Okay.

We're one of them.

We are recording just so everyone's aware.

Okay.

Thank you, everyone.

And anyone who's still funneling in, I will call the third budget meeting to order and ask Mr.

Miller to call the role.

Mr.

Callahan.

Present.

Ms.

Graham C.

Smith.

Present.

We attack.

Present.

Ms.

Laird.

Present.

This is Leon Present.

This Wilhelm present.

And Mr.

Cologne.

Present.

Thank you, Mr.

Miller.

Just a YouTube reminder for our audience at home.

If you want to follow along in real time after 6 p.m., feel free to scroll forward to the live portion of the meeting.

Tonight is our third and final meeting to review the budget.

The following proposed 2026 budgets will be reviewed this evening.

Our community and economic development department, which starts on page 51, our community development block grant fund, which starts on page 301, our police department, which starts on page 137, and the fire department, page 153.

After the appropriate administration representatives make their presentation for each item, I will recognize the appropriate committee chair and chair members and then open it up to questions and comments from other members of council.

There will be public comment after the we'll do public comment tonight after I would I would say each item, but we'll probably just I'm gonna group community economic development slash community development block grant as one public comment.

We'll do a public comment after the police department, and then we'll do another public comment after the fire department.

I will remind everyone we have a five minute time limit as is custom for our city council meetings.

And I ask you to limit your comments to the respective budgets that we're discussing this evening.

Just a couple general things for anyone who's presenting, anyone who's asking questions, uh anyone who's commenting.

If if you have a budget book with you, try to reference the pages you're looking at if you talk about certain line items or budgets, just so we could all follow along in our budget books.

And then I expect we're gonna be here tonight.

I welcome everyone's comments, I welcome everyone's questions up here in every presentation.

I just asked to be mindful of repetitiveness.

If I if I hear someone repeat themselves a few times, I'll likely ask us to move it along just out of respect for everyone's time.

Uh I mean, I will acknowledge we have a number of members of the fire department here tonight.

Fire department was last on the pre-planned agenda.

I don't want to keep everyone here later than you have to be.

So the we'll get started tonight.

So starting with our community and economic development department, I'll recognize Ms.

Collins, the director of the department.

And again, that starts on page 51.

Yes, um, good evening, council.

Thank you for having us.

I am happy to be here uh with a number of my colleagues from the Department of Community and Economic Development to present tonight's budget.

Um, just as an overview, very familiar to all of you, but the Department of Community and Economic Development has seven bureaus.

And um, you know, tonight, in addition to myself, we have uh deputy director of community development, Sarah Satulo, Deputy Director of Economic Development, Sean Ziller, and then from our health bureau, Director Kristen Wenrick, uh, from the housing inspections and code enforcement bureau, Mike Simonson from the um planning and zoning bureau, our director Kathy Fletcher is with us.

Um, unfortunately, Mr.

Half Forster from the Recycling Bureau is um not well and not feeling well today.

He he's not able to join us.

Um just want to introduce you to Lori Gilio, who's our grants administrator and touches on a number of different projects across bureaus and our business administrator, Tiffany Wismer.

So I will be doing the presentation, but as questions arise at the end, you know, I'd be happy to pass things off to any of my colleagues, and you can you know certainly ask them questions directly as well.

Um, but you know, as you know, the Department of Community Economic Development covers a very broad range of topics.

You see us often here before you throughout the year for a variety of projects that we work on across these different areas.

Um, and there is quite a lot going on.

And um, you know, what I plan to do tonight as part of this agenda is give you know a high-level overview of each of the bureaus and a few highlights of their work over the past year.

Um, also a summary of the department budget generally and its key features and some things that may be different this year.

And then um, you know, following that, there are also you know DCED directed budget items that are not in the DCED budget, and that would be as was discussed at the last budget hearing, the civic expense accounts for um housing and the community recovery fund and also um homelessness initiative.

So I'll cover those as well during the presentation.

But I'm gonna start just going in order of the budget book.

So after the administrative tab, the first bureau that is covered is the Health Bureau.

You know, the Health Bureau covers five core program areas, does a lot of programming throughout the city, you know, offers services here at City Hall, also now has the health van that is pictured here to go out into the community and provide a variety of different services.

And those are in five core program areas: chronic disease, communicable communicable disease, environmental health, maternal child health, and public health preparedness.

In 2025, again, so many programs doing a lot of things.

We could probably talk about each each item for 20 to 30 minutes.

I'm not gonna do that.

I'll just give the highlights.

This past year, there were 523 referrals to that program.

And it's a very small, very lean staff covering all of those referrals.

And also the program, as I think you know, and we've talked about a lot in recent meetings and in recent months, you know, the community connections program also is really instrumental in serving our unhoused population, particularly in the encampments along the DNL trail.

We've you know, at this point dedicated, you know, one of the uh community connections staff specifically for that purpose and making uh connections down there on a regular basis.

Um, with the unhoused population specifically, community connections is working with you know six or or or more local agencies.

Uh, we've recorded over 150 outreaches, 109 individuals served, um connecting a lot of them to services, uh, as up to up to as many as 85% in many of our interactions.

There are those who refuse service or or don't want to engage with us, but for the most part, you know, we are really having success in connecting people to services and trying to follow through and keep people engaged.

Uh, just yesterday, the Health Bureau and Community Connections had a care event where service providers covering different areas were down at the encampment all at the same time, providing services.

It was the first third such one this year.

Uh, typically they see between 20 and 30 people in any one of those um events, connecting people with drug and alcohol services, um, getting them connected with caseworkers, and then also trying to track outcomes with those folks after the event.

Uh, some other highlights from the Health Bureau.

Uh, the family planning STD Clinic has served over 350 clients this year.

The LED and Healthy Homes program, that's a HUD-funded program that helps people remediate their homes if they have high lead levels or other uh conditions that are that are um considered dangerous to health under the guidelines of HUD.

52 homes in the city were were supported through that program this year.

