Okay, everyone, we're gonna get started, uh, city council meeting.

And um thank you, and we'll start with uh invocation.

Um take a moment of silence.

Okay, thank you.

And then uh okay, we'll start with the roll call, Mr.

Here.

Mr.

Fonga.

Here, Ms.

Marga.

Here, Mr.

Binder?

Here, Santos.

Here and Mr.

Here.

Um, Mr.

President, everyone is here.

Okay, thank you.

Uh, we'll start with courtesy of the floor.

This is uh for items that are not on the agenda, and uh you're welcome to uh come up and speak.

You have three minutes.

If it's something that we can direct to a department, uh we can work on that, get back to you at a later time with more answers on uh your concern.

So um, do we have any?

Yep.

Uh Kyle.

Okay, Robskin.

Good evening, everybody.

My name is Kyle Rapsky, I'm chair of Altown's Environmental Advisory Council.

I'm just gonna be brief here today.

I would like to more or less invite you all uh formally as well as all the members of the public to an event that the Alltown EAC is hosting next week on Tuesday, February 24th from 6 to 8 p.m.

at Hamilton Family Restaurant.

Uh the event is in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Lehigh County.

It's an educational forum.

The focus is on air quality.

We're gonna have experts from the Department of Environmental Protection, Environmental Justice Office.

Um, we're gonna have experts from Lehigh University with a focus on the Lehigh Valley Breeze Initiative.

Um, and we're also gonna have some representatives from uh the City of Allentown Health Department.

The intent of this is just to be able to learn about the air quality in the city of Allentown, ask questions to experts, understanding what we're doing about it.

It's free and open to the public, as I said, February 24th from 6 to 8 p.m.

at Hamilton Family Restaurant.

Uh the information is posted on our social media as well as the League of Women Voters of Lehigh County website um and our Allentown EAC.org uh website.

So thank you all.

Hope to see you there.

Uh Enid Santiago.

Hi everyone.

Long time don't see, unfortunately, here I am again, and it's Santiago, 1243 South Jefferson Street, Allentown.

I am here for two issues today.

Um the snow.

If we get snow on Sunday, we're gonna be buried forever.

Like there's just no going around it at this point.

I have not been able to get to work for almost a month now because parking authority told everyone to throw the snow in the back of their parking spots, not on the sidewalk, not on the streets.

So my garage is buried at our woman's re-entry house, completely buried.

I have not been able to work at our pest control because Hanover Avenue, we know how many accidents happen there regularly.

There's still snow.

I have my business there, a daycare next door, and a handicapped person that lives in the building right next to where we are.

None of us could park there.

So now we're like swinging all over um that area on the east side to try to figure out where to park.

That's issue number one.

Issue number two is the joke of parking authority.

What is happening on social media is a shit show.

Pardon my French.

Throwing the blame on the city, I think is embarrassing.

Everybody's watching the show.

I don't know if you guys need to do a kumbaya, uh figure out a meditation session or something to get together and figure out how to resolve your issues, but dumping everything on the citizens is not the answer.

I brought some paperwork here.

Um Mike, I sent him an email.

I wasn't planning on being here today, but I decided to come anyways.

I started highlighting some of the messages that they're putting on social media.

When I realized that I was highlighting the entire Facebook page, I stopped.

I sent an email with the link and I printed some.

The first two pages have highlights, the rest of them.

How do you know the person isn't leaving and returning to the same spot?

So if I leave my house and I'm parking front, I take my child to school, I come back, my parking is still there, and I park there.

My car could still get towed because according to their answer, it's simple.

It's actually not complicated.

Once we become familiar with the rule that they said has been here since the 1900s, so city council really needs to take a look at this, then they're blaming it back on city council.

The way that it works is that if you car is marked by an officer, there's no physical marking.

You um, and it's been marked for three days or more, so they claim, and it's in the same location, they will tell you.

So then they put down here.

Let's say you go to the store or something and park in the same spot where the marking officer has no way of knowing that you move the car.

So the best practice is not to park back where the parking was.

So the best practices not to park back where there is an open parking because they have no way and no plan of figuring out if that car was moved or not.

We have snow all over the city right now.

We already have a parking crisis.

I am personally not affected by this because I am lucky and privileged enough that I have a huge driveway where I fit all my vehicles, but there's no reason why all my neighbors in center city in the east side and the south side have to deal with this harassment that is happening right now.

It is targeted harassment of poverty.

There's nothing else.

I have a garage, I don't gotta worry.

My neighbor doesn't have a garage, they have to figure out how to do this.

And I'm sorry, for $25 now, they could provide you parking for a week.

But if you park for three days in front of your house, your car is getting told.

Thank you.

I'm leaving this here for you guys.

Uh Michaela Bell.

