He said, Yeah, of course I'm just not part.

All right.

Guys, we're gonna get started.

Good evening, everyone.

I will call this meeting of the committee to hold to order.

I will ask Mr.

Miller to call the role.

Mr.

Callahan.

Present.

Ms.

Crampsy Smith.

Ms.

Quitech.

Present.

Ms.

Laird.

Ms.

Leon present.

Ms.

Wilhelm present and Mr.

Cologne.

Present.

Councilwoman Cramsy Smith is on vacation and councilwoman Laird has another commitment.

So she won't have to be present to the committee meeting.

Just a YouTube reminder if anyone is starting after 6 p.m.

and you want to watch in real time, you're welcome to scroll ahead to the current recording of the meeting.

Tonight we have one agenda item that's amending Article 112 campaign finance report.

So tonight we will at the end of the meeting.

This uh proposed amendments that should they pass are not on the agenda tonight for city council.

So there will be plenty of opportunity for public comment prior to any future council meetings.

One will vote on this.

We're gonna have public comment on this at the end of the committee meeting.

Um, just to give our members of the public a chance to hear what I have to say, hear whatever comments are to be made.

So I'll welcome public comments right before we adjourn.

We're gonna start with just a uh presentation.

I I have the computer up.

I'm gonna hop over to the lectern to use just to kind of um I'll give everyone some background as to where this came from, why proposed it, and then I'll demonstrate what we what's the current practice at the city level at the county level, and why I feel this is just a good operational change without really um sacrificing any transparency, and then I'll I'll come back down to the seat and open it up to questions from council for me, and of course, our council solicitor Stewart is here who can speak on some of the legal background and such as attorney steward helps.

So I'm gonna hop over here.

But so the um Article 112 campaign finance reports.

I mean, we're all familiar with it.

Everyone on council has had to submit reports as candidates, as uh elected officials, our our city clerk reminds everyone of different election cycles, but ultimately in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, an attorney steward, you can kind of give me a gesture if I I'm gonna speak at any point because I don't want to mislead anybody.

Um, if I'm mistaken, uh, as I speak uh extemporaneously up here.

Oh, can everyone hear me?

Yeah, no.

Okay.

The so essentially in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, elections are administered at the county level, including housing campaign finance reports.

Historically, the county north Bethlehem, of course, is housed in two counties, Lehigh and Northampton, Northampton County Elections Office houses all of our campaign finance reports.

Everyone, whether it's council, controller, mayor, treasurer, and submits the reports there, they're housed there.

When Article 112 was passed, which predates my time on city council, so uh over a decade ago, the county was not publishing on its website campaign finance reports, and now current practice and just modernization, that is now what is done at the county level.

So the county and I'll go on the website for everybody to see.

So it's been it's fallen on our city clerks to sort of manage what is essentially a function of county government in recent time with sending out these reminders and um even directing people to the county office because ultimately the county elections office is the administrator of the elections, uh submitting uh declaring a campaign committee, terminating a campaign committee, finance reports, all that all that lives with the county, or the county will direct someone to the state.

It's uh the department of state in the commonwealth that administers elections.

So currently what we do is we hand in our campaign finance reports as is prescribed by ordinance, and again, an ordinance in the city is a law, so this isn't a optional procedure.

This is something that a previous council had passed, and then council.

So then on the city's website under city government, city council, candidate disclosure.

Here are city clerks now take on the responsibility and task and additional work, in my opinion, of collecting these, notifying everyone, and then posting them online.

So I'll go to uh one was I last up.

So yeah, I'll just go to Cologne, and then I have mine are posted on the city website.

So anyone in the public currently can access them.

So here they are.

Certain things are redacted, uh, and then uh all those zeros are me.

So then this is one of my campaign finance reports.

But this is of course housed on the city website.

Um it goes back for uh a number of years, and it's all here, including the statements of financial interest, which will come in play in a little bit because the amendment is to maintain statement of financial interest on the city's website, and that's less of a burden on the clerks, and that's not published at the county level, and I'll demonstrate that in a couple minutes.

So this goes back.

I mean, the amending the ordinance, I don't it I'm of the opinion it doesn't it doesn't necessitate changing what's already on the website, it's just a matter of how we move forward, and it would be simply the the current council president or the next council president could work with the clerk to here on this landing page have something should these amendments move forward under candidates disclosure to have a blur, just noting council and you know this month or this year amended article 112.

Please visit Northampton County elections for candidate disclosures, and we could just have a link here that someone could click and go right to the county website and have the same information listed, but now it it relieves our clerks, which as everyone's aware.

We have two full-time clerks, we have a part-time office assistant that's been kind of vacant on and off now for some time, and just trying not to not to be uh duplicative of work that's done at other layers of government.

Again, I recognize why previous council would have passed Article 112 in in its current form, but just where we are now, the county, the primary uh administrator of elections does things differently.

