We are recording everybody.

Yeah, it doesn't fall.

Good evening, everyone.

We're getting started.

I ask we all rise for the pledge to the flag.

Pledge allegiance to the flag for the United States of America.

And to the republic for which it stands.

One nation under God.

Invisible with liberty.

Mr.

Miller, please call the roll.

Mr.

Callahan.

Present.

Ms.

Brampsy Smith.

Present.

Is Quietek present?

Ms.

Laird.

Present.

Ms.

Leonter.

Ms.

Wilhelm present and Mr.

Cologne.

Present.

Thank you.

Approval of minutes for October 7, 2025 council meeting.

Any comments on the minutes.

Minute stand approved.

Moving on to public comment.

As is custom, our first public comment is for any subject not being voted on this evening.

I will remind everyone we have a five-minute time limit.

We do have six people signed up.

So I'll start with our list of those who signed up in advance, starting with Harry Faber.

If you'd like to, I just ask you to your best speak into the microphone.

Hello.

Harry Faber.

This past weekend was historic for many reasons.

On the one hand, tens of millions of Americans organized and demonstrated all across the country, thousands in the Lehigh Valley.

Given the circumstances and opportunity costs of such a demonstration, it is safe to say Americans are fed up with the status quo.

It is a known fact that our tax dollars and resources are not being spent and invested in the sustainable well-being of the working class.

But yet, on the other hand, the No Kings rallies were a historical failure in effecting change.

Millions were told to take this energy to the ballot box.

Quote, all we can do is vote, end quote.

More specifically, vote for the Democrats.

I stand on this side today because I recognize what our pre predecessors recognize over a hundred years ago that the duopoly represents two sides of the same coin, that coin being capital and capital accumulation.

Eugene Debs gave his famous speech in 1912.

We have two parties but one problem.

Slaves did not vote themselves out of slavery.

The subjects of colonialism did not vote away the colonizers.

Hitler was not defeated in the ballot box.

How foolish we must be to think now is any different.

We must be able to vote in elections, or we might be able to vote in elections, but my experience attending these council meetings has confirmed my understanding that what we have now is not democracy.

I don't even like the term bourgeois democracy.

We live under the dictatorship of the bourgeoisie, dictatorship of capital, and dictatorship of growth.

Thankfully, for the working class, we have a way out.

There is an alternative.

The working class is organized and overthrown the grip of dictatorship in the past.

We can do it again.

We cannot let this revolutionary moment burn out.

To quote climate Leninism and revolutionary transition by Kai Heron and Jody Dean.

Quote the challenge of transition thus pushes us toward that form of political organization that endures, scales, supports a collective consciousness, and enables coordinated action.

Lenin's theory and practice point to such a form.

The party.

When a strong party base is established and a period of political upheaval is underway, growth can be rapid and dramatic.

The Bolsheviks grew 10 times in size between February and September of 1917 from 20,000 to 200,000 members.

I've seen this with my own eyes in Lehigh Valley DSA.

I would encourage anyone who recognizes the form of fascism we are up against today and has the time, energy, andor resources to join us and get in contact.

Our next general meeting is November 17th, 6:30 p.m.

at the Church of Nativity.

You can be reached at Lehigh Valley DSA.org and on email at DSA Lehigh at gmail.com.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Faber.

Our next speaker is Reverend Bruce Stevenson.

Remember me.

Welcome back.

You don't.

After 40 years as a parish pastor, I've come to the conclusion that people are more apt to complain than they are to praise.

I have a hunch that's been your experience on council.

I am not here to complain tonight.

I am here to praise.

And I was delighted one evening, one morning as I was going off to work to see that there were some public servers or service folks who were measuring the side of the road.

And I ran up to them and I said, Are you going to paint the line?

And they said, Yes, it'll be there by the end of the week.

And lo and behold, I got my line.

Thank you.

Thank you for hearing us.

Thank you for listening to us.

And thank you for the line.

Um neighbors and I have noticed a decrease in speed.

We've noticed that cars are not hubbing or hugging the curb as they once did.

Um, let's just hope it continues that way.

So I believe that what you did made a difference for us.

And I thank you.

And if it's okay, if it's allowed to do so, I would like to approach you and shake your hand out of gratitude.

You feel free to.

Okay, well, I didn't know how loud, how close I was allowed to get to you.

A little under the weather.

That guy over there.

I understand you're the council.

That's our public works director.

Our public works department deserves the majority of all the credit.

You shake the you shook the right hand in Mr.

Yeah.

That would be a first.

We would love it though.

Thank you, Reverend.

Our next speaker is Murza Figueroa.

And I'll just reiterate yeah, Mr.

Alcall, our public works director.

None of us were painting any streets.

It's the public works cruise that goes out and handles our potholes, our snow removal, our street painting.

So they not only Mr.

Alcall, his department, down to the crew that was out there deserves all the credit.

Definitely.

I'm just kind of piggybacked by Mr.

Bruce.

Um I'm more than aesthetic.

So happy.

Um makes me feel a lot better, and then even uh we feel more safe in a way that we could actually park in front of the house without thinking that somebody's gonna hit us or even at night, actually, because obviously the lights hit it and and it kind of glows.

Um, so we notice a huge difference.

So I just want to say thank you, and I appreciate for everything that you guys do.

And I just uh like I said, the first time that I was here a couple of years ago, I love Bethlehem and I want to still stay here for as long as I can.

So thank you so much.

Just appreciate everything.

Thank you.

Our next speaker is Randy Rice.

Good evening.

Um, thank you for this opportunity to speak.

This is my first time here.

I've worked as a teacher and lived in Bethlehem for the last five years after growing up in the surrounding counties.

I'm a retired teacher professor of 30 years.

I've also worked in area hospitals, and I'm a graduate of Penn State and Arcadian Universities.

Um, I love the state and I love the city.

I still have many friends, family, and colleagues in this area.

All of us have the same concerns about the future here.

Every time I cross the Mensee Trail Bridge, I'm reminded of how lucky we are to have the old steel mills and stacks to remind us of how very important this city was in a very important time in our country.

And they're just a few examples.

In the past, the city has become a shining example of the blending of different cultures, ages, ethnicities, religions, political views, and socioeconomic groups.

It's a testimony as to what can be achieved with hard work and cooperation.

It's how our country has survived two world wars, an explosion of migration of 18 million people nationwide in the last few years, and drastic changes in the job skills need in this new information age.

This cooperation was built on tradition.

In a successful model, the old teach the young.

The elderly in Bethlehem make up a large proportion of citizens with health care dollars to spend.

They already struggle with the shortage of affordable housing.

And the same they suffer from the same transportation problems we all have.

That's just one issue.

They're leaving the city at an alarming rate to seek a better life.

As the information age continues and evolves, we are seeing technology continue to replace unskilled jobs.

This is a trend that will grow.

There must be a way to divert traffic from this area of town every day, despite a crossing guard for the school children, a flashing light, signs, and paintings on the road.

I see drivers speeding through this intersection.

They will not stop, nor will they slow down to allow people to cross gap.

I myself was involved in a very bad car accident, two blocks from my house in May, just sitting at a stop sign.

The driver was driving double the speed limit.

And as is the case with many younger drivers, they are six times more likely to cause accidents and be involved in DUIs.

I see drivers speeding through these intersections on these back streets.

They will not stop.

Many are trying to find alternate ways to access US 22 and 78 as well.

And they're using once quiet side streets like Maple Avenue, where young children play and neighbors walk their dogs.

It has caused many accidents in my neighborhood and has made it especially difficult for the elderly just to get out and do their grocery shopping and get to their doctor's appointments.

My neighbor across the street has had two cars total just in the last two months.

Even on quieter Sundays, I have seen horrible accidents at this intersection due to a large number of young drivers who are texting and speeding.

Anyone with significant driving experience knows that in a town like Bethlehem, even if you don't have a stop sign, you need to slow down at these intersections on these back roads.

It's a known fact that cars park on both sides of the street in many neighborhoods, and visibility is poor for other drivers who are trying to cross.

Other cities with these issues have already made changes.

Well, instead of just slowing down so that others can cross occasionally.

Additionally, citizens living in this area have to deal with the deafening noise from motorcycles and trucks.

It's an area already burdened with the noise from ambulances and police sirens, understandably.

It disturbs the peace, wakes us in our sleep, and is forcing many homeowners to look for the quieter neighborhoods they used to have.

We have so much history and so many memories of our beautiful city that will be lost as the population changes when prosperity leaves.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Our next speaker signed up is Mike O'Hare.

Unlike the Reverend, I will uh do a little complaining, but not so much about city council, but about the Bethlehem Co-op.

And I wanted to talk about some of the situations that I see going on there.

So we'll just start back in November of 2019.

The city council voted to approve 105,000 in a community development block grant to the Bethlehem Co-op.

Then in July 2021, the Bethlehem Co-op was awarded another 2.9 million dollars in a federal grant, which was administered by the city as a pass-through from my understanding.

In September 2022, there was another 100,000 awarded to the co-op in a state grant.

The co-op now reports that they are one million dollars in debt.

They were to open in 2022, and they have no idea when they're going to be opening.

Three years later.

No plans anytime soon.

So in the um third class city code, the way I read it is city council has the obligation or the ability to perform to have oversight over any uh department, office agency of the city government.

Uh seems to me like city council should be overseeing what was done with this public money.

These were all public monies that were awarded to the co-op.

And I really feel that we need an explanation of what's going on there.

Um so city council, I believe, has the oversight power to do something about this and to make sure that the citizens are aware of what's happening with the co-op and where that money went.

But the issue that I that I'm seeing here is that a lot of the folks in this room, city council, the mayor, others were very strong proponents of the co-op.

So is it is it wise to have some independent body look at it, control or whatever?

I don't know.

I leave that to your to your wisdom, but I do feel that uh we need to do something to, and I'm not trying to say that there was anything illegal or wrong done, but they obviously need some help.