We also operate through the Health Bureau and overdose fatality review team for all of Northampton County.

It's a newer program as part of some of the work that we're doing around opioids and other uh substance issues, and um that's been extremely successful this year.

And then the BetterBlocks program, another one that we've talked about quite a bit.

Uh, that's a PCCD funded program that is um targeting improvements, neighborhood-specific improvements in uh three neighborhoods uh in the Pembroke area, Linfield, and Madison.

And you know, there's a ton of community engagement.

There's been a number of block parties and opportunities to meet with residents, and then some you know, physical improvements in these neighborhoods that have come out of that include you know, um installing handicapped swing at Madison Park, security cameras at the park, uh, motion lights, removing graffiti, um updating traffic signs, doing a walking school bus, back to school event, and then also deploying the mobile van that you see here into each of those neighborhoods.

Moving on, the next um bureau in your budget is the code bureau.

Um the code bureau, you know, reviews plans, issues permits, and conducts inspections for all construction activity that happens in the city of Bethlehem.

We have talked quite a bit about the high level of construction in the city of Bethlehem over the past year, five years, we've had more than 1.4 billion dollars in private investment that is reflected in the construction permit activity that we've seen in the city.

Just last council meeting, uh city council voted to approve uh increases in the fees for construction permits for the first time in well over 20 years.

Um but what that does is allows us to add uh two additional employees to the code staff that will be covered by the increase in those permit fees to cover the cost uh to cover really to keep up with the high construction activity that we're seeing throughout the city.

Um you can see here on the chart, we're we're showing you know, not only that the 1.4 billion dollars in investment, but what that means in terms of permits that are issued by the code enforcement bureau.

And just as a little bit of an insight into what it means to issue permits, um, you know, so for a major construction activity, for example, you know, we've got administrative staff that are performing a variety of functions throughout the course of uh that project working its way through the permitting process.

You know, they're they're taking in applications, they're entering the Minus C plus, they're facilitating them being um kind of shepherded through City Hall because it's not just the Code Enforcement Bureau that often looks at these permits.

We're going to engineering and uh fire and many other places to look at these permits and our administrative staff really try and keep that process moving.

They're also engaging with the applicants quite often.

Um, you know, phone calls, emails, what's the status?

How about this?

You know, here are some changes.

Um, and and constantly also dealing with people at the counter, which is um never empty in the in the community economic development department.

And then on the professional side, we have people who are first reviewing the full plan sets.

Um they are working with the engineers and the architects, providing comments, everything is reviewed against the international property maintenance code, and they're often going back and forth on these projects multiple times, working through different plan sets.

And all of this is before the permits are even issued.

So once the permits are issued, then our administrative staff are working on scheduling inspections and our professional staff on a major project could be out at uh on site, you know, hundreds of times uh as that construction is continuing.

And all of that is being done again for uh on an annual basis between 3,000, you know, and now up to over 4,500 permits a year by six employees.

Um, so what we proposed with the fee increase that city council approved um two nights ago is uh adding a plan reviewer and also adding an administrative uh clerical person to support um the code enforcement bureau.

Uh the next uh bureau that we'll go over is the community development bureau.

This is one many, many of the projects and programs that are coming out of the code uh community development bureau come before city council.

Um, we're also trying very hard to uh engage out in the community, multiple community events, um, opportunities to learn more about all the different programs and initiatives, provide feedback.

So, you know, I've seen so many city council members at all of those programs and initiatives.

So I'm not going to go over each one of them in great detail.

But generally speaking, the community development bureau, we can kind of bucket it into a couple categories.

You know, we're working on housing and homelessness policy, uh, planning and specific programs and initiatives.

We have you know, a lot of that we'll talk about a little bit later in the presentation when we go over the civic expense account budget for affordable housing.

The neighborhood level programs and initiatives that would be, for example, the NERSA neighborhood revitalization strategy area, HUD designated um strategy area for the North Side Alive neighborhood.

Um, you know, and that program has been extremely successful from the planning process that started in 2017, produced the North Side 2027 plan.

We've been able to implement many of the uh recommendations and strategies of that plan through this North Side Alive program.

Um it's led by Selena Dedario, who's an incredible employee of the city.

And uh, you know, in addition to the community engagement, community activities, um, housing work, economic development work that is coming out of that program, you know, it's also been the catalyst for the friendship park redevelopment, which is um almost complete.

Um, I think you know, within the next week or two, and nearly everything uh over there is is going to be final as much as weather allows.

I think there's some painting that is happening for the basketball courts in the spring.

Um, you know, and that's uh a project that we were also able to leverage that plan, the Northside 2027 plan and others to get a number of grants that supported the the park redevelopment.

I think it's over 1.3 million dollars that we got in state and federal grants and that we administer through through our department and in partnership with Public Works, of course, who actually builds the thing.

And so that's that's uh an extremely successful program to say the least.

And then the third category and another major component of the community development bureau.

I don't know, I apologize.

I didn't even introduce Mr.

Badoni.

Uh I'm not sure if you were here at the time, but thank you for reminding me.

He made his presence no.

He is here, Mr.

Ridoni runs our HUD community development and housing grants administration.

So we are an entitlement community for the community development block grant program, and we're a participating jurisdiction for the home program, which means that every year we receive allocations from the federal government to run those programs and running those programs is extremely complex.

It involves working with a number of like nonprofit organizations in the community who are the recipients of those funds.

It's grant compliance.

Um, and and it's really like working with organizations to make the most of the federal dollars, which are not easy to administer, but are really um doing really impactful programming in the community.

And um, you know, that's this past year.

I believe we had about 1.4 million dollars in CDBG funds and 417,000 in home funds.

We do also have on the agenda for tonight the CDBG and home fund budget.

There's there's not a lot that I'll present specific to that because the budget is what you've already seen in public hearings and that you've already voted on.

So there are no new programs in there.

It's the it's the budget that you previously saw when you looked at our uh annual action plan.