So this is our our current city website.

Again, I'm not proposing changing anything.

The amendments uh call out the clerk's office rather than having to routinely remind everyone of their elections responsibilities in terms of filing, it puts that responsibility on each candidate or elected official.

The the clerk's office would remind everyone when statements of financial interest are due, which is annually.

That's not only for elected officials, that's for any city employees who essentially um have authority to deliver sign contracts and and really exhaust any city money that's part of our ethics training that we have to go to every other year.

Those again are posted, they would remain posted.

The clerk collects a few dozen of them currently, they would continue to collect them for everyone who has to fill one out, and the clerk would post for any elected official, so council, the mayor, controller treasurer post those online just like they do now.

But that's a once-a-year thing for everybody, and just post those rather than have to be tasked with um reminding everyone and and tracking everyone down, and and really sometimes getting questions that they're just kicking up to the higher level of government in terms of the county.

So that's what the city website looks like.

The link that I'm talking about, let me go to it.

Give me one second.

Oh, after I check the baseball scores me again.

So now we are on the county website for Northampton County where the majority of Bethlehem resides.

You go to election voting right on the right on the home page.

Welcome to Northampton County election division, and then right here, top of their list, view campaign finance reports, and then we would be able to put a link to this at the top of that previous page from the city's website, and campaign finance reports now are for everyone.

They're right here, so then they're listed.

Now they are listed in alphabetical order based on um you know alphabet.

So you have let me go back to 2023 again.

So I'm Michael Cologne, right here, Michael Cologne.

You go down to Friends of because a lot of elected folks use friends of, and then it would just be a matter of friends of uh, and then Michael Cologne is right here.

You open it, and it's the exact same thing that was at uh on the city's page.

This is my committee page on the city one.

I opened my personal uh candidate one, which is why it looks different, but it's just the same reporting cycle.

How's on the county website?

Who again is the primary administrator of elections in the commonwealth?

The uh going back to the city website.

I I would again coordinate or the next council present, depending on if this passed and when it did, could simply put the link right here and say have a little blurb about the amendment, and then go on the county website to find campaign finance reports.

There'd be a little bit of work to find it for the candidate, but if you know who you're looking for, I think it's you know not impossible to find, and nor is it difficult to find in my opinion.

It's just the county doesn't break it down by municipality or race, and given the number of folks who have to submit it there, I don't know if that's practical.

So that is some of the background to that.

Um going back when you just pull up the other amendments, so it would be renaming the ordinance from campaign finance to statements of financial interest because it would be effectively only addressing statements of financial interest.

It would remove the clerk's responsibility of notifying pardon of notifying candidates uh when they announce, so it would only be current elected officials for the statement of financial interest.

The reason for that is we talked about with our previous clerk and the current clerk staff.

Sometimes when people announce a candidacy, the clerks don't know how to get a hold of them.

If I Michael Corone prior being on council announced in the news, I'm running for council, they have to find a way to get in touch with me, which and I'm not even on council yet.

But then once I would be on, or anyone would be an actual elected official and have to submit their statements of financial interest, then they would be posted on the city website.

No different than they are now.

So again, I'm not I'm not saying to stop posting anything that can't be found elsewhere.

We would post statements of financial interest.

The penalties are taken off because there was a matter of practice and really practicality about penalties.

So some folks and that this predates our cleric clerks may have paid a penalty.

The current speaker may pay the penalty at one point, but it was brought up that well, how do you penalize someone if you don't even know how to get a hold of them to let them know that they have to do this again at a lower level of government when the county has their own mechanisms for doing that and administering that?

So that's why we talked about eliminating penalties, just easier practice.

Everyone, again, the dozens of folks who are responsible for them file these reports.

The clerks will continue to collect them.

And I just think it's a simplification of something that right now is being duplicated.

There's some redundancies there.

Uh, as I've made other amendments to things like our council rules over the last couple years, if I identify or it's brought to my attention, something that could help be more efficient here as a council, then I try to work with everybody, bring it forward.

It's the will of council, so be it.

I'll sit we'll have the conversation, and um, I think that this maintains our current level of transparency, just adding another layer.

So I'm gonna while I'm up here, we could have to open up to members of council now while I'm up here, just in case anybody wants me to manipulate the mouse and the website.

So I will that's sort of is the background, and as simple as that.

I just think it's uh a cleaner way of the clerks managing their time, doing business and better use of their time from uh administrative standpoint.

But I will open it up for comments.

So I'll start with Mr.

Callahan.

Mike, I really mean I don't have a problem with it at all.

Uh I think it is duplicated.

You know, I get on the as long as there's the the link on our website in Northampton County.

That's that's fine.

The only other question if you can go into yours again, yeah.

Are all your reports in there?