And I think maybe the city could provide that expertise that they need to get to where they need to be, or is it something that's just not workable anymore?

Um one million dollars in debt, you have no plans to open the store.

Is it time to look at a different use for that building?

Maybe a warming shelter, maybe something else.

I don't know.

Um, so that that's what I wanted to bring up about the um the co-op.

Is it recoverable?

And I was thinking to myself, if this is an example of a government run grocery store, we're all gonna starve.

So uh the other thing I wanted to talk about was the 540 Democrat Club.

I'm reading a lot of reports in the newspaper every month, every other month about a shooting, a stabbing that's going on in that in that uh in that area in that club or outside the club.

And I know the city's on it, I know things are being done, but I'm asking to for just for continued vigilance in that area because uh bad things are happening, and I'm afraid worse things could happen in that area.

So um thanks to the city for you know monitoring and doing what they can do there, but is there something else, some other remedy that can be exercised against that club, lose their liquor license, do something like that?

I don't I don't know if that's the purview of the city or not.

And then uh do want to thank the Bethlehem Police Department and the public works, uh agree with uh the reverend about uh the great job that they do in keeping our city safe uh and livable.

Thanks.

Thank you, Mr.

O'Hare.

Our next speaker is Artie Kurtola.

I'm sorry, is Mr.

Kurtola here?

Hi, I'm Artie Caracola, 813 Lawford Street in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

Um you're all doing well tonight.

Um I like to say I served my country.

I got out in 1968, as most of my family served the country.

It took me until 2015 to be able to talk right again.

Now it's hard to shut me up.

But the thing is, really, it I'm still kind of getting into focus.

I mean, after all these years.

The thing is, I gave I gave what I could to serve my country.

Many of my friends gave their all, many of my family gave their role to go for a country that we're paying our taxes, have attorneys in Congress give raises to elected officials when we're supposed to be a country in God we trust, one nation under God, but we do not tide our 10 percent.

If we did, we could have an organization that will rectify the situation of the homeless people, so they can be geared to not be homeless.

We can have money that would be able to go towards the American Indians, so they would have not be wanting for anything, they would have what they need because God gave this land to them before we took it from them with Harrison and Tyler, saying, Who owns the land?

Do you own the land?

No, nobody owns the land, the chief said.

God gave gave the land the great spirit, gave the land for everyone, every living creature.

Oh, so you don't own it.

Well, you signed here, we'll see what we can do for you.

Now we took.

We took and we took and we took.

And we're still taking.

And we're not tiding our 10%.

We should do that.

If we're not, in some cities, if you do not pay pay the uh percentage to the wait waiters and waitresses, you don't tip.

They take it, they put it right on the on your ticket, they take it out.

Maybe we should be doing that in Bethlehem and be an example to other cities to tie that 10%.

Now maybe I'm just vending.

But however, vetting enough that actually the Republican Party wanted to back me in a city that's Democrat.

I said, You guys are crazy.

You know, you want to back me to be on a Republican ticket in a Democratic city.

I'm Democrat.

They said, Well, you got to switch to be Republican.

No, no, no, no.

That's not going to happen.

If you want to any kind of chance, you let a Democrat that you're pushing to be in to the mayor's position.

Then you have a chance of winning.

I should not be switching to be Democrat.

I wasn't going to.

So I'm at the right in, and I won't be elected, I'm sure.

Even though I am offering to give all my money back to the city and do just as hard of a job, if not harder, than any mayor that was ever elected.

But nobody went to back me up but the Republican Party who wanted me to switch to be Republican from Democrat.

That is really crazy.

That is one of the craziest things I heard this millennium.

It made my millennium when I heard that.

But however, it is what it is.

And all we can do is keep on rocking and keep the fate and keep with God, be one nation under God and trusting in God.

Think about tied in that 10%.

I'm sure the reverence behind me on that one.

God bless you all.

Peace thank you, Mr.

Caratola.

That exhausts our list of who had signed up for the meeting.

So I'll go around the room again.

We're on anything not being voted on this evening.

Is there anyone in the wide center who wants to make comment, Mr.

Shire?

Bill Shire, 1898 Avenue.

I assume he was talking about Pennsylvania Avenue.

Um I've talked to Mike about getting white lines on the other side of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Although there's not a parked car problem there, like there is on the east side, but there is passing on the right.

And I've told her when she comes down, drive in the middle.

Otherwise, you might get surprised on the right.

And the way we're going, it's going to be increasing until we reach a tipping point.

And the country will have to default.

And because of the way we're going, we're still running big deficits, uh, partly because of the continuing the tax cuts for the wealthy.

And so I have a proposal to put forward tonight about taxation in this country.

The highest tax bracket on the income tax is 37%.

That's kicks in at about 600 and some odd thousand dollars, which means that any income above that amount, those extra dollars are taxed at 37%.

I would like to propose that we establish an additional tax bracket that kicks in at one million dollars, and that's 50%.

By the way, for historical comparison, after World War II, the top tax bracket was 90% because of the need, of course, to pay for the war.

So 50%.

Now, this would mean that, say somebody uh earned two million dollars, which guy I can only dream about, but the second million would be taxed at 50%.

So the government would get $500,000 in taxes, and the taxpayer would retain $500,000.

The interesting thing is that because 50% is exactly one half.

The if this taxpayer were to done donate that second million dollars to a bona fide charity, and would only be losing $500,000 because otherwise that would be all that was left.

The charity would be gaining a million dollars, and where's the other $500,000 coming from?

It's coming from the government, because that would be lost taxes to the government that was going to the charity.

But in effect, only losing $500,000, and the government would be making a matching grant to that charity.

And that would perhaps stimulate philanthropy, because that'd be kind of a cool thing.

In any event, uh we got to do something because this uh present regime, and it's uh again to echo Harry.

I mean, that's it's something that the Democrats and the Republicans share, although there are differences between the two parties, important differences.

Um we can't go on like this.

And these uh tax cuts for the the wealthy.

Well, as Jimmy Carter has said, we are, and he said this some time ago, we are living in an oligarch, or maybe you pronounce it oligarchy, I'm not sure.

But it means control by the wealthy people, and that is certainly the case today with citizens united, where the wealthy people can inundate the airwaves with their messages.

Repetition breeds familiarity, and familiarity makes things seem more truthful.

So there we are.

I'm gonna stop with 29 seconds to go.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Shire.

Was there anyone else in the center who wants to make comments?

Mr.

Ant Alex me.

Very good.

Stephen Ant Alex, 77 Ridge.

When local laws require city workers to live in the city, those who made the city's decisions had good knowledge of the city and rarely looked to outside consultants to aid in a decision making, namely names like the Ceso, Grub, Brown, and Del Grosso come to mind.

Today, there in the local government, there's a great reliance in outside consultation in major decisions.

Does this mean a lack of knowledge or a lack of confidence required by local officials to make these important decisions?

Generally speaking, these outside consultants are highly qualified and intelligent persons.

But the question is that is raised is what is the full extent of their knowledge of key facts and history that is required to make the most intelligence toward the solution of the city's problem.

Ignorance of important data or knowledge in the final decision might make for an inferior result, which in some cases can be judged as simply as being stupid.

This statement is rather harsh, but but then when intelligent individuals are ignorant of key facts in decision making, then those decisions can be simply evaluated as being stupid.

The recent decision to make Lyndon Street one way and ignoring Center Street, in my estimation is simply stupid.

Why?

By possibly being ignorant of or having ignored the history of the original reason for both becoming one way.

But observe city council members engaged in what I would call tay-to-tate, which is a one-to-one discussion conversation, not a discussion conversation.

Ignoring the public.

Why?

Number one.

When someone from the city is addressing a problem raised by someone on console, that person at that mic turns to console away from the microphone.

And the person at that table turns to the person speaking, turns to that person away from their microphone.

So public comment becomes tay-to-tate.

Totally ignoring the public.

And you should speak with a public voice, not a tate-to-tate voice.

You're here to serve us.

We want to hear what you're saying.

Also, your microphones.

Technically speaking, and I looked into this, should be more than three inches from your mouth, which is a source of your of your voice.

So let's be responsible to our citizens.

Thank you, Mr.

Natalics.

Was there anyone else in the wide center who would make comments who hasn't had a chance?

Anyone to the right?

That concludes our first public comment.

So we'll move on to second public comment.

This is for any ordinance or resolution that's going to be voted on this evening.

We did not have anyone sign up pre-meeting.

So again, I'll start in the wide center.

Anyone want to make comment on anything we're voting on tonight?

Anyone to the right?

Okay, thank you.

Old business, any old business from members of council.

Any new business from members of council?

Councilwoman Leo.

Um Mr.

Alcall, it's not like it's not a question.

No ways.

Um, but I I did want to it's it's three inches.

Am I not speaking loud enough?

Is that better?

I'll just one time ask everyone to use their microphones.

I'm not gonna bring it up again.

So, Mr.

Alcall, wouldn't it come uh the intersection that was spoken about gap in Maple Street?

Um I'm looking at it, and there is some signage, look right, look left, look right, and the stop signs, but I'm just wondering um if maybe some additional line painting or the refreshing of the crosswalks that are there might be helpful or anything that could be done in that area, it does seem to be it's right near that kind of offshoot.

So it's it's just a difficult area.

So I'm wondering what your suggestions might be to handling something in that area.

We'll definitely we'll take a close look at it.

Um if there's anything that we feel would um help the situation, we would certainly uh follow up and execute it.

Awesome.

I know that we're close to the end of line painting season and all that stuff, but if we are and we're struggling to finish a few things, but certainly if it's important enough, we would we would jump on it.

Yeah, or even just looking at it for the for the next year of like line painting and all that stuff.

So thank you.

Sure.

Any other new uh mayor, did you want to piggyback off of that?

I did.

I just wanted to add to one of the things that's going on now with our complete streets plan is the idea that we're essentially distinguishing our streets from the type of traffic, how many cars, like are they moved?