Sorry, I was trying to get to my notes.

Please don't start the time yet until I start it.

There we go.

Um, good evening.

My name is Michaela.

I was here last month, and today I'm gonna talk about two different topics.

One of the topics I was talking about last month is rent control.

After doing some extra um research and looking into this, I realized that Pennsylvania is a landlord state.

So what that means is basically landlords can charge whatever they want, and cities and municipalities can't put rent control on there because it is a state law.

So, in order to get that changed, I would have to drive to Harrisburg, and I am going to do it when it gets a little bit nicer.

This knows crazy.

Um, in that retrospect, I do have an idea for the city council, and that is something that's not like rent control, but it is a program where landlords can opt in.

It's a city funded program where people will charge the median income.

What that means is a one-bedroom for 900, a two-bedroom for 1100, a three bedroom for 200 more, and so forth.

What the landlords would get in interest for that would be something like uh free taxes or discounted taxes.

They would also get um, sorry, city taxes uh permits, like they would get free permits if they're part of the program and stuff.

That way it's helping out some of your residents in the area to be able to afford it.

And instead of everybody saying, you know what, I'm sorry you grew up in Allentown.

If you don't like it, get out.

That's a horrible thing to say.

Second is again backing off of what she just said, the Allentown Parking Authority.

Um, this year was a complete joke, and I'm gonna be honest with it.

I'll look at every which one of you guys, I'll look at the mayor as well, and say you guys dropped the ball heavily.

So you guys had everybody move off of emergency routes and told everybody you can't park there.

Start towing people's cars.

And I could tell you right now from me driving around, you towed over 35 cars for parking on emergency routes.

Then when the snow was done, did somebody come down the emergency route to clear it?

No, because 6th Street is still a one-way street.

And luckily, the weather's nice because it melted a little bit.

But what happens if that wouldn't have happened?

Then we're sitting there.

Then you got Allentown Parking Authority coming right behind them and enforcing it like crazy.

Oh, you're parked in the middle of the street, you're clearing the snow.

Here's a hundred dollar ticket, here's that ticket.

And then everybody's like, oh, well, you can just go ahead and uh contest it.

That's a joke, too.

Because when you can test it down at the Allentown Parking Authority, guess who says it?

There's one lady sitting in the back.

No, and she says no to everything.

Send it to the court.

Okay.

Do you know how you send it to the court?

Does anybody know the process?

I bet you you don't.

It adds 70 to 90 dollars onto the parking ticket at the highest amount.

Then when you go in front of a judge, the judges laugh at you because they say you're a criminal for parking.

I'm a criminal.

Then they give you attitudes.

So now you have a $30 ticket, then now is $135, and you have no choice but to pay it.

Or you get what?

A warrant for your arrest.

So my thing is to the council today is I understand you guys are all sitting up here.

You guys do jobs that are sometimes incredibly hard.

But you can't not turn a blind eye to things you don't know.

The city parking authority is over a multi-million dollar nonprofit agency.

Every year they're upping their CEOs paid where they get paid more money, more money, more money off of the citizens.

And yet you guys don't know the processes of what happens down there.

How is that possible?

Thank you.

Good evening.

Nice to see you.

My name is Milagro Canales.

And I'm here to speak on behalf of the residents of Cedar City Allentown.

We recently experienced a snow removal effort that looked less like city service and more like a tactical raid.

At 1222 a.m., our streets were filled with blaring sirens, flashing lights, and voices shouting through bullhorns, threatening to tow our property without any prior written notice.

Now, while we all want clean streets, the method used by the police department was an unnecessary escalation that caused deep distress across our community.

The psychological impact we needed to talk about, the trauma that this deployment caused in this neighborhood that was already an economically stressed, the sound of sirens at dawn isn't a signal of safety, it is a signal of crisis.

In case anybody is wondering, this neighborhood has had already been affected by more shootings than any other parts of the city.

And I can give you the links to all the prior shootings in the 500 block of Allen.

But I'm not here for that.

So the residents of this neighborhood can't or don't forget.

This shock and all tactic for a parking violation trigger acute stress responses.

In fact, the veterans with PTSD, the mother trying to smooth sue the terrifying child, and the elderly neighbor who think that this is a life threat in the emergency.

When you use the tools of a high speed chase and active crimes to handle a snow shovel, you are practically tactically intimidation.

You are telling us that we are not neighbors, but we are subjects to be clear.

Residents receive digital alert or flyers.

In Cedar City, we get the bullhorns.

By bypassing the courtesy of a notice, you are gambling with our livelihood.

We have spent some significant energy on initiatives in Jordan Heights to foster warmth and cooperation with our police department and community.

And that work was erased in the five in the first five minutes of those lights.