Like if someone wanted to, I'm not I'm not gonna be well, yeah, I don't mind opening it.

The so this is the 2023 pre-election.

Uh so that's the second Friday pre-election, and then address not redacted.

Yeah, oh, and that and we can talk about you said address not redacted, and we'll we'll talk about that councilwoman after uh I address Mr.

Callahan's question.

No, I just noticed it's I think so it goes by where it's at.

So this is 2023, second Friday pre-election, uh, and then you would just scroll down to the previous one, yeah.

So the you know, 30-day post-election, 2023 annual, they're all there based on it.

All right, yeah.

It's just it's just laid out differently, and I acknowledge it's a little bit more work, but I I think it's I just want to make sure that we we all have access to go back in that campaign finance reports for the past.

And and I would say, while it's not in the ordinance because I don't think it needs to be codified that as an administrative function as the current council president or the next council president.

I'm telling you that we wouldn't, I wouldn't say, oh, let's remove what's currently on the city website.

That works already been done.

We would just put that notation up top, noting why we stopped and the link to here.

And I think that's a fair I agree.

Councilman, we have a question about not redacted.

Well, I did notice that uh the addresses that your address was not redacted on that.

Um, and we do redact them here in the city.

So that's just something to would you would you redact them in the city and alternate attorney steward, but there's nothing legally that the county or even the city um I believe says we have to as public record, right?

I'll turn it attorney steward if she wants to add anything to that.

Yeah, the um statute, statutory section that requires the filing of the reports and um the the maintenance of the reports by the county elections office does not contain a redaction.

Okay.

I you know, obviously they started putting them up there a few years ago now, so um our addresses are there already.

So it's horses out of the barn, whatever.

Um my only um consideration about this is as a Lehigh County resident, it's not intuitive for people to go to Northampton County.

Um, there's a lot to wait through to find your city uh representatives in the Northampton County, you know, and so while I understand I know you're gonna go there and say we're gonna put it right here, and that's fine.

Um just just that uh just something to to bear in mind when you're thinking about how you're gonna phrase it on the city website.

Um, you know, just making sure not to forget about Billy High County folks who uh may never go to the North Anton County website, unlike us because we're candidates, we have to, but until I became a candidate, I almost never went to the Northampton County website.

And that's fair, and and I would simply say currently we don't redact our addresses.

This is from the city website that I have up.

We only redact signatures.

Oh, okay.

Yeah.

So the these are always posted and have been practiced as long as I've been around.

And is that really and then as it relates to the unique situation that the city's in being partially in Lehigh County but more fully in Northampton County, I I agree, and I think that's why again, we'll just have that link right there.

So people just rather than told something, could just click it and be directed right there.

Yeah.

Any other questions or comments from council?

Councilman Wilhelm.

I don't suppose anyone here has this information, but are we able to determine sort of how many is it's that page on the website gets typically.

I could I wouldn't even know a number for ballpark, to be honest with you.

Yeah, I guess I don't I didn't expect anyone here knows, but is it possible to find out?

Yeah, I I could definitely uh Mr.

Miller wants to make a notation.

We can work with our current city administration who has access to the web traffic to get an idea of um we could break it down with uh uh maybe monthly or annually.

I'd assume the traffic's busier in election season, but non-election season, but we could get and we could get some numbers for everybody to have.

And I'm really just curious, this is an opportunity to ask that question.

I think it's a great idea and as clear as we can be on the landing page and needs to make it click to where they need need to end up.

I'm perfectly comfortable with this, especially given how busy our clerk's office is and sort of you know taking off uh and a task that is um duplicative just makes a lot of sense.

Again, as long as we're being very clear with everybody uh about where they need to go and making it really easy for them to get there, I'm perfectly comfortable with it.

Thank you.

Any other questions or comments from our council?

Councilwoman.

I just had a comment of I checked other cities to see what other cities are neighboring cities have done.

Some have campaign finances on them, some don't.

Um, and some of the ones that don't have that link.

So I think as long as like everyone else has said as long as the link is there, it really is a good middle route because you know this is ran by the county and anything that can lessen the burden on the clerks because the clerks are doing so much work as it stands.

Um and this really is just redundant repetitive.

So um I appreciate you you bringing it forward because it's it's not we're not doing anything crazy here.

It's that's been done by multiple municipalities.

I'm not a crazy guest.

Love that budget.

I'll just I'll just add that I would be happy to to participate in sort of crafting and betting the language.

Um just to I'm happy to participate in that process.

Thank you.

And again, I think that could be done in administratively outside of the actual ordinance, and then obviously if there are any disagreements or anything like that, we could always talk about it on the floor of council, but I could easily work with councilwoman Wilhelm, anyone else who's interested, obviously the clerks are to be heavily involved, see what that language looks like and coordinate with the administration should this go forward to just edit that page and and go from there.