Are they essentially cars that are streets that are in the middle of neighborhoods, or are they um streets that have been traditionally designed to move traffic through the city as quickly as possible?

I mean, it's the kind of the pre-complete streets, it was kind of the idea that grew out of Linden Street um and is growing out of center street when we have when we have that funding to be able to move forward.

Um, and this is a classic example.

I grew up down the street, so I used to have to walk this exact intersection, and the way the street is set up as I was walking to Thomas Jefferson 30 years ago was when you're coming around the bend, there's a challenge there, and some of it is the way the street is designed.

So ultimately, when we take a look through this complete streets plan, and we make a determination about what these different types of streets are, what we want them to be, because we have some safe streets in Bethlehem.

We have streets that have a substantial amount of traffic, but people don't feel as if they're dangerous because they're not.

So essentially looking at what's working, and then this would be the type of place where ultimately the city will have to make some type of infrastructure decision.

As Mr.

Al Call me talked about Linden Street, I mean, that's gonna be a project that has been years in the making that has been supported by our um LDTS money that comes through the Leah Valley Planning Commission, like related to it.

But that was a project where we had neighbors show up, we had North Side Alive and things like that.

That's going to be $2 million to turn that one-way street into two-way street for probably about, I'd say a little bit less than half a mile, probably about 0.4.

So the price is going to be substantial, but it's going to be an opportunity for us to take a look at what some of these streets are.

I mean, it's what we're doing with Broad Street.

And this area there, when you're coming around the bend on Gap Street and you're passing past Elm, like you go past Elm first, then you go past uh Maple and then you get up to Linden.

Um, and if people hit that light, they just keep going.

So it is an opportunity for us to take a look at it.

But that's like one of those streets that we're going to be able to make some real decisions about that aren't going to be cheap, but ultimately would move to fix this problem because it's not going to be just an enforcement situation or signage and things like that.

It's going to have to be some street street changes.

Yeah.

And I I do appreciate like the more comprehensive approach to it.

Like it is not good practice for us to like wait for people to come to council or to like drive around and say, obviously, this is this is an area that needs repair.

And I appreciate the flexibility of public works to always like rise to the occasion.

You you guys have shown up for the Indian Hill community, for the community over at Pennsylvania apps, but obviously we do need a more comprehensive approach than just nitpicking.

And obviously, we will do everything we can in the short term to see about what are the type of measures that can be used to be able to cut down on the speed and things like that.

I'm just being completely transparent and honest with you, is like the solution for the most dangerous streets in the city is to take away the opportunity to speed.

Yeah.

Like it just it's car culture is out of control everywhere, including in the city of Bethlehem.

And a big, big piece of that is how we view our streets and how we build our streets.

Yeah.

Thank you.

Any other new business from every council?

Councilwoman Cramsley Smith.

Um yeah, regarding this, if it's the same intersection I'm thinking of, it's Skep and Maple, where there's um a three-way stop, and then one is right through.

Um, I actually emailed, I want to say about two or three months ago, I emailed and included pictures of accidents because I've had several people come reach out to me.

Um, some that live on Maple with real concerns about this intersection.

So I believe I emailed um Tiffany and I thought I emailed public works, and I'm not sure, but I don't know if anybody recalls that email, but it was specifically regarding this intersection.

Um, so I have to just say I've had in addition to people here tonight, I've had several people come to me because they live right there and they've seen a lot of accidents and as well as had neighbors whose cars have been totaled.

So um it's great that we're doing a big street plan and everything else, but I think that I would really appreciate it if we could prioritize this and look at it because, like I said, I did send an email out because of the concerns.

Um, and I think it it's obviously a street that really needs to be looked at.

I know I go by there myself, and it is like people fly down Gap because they don't have a stop sign, but then the other three, um, there's a stop sign at the other areas, and even the visibility is a little tough leave in Maple.

So I'd appreciate that.

I'll just know, councilwoman, and I don't know the full scope of who you emailed, but are you referencing Tiffany Wells?

Yes, I did definitely include her.

Tiffany Wells left the city to go work for the parking authority.

I just know that through general practice.

So that's just something that I don't know if that could be.

But I didn't just email her.

I did email.

I thought I think it was public works and perhaps the police.

I'm not sure.

I could I can look back and resend that email.

Maybe there was a glitch, but I know I definitely sent it because of concerns.

So just wanted to bring that up again.

Um, I had some other things under guess old business and new business America where we are.

Is it okay to go?

New business, go ahead.

I was just wondering, I know I missed the last minute, but the meeting prior, we talked a lot about housing and the crisis, especially with the um the folks down by the river.

And I was wondering if there was any follow-up administratively as far as we talked a lot about Martin Tower and trying to look at um connecting with the people there, the developers again about getting the residential park going and considering the LERTA for that area.

Is there been any follow-up with that?

I think we had sent some information to city council about what kind of the history was and the current position there uh moving forward.

Um, as I've said, you know, we've spent a lot of time.

I know we're currently working on things having to do with the CRIS increment for the medical office building.

So we're having ongoing conversations uh with the owners of the property.

Um, but I'm not sure if Ms.

Collins wanted to add anything to that or not.

But that was part of the purpose of the email that Miss Collins had sent a while ago, basically stating what we were looking for from planning type purposes moving forward.

Um, and that if the property owners were looking for a zoning change that's within their power to be able to move forward, um, but our kind of public policy position on the development of that site and doing something that is neighborhood appropriate um is consistent with that lengthy email that Ms.

Collins had sent to everybody.

Okay.

Is there anything else?

I mean, I'll have to I don't recall seeing that email.

I've been out of the country for a couple of weeks, but I'll have to see if I find that email.

Um, but again, I guess I will just say again, as I said at the other meeting.

Um, I think especially we're in a real housing crisis, even more so um given you know the increasing number of the homeless that I think it would just be really a valuable option to sit down and consider, you know, especially the Lerda, because I think it already is designated as a blighted area.

Um, and we can not only get more residential units, hundreds, which you know, I keep being told that we need, but also get multi-millions in affordable housing from the LERTA.

So my only other question I had is I know there was some discussion about um the police and the compliment at the last meeting, but I was wondering um, Chief Griffin, not to put you on the spot, but I'm just wondering where we're at with the firefighters.

If you can just give us an idea on you know the numbers we have and what the complement is and how many um firefighters are we at complement or are we down firefighters at this point?

Uh so currently when we're fully staffed, our number is 104 firefighters, including the deputy fire chief and myself.

Uh currently we are eight positions down as we stand here today.

Okay.

And do we have anybody?

I I know we've had a lot of people that we've gone to the academy.

Do we have anybody at the academy now?

Or are we looking what are we doing as far as trying to fill those eight positions?

So we currently have four recruits in the Allentown Fire Academy that are scheduled to graduate on November the, I believe, 13th.

Don't quote me, I'd have to check my calendar.

Uh, but they have about a month left of the academy.

We'll be graduating four.

Uh, all four are doing very well.

We don't expect any problems with them graduating, and they'll be joining us uh toward the end of November on the street.

Oh, okay, great.

Um, as a result, so if we're down eight, are we seeing a lot of need to use overtime in the department?

More than usual, given the uh vacancies.

Uh yes, there's been a good amount of overtime in the department um throughout this past calendar year.

Uh, we we've we've done our best to hire.

Unfortunately, when we put those four individuals through the fire academy, uh, we were scheduled to actually put six individuals through the fire academy.

Two of the individuals um made an error in judgment, didn't show up for necessary appointments that were required.

And unfortunately, we were left with with two vacancies.

We could not fill those spots in time.

Uh so that that put us in a tough spot for this entire academy class.

It's going to be one year until we can fill those spots.

So when so we have to wait a whole other year for the next academy.

I mean, till we can fill the other four from that point that they were hired.

So the next fire academy is scheduled to start in January.

So this would have been last January.

We have to wait till this January to fill them.

And do we have four people slated to go in January?

Uh so we are currently in the process of interviewing.

We're working with human resources.

Captain Small, the training captain is conducting background investigations and background interviews now of individuals.

Uh, and the deputy chief and myself will be doing the formal employment interviews with all of those individuals throughout the week next week.

Okay, great.

Thanks so much.

You're welcome.

And to add to that, in the budget.

So once again, the plan is to send two classes next year.

So if we have eight vacancies in December, then we can hire eight people.

They start to be on the payroll, but obviously then they have to go to the academy.

So then if that's the number that we have as far as vacant is concerned in December, then we send eight people to the academy, then they get here in June.

But then as we've talked about over the past couple of years, and as we're putting in the budget, we're expecting to send a second class in the middle of the year.

So we are actually putting in the budget, the number is, I believe, 15.

So to put send those eight to the academy in January with the idea that because additional retirements occur in February or March or May or whenever it might be.

So, like we can't send 15 people in December because then you're double paying people and people haven't said if they're going to retire or not.

You're just assuming that they may.

So once we get through this next particular year, we are going to be based on, and Chief Griffin could tell you this much better than I could, is that there's a period of time about 25 years ago, when for about three or four years, like a whole bunch of people retired and we hired a whole bunch of people.

And now over the past couple of years, there's a whole bunch of people that are retiring and we're hiring a whole bunch of people.

So Chief Griffin might know the exact number, but we went from a period where the majority of our officers were probably over 15 years to now the majority of our firefighters are probably, I don't know, five, six.

I think we just were talking about this the other day, like 30 in the last three years or something like that.

Upon this graduating class, we all have 33 firefighters with under three years of service in the Bethlehem Fire Department.

That is a huge number.

Yeah.

Um we've we've gone through a lot of firefighters.

We've had a lot of retirements, as the mayor said.

Yeah.

And if you go back, we had 30 some firefighters under three years of experience in 2003, because it was essentially the same part.