When the police department chooses to scream and laugh at us rather than speak to us, says a lot to me.

And I needed to come here.

No more bullhorns, please.

Thank you.

My address, right?

You don't need it.

At the last uh three meetings, I had questions about the tax increase, the parking authority, and the lack of timely snow removal.

I was told by council president, someone would get back to me on each of those things.

No one has.

So I appreciate it if you don't say that anymore because it's not coming true.

I don't know if there's nobody that will answer our questions.

We're uh with the last president, we weren't allowed to ask questions.

So now we're asking questions, and we're just wondering how are we gonna get answers?

So I didn't get any answers, no one got back to me.

Secondly, I want to uh express my grievance over the fact that a citizen of this city who was on the uh parks board, came forward and spoke about a uh a mess uh item on the tax increase that she didn't understand, and she didn't say anything negative about the mayor, she didn't say anything confidential about the mayor, nothing, but he retaliated by removing her appointment from the board.

And I would just like to say I think that sucks big time.

You don't retaliate if you're gonna retaliate, mayor, have a reason why you're retaliating and the reasons that are on the ethics violations if you get off your phone and listen.

Just direct directly here.

Okay, well, I'm directing it at him because you guys vote to bring each appointment in.

You vote on each appointment.

So I hope you'll keep that in mind when you're voting for the appointments tonight.

And as far as the snow removal, that sucks too.

Uh Rebecca Ramos.

Hello, hi, my name is Rebecca Ramos.

I live at the 500 block of Allen Street.

I have two um, what is it, problems I want to discuss with the matter?

Um, first one is there was it's problems with APD.

So we have an incident we in the early morning on January 6th, a dog was roaming the streets, got hit by a car, it died right on the street, bled out full blown.

We have buses coming through the 500 block taking kids to school.

An officer finally came on the scene.

I asked him nicely, can you just I'll get you a bag?

Can you cover the dog up?

And he blinkly said, No, I can't.

And I said, but there's buses coming through, people are seeing it.

This is a dead, it's like it's a mammal, like can you just cover it after respect?

He goes, No, it's dead, it's gonna be fine.

The the fire trucks are coming soon, they'll handle it.

I said, Okay, I go inside, get a garbage bag because my daughter has to go to school for the bus, and I'm don't want her to see this incident, or the kids coming by.

So I'm about to go put it.

He stops me and tells me, No, I can't touch it.

I said, Okay, the fire truck comes, they handle the situation very nicely.

The cop was very rude.

He's a young new officer you guys have, and it was just rude for for that old incident was just plain rude early in the morning.

So I I let that pass.

Then on February 7th, 1222 a.m.

I'm sitting on my couch, middle of the night, kids are finally sleeping.

I hear loud sirens, not loud, like regular sirens, like real crazy sirens.

You ever watch the purge movie?

That's how that's how the scene felt.

I felt like something really bad was going on.

I go offside because I'm like, what's going on?

And the cop is just doing Ubies, going around, going around with their blowhorns, yelling, we your cars, you gotta move your cars now.

Not respectfully, not in a nice manner, just blatantly rude, middle of the night, 1222 a.m.

And so I'm yelling at him, like what is the issue?

Like, oh, we're moving the snow now.

Um, you got to move your cars.

The signs there since Thursday, you got me.

I said the signs have been there since Tuesday, but I stated on the parking authority web Facebook page, it said snow removal, it said street cleaning, snow removal, cancel for district one, district two, and district nine.

Snow removal will proceed on February 9th to the 13th.

So, as a resident, you'll see if that's what you see on post it on everyone's Facebook or at M pages, you're gonna be like, okay, this snow removal, this block is gonna be canceled.

So for them to come at 1222 a.m.

Fri Saturday morning doing this was a huge like shock on everyone.

Everyone's running out their houses, trying to move their cars, trying to find parking.

They're saying park, you know, seven short sixth street.

There's no parking nowhere anymore because of the snow.

So it was hard.

Um, my father's handicapped, my neighbors across the street is handicapped.

So they literally starting their cars from 1222 a.m.

all the way to 4:30 a.m., waiting for the snow to be finished.

They had no one tow truck coming and towing the cars, and I said, 'What well, since they're towing the cars on that side, can't you start on this side?' They said no, they can't start because they have to wait for the cars to get told.

I'm like, okay, so they didn't finish that.

The way the cops handled the situation was very rude and very not nice in a manner at all.

We had finally had some officers come out of the cars and write the license plates down and went out and knocked on people's doors.

But unfortunately, since there's no parking, people park wherever they see a parking spot.

So there were people that did get told, didn't live on our block at all.

So I felt very bad for them in their case.

And it was just it was just a lot to happen to go through that in the middle of the night, and it was just not nice.

And I've been living in that center city island town all my life, so this was the first time this ever happened.

