Alburtis Borough Council met Jan. 25 for a quick meeting focused mainly on Alburtis Borough Hall’s needs.

The meeting began with a complaint from residents on Thomas Street about the snowplowing in the borough. The issue is the snow is pushed onto one side of the street. Borough Manager Sharon Trexler collected pictures from the residents. Council will meet with maintenance to discuss the issue.

There was a report from Mayor Kathleen Palmer who received a phone call from Norfolk Southern on issues about the railroads. Numerous complaints have been received and a safety person is ready to fly up or Zoom in to assess the problem and find safety solutions. Palmer believes the railroad crossings need to be better lit, along with more signage. Council will be meeting with the safety contact.

The meeting minutes of Jan. 11 were then approved, followed by the approval of the bills for payment. The largest expenses were sewer bills, engineering fees and health care.

In the fiscal consultant’s report, it was noted total expenses exceeded total revenue by $15,016 through December 2022. Total revenue through December 2021 exceeded total expenditures by $425,676. The reasons given for the net loss on the year were “large increases in highways, police, waste collection, solid waste and stormwater expenses over the previous year in combination with not receiving the expected stormwater grant.”

After this report, the meeting moved to administration.

First, was a discussion on the borough manager position. As previously reported, Trexler will retire in March. Council decided to offer the position to Stephen Nemeth. Nemeth is a current council member and borough resident.

With this decision, there will be an open council member position in the borough. Council asked for anyone interested to attend the next meeting or send in a written campaign.

The next topic of discussion was a tile floor replacement for borough hall. However, this will be talked about at the next meeting, since no quote was received.

Following this, council tabled talks about a maintenance drainage project for a playground near the maintenance shop. Additionally, a request was approved for a laptop to be given to the maintenance department. The borough already owns the laptop, so there will be no cost.

Bartlett Tree Service was hired to treat the mimosa webworms in the borough on Maple Court and Church Street.

Last, an update was given on the special events committee. The kickoff meeting was held Jan. 24. It was decided the special events committee will be a subcommittee under parks and recreation. There are currently seven volunteers on the committee. Positions were established, but not yet assigned. Council member and Committee Head Hector Moss said the committee is working on upcoming events already.

Special events committee meetings will be held once a month. The next meeting is Feb. 13. More information can be found on the borough website. The meeting will be for both special events and parks and recreation.

The meeting was then adjourned. The next meeting will be held 7 p.m. Feb. 8 at Alburtis Borough Hall, 260 Franklin St.