So we are, but that's the plan, um, councilwoman, is that we are going to send uh the maximum amount that we're able to send in January, but then we also are putting in the budget once again for two classes to be able to send that, you know, potentially up to seven, as Chief Griffin said, sometimes things happen where you go through the process in this situation with those two particular um applicants.

We spent all the time, all the money, all the backgrounds to get to the point.

They had to do something.

I mean, it's it's America, it's their choice.

They chose not to do that.

It was the week before the academy started, I believe.

Is that correct?

A week or two before.

So there was no way for us to then hire six and take two and put them there and so on and so forth with that same class.

Um, so that's why the six and four, but in the budget for next year, we will have enough to send 15 people to the academy.

Okay, great.

And do you have any idea um anticipating requirement uh retirements, what number that will look like for next year?

I really don't know.

I I can look at the number of years of service and I can tell you how many people are eligible, but I have no idea what people's personal intentions are, and nor are they required to share those with us.

Yeah, and I ask, but yeah, and I can't exactly figure it out either.

But there were less retirements actually when there were more openings, but now as the openings are being filled, um, and now there's less openings.

Um, and I'm not sure whether or not it's connected to overtime at all or not.

I couldn't imagine it would be that people then are choosing to retire um rather than staying rather than stay working.

So it actually turns out that like as you fill more positions, you actually get more retirements.

Um, like I said, I've never been able to conclusively figure out why that is.

Um, you know, people have theories about that.

Um, but as we fill these positions, you'll probably see some other people that make the determination to go sooner rather than later, which is why we're putting seven additional in for next year.

But like we said, as of this period, I believe we're at eight for the vacancies.

That is correct.

That's correct.

Yeah.

So we're selling so we're gonna send the maximum amount that we're able to send.

We also have other individuals who are out long term with health issues that do play into the overtime issue.

Um, unfortunately, we have some individuals battering battling some pretty severe health conditions at this time.

So unfortunately, they're not able to be with us right now, although I know they wish they could be.

Are they included in the eight or is that above and beyond the eight, you mean?

The eight is the number we're short, right?

Uh those those individuals who are out sick or injured are on our roster, they're just not able to report to work at this time.

Okay, great.

Okay, thank you so much.

You're welcome.

Any other new business for councilwoman Laird?

Yeah, so um at our last meeting, I uh and this isn't for you.

Uh thank you.

Uh I think this would be for um either Mayor Reynolds or or Laura, uh Ms.

Collins.

Uh so um at our last meeting, I asked a little bit about the food co-op question that came up from a different um member of the public.

Um and did get answers for um basic oversight of grant funding.

Um, so I'm recalling that um the federal grant, which is the largest that that particular organization received is a reimbursement grant, and that the expenses uh being asked for reimbursement are reviewed by I believe you said HUD and the controller.

Is that correct?

So uh the question was raised tonight of if there's um an independent person reviewing expenses, and the answer to that is yes, there there is.

I just wanna, even though we went over that last time, want to reiterate it since someone else brought it up today.

Um is the process for oversight of that funding for the food co-op different than any other organization that we pass through funding for or grant C B C D BG dollars to uh no the process would be the same.

Okay, so every every year we have, you know, as city council knows there's a a list of organizations that receive funding through the CDBG um allocation, and you know, there's a robust process that applies to all grantees, which includes both you know city review, but that is all CDBG is also HUD money, so that also um has oversight and monitoring from HUD as well.

Okay, and the controller, right?

And so any time that that dollars go out the door from the city, um, whether they're grant dollars or general fund dollars, you know, whatever the case may be, like there is a process by which the controller's office reviews you know any anything, whether it's a a grant or otherwise.

Okay, and um, is there requirement within for any organization then, if it's all the same, that they are successful in their project timeline, etc.

Is that like so?

I'm thinking of I mean, something that we all want to see open the the emergency shelter, right?

And we're carrying over some funds for while they get their act together in terms of staffing and not that they aren't doing a ton of work, but like while they uh transition to potentially a year-round model, etc.

Um, so those dollars are carried over.

Is that in my head it seems sort of parallel, but it is it the same process?

I guess how I would answer that is with respect to grants generally, each funding source is different, but almost all funding sources have, you know, a grant period, which you know, the end of the grant period would be the time within which you know, you or the recipient is expected to complete a project.

Um, you know, there are many situations where, you know, depending on the project and the situation, you might go back to the grant funder and say, you know, here are the reasons why this project wasn't done within the timeline.

Can we have an amendment to our grant agreement, you know, to extend the time by which we can complete this project?

Um, but really it is pretty much grant and you know, and and project specific in that regard.

Um have there needed to be any amendments to the funds that were approved for the food co-op.

No, we're still within the timeline for the community project funding or the congressionally directed spending.

Okay.

Okay.

And then recognizing or clarifying, um, I believe the uh commenter had indicated that it's a government run grocery, which um it is not.

It's a community-owned grocery store.

Um, but is the city working with the co-op board uh and members to assist while not owning the co-op or the funding for it.

Uh can you describe a little bit about you know what you've done if uh in that process?

Yeah.

So I would start with the obvious the, and I think everybody knows Mr.

Vidoni, he has been the one that has been working with um the co-op as far as their HUD reimbursements are concerned and things like that.

So the majority of what our assistance has been has been, obviously, is like we are the ones that the grant passed through, as we are with CDBG and HUD with all sorts of different organizations.

So that's probably if you look at the total amount of time that is spent, I would say that his time is probably number one as far as that is concerned.

Um, we have had other conversations with the co-op, and as you know, as you know, a four former board member, like the co-op model was um, and there were things that Mr.

O'Hare had said that some of which I agree with, but when he talked about being a million dollars in debt, what they have said publicly is that a co-op by definition relies on their members for member loans and member supports and things like that.

So it is a community-owned grocery store and things like that.

Where the co-op has asked us for strategic kind of advice about, um, and this is my number, not theirs.

Like, I believe that they're about 95% of the way there as far as like the funding is concerned to be able to get it open based on what they have spent over the past several years as far as fit out and things like that are concerned.

Um, there are, I mean, we've had conversations with them when they have, you know, asked us for what our advice is.

Um, I would be lying to you if I said there weren't moments of frustration that I think that they're not necessarily, they haven't necessarily shared with all of the members and all of the the community to the extent that they could about what are some very legitimate reasons why that project has slowed down, um, including things having to do with materials, including things having to do with personnel, things that just happen when somebody is trying to get a business up off the ground.

Like I and we do not believe that that is necessarily been laid out in a way that gives all of the members the opportunity to understand what some of their different pressure points have been.

Um it as, you know, you know, it is a situation where it is a lot of work to be a member of this of this board.

None of us are members of this board.

They are a co-op.

We have tried to tell them that they need to recruit more members, they need to recruit more people to be honest.

They need more people to be able to volunteer to be able to specialize in different things and things like that.

Um, so I would tell you that both it's a project that has gone through all of the same requirements as far as you know, purchasing this fit out for or purchasing this and then sending it to the federal government, and then they check it's okay and so on and so forth.

So they are trying to start a business that obviously is difficult, like any business right now.

With that being said, I think that it is at a time where they need to be a little bit flexible in the manner in which they're going to open this grocery store.

And I think that is shared by a lot of people.

It's shared by a lot of members, and I don't say those words lightly.

Um, but it is a topic that obviously we get questions about as well.

And we are not the decision makers.

We are not the board members, the city, going back to when Mayor Donchez was around and then the 2.9 million dollars that Congresswoman Wilde helped to get was when the Donche's administration.

But this has been a project that has gotten a lot of public funding and it's also gotten a lot of money from people within the community.

So we have tried to get across to the co-op that they need to set a date to open their grocery store, that they need to be honest about what the different challenges are, and that they need to recruit more people and tell people this is what we need from our cooperative members in our community to be able to make this project happen.

Um, I've also been honest with them that quite honestly, I think that their current board structure that has term limits has not been conducive to building confidence with institutional investors and things like that, because it makes people leave that are good people, and sometimes very it's a lot of work.

I think if you ever look at any board, this is more work than I think you'd find in just about anywhere else.

So we have both communicated that verbally, we have communicated that in writing.

Where there has been a question of like, what do you guys think we should do?

We have said, like, this is what our this is what we think is the best way for you to move forward in this way.

This is what we think is how you should talk to you know, institution A or institution B and things like that.

Um, but we are we can only provide advice.

They need to take it.

And at times they have, and at times they have not.

And you know, we share some of the frustrations.

With that being said, I do honestly believe that that the project is like 95% of the where of the way they're financially.

They're dealing with the same cost overruns we hear about in housing that we hear about in business that we hear about everywhere else.

So we are hopeful that they come forward with a plan in the near future to be able to announce a start date, which we don't think is that far away, that will allow them to open the doors and continue the confidence that everybody's built over the last 15 years in being part of that project.

Thank you.

I uh I think that at this point that's that's all the questions I have.

If there were specifics about like um, you know, what sort of things where they're at with reimbursements and uh from particularly the the largest of the grants, um that would be Mr.

Von Vidoni is the person overseeing all of that.

Okay, thank you.

We do think that, like I said, I think about the 2.9 million.

I think it's like it's almost fully 2.8 something that has been spent, reimbursed, and then um approved.

I'm sorry, spent, approved by HUD, and reimbursed.

Um, so I think that that's correct.

They I think it's just that's that's just about done.

Okay.

Thank you.

Absolutely.

Call it Mayor, I couldn't agree with you more as far as the uh their bylaws as far as uh the term limits on the people that are leading there.

I mean, I I was really surprised to find out that um Carol Ritter, who was who was, I guess, a president here for a while.

Uh I thought she was doing a great job, but you know, I found out that she wasn't going to be on the board anymore because she, you know, she she was term limited.

So I, you know, I I think everybody uh in the city wants to see that open up, but it's time that they you know get moving on it.

So I couldn't agree with you more on it.

As far as the tower site, um, most of you know that I know Mr.

Ronka very well.