So it was just not, you know, cool.

Thank you.

Thank you.

That's it.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um just uh in the interest of some of the public comment.

Um, I did reach out to the parking authority this morning, and there is a meeting that we're working on tentatively.

We're looking at, I believe it was April 8th, Mr.

Hanlon.

I think it was April 8th, uh, to have the parking authority come to City Council to take questions from council regarding parking issues and also uh give us updates on items are working on.

So that is something that um again uh we reached out and um trying to make that happen, so we will keep you posted on that uh regarding another issue with snow removal.

There is a public works committee meeting that um vice president Mota is hosting.

I want to say March 11th, and uh we'll be discussing snow removal with our public works team and uh learning more about that.

So uh concerns that residents have we are definitely working on point of clarity snow clearing.

Oh snow clearing, sorry.

Very like very important to distinguish between the terms right now.

Okay, thanks.

Yep, thank you.

So um, so these are issues that we do uh we do hear, and uh we are taking action to learn more and to figure out uh next step.

So okay, we'll move along.

So we're gonna start with uh contract approvals and um first one is R14 R 14 is authorization for a contract with KS State Bank in the amount of 307,690 dollars and 35 cents to finance Toro equipment for five years.

Okay, and do we have uh Miss McNeil for some background?

Yes, this was done as bin number 2026-32 tour equipment financing.

It was advertised on public purchase on January 13, 2026.

The public bid opening was held on February 9th, 2026.

The city received one bid upon review of the bid, it was determined to award to the sole responder KS Dink.

Okay, thank you.

Ums from my colleagues any questions, comments from the public on R 14.

Okay, can you please call the vote?

Ms.

Appa.

Yes, Mr.

Binder, yes, Ms.

Girl?

Yes, Ms.

Moda, yes, Mr.

Pongo, yes, Santos, yes, and Mr.

Napoli.

Yes, president seven years and no nays.

Okay, let's move on.

R15.

R15 is an authorization for a contract with bank funding LLC in the amount of four hundred and two thousand five hundred and sixty-two dollars and forty uh cents to finance one milling machine for four years okay, Ms.

Mc Ms.

McNeil.

This was done as bid number 2026-31 milling machine financing.

It was advertised on public purchase on December 31st, 2025.

The public opening was held on January 28th, 2026.

The city received three bids.

One was rejected due to them not properly responding to the solicitation.

Upon review of the bids, it was determined to award to the lowest bidder bank funding LLC.

Okay, thank you.

Um any questions or comments from the dais on R 15?

And any questions, comments from the public.

Okay, and the vote please.

Mr.

Binder, yes, Ms.

Gerlock, yes, Miss Moda, yes, Mr.

Pongo?

Yes, Ms.

Santos, yes, Mr.

Napoli, yes, and Miss Appla.

Yes, President 78 donatings.

Okay, moving along, R 16.

R 16 is an authorization for a contract with asphalt maintenance, uh, Kemong Supply, uh, H and K Group, New Enterprises Stone and Lyme Company, and PMG SMPA LC at unit prices identified in the mid tabulation.

Okay, uh Ms.

McNeil.

This was done as bid number 2026-01 road materials.

Um it was advertised on public purchase on January 5th, 2026.

The public opening was held on February 2nd, 2026.

The city received seven bids upon review of said bids, it was determined to award to five um vendors for various parts of the contract.

Okay, thank you.

Um any questions or comments from the dais or the public on R16?

Okay, the vote.

Uh Ms.

Gurlock.

Yes, Miss Moda, yes, Mr.

Pongo?

Yes, Ms.

Santos, yes, Mr.

Napoli, yes, Ms.

Appa.

Yes, and Mr.

Binder, yes, Mr.

President 7 is a noise.

All right, last one, R17.

R17 is an authorization for cooperative contracts to provide city with various goods and services.

It's for advanced electric design.

Uh and COC 333 Ford and Toyota and C DW.

Last one, Miss McNeil.

These are all just being purchased through various cooperative contracts.

Okay.

Any questions or comments from the dias or the public on R 17.

Okay.

Can you call the vote, please?

Ms.

Moda.

Yes.

Mr.

Pongo?

Yes.

Ms.

Santos?

Yes.

Mr.

Napoli?

Yes.

Ms.

Appa?

Yes.

Mr.

Binder?

Yes.

And Ms.

Garlock.

Yes.

President F7As and A.

Okay.

And we'll move along.

Minutes of previous meetings.

We have uh January 21st.

Mr.

Pongo.

Yes.

Ms.

Santos.

Yes.

Mr.

Napoli.

Yes.

Ms.

Appa.

Yes.

Mr.

Bender?

Yes.

Ms.

Girlock?

Yes.