But um everything that is in that budget is administered um through Mr.

Bedoni and the community development bureau.

The planning and zoning bureau uh has two major functions.

One is managing the land development review process, and the other is on the long-range planning and and plan implementation.

When it comes to the land development review process, uh, you know, often people are asking, like, how do how do developments happen and how did you know who what who reviews these things?

The planning department, the planning and zoning bureau is really the center and the starting point for major land development subdivision that happens in the city of Bethlehem.

So that'll come through our office, and for example, on you know, just a any land development, say it's a mixed-use housing project that's gonna start with a review again across city departments, planning bureau, engineering, fire, water, you know, many, many people are looking at those plans and were um taking comments and compiling comment letters, and from there, a couple different things could happen, all of which is sort of managed through the planning bureau.

If there are uh issues with a project related to zoning, a lack of compliance with the zoning ordinance, uh, there may be a trip to the zoning hearing board.

Um, you know, we manage and facilitate that process.

If a project is in a historic district as designated by ordinance, that would be HCC or HARB.

Projects may go there for a recommendation, and then as you know, come to you for an approval.

And then all projects that are that are in the land subject to land development and subdivision ordinance would go to the planning commission.

And then as well, we facilitate reviews for major projects with external agencies like the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission, EAC, LANTA, etc.

So it's a very complex process and you know, similar to the to the numbers that we're seeing in code and in permits, you know, we're also seeing large numbers of plan reviews because most of those, many of those major projects are also coming through the planning and zoning bureau.

Um, you know, so just this past year so far, the planning commission has had uh nine meetings, I believe, and reviewed 29 plans.

The zoning hearing board has met 12 times.

They often have to meet twice a month because their agendas are so large.

Um, they reviewed 47 appeals for variances or special exceptions or interpretations this year.

And HARB and HCC combined, uh, saw a total of 69 cases this year.

So it's uh a lot of activity that all is managed through this bureau.

And then on the other side of things, what we're doing through the planning and zoning bureau is long-range planning and implementing plans.

So, you know, we we have talked about a number of these projects, but you know, I just want to hit on each of them briefly.

You know, those plans that were underway with right now include the complete streets and bike infrastructure plan, which uh just last night uh had its first public meeting, kickoff meeting.

And that project is made possible through a 10 million dollar grant from the Department of Transportation through the Safe Streets for All program.

Uh, and just as another plug for good planning and the the grant dollars that result from that, you know, we were able to secure that 10 million dollars, which is a huge award for the city of Bethlehem and one of the the largest, I think, for a for a project like this that we've ever had.

That was made possible because we were able to demonstrate to the federal government with our um Broad Street Active Transportation Plan with our climate action plan, um, with all of these other plans that we previously put together, we were able to package all of that and say to the federal government we have we have something that is data-driven, that is uh community-led, and that it can be accomplished here in the city of Bethlehem if you know if you'll support us through these dollars.

And they did.

And so we are currently in the implementation process of the Safe Streets for All grant.

So that is a large infrastructure project that covers East and West Broad Street, as you as you know, because we've talked about a bunch, but for everybody else in the room, uh it's gonna bring major uh improvements to that roadway, which is you know extremely wide, extremely dangerous.

Um, we're looking to calm traffic and make pedestrian uh access easier, support biking, support walking, support people in different multimodal um methods of of getting around.

And the construction on East Broad is to start in 2026 and construction on West Broad, hopefully um sometime in 2027.

But also as part of that grant, uh we applied actually just for um construction, and they came back to us and said, Do you have any other planning um opportunities that you could undertake?

Because we, you know, we'd like to give you some more dollars for that as well.

So they are funding a complete streets plan, which means you know, we're basically putting together a roadmap for the entire city of Bethlehem to in coordination with public works to think about how can we improve streets across the city to make them safer, to make them more accessible for different modes of transportation to calm traffic, et cetera.

Uh, and a component of that is also looking at our citywide bike infrastructure.

So that's exciting, it's underway.

Um, we're also working on the 40 and 10 parks master plan that is complete and going to be complete and presented in February of next year.

And that is going to be setting out important to talk about during the budget conversation because it's going to be setting out a roadmap for how we are spending our dollars and also where we're seeking dollars uh externally with state and federal agencies to re to make to hit multiple parks across all of the parks across the city of Bethlehem over the next 10 years.

So instead of being reactionary to like a few people who say, like, what can you do with my park?

or I'd really love a new swing here.

Like we're setting out a real plan that is going to be you know thoughtfully presented and also um actionable with the you know the support of city council through city dollars and um also you know through through grants.

Um so we're really excited about presenting that plan um in February.

We're also working on the um revitalization of the Pembroke public housing development, which again we've talked about a number of times.

We had a big public meeting to run through the entire plan, could take an hour if I did the entire thing.

Um, but we did complete that planning process.

We submitted our plan to HUD, and again, I'll emphasize that that plan um was not funded with city dollars.

We received an award from HUD to do that planning process as a result of the opening doors plan, which called for it and and was one of the reasons that it was funded.

Um, and then uh we're also undertaking an ADU zoning review that is also underway.

You've probably seen um across our social media calls for people to to weigh in and talk about um housing options across the city.

And you know, that's one of the things that we're gonna be looking at is you know, are there ways that we can uh open up zoning a little bit to allow for more accessory dwelling units to support um you know appropriate neighborhood compatible um gentle increases in density.

So, in addition to working on plans, there's also plan implementation because nobody wants a plan that just sits on a on a shelf.

So, you know, in the planning and zoning bureau and in collaboration with uh others in community economic development and also other bureaus across our departments across the city, we're currently working on implementing just a few of the ones that you've seen here, the Broad Street Active Transportation Plan I just mentioned, Climate Action Plan.

We had an incredible annual meeting this morning that went through the huge range of activities that are taking place as a result of that um comprehensive planning process, North Side 2027 plan, as I mentioned, opening doors, which we'll talk about more as well a little bit later.