Uh I've had numerous discussions with him in the last year and a half.

There is no um, there's no plan.

They do not have any uh plan to go to zoning and ask for any type of zoning variances.

Um they're allowed, I think what 1080.

Yeah.

The they did what they were thinking at one point, uh, maybe two, three years ago to go to 1700 units.

They're not doing that.

They haven't had had that in their head for over a year and a half now.

Um, from what I understand, it's it's it's it's even under 900 units, which they're already zoned for, so they don't need any additional zoning.

Uh I will say this.

There is absolutely no plan in that they will they've submitted nothing, you guys, correct?

And there is nothing uh that they will submit because the financials don't make sense right now.

Um, it's going to sit there for four more years until um there's um leadership, you know, on all levels that are going to understand that that is a very difficult project.

It's not like they walked out and bought farmland and they could just start building.

Um I did they get hard cap money?

Yeah, they got I think eight or nine million, but they also have tens and tens of millions of dollars invested in the property.

And I think we should be, I mean, if people knew the total amount that they have anyway, it's probably the most expensive land uh in eastern Pennsylvania per acre.

And um it's a shame that it is gonna sit there for another four years.

Uh, but um especially I think if we if we sat down, if everybody knew what the numbers were, and this is off the top of my head.

I mean, I don't um there was an article today in the morning call about the Glendon, what was it called?

The uh the Glendon Hotel.

That project, affordable housing project's not going through at all.

And the person, the people that owned it, cited the same reasons that nothing's gonna go on at the tower.

Interest rates are extremely high, and more importantly, the cost of all the billing materials are extremely high.

That was the reason why they they decided to move away from the 1700 units there because the only way they could do that is if they uh dug holes on the ground and put all the surface parking underneath the new um apartment buildings, which is uh astronomically expensive.

So that's when they just decide, you know what, they're it's it's not feasible.

So they will they're they're they're not even interested in going to zoning to ask for uh zoning changes for more additional units there.

I'm I'm just I'm just being honest with everybody.

I'm not I'm not I don't know if it's an FYI or if people want to um see what we can do, but the same reasons why the Glenn Hotel's not going through is the same reason why they're not gonna submit any plans for um at least four years until things change.

And and we we can sit here and say they they had enough, you know, they had Chris Acreage, which could be part of the of a negotiation, right?

So Chris Acreage, which they have to sign off on, correct?

Right.

Um there's the in lieu of fee.

I wasn't on council at the time.

Um most everybody else here was except for myself and Miss Laird.

Um, but I don't know what that that letter from Mr.

Herrick was.

I think that was based on a 1700 units that they wanted to do at the time.

So I don't I don't know what the number would be.

I think at that time was seven, eight million dollars they were throwing around it, you know, as far as the fees.

So maybe it's like four now.

I don't know.

I mean, just I'm just throwing out the numbers, but it's just not the in lieu of fee.

It's the uh the rec fees.

How much are rec fees around?

1500.

That calculation is yeah, so it's rec fees, it's additional, you know, you said it, Becky Bradley has said it.

I think I think the number that was brought up is Bethlehem's a thousand units short.

That's if if that's the number they wanted to do eight eight eighty.

I mean, that's a huge chunk off uh releasing some of the um the pressures off of the um off of the housing uh rental unit pressure.

I mean, in my mind, and and I'm gonna get a phone call in a couple of days when he finds out about me talking about it again because every time I talk about it, you know, he drops an F bomb at me, stop talking about it, you know, because he's uh there's nothing going on.

And in Mr.

Reynolds, you know that, and and so is Ms.

Collins.

They have they have not brought it up to you guys at all at all within the last two years.

There's been no discussion at all with the with the remaining property.

I just think it's a shame that we we have that property, uh, the affordable housing property that's going up on the on the south side, right?

On on fourth street.

How how many units is that?

120.

120.

And it that the land was donated, so the land's free, and we just got a what was it, a 15 million dollar grant you got from Miss Boscola?

Well, I'm sorry, from who?

Miss Boss, you know, from the state.

From PHFA, right?

It was this it was the low income tax credits, the 16, the 16 million dollar percent.

Yeah, but I think that's I'm sorry, 16 million dollar, nine percent tax credits that ran through Penrose's application that Sarah and Laura put together over a period of months.

Yeah, so how much money isn't that like an 80 percent of the ta of the tax rate or whatever?

Don't we get like it comes out to like 13 million dollars or 14 million dollars?

I thought 16 million.

It's 1.8 over 10 years, and then with the yeah, I think it's like a 90 percent.

And how much money do we need total to do those hundred and what 130?

120, there's two different phases, but and penrose is the developer that is that is partnering on doing that.

And what was the total cost?

We know uh roughly each phase, I think is around 25 million dollars.

For each phase, yeah.

It's looking at 250 million for what 50 million or 50 million times 25, 50.

Yeah, so so I mean, I mean, everybody can see how expensive it is to do affordable housing.

Yeah, and so one of the things Mr.

Cali and I would tell you is just as a general, if you take a look at when lurters have been used, they've been used in areas, blighted areas, whether or not it was South Bethlehem or North Side.

So, like the kind of intellectual merits behind one has been the idea that like this is an area, whether or not it's old steel site or whatever it could be as a concept, and I believe Miss Collins put this in her email as well, didn't you, Miss Collins?

About the idea of somebody saying, I won't do anything here until I get a tax incentive, becomes very, very dangerous in the sense that like nobody will then do anything under the idea that I will sit here and allow this to happen.

But to your point, though, moving forward, one of the things that we are actually looking at as like another option there, if you were going to create a one-off LERTA, is like, is there a way rather than just taking money out as far as like a payment in lieu of is like, could you sign a master lease with somebody like New Bethany or somebody for a certain percentage of units to be able to create mixed income units in the same spot by subsidizing those rents with money that comes in as far as the payment in lieu of, or or not, or just basically say, like you're going to create a percentage there, but the requirement then is is that you however long the tax incentive is 10, 15, 20 years, that there is a complementary master lease to be able to essentially create a different version of gateway on fourth in what we're previously going to be market rate only units.

So I think I think you've had the discussion with them already that they've already said it's a non-starter, right?

Why is it a non-starter?

Because they aren't putting affordable housing housing in it there, they will pay the in lieu of fee.

Yeah.

And I find and we find that that concept, right?

The idea that like I can pay out of what my affordable housing is.

Many of us choose to live in, and this is I think this is just an ideological difference, Mr.

Callahan, that people that people have.

And I would tell you that I don't know what the percentages of people in the city that necessarily agree with this, it could be 66, 67%, almost 70%.

I'm not sure what the number is, but like that think of the idea of living in mixed income neighborhoods, especially when you look at what the restrictions are now for us to be able to build things, such as we were talking about with Gateway and Forth, the amount of work that it's going to take, is like, how are we able to design other mixed income type of neighborhoods?

Now, nobody is saying that you have to do that.

You have the ability to be able to go out and do what is your legal American property rights to be able to build whatever you'd like to build on your own property that fits into zoning, no matter the income limits.

Like we live in America, you can do that.

But in exchange, if you're gonna get a public benefit, like these goals that we're talking about as far as affordable housing and things like that, we want them to be met.

And are there any other alertes in this?

I don't think there's any other alert where where we put uh um constraints on.

We are we're looking at the model.

That's what I that's what I started this conversation with.

So, like, if you were gonna have a one-off Lerta rather than a blighted area alertist, such as the former Bethlehem Steel site and so on and so forth.

If somebody was going to come forward with a with a Lerta, and we were gonna present it to the to you know, city council and present it to the school district and it's present it to Northampton County and so on and so forth, and you ask the very legitimate question that some people would say is like, why would you offer a one-off to them and not to them over there?

So, what the idea would be is that we would be creating an incentive that somehow, like if you want a one-off Lerta that doesn't fit into another regional kind of area based on Bethlehem Steel or whatever it might be, this is what the deal is going to be, and it's gonna be a good deal for people of mixed income throughout the city of Bethlehem.

Right, and like I said, so we're researching that.

So, all I'm saying is like we have concerns about one off because the moment that you say no to them and you say yes to them, other people are like, I'm not doing anything because that person waited.

So, what we're trying to do is get around that by coming out with something that skips all these in intermediate steps and just creates the outcome that we're looking for, which is that you're gonna, if you're gonna take public tax dollars, you're gonna create a long-term commitment to people of affordability.

Now, if they choose not to do that because they don't think they can market that way and so on and so forth, that's their that's their right.

I don't I don't think it's that they they won't, I think it's that they can't because the the numbers don't the numbers don't make sense.

And I think that's part of the equation to work out is like whether or not if somebody is is giving because if somebody just builds market rate housing, like what they're paying in taxes, like you could always take as the city, like whatever that number is and just take that delta between what the LERTA was going to be and just take that and put it towards housing.

So, like the idea of not doing that, and you're gonna give a reduction in that or a payment in lieu of.

If we're trying to find a way for affordable housing to exist, what better way to be able to then say, okay, if you're building a hundred units that we're gonna be able to make 10 or 15 or 20 percent, and potentially even it could be a sliding scale as far as like what you're and I don't know what the numbers are.

That's what I'm saying is like maybe you do 10 units, and like then we take the money that you were paying as a payment in lieu of and like work with another nonprofit to be able to lease these out and so on and so forth.

Maybe you want to take more tax dollars, we extend how what the percentage of people are that are living there, whether or not they're 30 or 50 or 70 or 80 or 90 percent.

I agree with you.

Well, but what I'm saying is that discussion is not even going on right now.

Because we're still researching what that model is, and I'm being completely transparent about that.

Yeah, is that something that Ms.

Collins trying to do?

Ms.

Collins and myself and Mr.

Spurk are trying to determine before we're we're able to bring it forward.

I appreciate that because I it's brought up all the time about the housing.

And when I sit there and I think of the amount of money that we're losing, the city's losing because we're not doing and it's I know if you want to call it a one-off.

