At the July 18 meeting of Northampton Borough Council, the ad hoc council hiring committee, after two rounds of lengthy interviews, recommended a name to fill the office of the borough manager. The position is being vacated by the retiring LeRoy Brobst, who is completing 50-plus years working for the borough.

Council appointed Brian Welsko, current assistant borough manager, to be the next borough manager. Welsko fills the big shoes of previous managers Brobst and Gene Zarayko, the latter serving for 30 years.

As the assistant borough manager, Welsko has demonstrated an eye to the future by recommending technological changes that have conserved Northampton taxpayer dollars. He spearheaded the introduction of livestreamed virtual council meetings found on YouTube that have been well attended.

Council congratulated Welsko for his unanimous appointment. Brobst congratulated Welsko and said he is an excellent selection.

“You thought it was crazy before — just wait,” Brobst said, tongue-in-cheek.

Also at the meeting, council adopted ordinance 1233, which approved the appointment of the solicitor for the purpose of collecting unpaid claims and setting interest attorney fees and collection fees to be assessed for claims on delinquent resident and municipal accounts.

Candi Lynn, one of the organizers for Paw Prints on the Canal, presented a check for $13,115 to Northampton Borough Police Department’s K-9 unit. This summer event has been running for 15 years. More than $112,000 has been raised for the unit during that time.

Lynn and her team also provided awards to Northampton Borough Police Department Chief Bryan Kadingo and Councilman Kenneth Hall for the assistance of Northampton Fire Police at the event. Hall is a leader in the fire police.

In other news, the borough received one sealed bid to provide security cameras throughout the park system. The bid was $29,400. A grant of $25,000 will pay most of the camera cost. Council approved the bid, pending review from the borough solicitor.

Council authorized the Civil Service Commission to establish a new eligibility list.

Council received and accepted a letter of resignation from Nicholas Politi Jr., planning commission member. The resignation is effective July 31.

A subdivision request at 517-519 E. 20th St. was approved by council. Both the planning commission and the zoning hearing board recommended the approval of the request.

Council considered a request to place a fence in a tree easement area from a resident residing in the Kay Willowbrook development. In order for council to act on the request, the deciduous tree and evergreen buffer and tree conservation easements would need to be amended. The amended easements would have to make an agreement with both Kay Willowbrook LLC and the borough.

Kadingo reported he completed an evaluation for a one-hour parking zone beginning at the northern zone for the property located at 1218 Main St. and continuing south to the northern edge of the crosswalk safety zone at Laubach Avenue. This would be on the west side of Main Street with a linear distance of 102 feet. Council accepted the evaluation and approved the recommendation.

The office of state Rep. Zach Mako, R-183rd, requested and received permission to hold his annual shredding event 10 a.m.-noon April 19, 2025, in the parking lot at Northampton Banquet and Event Center, 1601 Laubach Ave.

Council approved a request from St. John the Baptist Church to use the portable band trailer Sept. 1. The church will be charged a rental fee of $300 and a delivery and setup fee of $150. The church is required to provide a certificate of insurance naming the borough as additionally insured.

Laurys Station Volunteer Fire Company No. 1 received council permission to rent the borough’s portable band shelter Sept. 21. The fire company is required to pay a rental fee of $300 and a delivery and setup fee of $150 and add the borough on an insurance certificate.

New Journey Church requested and received permission to use the Canal Street Park pavilion Aug. 18 for its annual church picnic. The picnic is open to the public. The church received a waiver of any and all fees.

In his administrative and finance committee report, Hall noted the iSolve payroll system was set to go live July 22. It was expected to greatly improve the efficiency of the office as they prepare payroll.

Hall added the River Central Multi-Municipal Committee has planned two meetings — one beginning 2 p.m. Aug. 7 at East Allen Township Municipal Building and the second starting 7 p.m. Aug. 7 at Hanover Township Municipal Building — to report on the committee’s progress fulfilling its comprehensive plan goals.

In her building, land and recreation committee report, Councilwoman Judy Haldeman said the borough received quotes from three companies to replace the pool roof. No action was taken on the quotes.

Haldeman also reported Brobst and Welsko recently met with two representatives of Adaptive Fund regarding efforts to work collaboratively with the borough on building a new park on Fourth Street. The next step is to hold a planning meeting with the fund and the borough’s building, land and recreation committee.

Councilman Trevor Stone, in his code and police committee report, said there will be $9,240.70 additional money for the purchase of body cameras for the police department. He also said the borough purchased two 2023 Dodge Durangos as a cost of $5,900. The balance of the cost was paid with Local Share Agreement grants from Monroe County.

The next council meeting will be 7 p.m. Aug. 1 at the municipal building, 1401 Laubach Ave. It is a hybrid meeting, with both in-person and virtual options. Visit northamptonboro.com on how to view the meeting virtually.