And we're also working on the implementation of the Southside Community Center feasibility study.

Okay.

All right.

Recycling bureau.

As I said, Mr.

Halforster is not here tonight, but you you certainly know that some of the core functions of the recycling bureau include our curbside collection, the drop-off center, the yard waste facility, and also we've got an enforcement, a trash and recycling enforcement officer who's housed now in the recycling bureau.

With respect to curbside collection, you you probably recall that we switched from uh dual stream to single stream a few years ago.

Um, since making that change, we've seen a 5% increase in just total materials collected.

Um, in part, we talked about this at the time that we made the change.

You know, we're eliminating that requirement, I guess, for humans to physically sort their materials.

I think what we're seeing is it actually helps people want to recycle just a little bit more, just a little bit easier to do.

Um so we're happy with that result, and also we're seeing you know, pretty clean product.

One of the reasons that sometimes you separate recycling is to keep the product clean.

We're still seeing, even with the single stream recycling, good returns.

And um, you know, overall it's been it's been quite a success.

Uh this year we also made renovations at the drop-off center.

Uh, there were a few uh days where it was closed, and that was just to make some electrical upgrades, um, expand the offloading section, do some line painting, tree trimming, et cetera.

Uh at the compost center, we collect over 100,000 cubic yards of compost and mulch material.

Um we also also collect just from city properties over a thousand cubic yards of oversized log and wood material, all of that runs through that facility.

And then that uh enforcement officer that I mentioned, you know, this past year he investigated over 700 trash and recycling complaints, and that's one individual.

Uh, it is you know, certainly indicative of some of the challenges that we have in the city, but uh I can say that you know he is doing an incredible job of responding to complaints, investigating, uh issuing citations where appropriate, and and and taking cases through the enforcement process to help you know clean up when we're having having challenges.

All right.

Uh next is the economic development bureau.

So this bureau has administration and oversight for all of the economic development programs and initiatives that run through the city, as well as our partner uh entities that we manage out of the economic development bureau.

And that would be the uh BEDCO, the Bethel Economic Development Corporation, the RDA, which is the redevelopment authority, and BREA, which is the Bethlehem Revitalization and Improvement Authority that administers our CRIS program.

So, as between you know the city and those associated entities, the the projects and initiatives that are coming out of this bureau are really meant to support economic growth for small businesses, entrepreneurs, and also foster redevelopment and revitalization in vacant properties or you know, other distressed and properties with opportunity throughout the throughout the city.

So what we're showing here in the graph, which might not be super easy to read, but in just last year alone in 2025, we administered through the economic development bureau over $9 million in funding for economic development activities.

So starting there on the left, we looked, you know, kind of grouped them when we're thinking about how are we supporting innovation and entrepreneurship.

Um that's um, you know, through the Pi program, the Keystone Innovation Zone, which uh gave out grants over 125,000 last year to individual companies and entities, and also supporting applications through the Enterprise Zone Tax Credit Program.

The second category that we that we broke things down into was in just thinking about downtown development and activation.

And you know, well over a million dollars in this category, which funds you know a variety of different activities, whether it's the Southside Ambassadors Program through BEDCO, uh, the Southside Arts District, our contract with the chamber, which is you know doing activities throughout the city and also including the downtown association on the north side.

Um, that also that figure also includes a new program this year through the governor's uh Main Street Matters program.

We received a grant for a program that we titled the Business Improvement Grants, Business Improvements Grants Program.

Uh, and we were able to give uh a dozen small businesses in Bethlehem up to $5,000 for projects to support their business, whether it was in some, you know, maybe necessary capital improvements or marketing and other such things.

That's money that's going directly into those small businesses after a review process.

And we're really excited about that program.

The next category is in the blue there is CRIS, the city revitalization and improvement zone.

We uh generated the increment that was generated last year was over $2 million.

So that is money that we facilitate through Brea through the city that goes to projects that are in that 130 acre zone.

Um that would include the Win Creek Casino, Wilbur Mansion, 510 and 6'10 flats, social still, um, and also you know, forward looking.

We're looking at the Tempo by Hilton project that is coming at Third and New Street.

So all of those redevelopment projects are working through the CRIS program and we're um helping administer all of that.

And then other than that, there's also you know over $5 million that are just going to major revitalization projects.

Um a lot of that is coming through state and federal grants that we're facilitating, you know, through the city or through Bria or through BEDCO, but that could include everything from funding for the rehabilitation of the Steel General Office Building, which is a major, major uh revitalization project of importance to the city.

Um also would include uh funding that is um gone into the Goodman building over the years.

That's you know, project that predates even my time, but it's you know an important one for that Third Street corridor.

It also includes um an EPA grant for Brownfield assessment at the former Bethlehem Steel site.

And it also includes targeted residential or or mixed use revitalization in uh different areas of the city that have both commercial and residential components.

And I will say that all of that is in addition to the $35 million in RCAP grants that we also funnel through the city and that you know, Mr.

Ziller himself is administering for projects like ArtsQuest Turn and Grind and the Cultural Center, um, and also recently an award for the Gateway on Fourth Affordable Housing Project.

So really busy in the Economic Development Bureau.

And then the last uh Bureau that we'll talk about is the Housing Inspections Bureau.

So that's a bureau that has a team of eight housing inspectors that perform across the city inspections on sales, rentals, regulated rentals, which is another way of saying student housing.

Um, and also, you know, they're inspecting in response to complaints.

Uh this year we started the second three-year cycle of inspections for all rental properties.

Um, and we're also inspecting student housing annually.

Um, so what that means is you know, we have people who are going out through the housing stock in the city of Bethlehem, performing well over 10,000 inspections every year.

Um, you know, the group is also constantly finding new ways to make their process more efficient and have made great strides this year in improving software and technology to help the inspectors when they're in the field, and also you know, to help us better track what is happening with the housing stock in the city of Bethlehem.

