In a meeting held April 10, Alburtis Borough Council addressed several items pertaining to borough services and infrastructure projects.

The meeting commenced with the standard proceedings, including the Pledge of Allegiance and an opportunity for public comment. However, no residents stepped to the podium. Mayor Kathleen Palmer also did not have a report for the evening.

One notable aspect of the meeting was the review of the March police report, which showcased an increase in total incidents from February to March. The incidents went from 119 to 141, with the main increase being truck stops, which increased from 22 to 54.

Following this, council approved the minutes of the previous meeting held March 27.

The approval of bills for payment and the treasurer’s report were next approved. The total bills dating back to the previous meeting amounted to $62,424.45. Councilman John Aleszscyk said certain budget items are nearing their limit and the borough needs to keep an eye on various rising costs. There were no further discussions on the budget and no action was taken.

Moving on to administrative matters, council addressed various issues concerning infrastructure and community services. Key among these was the discussion on paying for the yard waste facility. Ideas introduced were installing a fence, installing signs and requiring permits to use the yard waste area.

However, a problem brought up was monitoring the yard waste area. Due to the financial state of the borough, certain council members see the fees for the yard waste facility as too costly. They would like to hear more of a response from the residents in the borough, as they believe too many people from outside of the borough were using it and not enough Alburtis residents were using the service.

Ultimately, the yard waste facility was not approved during the meeting, though the topic will be an ongoing discussion on future agendas.

Next, council addressed concerns regarding tree maintenance on Maple Court, however additional quotes still need to be collected and the item was tabled for the next meeting.

Council then gave approval of Pay Application No. 2 for Construction Masters Services, LLC. This is to pay an installment for the work on the Bicentennial Village Infrastructure Improvement Project.

The council also approved Alburtis Borough Manager Stephen Nemeth to apply for the Automated Red-Light Enforcement Transportation Enhancements Grant Program. If the grant is approved, it would help to provide “technological tools used to automatically monitor signalized intersections for red-light-running violators and designated road segments for speeding violations on a 24/7 basis.”

Other notable approvals included the Lower Macungie Fire Department’s First Quarter Stats and the LMFD centennial book, recognizing the invaluable service provided by the department to the community.

Lastly, council was given a notice on the LVPC-Macungie Zoning Map amendment. There were no comments on the item.

At the conclusion of the meeting, questions were raised regarding the Bicentennial Village Project. There were concerns about the parking availability to be offered on the street and on the placement of the mailboxes.

Borough Engineer Mike Preston explained additional work will need to be done on replacing the mailboxes and there will be additional costs, which will potentially fall on the homeowners. A decision still needs to be made by borough council about the parking situation, which is whether they will allow for parking on both sides or on one side of the road.

The meeting ended with an executive session; however, no voting was done after.

For further inquiries or information, residents are encouraged to contact the Alburtis Borough Council office during regular business hours.

The next borough council meeting is scheduled 7 p.m. April 24 at borough hall, 260 Franklin St., Alburtis.