During the April 15 North Catasauqua Borough Council meeting, council approved the annual recycling event for borough residents. The event is set for 3:30-5:30 p.m. May 22.

The event will cost the borough $765, but council President Peter Paone mentioned part of that cost will be reimbursed by the state in about seven or eight months.

Borough Secretary Tasha Jandrisovits discussed how the server system in borough hall is reaching the end of its life span. The system’s warranty has been extended until November 2024, but then council will need to look at replacements. The cost of a new system is estimated to be around $25,000, but it has been difficult to secure an exact estimate as quotes on the system are only good for 30 days.

Moving forward, Jandrisovits suggested council make room in the 2025 budget and have the borough hall system upgraded next year.

Borough Treasurer Annette Englert requested approval to renew the Tru Green annual contract. This is a maintenance agreement, and the vendor is responsible for lawn services at the park and borough hall. There is a 4% increase from last year’s contract, but it was still approved by public works Supervisor Travis Brett. The cost for the contract is around $2,498.87, and council approved a motion to renew.

Councilwoman Michele Hazzard confirmed the recreation committee will be moving forward with having the YMCA take over the North Catasauqua park program. At the time of the council meeting, the sign-up dates or cost for the program had not yet been determined. Council provided approval to authorize Paone’s signature on documentation if the YMCA needs to move forward with a contract before the next council meeting.

Hazzard also confirmed the wiffle ball program will be moving forward and will be 1-3 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. The program will run the same weeks as the park program. A timeline will be established by the next meeting.

Police Chief Christopher Wolfer discussed an increase in calls for March, averaging 386 for the month. This is about a 45% increase from 2023, which had 267 calls.

He also mentioned Sgt. Antonio Tramonte completed law enforcement executive development training through the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

The department also instructed a civilian response active shooter events course at the Lehigh Conference of Churches March 15. The instruction was led by Cpl. Steven Santiago and assisted by Tramonte. The two taught a class of 48 students.

In other news, the police department was awarded a grant for $450 from the National Alliance for Mental Illness, which will be allocated toward an officer completing crisis intervention teams coordinator training. Santiago will be completing the training on behalf of the department.

Council approved two resolutions concerning the police department. Resolution 388 will amend the police agreement to offer new hire incentives, which have been made possible thanks to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency grant that was recently awarded to the department.

Resolution 389 was also approved to amend the rules and regulations of the Civil Service Commission for hiring a school resource officer.

North Catasauqua Borough Council will next meet 7 p.m. May 6 in the basement-level meeting room at borough hall, 1066 Fourth St. The agenda can be viewed ahead of time at northcatasauqua.org.