And that's been a really important improvement for this group over this past year.

So those are the individual bureaus.

Uh thinking about the commun the community economic development department budget, you know, in general, in total.

Um our total budget is over 16 million dollars.

Um, but I I describe it as having minimal impact on the general fund for a couple of reasons.

Predominantly, if you look at our overall budget, 96% of that is covered by either grants or revenue that is generated by the Bureau.

And you know, I think that says a lot about you know the work that we do, and even if it looks like a big number, like we are constantly seeking grants to support the work that we do and also to support you know other projects that aren't even in our, you know, in our bureau budget, but that might be in the capital plan or in other places that are that are ultimately funded by you know grants that we're able to secure for for those projects.

And overall, the budget is uh lower than it was last year.

And in part that is because we're just spending down some of the grants, some of the major projects, um, but we're also seeing you know just some at least modest reductions overall uh in our in our budget.

And if you take out salaries, actually, that's that's an even larger uh reduction of 15.56%.

I noted earlier, but I just wanted to highlight again about staffing.

You know, two two points that you'll see uh in the budget itself.

Um positions are actually listed differently this year.

There were a few bureaus that have contract employees that previously showed up sort of on the back page under temporary help and are now showing up on that front page under personnel.

So while it might look like it's a new position, like it's not, it was just a contract employee that showed up on the back side of the page that now shows up on the first side of the page.

Um and that is pretty much everyone who's a contract employee is now on the front page, except for some of the health and recycling contract or part-time positions.

Uh overall, the only increase in positions are the ones that I mentioned earlier about from the code enforcement bureau.

We do have two new positions that we are proposing to fund with the construction of the increase in construction permit fees that city council approved this past Tuesday.

And so those are reflected in a with a plan reviewer who's in the 0303 Code Enforcement Bureau budget and also a clerical administrative person who's in the 0301 administration budget.

I did also want to note specific to the health bureau.

We've talked a lot about the department being largely grant funded, and the health bureau in particular relies on a lot of grants to do the great work that it does.

And you know, there's everyone knows that there has been some uncertainty about various different grant funding sources at the federal level, and and that impacts you know, state grants that we also get through the health bureau and other places.

Um but one of the things we're focusing on and and uh director Wenrick is focusing on is um thinking about how we can be diversifying our revenues and and how we can continue operating these programs even with some of that uncertainty.

You also passed a health fee license increase this past Tuesday.

Um, so that's that's one component of that plan.

Um, we're also working on um improving billing for the clinical services that we provide, um improving agreements with Medicaid MCOs, and also thinking about grant applications that are not from non-federal grant sources that might be a little bit more stable.

So that I would say concludes the community economic development portion of the budget.

Um but as I mentioned, you know, the civic expense accounts, which are you know in a different tab in your budget book.

I don't have the page number in front of me.

Um, but the civic expense accounts for affordable housing and homelessness and community recovery fund are also accounts that um I would say are largely directed by the community and economic development department.

Uh page 175 in the budget book.

Thanks, Mr.

Evans.

So you'll probably recall that in 2022, I believe, when we received the ARPA funds or 2023, I believe these accounts were created.

Um, as Mr.

Edmonds has described previously, you know, the ARPA funding allowed us to uh put money into revenue replacement, which opened up opportunities for general fund dollars to create these ARPA supported um accounts, and we were have been talking about these accounts for quite some time.

So this is not new information.

They were created in in 2023 with the support of city council.

Uh and you know, originally the affordable housing account had 5 million, homelessness 2 million, and the community recovery fund 3 million.

Again, that's the 2023 allocation.

The current proposed 2026 budget is the remaining but committed uh remainder uh from that original allocation.

So, how have those funds already been spent uh in affordable housing?

The roughly one million that has already been spent has gone for implementation of components of the opening doors housing plan that has included our uh required match for the Pembroke Choice Neighborhoods planning grant.

That was about 75,000.

It was a 500,000 award from HUD.

We did contribute 75,000 in match from this account, and uh the Bethlehem Housing Authority also put in 75,000 in match.

And then uh another major project that came out of the Affordable Housing Fund was our uh contribution to New Bethany's rental assistance program, uh, which I believe is about 390,000.

That remaining but committed amount that you that you see there, and which is in your budget book is committed, as we've discussed many times previously, um, to the you know, a few uh additional projects.

That's the Gateway on Fourth Project, uh Pembroke Choice implementation, uh, land use strategies in the opening doors plan, development incentives, and eviction prevention strategies.

Um, again, when we first presented this budget uh probably first, maybe like October 2023, when I when we when we sat in here for a community development committee meeting and presented the opening doors plan, you know, we also then included that in our memos to council and in our conversations in prior years.

And what that funding has allowed us to do with thanks to city council for making that allocation at starting in 2023, we've been able to leverage those dollars to apply for and successfully secure grants for all of these projects.

Uh, in the amount of about I I want to say seven to eight million dollars that we've been able to secure, uh, which is made possible by looking to these funds as match and using them as leverage.

Uh in the homelessness initiatives uh account, uh we've spent a little bit uh implementing some of our initiatives, but really the majority of that remains and it is committed to the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter.

Um, we've talked about this one previously as well.

You know, we are working very closely with BES on their plan to rehab and turn year round at the existing facility they have at Christ UCC.

Um, we'll talk a little bit more about that in a later slide as well.

And then the community recovery fund, we started that one at $3 million, and you'll see in the budget now that it's at 1.6.

We are currently distributing the uh previously warded and encumbered grants from the 2023 and 2024 rounds.

And the 2025 awardees are likely to be announced before the end of this year, and we've targeted approximately 500,000 for this round of awardees.

So diving in just a little bit more uh to the opening doors implementation that is uh reflecting both some already spended dollars and future committed dollars in that affordable housing line.

Um, you know, there were five strategy areas that came out of opening doors, and I'm just gonna quickly go through those five because as I said, you know, each of these projects could take 30 minutes to talk about.