And Ms.

Moda.

Yes.

Ms.

President 17 is in our easy.

Okay, thanks.

Um regarding communications.

Uh visitors to city council meetings are encouraged to park next door in the government deck and to see our city clerk for chaser to pay for your parking.

And that's for all city council meetings.

Any old business.

Okay.

So we're going to move into reports.

Uh first one public hearing is scheduled.

City Council received a request for the transfer of liquor license number R-21060 to the Felix Restaurant LLC, 395 South Cedar Crest Boulevard.

We have scheduled a public hearing on March 4th at 6 p.m.

to take public testimony on the transfer.

A resolution will be on the council meeting as follows at 6 30 p.m.

to allow city council to approve or disapprove the transfer.

I also mentioned earlier that council leadership's working with APA management to schedule a committee the whole meeting early April.

We're targeting April 8th, but we're gonna firm that up so they can provide a report and or updates and also answer any questions from city council members.

Moving along with the budget and finance, uh Chair Pungo.

The committee has not met since the last council meeting.

Uh the next meeting is scheduled for February 25th at 5 30.

The agenda includes a review of Bill 12, which is being introduced this evening, uh the monthly financial reports, and a continuation of our review of the budget process.

Uh we're also gonna have a brief explanation of the tax structure in the NIS district and perhaps do a little bit of brainstorming and discussion about setting up a future meeting to review uh new potential alternative revenue sources for the city.

Uh and the administration has looked uh through uh director Patel uh who provided some info to us as far as some alternatives that we may want to consider, so that's all gonna happen time permitting.

Okay, thank you.

And that also goes to a member of the public's concern about um something we're working on.

So more to come on alternate revenue sources.

Uh community economic development, uh Chair Gerlock.

Uh yes, we met this evening.

Uh we have one agenda item which is on the agenda tonight later, Bill 8.

Um, and it was forwarded favorably.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Uh human resources administration appointments, Chair Binder.

Uh the committee.

Um the committee has not met since the last council meeting, and there are no future meetings scheduled.

Okay, thank you.

Parks and recreation, Chair Santos.

Yes.

This committee has not met since the last council meeting, and our next meeting is scheduled for March 4th at 5 30 p.m.

to review Bill 11, which is being introduced uh this evening, and the EAC report had that has been submitted.

Thank you.

Uh public safety chair Affa.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

The committee has not met since the last council meeting.

The next meeting is scheduled for March 4th at 5 45 p.m.

to review bill nine being introduced this evening.

I will be setting up another meeting to look at capital projects as they relate to public safety.

Okay, thank you.

Uh public works, Chair Mota.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

The committee has not met since the last council meeting.

The next meeting is scheduled for March 11 at 5 30 p.m.

to review Bill 10 being introduced this evening to review the city's snow plowing and removal policies, administration and committee priorities, and a review of capital projects as they related to public works time per meeting.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And uh rules, chambers, intergovernmental relations and strategy.

Um this committee has not met since the last council meeting.

Uh we do have two meetings scheduled.

The first is a meeting scheduled for March 5th, 2026 at 6 p.m.

It will be a public workshop meeting with Lehigh County administration and board of commissioners.

The second public workshop is on March 10th, uh Tuesday, 6 p.m.

with Allentown School District Administration and School Board members.

Both meetings are an opportunity to communicate and collaborate on shared goals and initiatives.

Uh controller is out tonight.

Uh mayor not submit anything.

I did not, but I have a brief report if you're interested.

Okay, we'll take it.

I'll take the controller's time.

I don't know, he's turning into a no-show at these these meetings, so he's giving me all his time.

Uh I want to report, so I'm glad that we have a couple of city council, new city council members that might not be aware of a particular initiative that we've been working on, and you might have missed it as well because it kind of got announced back in September, and there's a lot of other stuff going on at the moment.

Um back in September, and and Genesis helped us with this when she was over in the mayor's office.

We launched something called uh our spotlight city status with Work for America.

So it's an organization that started up in the wake of the Trump administration, releasing a lot of federal workers in a lot of different ways.

Uh, Work for America was founded to help return people to work in local government.

And in 2025, Allentown was chosen as a spotlight city for Work for America.

So, what that's meant for us is that Work for America has been helping the City of Allentown in a variety of different ways.

But one of the key ways was helping us develop an employer value proposition where we could clearly articulate what makes the city of Allentown a great place to work, what makes public service so laudable uh as a career.

Um, they've been working closely with us uh through the in the mayor's office through Michaela Boyer in her role uh as executive assistant to the mayor.

Um she's been working closely with the HR department to help tell the story of working for the city using the voices of our employees.

They will continue to help us with modernization of job descriptions, training our hiring managers to find and keep the best talent, and to broaden our recruitment reach, making sure that we have the best possible pool of talent looking for jobs at the city of Allentown.