That's not a one-up.

That's a that's probably the most undeveloped land in the city right now.

And we have alerts all over it.

Uh we we've the whole point of the alert is to try to uh stimulate uh projects getting done in very difficult um areas, and that's already been it's already been blighted.

That it is a blighted area already.

The the city blighted it.

You know, I think Miss Collins, I think it was in um, I think your predecessor had it blighted.

The Marin Tower site.

Yeah, I yeah, I believe so.

And then also we blighted it under an affordable housing alert uh equivalent um through the state, probably about two years ago.

I'm I'm just throwing the numbers out there off the top of my head.

We're losing about five million.

It's not, I know you had said before that it's uh a tax break.

Well, it's not a text, they're not getting a tax break.

They're getting it uh it's new revenues.

There they'd pay 50 percent if they had alerted because it's 10, you know, it's it's 50 percent over 10 years, it's 10 percent the first year, 20 percent the second year, 30, 40, and 50 for all the continuous years.

It comes out to 50 percent, they'd be paying 50 percent of the taxes uh over a 10-year period.

And that is an enormous amount of money that the that we will not get the way things are going right now.

It's just it's sitting there and it's gonna sit there for another four and a half years until you know uh the economics change on it.

And we all know that the economics aren't changing right now.

So we either sit there and let it sit there for four more years.

They've already sat on it for I think what 15 years and and and I don't know if everybody knows this, but uh, especially the new people on council, that project is changed numerous times originally when when they went when the developers bought that project, it was all going to be residential.

It was all gonna be residential.

And then in 2010, I think it was um the the housing market collapsed and the financial chaos and uh residential units were no longer um marketable, you know.

You there were dime a dozen.

You couldn't even sell your house.

So that's when they came into council.

I think Mr.

Evans, I think you were the one it um what and I was on council at the time too.

We changed the zoning to allow more commercial collapse, and you know, and people were um well, a lot of malls were closing down.

So the the life of that whole property has changed multiple times.

And I'm just saying it's gonna sit there for it's already paid for.

So we either let it sit there and it does nothing to help us uh for the next four years, or we try to come up with a plan that's workable for the developers and for the city.

And I just think if we can add 880 units to the to the um uh city's uh uh supply of of rental units, that's a huge plus.

It it's a huge huge way of going towards the thousand that you know you said you were that we're short of.

There's probably about four and a half to five million dollars in in lieu of money coming in.

There's rec fees at you know, at $1,500 a unit, but if there's a thousand units, that's 1.5 million dollars.

And then you got the um you got the EIT tax.

I mean, someone's gonna be living there.

I mean, if they're making, let's say they're making sixty-five thousand dollars a year, that that that's uh six hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year extra to the city.

That's I mean, count all the all the squirress taxes and the county taxes.

So we either try to work something out and and we get all these benefits and we get all this money, or we don't try to work it out and the property sits there for four more years until things change.

I I don't know.

I'm I'm not I I've told a couple of people on council, I'm not pushing it, but I'm not gonna sit here and just let let and not discuss it because I think the city taxpayers are losing millions of dollars, and the city's actually losing millions of dollars that we could use towards affordable housing.

I mean, it's it's I mean off the top, man, it's like six and a half million dollars when you add everything up, and that doesn't even count all the additional um pros of trying to get a uh uh a plan together over there, otherwise it's just gonna sit there.

So I don't know.

I don't I don't know what the answer is.

I think I think someone's got to step up and um and look at the hard numbers and and and come back and report this so we know what amount of money we're talking about that we're losing on a yearly basis.

Someone's got to do that.

So thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Callahan.

Any other new business for members council?

Councilwoman Kwechek.

I would just like to um thank the Bethlehem Health Bureau for a great trunk retreat last night on Payroll Plaza.

There were hundreds, more than a thousand little kids.

Uh the Moravian uh cheerleaders, the Lehigh uh women's basketball team.

It was a great event.

I had never been to one of these before in my capacity as a board member uh for the library.

Um uh two other fellow board members and I um staffed the table and gave away books and candy, mostly books, um, to all the kids.

And it was just an incredible night.

And um, I know Mayor Reynolds, you were there with um Leo, and he was having a hard time picking a book.

Um, but he's very adorable.

Uh and uh, and just to remind folks what a what a treasure we have in the Bethlehem Area Public Library.

Um, having the privilege to serve on the board now has really given me uh a window into the services and and uh how they serve every part of our community and um and outlying areas as well.

It's been a really educational um experience for me.

Um and then um Mr.

Evans, I recall the first couple of years, and I know this was still post-COVID and everything, we had to move extra money into overtime for the fire department, didn't we?

Yes, both police and fire, if over time budget becomes right.

We need to look at it moves inversely with the salaries line, right?

If you have overtime, it's because you have open seats.

So you move it to the city.

So we have money in the salaries account that we move into the overtime.

And we plan to do that this year with both again, both police and fire is something we've done through through time.

We budget that at every seat is full.

That's what we do for every position throughout that standard policy.

But when we are openings that does drive the overtime, it typically will balance and we'll bring a memo to you.

We did request a finance meeting for December 2nd.

I believe I don't know if that's been confirmed or announced yet.

Um, for us for an opportunity for us to present the uh budget fine, the not the budget, but the audit, which is near completion.

It's almost signed off to have that completed.

We'll do that December 2nd, as well as the public safety memos to square it all up for the year.

Great.

And um, so do you anticipate it's going to be about the same as it's been in the last few years or is it more or less?

I think so.

I think it's a little less than last year as we continue to work through.

Yeah, what we'll have the numbers.

It feels like it's coming later than it did.

The that time there was one particular time when it was a big, it was kind of a big we usually wait towards the end because we know what it is versus making transfer transfers.

Yeah, we we know what the number is now.

We track by um each payday.

We're looking at all the payrolls, the accounts, the overtimes, and finding number one, what that number might be.

We call it like the burn rate, like how what is the average overtime for each payroll?

What's what we call the vacancy factor, you know, the salary budget divided by 26, which is a number.

If it's less than that, we know it's creating savings and the salaries line.

So we'll run those calculations as late as we can with maybe one or two payrolls left.

That's why we wait till December, because then we we have firm pretty firm numbers from near the end.

That's the reason for that.

Sure.

And I I want to also thank uh you and your team and Mr.

Alcall's team, uh, the public safety team, um, everybody who uh who has sat down with us and run through the five-year capital uh program and and and really um helped us understand how those numbers add up.

It's a tremendous undertaking, and and uh I just want to reiterate my appreciation for that.

And Mr.

Alcall, I will be sending you an email another constituent does request a line.

So I'll be in touch about that.

I don't need to bring it up to you now.

But um people are the word is getting out that you're responsive and uh and people are coming up to me and saying, you know, there's a street.

So um anyway, but I'll be in touch.

Thank you.

Thank you, councilwoman.

Chief Cott, can you come in the microphone, please?

I just have a question as you approach.

I'll start by comments.

So it came up during public comment about a problematic establishment.

Uh I know it's reported in local media.

I know these come up from time to time.

Can you just briefly re-educate me about as it relates to nuisance bars, what the process is with the liquor control board or liquor control enforcement and the challenges that your department has and that we have as a city in terms of shutting down an establishment.

I know the state plays a role in them.

And I mean, we've heard tonight and other nights about problematic places.

There's been different ones over the years that come up.

Can you just speak on what has to happen for there to be some kind of intervention, like a liquor license being um revoked or anything like that?

Absolutely.

So we cannot revoke an establishment's liquor license.

That has to come through the liquor control board.

And we are actively working with the liquor control board LCB in regard to the 540 club.

And there are two ways that an establishment can be designated as a nuisance bar.

It can come through the liquor control board through that avenue, or it can come through the district attorney's office.

Um it's usually easier and more common if it comes through the liquor control board.

Um, but with this is something that we're actively working on with outside parties.

It can be very frustrating just because we're we're working with another agency that's on its own timeline and has its own fact-finding and procedures in place uh to go about revoking that liquor license and to go about you know, trying to work with ultimately their goal is to try to get compliance and try to get the establishment to start following the rules and and to tighten, tighten things up so there are no issues.

So we're we're currently working with the liquor control board to try to to make sure that establishment cleans up its act.

If there's an incident outside of an establishment, let's say that you know I run a bar and there's some kind of fight or violent event in the parking lot, but we know it originated inside.

Is the establishment dinged for that?

Yes.

Okay.

Absolutely.

And then can you speak to what the threshold is?

Are there so many citations that a place has to receive?

Is there a point system like you know, uh, you know, heaven forbid something like a shooting elevates it to hear right away versus repeated noise violations or fights?

Can you just speak to sort of what what puts them at risk?

It's all of the above.

Okay.

They will take anything from noise complaints to DYs to um fights to these aggravated assaults, you know, involving firearms to citizens calling to complain.

That's another huge factor when when individuals reach out to my office to complain about nuisance bars, potential nuisance bars.

We always tell them make sure you reach out to the liquor control board and report that because you know, the citizen weight behind those complaints is very, very heavy and can help speed up the process.

Okay.

Thank you, Chief.

I appreciate the background on that.

Could I uh councilwoman?

Yeah.

If I could just follow up on that, uh every liquor license, there's a regular renewal period, right?

Which I believe is coming up in May.

Okay.

When last I spoke to the L C B agent that we've been dealing with.

Okay.

Um, because it seems like we've been hearing about this for a while now.

And I don't know, is it every two years?

I mean, every how often is the renewal.

I believe it's every two years, but don't quote me.

Good.

Okay.

Um, yeah, it's it's really beyond time to do something.

Uh, and I understand why they, you know, their their incentive is compliance because they don't want to pull liquor licenses because if we make money off the taxes of, you know, um, I get that.

Um, however, you know, public safety should always still be paramount and um uh so thank you for again, you know, continuing.