But I could easily work with Councilwoman Wilhelm, anyone else who's interested, obviously the clerks are to be heavily involved, see what that language looks like and coordinate with the administration should this go forward to just edit that page and go from there.

Yeah, and if anything ever changed in the future, which I wouldn't imagine, as this is now the age of technology, and elections will stay with the counties, but should the counties change their practices, then council could revisit this.

But again, we just live in a different time today than we did when this was originally passed, and I would like to take work away from the clerks if it involves them doing things that are already done at a higher level of government and a primary function of higher level government.

Anyone else have any questions?

Comments.

So we have a we have a couple options then.

We can either and I'll accept a motion for any.

We can either motion to uh postpone any vote, and I work with the clerk to set a date on another committee of the whole meeting.

We could motion to send this to full council.

We could motion to shoot the stat to uh call rolls, send this to full council and just vote middle if you want it to go to full council.

So the I'll state my preference as the person who brought this for tonight is for this to go to full council for a vote, as I mentioned at the top of meet at the top of the meeting, it'll be like any other uh ordinance or amendments to an ordinance will require two readings.

So I would anticipate we finish the current election cycle and then put it on, have the hopes, and then change the practice going into the new year, just so that it's a clean process that we finish what we're currently doing.

Um, and there's not some gap of what well, why did you just stop right before the the November election and then going into 2026?

Um say effective and what and we were would work out those dates, but that's out.

So I will uh if there's no further comment, I would accept a motion to move this ordinance to full council.

Do you have other comments?

Yeah, yeah.

Go ahead.

Could could we even though we don't uh we're not gonna submit the reports to uh Mr.

Miller?

Could we still get the um you know the sheet that the state sends out on the reporting periods?

Oh, yeah, so that's I know what you mean where it says this is primary election day, this is 30-day post-election date.

We can still get that.

So I believe that and I'll I'll confirm with Mr.

Miller and Ms.

Booba, but that is I believe already shared with them.

So that would that's just posted in our current office, and then also the the county may or may not have that on their website, but I mean we'll we'll in short, yes, we can make sure we don't want anyone to be uh without, but that information is easily accessible to anybody.

The state posted on the state department.

I often just Google it because it's on the state department for the company.

I understand.

I understand.

Yeah, but I think that's a simple there's a simple solution to that question.

Yeah, I still move.

I mean, if there's no other comments, I still move uh to move it to full council.

All right, motion send it to full council.

I'll second second by councilman Leon.

Any discussion?

Further discussion?

Mr.

Miller, call the roll.

Mr.

Callahan.

Ms.

Crampsy Smith, Ms.

Queer Tech, Ms.

Laird, Ms.

Leon.

Aye, Ms.

Wilhelm, and Mr.

Cologne.

I passes five zero.

It's ascended to full council.

So as it is amended, we'll go on a future council agenda.

There will be opportunities to make amendments and such or have other discussion, but I appreciate everybody before we do adjourn.

And I am gonna excuse myself from here and sit back down in my seat.

But we are, as I said, we will have public comment.

So just let me sign out of here, and then we'll have public comment before we adjourn the committee to hold me.

Mr.

Miller, I signed you out so that I don't violate any uh computer use policies.

I'm sorry.

I'll just start from left my left to the center.

Is there anyone who wanted to make comment on what was proposed this evening?

I look to my left.

Mr.

Shire.

Excuse me.

Campaign finance reports uh raise the question of campaign contributions.

And let's own the same.

I have just now updated my calculation at the time of the which I did first at the ill-fated 30-page uh ethics ordinance, which died in the committee of the black hole.

So I so uh the federal limit on uh campaign contributions to a congressional candidate is now three and a half thousand dollars.

There's two adjustments that need to be made.

The first adjustment is that congressional campaigns are a lot more expensive, and apparently the uh estimate for US as a whole is 2.1 million dollars in the city of Bethlehem for city council.

I think $20,000 may be not a bad number.

So that's a ratio of 100 to one.

So on that basis alone, you would reduce that three and a half thousand limit to $35, but there is another adjustment that needs to be made, and that is there's many more people in a congressional district that can contribute than there are in the city of Bethlehem, and in particular it's about 760,000 people in the average congressional district, and that's 78,000 is the latest estimate I've seen for Bethlehem.

So that's a ratio of about 10 to what so that the 35 then becomes 350 would be a reasonable translation of the federal limit on campaign contributions for congressional races to city council races in the city of Bethlehem.

$350.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Sche.

Any other public comment before I adjourn?

I just want to thank everyone.

And before I journal, I do want to thank our attorney steward and both uh city clerks Miller and Booba, who helped a lot in terms of crafting easy nuggets to get us prepared for tonight.

So thank you.

This meeting is adjourned.

We'll have full counsel in half an hour.

Did you want to say something full?