Alburtis Borough Council met Feb. 26 for its council meeting beginning with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by an open session for public comment for which none were made.

Mayor Kathleen Palmer provided a short report, stating she spoke with someone about the safety of the young student walkers around the school. She also said she spoke with the president of the East Penn School District Board, who told her the school board will be having a meeting about emergency shelters around the elementary school as well.

Following the mayor’s remarks, council reviewed and approved the minutes from the Feb. 12 meeting. Council then approved the bills for payment for the current period. A report from the borough’s fiscal consultant was also presented, offering an overview of the borough’s financial health.

Under new business, representatives from the East Penn Chamber of Commerce, Hayden Rinde and Emily Brosky, addressed council regarding local economic development initiatives and business community engagement. The representatives make an annual trip to all local councils to provide this update.

Next, Liesel Gross provided an update on the regional sewer plan for the Kline’s Island Sewer System on behalf of Lehigh County Authority, outlining progress, challenges and next steps in the project. The system is rapidly declining due to the now insufficient infrastructure. The regional sewer plan aims to correct the entire system, which will cost all 15 municipalities the system serves a large amount of money. There was no estimate provided for the borough during the presentation, although it was pointed out Alburtis has done a great job of servicing its system. This may mean a lower price compared to others. The total cost estimate is around $123 to $135 million for the entire 5-year Act 537 Plan.

Following the presentation, council reviewed and approved the issuance of volunteer tax credit certificates for the Alburtis Borough members of the Lower Macungie Township Fire Department in recognition of their service.

The meeting continued with a discussion on borough construction projects, where the council considered and approved a recommendation to pay Construction Masters Services for pay application six. Additionally, pay application seven was approved, marking the transition of the project into its maintenance period.

Further topics included a request to hold an electronic recycling and shredding event Nov. 8. This was met with a positive reception and approval by council. Items included are old computers, CDs, DVDs, etc. Council also discussed plans for next year’s America 250 celebration, a nationwide commemoration of the United States’ 250th anniversary, with preliminary ideas shared for how Alburtis might participate in the historic event.

The last item discussed was added to the agenda during the meeting. It was a request to allocate the remaining grant funds from a completed project to support a rehabilitation project, including manhole inspections, smoke testing and other improvements to the borough’s sewer system. This will be added to the next meeting’s agenda.

With no further public comments or additional business, council adjourned the meeting. The next meeting will be held 7 p.m. March 12 at the borough building, 260 Franklin St.