution 2022-42 was for the LSA Grant Application for the Seven Generations Charter School Community Amphitheater. Seven Generations wants to build this amphitheater on their campus for not just their students, but for any type of community activities or events.

Resolution 2022-43 was for a Small Water and Sewer Grant Application. This is for the rehabilitation of parts of the sewer system to combat inflow and infiltration.

Resolution 2022-44 was for an H20 Grant Application. This is for rehabilitation of all the borough’s existing water tanks.

The last two resolutions announced were in budget and finance.

Resolution 2022-41 was a resolution implementing Act 57 of 2022, which provides for property tax penalty waiver provisions. Essentially, this allows taxpayers that do not receive a tax bill during their first year of occupancy to apply for a waiver from penalties and additional costs from the local tax collector. All townships have until Jan. 7, 2023, to adopt this newly required resolution.

Resolution 2022-45 was the bill list dating back to the Oct. 17 council meeting. The total amount was $773,262.40. One of the significant expenses was the purchase of a 2022 Ford Interceptor costing just over $47,000.

In Pepe’s report, Firefighter Kevin Farnish was promoted to Firefighter 2. He has been active with the Emmaus Fire Department since 2003. Additionally, Brenton McLaughlin was retained as a part-time firefighter after completing his 1-year probationary period.

The meeting was then adjourned. The next borough meeting will be held 7 p.m. Nov. 21.

As a reminder to the public, council meetings are temporarily located at 420 S. Tenth St., Emmaus. The current borough hall is under a massive renovation project and will not be open to the public for some time.