We've had multiple community meetings uh that last hours.

So I can't talk about all of them in great detail, but you know, under the first strategy of updating zoning and land use by encouraging a variety of housing types.

We've been working very closely with Lehigh University, Community Action Development Bethlehem, uh, Community Action Lehigh Valley and New Bethany on both the Alley House Pilot Project and also the ADU zoning update.

And as I mentioned, that ADU zoning update is in its early stages now, and we've just started community engagement around that effort.

The second strategy is offering incentives to create and preserve affordable housing.

Uh, we came to you and just a few meetings ago to uh start our engagement with the Center for Public Enterprise, which is helping us develop a uh mixed income development revolving loan fund.

Uh so we are very excited to start working on that.

There's a significant portion of the remaining affordable housing line is dedicated to um kickstarting that uh revolving loan fund.

And it's obviously very difficult to read here, but I did just want to emphasize that you know, coverage about that revolving loan fund uh was picked up by the CDFA and in their in their national um development finance review newsletter.

Uh it was also the topic of discussion at a Philadelphia City Council meeting not too long ago because this type of program is recognized as you know, a national model, and we really are among some of the most forward-thinking communities across the country in how we are thinking about developing this program.

Uh the third strategy is building partnerships with local institutions to support new housing and community investment.

There are too many partnerships to name here.

I highlighted just three of the major projects that really fall under this category and that are funded in part by this allocation in the civic expense account.

The first, of course, being the Gateway on Fourth, 120 unit mixed income affordable housing project that we're doing in partnership with LVIP and Penrose.

We just secured a LITEC Award, a low-income housing tax credit award for that project, which is a huge deal.

It is the first one we've had in the city of Bethlehem since 2013.

We were awarded in our first application round, which is not often the case, and it makes the first phase of that project possible.

And that is a huge, huge success for the City of Bethlehem and will result, uh, it should result in ground being broken on that project in the fall of next year.

Uh we also, of course, are working on the Pembroke Choice project.

Uh, we completed our two year planning process.

We submitted our plan to HUD, and we are now working on.

And we are now working on, well, first we're working on our early action project, which is just a small project to demonstrate progress in response to community need, and that's the redevelopment of Duckho Park there at the corner of Pembroke and Stefco and Washington Avenue.

And we're hoping to get that underway in early 2026.

That was a very community-driven project that we're really excited to bring to the community as it adds both kind of community and placemaking elements in the park itself and also emphasizes safe crossing and more walkability in an area that's otherwise pretty dangerous.

But also as part of that Pembroke plan looking forward, we're working with the housing authority, of course, on implementation.

The project has multiple elements.

It has its housing elements, its people element, its neighborhood element.

With respect to the people element and thinking about the services that can be associated with a revitalization of this public housing area, we were extremely fortunate to have the United Way interested in partnering with us, and they've committed to serving as our people lead in the implementation of that plan, which brings a lot of stability and resources and expertise to really help get those elements of the plan off the ground.

So, you know, in the next couple of months, we'll be thinking about working with them on how we start formulating an action plan, you know, with or without implementation dollars.

But we all we will also be uh pursuing a large grant from HUD for the implementation of the overall plan and particularly the the housing component uh as soon as an opportunity um comes up from the federal government for that.

And the third project I highlighted here again, emphasizing partnerships is the uh Western Gateway Revitalization Project, another partnership with New Bethany and Community Action and Lehigh University that looks to take uh two of the row homes right there by Cathedral Church within an activity on Third Street and rehab distressed properties and turning them into affordable housing.

The final two elements are uh protecting tenants at risk of displacement and increasing supply of deeply affordable units.

Uh, in this regard, as I mentioned, we've already been funding New Bethany and its tenant-based rental assistance program, uh, which has had tremendous outcomes.

Um, and we're also funding community action development Bethlehem and its tenant advocate.

And just to give you a sense of what those programs have already been able to accomplish with some of the dollars that we have provided from the city or that we've been able to leverage so that they could secure additional grant funding.

The community action development tenant advocate has supported in just its first year 95 different 98 households, um coordinated with North Penn to provide legal advice to 13, connected 29 households to rental or utility assistance, mediated 17 disputes with landlords with 100% resolution rate, and uh helped 65% of households facing eviction remain in their homes.

And that is an extremely powerful homelessness prevention strategy and you know, one that you know couldn't be possible without community action development Bethlehem and their leadership and the great people doing the work over there, and also without the support of city council who's made this funding possible.

And the new Bethany tenant uh-based rental assistance is also extremely valuable.

Um, you know, we provided the seed money for that fund and also supported five years of staffing support, you know, because we saw during well, organizations who who provide these kind of services saw during the pandemic that it was extremely difficult to get a lot of money to support you know, tenant, tenant um based rental assistance, but to not have the internal staff to manage those programs.

And it it was a conversation that we had with the folks at New Bethany with Mark Riddle, and you know, we asked him like what would make a program successful for you.

And at first he said, nobody's ever asked us that before, which is a wild thing if you're if you're trying to like truly do good work.

Um but he said what would be helpful is staffing support.

So we are both supporting the direct assistance that's going to tenants uh facing eviction and also the staffing support at New Bethany.

And again, that's through the Civic Expense Affordable Housing Account.

Uh the fifth strategy is simply advocating for uh state-enabling affordable housing policies programs and housing planning.

Uh, we've done that this past year in partnership with the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission and also the governor's action team around uh housing.

We were very active participants in both of those planning processes, and we continue to stay engaged with with those planning efforts.

And I know that this is a lot of information.

We sometimes struggle to present it and also kind of you know think about it in a way that is both um you know showing uh showing our progress and and and really thinking about results.

So to that end, we are actively working on um preparing a housing data dashboard that tracks our progress in each of these areas and has like real data associated with these dollars and how they're you know, not just what the dollars are doing, but like what outcomes they are producing as well.