Um since day one of my time as mayor of it's been obvious to me, and if you've heard me say this a lot of times, that the city of Allentown is fundamentally a service business.

And like all service businesses, we can only do what we do when we have excellent employees.

You heard from some of our residents today just how important that service delivery model is and how the success or failure of our work sometimes is in the hands of how an employee handles their work.

Um so we are going to continue to invest in our employees, both through work through America, work for America, excuse me, and a host of other initiatives.

We've over the past four years made sure that every employee has had access to training around uh innovation, around using information to improve decision making and cross-jurisdictional collaboration at the expense of not the city but of philanthropic organizations.

We've been able to send employees to training programs at Harvard University, at Johns Hopkins, and in at international conferences.

Um we're gonna continue to invest in those employees and work for America is helping us do that.

Um at the moment, we only have about three job openings.

Uh or three, there's only about three, there's the not even about, there are three job openings at the city of Allentown right now.

One is a maintenance worker two in Mark Shada shop.

Uh there's a project manager position open in uh community and economic development and a diesel tech position in the garage.

That's three positions out of about 900 employees at the city of Allentown.

We have some vacancies in our police department that we'd love to fill as well.

But but at the point is that at the moment there's not a ton of places for people to onboard in the city of Allentown.

But we want to make sure that as we continue to see positions open up, that we're accessing the best talent, that we're thoroughly articulating what makes working at the city of Allentown such a special opportunity.

In part because you know you can see this work is getting harder and harder, and it's getting more and more complex, and it requires the best talent who deeply understand how to engage with our residents, how to deliver high quality services, and how to try to do new things to meet the needs of a growing and evolving city.

Um we want to create an environment that becomes the envy of all of our residents.

We'd love to build a city of Allentown where everybody in the city wants to work and where everybody wants to pitch in and lend a hand.

Um so I say all of that in part to lead up to letting you know and asking you.

Here's my call to action for you.

There's three regular positions that are posted maintenance worker two, diesel tech, and project manager.

We could use your help filling those.

But the thing where we really need help is the summer jobs.

So all of those summer jobs, uh lifeguard, cashier at the pool, summer playground instructor, they're all posted now, and we need you all to help us tap into your networks to make sure that we're hiring those positions.

They are excellent jobs for young people in Allentown.

Some of you might have, I don't know.

Were you anybody ever lifeguard?

Councilman Pungo was at the City of Allentown.

It is a great foot in the door for public service.

So my hope is that you'll help us fill those positions, give young people something to do and a way to make a couple bucks during the summer, and hopefully spark that long-term interest in serving the people in the young people of today and into the future.

So I hope you can help us do that.

You can uh people can go to Allentown PA.gov slash jobs to see those open positions.

It's always a challenge.

We're always we're working like crazy to make sure that we get all of those young people in and that we fill all those lifeguard positions so we can have the pools open uh for the summer.

Um so I need your help doing that.

Two final things uh just by way of announcement.

One uh February 28th, 1 p.m.

We will be working with council person mota, vice president Mota to do a flag raising for Dominican Independence Day.

It's one o'clock is gonna be the flag raising, so be here a little bit earlier if you can.

Uh we'll have music, dance, uh readings.

We're gonna sing the Dominican independence or the Dominican National Anthem and even nosk.

Maybe I'll learn it for this year.

I'm gonna keep trying.

Um, but it's good, it's a phenomenal celebration.

It's a bringing together Allentown's Dominican, actually, more than just Allentown's Dominican community.

I think that Dominicans from across eastern Pennsylvania come to Allentown to celebrate Independence Day.

So February 28th at 1 p.m.

We'll count on seeing you know, hoping for good weather for that.

And then afterward, we'll do a celebration up at the Americas uh with food and more music and more dance.

Uh and the other thing is before our next city council meeting is read across America week.

It's not just a read across America Day.

If you haven't gone to read to young people at elementary schools in Allentown, this is your week to do it.

I know that Central Elementary has lots of openings, but pretty much any elementary school in the city has openings for you to come read.

The kids are amazing.

You saw Evie here, she's in second grade.

Those kids love the opportunity to hear from their public officials.

They look up to you, and if you can make the opportunity to show up for just a half an hour and read to kids, that's the I guess it's March 3rd through, I think the third is a Monday.

March, no, no, March 2nd through the 6th is Read Across America week in Allentown.

So show up and how about if you can.

And I think that goes for the general public as well.

I think they welcome volunteers from across the city.

That's my report.

Thank you very much.

Okay, thank you.

And um and thank you, uh Vice President Mota, for all the hard work you're putting into that event um for um Dominican independence.

Um we're gonna move along.

