North Catasauqua Borough Council gathered for a short meeting Dec. 5 to discuss new business. Council President Peter Paone was absent, so the meeting was led by Vice President John Joseph Yanek.

Council began the meeting by passing a motion for the 2023 proposed general budget and the 2023 sewer budget. The general fund budget will be set at $2,315,102, and the sewer budget will be set at $844,050.

Police Chief Christopher Wolfer provided an update on the school bus safety program. This program was launched by Catasauqua Area School District in October and equipped all district buses with stop-arm cameras to detect the license plates of drivers who illegally pass stopped school buses.

When a vehicle drives past a stopped school bus, this new system will send a picture of the driver, license plate and the vehicle to a system the police department can access. Once a week, officers will comb through the submitted entries and determine if a violation occurred. The system is then able to automatically generate a citation to send to the driver.

Wolfer said five violations have been caught so far, and the system is already providing a difference. He mentioned one violation was particularly alarming as the driver was traveling 40 mph through the school bus stop sign.

He further explained the system is not perfect, as some pictures do not come out clear. However, he is very pleased overall and believes it will be a reality check for many.

Wolfer also mentioned he and borough Mayor William Molchany completed some standard operating procedures training this past month. The training included active shooter response, bias-based policing and abandoned vehicle review.

Treasurer Annette Englert mentioned the training impacts the township’s insurance rates, with current rates down more than $900. This is partly due to Wolfer staying up to date on statewide training.

Council will have its last 2022 meeting 7 p.m. Dec. 19. To view the agenda, visit northcatasauqua.org.