So um we hope to to have that for for council and and for the public to review uh as one of our uh priorities for this coming year.

On the homeless initiatives um piece, as I mentioned, the jumping to the bottom, the two million that was allocated through the civic expense account that has been committed to Bethlehem Emergency Sheltering.

Uh we are working with BES on, as I said, the rehab of Christ C C C and transitioning that to year-round shelter.

The total project cost is going to be around six million dollars.

Um we are, in addition to providing the two million dollar commitment, we're also actively working with them on fundraising as well as their organizational planning to make that that project a reality.

Uh coming even sooner is the the top project listed there, the $2.9 million dollars that we've secured through home ARP, both our own allocation and a state allocation for uh the Packer Avenue project.

That's a property currently owned by Lehigh Conference of Churches.

We're partnering with them to turn that into an 11-unit family shelter.

That project is now fully funded since we received the home ARP award just a few months ago.

We've completed the environmental reviews and we're working in the RFP for final design and engineering for that project.

So in addition to those two major projects, you know, I I wanted to take a moment to talk about both buckets of funds that are city dollars or city controlled dollars or grant funds that we are partnering with organizations to provide homeless services in the city of Bethlehem.

Um I just think it's helpful to even see it in a listed format.

So, you know, as I mentioned, the Packer Avenue rehab is $2.9 million.

That's home ARP dollars that has come to us that we are directing to that project.

Um, the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter Rehab, we're committing the $2 million from the civic expense account, and also actively working with BES on grant applications totaling $4 million.

Um, you know, that would fully fund the project if we're successful successful in all of those grants at the full amount.

That's unlikely, but we do have that amount out in grant applications or going out today.

Thank you to Lori for getting the fair application out just um earlier this afternoon.

Um we also are supporting eight Bethlehem Homeless Service Providers through our community recovery fund in the amount of $300,000.

We're supporting six service providers through our CDBG funding in the amount of uh $594,000.

We are supporting nine Lehigh Valley-wide homelessness service providers in our administration of ESG.

That one's a little bit different.

Um, we're serving as the entity that is applying on behalf of the Lehigh Valley Regional Homelessness Advisory Board for uh regional homelessness organizations.

Um, you know, we we apply, we administer those grants.

We um had in the first year 400,000, and then we also worked recently uh to secure in short, you know, in a kind of urgent circumstances, um, given what's going on in both Allentown and Bethlehem to secure an additional 154,000 is going directly to service providers.

Uh we're also actively working on a grant application that'll support the Bethlehem Health Bureau and New Bethany through the Legs Grant, and that's a $500,000 application.

And as I mentioned, uh, we're working with New Bethany on uh homelessness prevention through the rental assistance program at $390,000.

Um so finally, the the last civic expense account is the community recovery fund.

Um we have been administering that program since 2023.

Uh in the first year that you'll you'll see on the the first um bar there, that's the number of applications uh and then also the awardees.

So uh in this 2025 year, we have had a significant increase in applications, which is unsurprising given the landscape with um nonprofits and and service providers.

But um we you know we currently have 72 applications from Bethlehem-based service providers for the community recovery fund.

Um and in terms of total dollars, let me just get there.

Um, so in our in our first year, we awarded about 799, eight about 800,000.

In our second year, we awarded about 500,000.

And this year, as I said, we're looking to make uh awards over the next few weeks here.

We have uh dispersed a large portion of those funds, although not all of it.

Um we work through um Laurie Gillio, the grants administrator, also to uh get those dollars out to these organizations.

So the amount that you see in your budget book, I think it's about 1.6 million.

If you actually if you actually then reduce that by what is encumbered for the 2023 and 2024 grantees who have already been awarded and are under contract, it leaves about uh 980,000 in that account.

And again, that then would cover the active applications that we have from the 2025 round.

Um again, the 72 organizations that have requested up to 3 million dollars from that account.

And that's the end of my presentation.

Um so as I said, I'm I'm happy to answer questions.

And also, you know, we've got our our whole team here who I'm sure would gladly relieve me from talking.

Gladly.

I well, that's a good point.

Thank you, Ms.

Collins.

Uh, we appreciate the presentation.

So I will start with our chair of our community development committee, Councilwoman Queatech.

Do you have any questions or comments for Ms.

Collins?

Thank you so much.

And I have to say that as the presentation was going on, uh, and uh the big thanks to uh Ms.

Satulo for emailing it to me so that I could could watch along um from a distance.

Um you basically answered every single one of the questions that I had.

Um there were a couple of things, uh something that was just a I just would like a little more explanation in the Health Bureau on page 58.

Um there's a reference to workforce development.

It's a 305,000 um line.

And I'm just curious what that represents in terms of uh the work of the Health Bureau.

I will turn it over to Ms.

Renmer.

Thank you.

Yeah, so we received um a five-year grant from the CDC for workforce development.

It was uh the first of its time kind of grant where it offered us flexibility.

Um, there really wasn't a prescribed um health issue that we had to use the funding for.

So right now, with all of the other grants that are currently in flux or getting decreased, we're able to convert those um that grant dollar, those grant dollars over into help pay for some of our personnel.

Oh, okay, great.

So we have that grant for two more years.

It ends in 2027.

Terrific.

And while you're there, I'll just say thank you for the incredible work.

Um, it really is inspiring and um amazing to see uh all the different areas of public health that you're addressing.

Uh and I'm glad that we were able to get an increase in some of those permitting fees to get you some more help because it's it's clearly um, you know, a huge part of your work is um impacting our community in so many important ways.

Um and also just also the Medicaid Managed Care Organization home visitation.

Can you tell us a little bit about that program?

Sure.

We entered into an agreement with AmeriHealth Curitas, that's a Medicaid managed care organization.

So they are giving us grant dollars because a large portion of the clients we see are Medicaid and a large portion of the Medicaid clients have AmeriHealth Curitas.

They understand the benefits in the work that we do and how we can help their clients achieve better health outcomes.