Uh Bill Eight, uh, we're gonna start with ordinances for final passage, and there only one is Bill Eight.

Bill Eight amends uh part two general legislation, chapter uh 400 noise ordinance, section uh one definitions, and another section by bringing the noise ordinance into compliance or conformity with the new zoning code.

Okay, thank you.

And this was in uh Chair Gurlach's um committee this evening.

Uh yes, it wasn't, it was forwarded favorably.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Um so any questions or comments from my colleagues on bill eight.

Okay, any questions or comments from the public?

Okay.

Can you call the vote, please?

Ms.

Santos, yes.

Happily, yes, Ms.

Appa?

Yes.

Mr.

Binder, yes, Grillock.

Yes, Moda.

Yes.

And Mr.

Pomgo.

Yes.

Okay, thank you.

Uh, next is our consent agenda.

Uh we have a bunch of bills, R18 through R27.

Uh all mainly reappointments and appointments.

Any questions or comments from my committee uh from my colleagues?

Okay.

And any questions or comments from the public.

Okay.

So just quick read them into the record.

Yes, please.

Okay.

Uh R 18 is the certificate of appropriateness for work at 943, 943 to 951 West Chu Street.

Uh R 19 is the appointment of Mike Comic to the Board of Parks and Recreation.

R20 is the appointment of David Snyder to the Board of Parks and Recreation.

R21 is the appointment of Nancy Will to the Board of Parks and Recreation.

R22 is the appointment of Michael Dravenstadt to the parks, the Board of Parks and Recreation.

R23 is the appointment of Diane Burdy to the Disruptive Conduct Board of Appeals.

R24 is the appointment of Councilperson AFA to the Disruptive Conduct Board of Appeals.

R25 is the appointment of Councilperson AFA to the nuisance abandoned board of appeals.

Okay, thank you.

Mr.

Napoli.

Yes.

Ms.

Affa.

Yes.

Mr.

Bender.

Yes.

Ms.

Girlak.

Yes.

Ms.

Moda?

Yes.

Yes.

And Ms.

Santos.

Yes.

Okay.

Resolutions for final passage.

We're gonna start with R28.

R28 is City Council and Mayor Matt Turk authorized the civic naming of the 2000 block of Liberty Street in honor of Rose Kennedy.

Okay, thank you.

And I believe we have someone um present.

Ms.

Diane Mascari is here to uh speak on this.

She passed that back to me.

Oh okay.

Okay.

Uh welcome.

Thank you.

My name is Lisa Arnold.

I am a resident of Allentown.

I live at 720 North 26th Street.

Um on behalf of the Allentown St.

Patrick's Parade Committee, I would like to thank the City Council for considering our petition to rename the 2000 block of Liberty Street to Rose Kennedy Way.

We've made this petition in honor of a beloved friend, a proud Irish woman, and a huge supporter of the Allentown St.

Patrick's Parade.

In 2008, the Owntown St.

Patrick's Parade moved to the West End and found a remarkable goodwill ambassador in Rose Kennedy.

She embraced the parade and spearheaded the House Decorating and Porch Parties on Parade Day.

Rosie involved her whole block on Liberty Street, creating one continuous party with decorations and parade day spectators, such that she received our parade committee's official porch party and decorating contest award many times.

Rosie had an extraordinary love for her Irish heritage and for the St.

Patrick's Parade.

She supported all of the parade committee events throughout the year.

In 2020, Rosie was the recipient of the Barney McNulty Spirit Award from the Alltown St.

Patrick's Parade Committee, an acknowledgement of her love of the parade, Irish culture, and her community.

Once you knew Rosie, you discovered that her hospitality and warm heart did not stop at the sidewalk.

Her caring for her neighbors was not a one-day thing.

It was a year-round genuine love for her community.

When Rose Kennedy said you're welcome, she meant you're welcome.

And when she asked you how you were, she genuinely wanted to know.

Rosie is dearly missed since her passing in 2023 after battling pancreatic cancer.

And it is in her spirit that our porch party contest has been renamed the Rose Kennedy Porch Party and Decorating Contest.

When you pass by her old address on Liberty Street on parade day, you are sure to see her daughters, one of whom is with us tonight, Rachel.

Along with the entire neighborhood, keeping the party going in memory of Rosie.

Her ability to inspire neighbors of all ages, all cultures, to come together and celebrate the day is a testimony to her enthusiastic spirit and warm Irish heart.

It is this legacy that we seek to preserve by renaming the 2000 block of Liberty Street as Rose Kennedy Way.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you.

Any questions or comments from the dais on R28?

Any other qu uh comments or questions from the public?

If I may briefly from the administration's perspective, um I was in the I walked in the parade multiple times.

You know this block if you've walked in the parade.

