Emmaus Ambulance Chief Adam Priest takes oath
Emmaus Borough Council met March 4 where a resident was in attendance to thank the borough for taking action to correct a pipeline issue at her household. Borough crews helped to unclog the piping to her house after she brought it to their attention at a previous meeting.
A notable highlight of the meeting was the special presentation segment, which included the swearing-in ceremony of Adam Priest as the new ambulance chief. Priest’s induction was met with unanimous approval from council, affirming their confidence in his ability to serve the community effectively.
The minutes from the Feb. 20 meeting were read and approved.
The meeting shifted to communications, which included requests for community events and volunteer applications for various boards and commissions. The council gave the green light to several anticipated events, including the Memorial Day Parade May 27, the Farewell to Summer celebration Sept. 12, the Halloween Parade Oct. 19 and Old Fashioned Christmas festivities Dec. 7.
Council also approved the Funk 5 Miler event request occurring June 1.
Council directed volunteer applications to their respective boards and commissions. David Biles and Kristina Seedorff volunteered for the historical commission, while Lucy McLeod requested to join the vacancy board. Additionally, Brittany O’Connor volunteered for the joint environmental advisory council.
Under unfinished business, council reviewed two ordinances. Ordinance 1259, which amends the Emmaus Borough Code to remove the residential disabled parking signage in front of 819 Chestnut St., received unanimous approval after its second reading.
Similarly, Ordinance 1260, approving the appointment of the solicitor interest assessment, attorney fees and collection fees added to the amount collected as part of unpaid real estate taxes and municipal claims for delinquent accounts, was unanimously approved as well.
Committee reports provided updates on various borough initiatives, including public works, health, sanitation, codes, parks and recreation, public safety, general administration, budget, finance and community relations. The only actionable items were dealing with financial matters.
The bill list for approval totaled $429,715.54, dating back to the previous meeting.
Council also approved a request-for-proposal on a search for new banking services. This is due to certain processing and transactional issues and costs. Englebert Financial was approved to conduct the actual RFP process.
Last, council approved the pension minimum municipal obligation payments to be made in three equal installments throughout the year.
The borough manager’s report included a discussion on the proposed Per- and Polyfluorinated Substances settlement, although no official action was taken.