And I know that the the neighbors in the neighborhood know that that the city is trying, but I can understand their frustration too.

Absolutely.

Any other new business from members council?

So before we continue, we have to talk about rescheduling the Tuesday, November 4th, 2025 city council meeting.

That's election day.

City hall be closed.

So to reschedule to Wednesday, November 5th.

And I will accept a motion and a second to reschedule our first meeting in November to Wednesday, November 5th, with the 7 p.m.

start time due to the general election.

So moved, second.

Motion by councilwoman Quietek, second by councilman Leon.

Any discussion?

Mr.

Miller, please call the role.

Ms.

Leon.

I'm Wilhelm.

I Mr.

Callahan.

Hi.

Who's Cram C.

Smith?

Hi.

Ms.

Quitech.

Hi.

Ms.

Laird.

Hi.

And Mr.

Cologne.

Uh passed the 7-0.

So the first city council meeting in November has been rescheduled to Wednesday, November 5th at 7 p.m.

here in town hall.

And that is custom that we do every year.

Moving on to communications 6A.

An October 14th, 2025 memorandum for solicitor John F.

Spurk Jr.

with an attached use permit agreement and resolution.

Permit C is ArtsQuest in the event is the 2025 Chris Kindle Market.

Activities will be held Thursdays through Sundays, November 14th through December 21st during the following times.

Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m.

to until 8 p.m.

and Thursdays and Sundays from 10 a.m.

until 6 p.m.

Premises will include first street from Founders Way to the Eastern Terminus.

And resolution 10A is on the agenda 6B.

An October 14th, 2025 memorandum from Solicitor John F.

Spurk Jr.

with an attached use permit and resolution.

Permittee is the Greater Leha Valley Chamber of Commerce Foundation by and through its Citizens Christmas City Committee.

And the subpermittees are Country Club Brewing LLC, Franklin Hill Vineyards Incorporated, and Social Still, LLC.

The event is the 2025 Christmas trees lighting ceremony.

Events will be held on November 28th from 4 30 to 7 p.m.

Premises will be Payroad Plaza and the South Side Lane of Church Street in front of City Hall and the library complex.

And resolution 10 B is also on the agenda tonight.

6C.

An October 14th, 2025 memorandum from Solicitor John F.

Spurk Jr.

with an attached use permit agreement and resolution.

Permittee is the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce by and through its downtown Bethlehem Association.

And the joining party is the redevelopment authority of the City of Bethlehem.

The event is the 2025 Christmas City Village.

Activities will be held Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m.

and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.

between November 14th and December 21st.

Resolution 10C is on the agenda.

6D.

An October 14th, 2025 memorandum and proposed resolution from Stephen Pallone, superintendent of water supply and treatment.

Mr.

Pallone recommends an agreement with JCI Jones Chemicals Incorporated of Sarasota, Florida to provide chlorine cylinders to both the water treatment plant and wastewater treatment plant for disinfection.

Total cost for a year supply is 204,490.

Four annual renewals are offered at the same annual price, which would total 817,960 if all contract renewals would be exercised.

Resolution 10D, also on the agenda tonight, 6E.

An October 14th, 2025 memorandum and proposed resolution from Superintendent of Water Supply and Treatment, Stephen Pallone.

Mr.

Pologne recommends an agreement with Univor Solutions USA LLC of Morrisville, Pennsylvania to provide sodium hydroxide to the water treatment plant.

The cost for a one-year supply is 146,645.

Four annual renewals are offered at the same annual price, which would total $586,580 if all contract renewals were exercised.

Vendor was the low bidder.

And that's resolution 10E tonight.

6F.

An October 14th, 2025 memorandum and proposed resolution from Stephen Pallone, Superintendent of Water Supply and Treatment.

Mr.

Pallone recommends an agreement with Wind River Environmental LLC, doing business as Franc Environmental of Ivy Land, Pennsylvania to provide screening disposal service at the wastewater treatment plant.

Cost for one year is $54,922 and 60 cents.

Four annual renewals are offered at the same annual price, which would total 219,690 and 40 cents if all contract renewals were to be exercised.

Vendor was the low bidder.

Resolution 10F is on the agenda.

An October 13th, 2025 memorandum exhibit and proposed ordinance from public works director Michael Alcall.

Mr.

Alcall recommends this ordinance and its exhibit describing the legal cartway and right-of-way widths of all city streets affected by Linden Street two-way conversion project and the Broad Street Corridor Improvement Project.

The descriptions are necessary to meet a pendot requirement.

An ordinance 9A is on the agenda tonight.

6H.

An October 7th, 2025 correspondence from Norris McLaughlin PA, a law firm representing Cigar Page, Bethlehem LLC, requesting approval for an intermunicipal transfer of Pennsylvania retail restaurant liquor license number R61034.

The applicant seeks approve approval of an intermunicipal transfer of license, which was previously issued to Spring Mineral Restaurant and Bar LLC for licensed premises located at 702 through 706 Main Street, Northampton Borough, Northampton County, to the new licensed premises located at 1010, Harvard Avenue, Bethlehem, Northampton County.

I'll accept a motion and a second to schedule a public hearing on this proposed intermunicipal liquor license transfer for Wednesday, November 5th, 2025 at 7 p.m.

to start our next meeting.

So second.

Any discussion?

Mr.

Miller, call the roll.

Ms.

Leone.

Aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Mr.

Callahan.

All right.

Ms.

Ramsey Smith.

Aye.

Ms.

Quietek.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Hi.

And Mr.

Cologne.

I passed 70.

So the public hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, November 5th, 2025 at 7 p.m.

Then a corresponding resolution will be placed on the November 5 council agenda the same evening.

Moving on to reports.

It's two things.

One, the committee of the whole met earlier tonight to discuss the administration's proposed five-year capital capital improvement program for years 2026 through 2030.

The meeting was for information only.

There were no actions or votes taken.

The proposed 2026 non-utility capital plan that is incorporated in the five year capital improvement program will be reviewed by council again during the upcoming budget meetings as part of the proposed 2026 non-utility capital budget.

And then I just wanted to state I won't be at the next city council meeting.

So I thank our council vice president Leone in advance for presiding over the first council meeting in November.

That's all I had this evening, Mr.

Mayor.

Thank you.

Just a couple of quick things.

One is I did want to provide an update as it related to the sheltered individuals that are living on in the area where Norfolk Southern has their property.

And as we had said at the time, one of the things that we were going to do is going to continue all of our outreach as far as our health bureau was concerned, work with the other nonprofits, be able to gather some information about what people's intentions are and things like that.

And, you know, so we have gone out, you know, a couple different times to essentially be able to take account of how many people are living in the area, try to get some information from them.

Many of them we have extensive information because we have ongoing casework with them.

We have them connected with different people, you know, in our nonprofit community.

But just a couple numbers I wanted to share.

Um in the middle of September, uh, September 16th is when I have the report from uh we had a report of 75 people living um in the area.

Um when our health bureau went out last week, uh, that number was reduced to 53.

Um, so that was a reduction of 22 individuals in the past month or so.

Um 75 was uh, you know, honestly a bit higher than it had been previously.

We think it may be a little bit connected to what was going on in Allentown at the time, um, as far as people going to a place.

And I'm certainly not going to go through and connect everyone's individual story.

Um, but we have, and by we, I don't necessarily just mean like our administration, but working with the nonprofits, working with Lehigh Valley uh regional housing advisory board.

Um, you know, some of these individuals have been able to get long-term housing, um, which is which is a real positive.

Um, not everybody has.

Other people have left.

You don't necessarily know where they are.

Um, and but as far as like some of those individuals have been very interested, have worked with nonprofits to be able to help establish some permanent housing.

Now, obviously, permanent is a difficult word, um, but it's the intent of long-term, long-term living and things like that.

Um, in the middle of September, um, we had tried to gather some information from the individuals.

One of the questions we had was like, what is your interest or your intent?

More like was the word we used to go to BES when the emergency shelter opened.

Um, and 55 of the 72 individuals um said that they were interested, um, which we view as a large, largely a positive number.

Now, whether or not some of that 55, also is the people down permanent housing, like we don't have that level of data.

Um, but just that's a a number that we were we were comfortable with.

Um, the number that's a little bit more tricky to think about moving forward is that a third of the people almost 23 out of the 73 said that they had no interest in housing assistance, that they weren't looking to be a part of a program.

They didn't want necessary, you know, housing assistance from anybody that we were able to look to offer it to.

Um, and I say that not to say that we're not going to keep trying.

Like as we have said, our health bureau and our nonprofits and everybody within Ms.

Collins Department will continue to work with people a year from now, two years from now, three years from now, um, whenever it is.

It is just that there are there are some unique challenges with some individuals, and that number is not going to go 53 for 53 as far as permanent housing is concerned.

Um, but we are spending a lot of time.

We have staff members that go down into the areas multiple times a week between the health bureau and the police department and our connections with the nonprofit community.

It as it is as specific as this person, you know, Jane or Joe.

Like, oh, that's the person that's got the strong connection with New Bethanyer.

That's the person that has the strong connection with Lehigh Conference of Churches.

So, like that's the level that we're going on.

Now, things obviously could change in the next two months.

Um, but that's where we are.

And we, as with most stories, and I'm just being completely honest, is like there are some success stories, and then there are other people that are a little bit um reticent to look for any help or um at least from that is being offered.

As I said, it doesn't mean we're not gonna, we're not going to stop.

But I just wanted to, we don't have, we haven't necessarily presented a lot of data as far as this is concerned.

So I do really want to just say thank you to the health bureau um uh and the police who have very much worked together and being able to gather this very, very important information, this very important data.

So as we get as you know, two months from now is when Norfolk Southern um had posted.

So as we get more information, I will certainly provide it.

But I just wanted to kind of give you an update as far as where we are here, right in the middle.

Um, you know, if you do have individual stories about individual people, I would just ask you, please to talk to us offline um just because I'm we don't want to put people's information out there.