This is the block that just jumps off the street because it's so thoroughly decorated.

And when I stopped to talk uh with the Kennedy sisters last year, it occurred to me that this that what Rose Kennedy did for this block is emblematic of what we want our entire city to do.

To bring everyone together, put the celebration on their shoulders, and just come together as a city uh for at least one day a year around something special.

And so to me, when I when I saw this, and I I saw the the way that that entire block comes together and the importance that this parade has for a city.

Um we're looking I hope that you'll uh that you'll take the appropriate action and dedicate this this block of uh the street uh Rose Kennedy Way.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you.

Okay, any other public comment?

Okay.

Um we will call the vote.

Uh Ms.

Appa.

Yes, Mr.

Binder?

Yes, Girlock?

Yes, Ms.

Moda?

Yes, Mr.

Pongo?

Yes.

Santos?

Yes.

And Mr.

Napoli.

Yes.

President of seven years of donates.

Okay.

Um this is uh it's obviously the middle of February.

We're nowhere we're we're it feels quite far off from the St.

Patrick's Day parade, which is this year uh March 22nd, and I I'm sure that'll see many of you out there for that.

On March uh 20th is the uh annual St.

Patrick's Day coronation with the Hibernians.

My hope is that either on the 20th or the 21st, there's also a 5k on the 22nd, but one of those days we're gonna pick to make sure that uh the whole block can be out there perhaps as we're decorating and hold a ceremony where we'll place the the Rose Kennedy Way sign on Liberty Street for all the city.

I hope that we'll we will make sure the council knows that exact date and time, and I hope to see you all out there uh officially pulling off the the dedicating this uh Rose Kennedy Way, but I thank you for your action tonight, and I look forward to to seeing you uh before the parade in March for the the unveiling.

Okay, great.

So um we're gonna move along to R29.

R29 is a 41,500 transfer, it places the authorization for the unhouse access to restrooms, drinking water, hydration systems, laundry facilities, and animal care into proper accounts for the expenditures, uh $58,828 for a journal, uh reclass uh for fuel upputs moves money into proper accounts and $42,000 to place money into a construction contract account.

Okay, thank you.

Um any questions or comments from my colleagues?

Any comments or from the public on R29?

Okay.

Can you call the vote, please?

Mr.

Binder, yes.

Ms.

Gerlock?

Yes, Ms.

Mona?

Yes.

Mr.

Pungo?

Yes.

Ms.

Santos?

Yes.

Mr.

Napoli?

Yes.

And Miss Appa.

Yes.

Mr.

President, I have seven years and don't need it.

Okay, thank you.

Uh moving along ordinances for introduction.

We'll start with Bill 9.

Bill 9 amends the 2026 general fund budget to provide for a supplemental appropriation of 16,136 and 55 uh cents from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Office of the State Fire Commission grant to the Allentown uh Fire Department.

Any uh questions or comments from the public on Bill 9?

Okay, this will be referred to Chair Office Committee and Bill 10.

Bill 10 amends the 2026 capital fund budget to provide for an increase of 346,158 dollars uh to partially fund the reconstruction of Lehigh and Union Street as part of the Pennsylvania Local Share Account Grant.

Okay.

Any comments from the public on Bill 10?

Um you may come up.

I can just stand real quick.

Where do you find out the whole uh things for Bill 10?

Because it's that's from the Lehigh Entree.

Um we want to find the exact Mr.

Hamlin, when will you post that on the uh on on Granicus?

Yeah, it's on the website.

Yeah, on which website?

On on the city website under the icon show you, but it's under the city website.

You go to public meetings and you'll see the agenda where this is stored, and then just hit Bill 10 and it'll come up.

Okay, and this will be referred to uh Chair Moto's committee for public works.

Thank you, Mr.

President.

Uh Bill 11.

Bill 11 amends to 2026 capital fund budget to provide for a transfer of 480,000 dollars from the Trexler operating budget into the WPA Capital Project account and Trexler Monument Capital Project Account funds will be utilized for repairs to the Lehigh Parkway staircase and flagstone around the Drexler Monument.

Okay, um any public comment on Bill 11?

Okay, this will refer this to uh Chair Santo's committee.

Thank you.

Okay, and last one is Bill 12.

Bill 12 amends the City Code, part two, general legislation, Chapter 633, Water, Article 5 Water Service, and charges to add section 63353, water and sewer rebates by creating a sliding schedule of water and sewer rebates.

Okay, thank you.

And this uh any public comment regarding Bill 12?

Okay, we're gonna refer this to Chair Pungo's committee, budget and finance.

And uh resolutions for introduction or none tonight.

Any new business?

Okay, we we we reviewed upcoming meetings.

Any good in welfare?

Okay, we'll adjourn this meeting.

Thank you.