Um, but we are more than willing to talk about any any any individual person if there's somebody that you know that is um living in the area.

Um just a couple other things before we move on here.

Um one is I do want to give Chief Cott and her staff credit on the 540 club.

They have been working a lot and they are frustrated to be able to go through this process.

But that is something that they've been as responsive as they humanly can be, Chief Cott, Captain Leckman, um, with both people that live in the immediate area, but also doing all of those things that they need to do as far as the liquor control board.

Um, just a couple other quick things.

One is uh Halloween parades on Sunday at 2 p.m.

Hope to see everybody there.

Uh, we're also at that time where we have a lot of our um uh annual meetings that are coming up or kind of like annual um updates.

I know we're pulled in every direction every night of the week.

Um, but if you're able to attend Northside Alive is doing theirs uh their annual meeting on Thursday, um uh November 6th from six to eight um at the YMCA.

I think that's where it is, correct, Ms.

Collins.

It's at it's at the YMCA.

Um so a lot of good news there.

Um, friendship parks almost done.

Um, and then also if you uh the next week on Thursday from five to seven over at the Fowler Center, Southside tomorrow has their annual meeting, uh, which we will be at as well.

And they have a lot of good news as well about their um uh uh their neighborhood investment and all the wonderful things that Anna and everybody's doing over there.

Um, and just one thing to kind of end on here um is just you know, we talk a lot about you know housing struggles, and I'll say something about the tax credits that Mr.

Callahan referenced before in a minute.

But um, that tenant advocate that we had helped to fund through um South Side Tomorrow, uh, and I think we've shared this number with some some of the people, but um 70% of the you know potential evictions have been able to be prevented by that individual who is working with people.

And the work there is truly impressive because it's not just how do we stop this motion in front of the court on November 1st, but it's uh it's a lot of case management about, you know, is you know, how do we help that stability?

And once again, city council helped to fund that.

We had helped to fund it.

We provide some staff support to Southside tomorrow for different things, but Ms.

Smith and all of the people there at CADCB are really doing a lot of work.

And like I said, we're not going to brag about individual people's stories that they're not being evicted.

Like that's not what we're trying to do here, but we are trying to talk about programs that work.

Um, and that is one that we were able to fund this tenant advocate.

And I think it's safe to say that the program, partly because the dynamic nature of the individual and of the trust that they've been able to build, has been very, very successful in keeping people in their homes.

Um, and just to to finish then on the other good news, as Mr.

Calyan talked about last week, we did um once a year, PHFA, which is the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, um uh gives out these uh tax credits for projects.

There were only two in Lehigh Valley.

Um, and with the support of the city staff between Mr.

Tulo and Miss Collins and everyone in their department, uh L VIP, Penrose, our state delegation, Representative Samuelson and Senator Boscola.

Um, we had a full court press about this uh the importance of this project um as far as what it meant for our community and what it meant as far as the type of project that we could get behind.

Um, and then they were able to award it, and it's gonna mean approximately 16 million dollars in tax credits.

Um, and in this round, there were only 41 uh projects across the state of Pennsylvania, and that includes Philadelphia and that includes Pittsburgh.

Um, so there were only two in Lehigh Alley.

Um, and I and I think this was the only one in Northampton County.

Um yeah, and our first since 2013.

Um, so we would all like those projects to be quicker, but that is a big, big deal because it allows us to stay on our timeline as far as um being able to start construction.

I believe it's next year with the idea that people would be able to hopefully move in in about two years, I believe it is, um, which is what has been what we have been saying from the beginning.

I believe it's next year with the idea that people would be able to hopefully move in um in about two years, I believe it is, um, which is what has been what we have been saying from the beginning, but this was a big this was a big big deal for us, and our ability to be able to complete projects like that just further like is able to um create the confidence in both the federal government, the state government, and locally, and like I said, it was a real team effort um as far as people crossing all the all the T's, dotting all the I's um, and then having you know our fellow elected officials, the school district, everybody else get behind it as well, um, with the kind of full court press about the advantage uh and the value of this program.

Um, but one of the things that was quoted in our application a lot was opening doors and the work that we did as a community to be able to create this, and that was community driven.

That was a process that city council largely supported, and it is something that led us to be able to get this $60 million tax credit to be able to build these units, and I just want to thank all of you for that process, because while we're doing this, I think we're down to four or five citizens here.

Like sometimes like the work that makes these things happen doesn't necessarily always get attention to it, but this was a real group effort from dozens and dozens of people, and now people are gonna be helped at the end of the day, which is always what should be the goal for everybody.

I'm not saying that it is, but it should be the goal to help people.

So I just want to thank you for that, and that's my report.

Thank you, Mr.

Cologne.

Thank you, Mayor Reynolds.

Moving on, we don't have any ordinances for final passage this evening.

So new ordinances, Mr.

Miller, nine A.

Ordinance of the City of Bethlehem, Counties of Lehigh and Northampton, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, list listing carbway and right-of-way widths for certain city streets.

Bill number 44 2025 is sponsored by Ms.

Wilhelm and Ms.

Leon.

Discussion on the ordinance.

We'll call the roll.

Ms.

Leone.

Aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Ms.

Cramsey Smith.

Aye.

Ms.

Quiet.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Aye.

And Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

Pass seven zero.

Moving on to resolutions.

I'll accept a motion as second to group 10A through 10 C together.

Those are the three use permit agreements.

So move.

Second.

Motion by Councilwoman Laird.

Second by Councilman Wilhelm.

Any discussion on the motion to group them.

Mr.

Miller, please call the roll on the motion.

Ms.

Leone.

Aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Ms.

Cramsey Smith.

Aye.

Ms.

Quietek.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Aye.

And Mr.

Cologne.

I passed seven zero.

Please read resolutions 10A through 10 C.

Resolution 10A.

Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem that the mayor and controller and/or such other city officials is deemed appropriate by the city solicitor or hereby authorized to execute a use permit agreement with ArtsQuest for the 2025 Chris Kindle Market event.

Resolution 10B, be it resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem that the mayor and controller and/or such other city officials is deemed appropriate by the city solicitor.

We're hereby authorized to execute a use permit agreement with the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce Foundation for the 2025 Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

And resolution 10 C, be it resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem that the mayor and controller and/or such other city officials is deemed appropriate by the city solicitor are hereby authorized to execute a use permit agreement with the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce for the 2025 Christmas City Village.

These resolutions are sponsored by Ms.

Wilhelm and Ms.

Leon.

Any discussion on the use permit agreements?

Call the roll.

Ms.

Leon aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Ms.

Cramcy Smith.

Aye.

Ms.

Quitech.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Aye.

And Mr.

Cologne.

I pass 7010 D.

Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem that the mayor and controller and/or such other city officials as deemed appropriate by the city solicitor.

Resolution is sponsored by Ms.

Wilhelm and Ms.

Leon.

Discussion.

Call the roll.

Ms.

Leone.

Aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Ms.

Crampsy Smith.

Aye.

Ms.

Quietek.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Aye.

And Mr.

Cologne.

I pass 7-0 10E.

It resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem that the mayor and controller and/or such other city officials as deemed appropriate by the city solicitor are hereby authorized to execute an agreement with Univar Solutions USA LLC to provide sodium hydroxide to the what to the water treatment plant.

Resolution is sponsored by Ms.

Wilhelm and Ms.

Leon.

Discussion.

Call the roll.

Ms.

Leone.

Aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Ms.

Cramsey Smith.

Aye.

Ms.

Queatech.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Aye.

And Mr.

Cologne.

I pass 7-0.

10 F.

Be resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem to the mayor and controller and/or such other city officials is deemed appropriate by the city solicitor or hereby authorized to execute an agreement with Wind River Environmental LLC doing business as Frank Environmental to provide screening disposal services at the wastewater treatment plant.

Resolution is sponsored by Ms.

Wilhelm and Ms.

Leone.

Discussion.

Call the roll.

Ms.

Leone.

Aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Ms.

Crampsy Smith.

Aye.

Ms.

Quietek.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Aye.

And Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

Pass seven zero.

I'll accept a motion as second to consider 10 G through 10M as a group for the certificates of appropriateness.

So moved.

Second.

Motion by Councilwoman Wilhelm.

Second by Councilwoman Leone.

Any discussion?

Call the roll, Mr.

Miller.

Ms.

Leone.

Aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Ms.

Cramsey Smith.

Aye.

Ms.

Quietek.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Aye.

Mr.

Cologne.

Motion passes 7-0.

Please read G through M.

Certificates of Appropriateness under the provisions of the Act of the Pennsylvania Legislature, Bethlehem Resolution are hereby granted for 10G.

46 East Wall Street to replace an existing picket fence, install a wood arbor, and replant existing landscape beds.

10H.

The Bethlehem Historic District plaque program to relaunch the plaque program with a newly designed brass plaque.

10i.

108 through 110 Wesley Street to remove an existing stair and construct a porch stoop, a sidewalk from the porch to the southwest facing yard, and a sidewalk to the north facing yard.

10j for 239 East Wall Street to replace the existing roof shingles with GAF Lifetime Timberline HDZ shingles in pewter gray color.

10K 438 Center Street to paint trim around the front door and install a classic antique style gas lantern on the front of the house to the left of the entranceway and front door.

10L 450 Main Street to install 40 inch by 31 and a half inch MDO sign panel for lovely by Brianna and 10M 36 East Wall Street to install a 12 inch by 14 inch bronze plaque on the front facade to commemorate Joseph H.

Traeger and his contributions to the city of Bethlehem.

These resolutions are sponsored by Ms.

Wilhelm and Ms.

Leone.

Any discussion on the group?

Call the roll.

Ms.

Leon.

Aye.

Ms.

Wilhelm.

Aye.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Ms.

Gramscy Smith.

Aye.

Ms.

Quietch.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Aye.

And Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

Pass 70.

That concludes tonight's agenda.

Get home safe, everyone.

Stay hydrated.