So Ameri Health has um they're currently funding 1.5 FTEs for us.

So we are now approaching other Medicaid managed care organizations.

Right now we're working with HIMARC on a contract with them as well.

That's so creative, and that really goes to this uh what Ms.

Collins mentioned, and which I had also highlighted in my notes and reading the budget of identifying and evaluating alternative funding mechanisms.

And so it's it's great to see that.

Um obviously uh we're all concerned about you know the federal level and and what's going on, but knowing that uh you're able to turn some um some energies and some and some efforts towards uh perhaps shoring up some other sustainable uh revenue sources is really good to hear.

So again, thank you to you and to all of your team.

Thank you.

You're dismissed now.

Thank you.

We can go back to Ms.

Collins.

Um so as I said, most of my questions were really answered.

Um I was curious about community plus and what that system does.

Does it bring together like the um RMS and the analytics and the dashboards?

Is it is it kind of pulling all that together in code enforcement?

Um so community plus is our citywide enterprise system.

So that's that is not a DCED specific, that's that's the core of the data that we have here at the city.

Okay.

So you're just using it, you're just leveraging it to get the the data that uh yeah.

Okay, that's great.

Um lots of pages.

Um, and again, on page 83 housing inspections, um, those new inspectors were moved over to the TAMS line, the ones that we added kind of was it sometime during the budget year last year that we we added them.

Correct.

Well, yes, yeah.

We previously had six housing inspectors last year.

We added two, which got us to eight, um, but oh, there were still two of them that were classified as contract while the others were TAMS.

So we did um transition them this year into the TAMS um category.

That's uh that's what I thought I was seeing on in the budget, but I wasn't entirely sure.

So I just wanted to confirm that.

And then um I sort of saw a bump in revenue um in that chart that you had in your presentation.

But um, is are you finding the increase in revenue is what was anticipated by adding those two inspectors?

I would say that the revenue in the housing inspections bureau is very dependent on the rental inspection cycle.

So, you know, as I talked about, we we inspect our rental housing stock on a three-year cycle.

So um you actually see the most variation uh based on like which properties are in which year.

So you might have a year that's got um some of the largest complexes, and you know, it's you know, we have to do a lot more inspections and it's also bringing in more revenue.

Um, or you might be in a year that's just like a you know, just for whatever reason, those that are in that category are just a little bit lower.

So we might have a little bit less revenue there.

But um, in general, I would say that having the two additional inspectors has been extremely beneficial just for the overall efficiency of the program and our ability to get through the large number of properties that we need to get through to carry out the program.

And you can really see that again in your charts, which thank you so much.

The visualization of the data for me is very helpful to see the the amount of your work that's um focused on complaints is really so small in comparison to the proactive um inspections that are going on.

Um, and I think that's how we keep our housing stock strong.

And you know, we've talked a lot about uh, you know, the best uh affordable housing is the housing that you're in now and all of that.

So it's so important to keep the existing housing stock, the existing rental um units uh in good working order and up to code.

So I appreciate that.

And it's good to hear that that seems to be um a big help.

Um, those were the only questions I had.

But once again, I just want to say um really inspiring, incredible work that's going on in your in your unit.

And um, you know, it's such a range of things as with all of what the city does, it's just so diverse.

But the fact that you are both uh helping drive the engine of economic development while also you know helping people who are not benefiting from that economic development yet and and need help.

Uh it's just it's an incredible array of work and services and programs.

And I just want to applaud you know your whole team in um in the unit in the in the department.

So thanks again for all of your work and to everybody who's there, thank you.

And to those of you who aren't there, maybe you're watching at home.

Thank you so much for all the work that you do.

And that's it for me, Mr.

President.

Thank you, councilwoman.

So I'll open it up to the rest of the committee.

Councilwomen Cramsy Smith and Wilhelm.

Do you have anything?

I'll I'll start with Ms.

Wilhelm.

So I'll I'll start where councilwoman Quietek left off, which is with thanks.

As you said, it's difficult to tell this story in a remotely concise way because it is so much and so big.

Um and impacts so many aspects of the way that we live in Bethlehem.

It's overwhelming.

Um we have so much to be proud of represented in what you shared this evening.

Um, you know, these are vast, comprehensive, crucial projects that are keeping people in safe housing, getting people into safe and affordable affordable housing, life-saving preventative care.

Um it's it's really remarkable.

And you know, your presentation also represents multiple robust partnerships.

And you mentioned um with Mr.

Riddle saying, like, nobody has ever asked me this question before, these things that seem obvious, but understandable.

An administration is doing the hard work to lift your head and look out and say, what do you need?

How can we work together?

And then how can this be sort of mutually beneficial?

And with I'm gonna say unprecedented amounts of public input.

And none of these additions to the work of an administration are small.

Creating channels and opportunities, public meetings, online opportunities and transparencies for people to share their needs and their lived experiences.

It means that you're doing work that is relevant and truly impactful.

Um again, thank you.

It's it's hard to sum it up, but thank you to everyone here.

Thanks to you and and and everybody who is putting in the work.

Um also just a couple of questions.

Um with regard to the community recovery fund, um, what are the plans to potentially sustain that fund beyond what we're looking at?

Is that something we can consider?

I think it's something we have to consider over the coming, you know, year or or years.

Um, you know, it has been a tremendous success.

It's been extremely valuable for a number of community organizations.

Um, and that's that's not a testament necessarily.

I mean, it's a testament to you all for for helping create the fund, but it really is because there are so many organizations doing really good work in the city of Bethlehem.

And you know, to be able to support them with a fund like this that doesn't have quite as many restrictions as state funding or federal funding that's more accessible to more people uh has been really, really important.

And I think, you know, I think what you would hear from those organizations is that you know finding a way to keep that going is going to be, you know, extremely important.

And I think that's a conversation you know, we need to have internally, but we need to have, you know, with you all as well.

Um, you know, what does that look like?

Um, and and you know, how are we, you know, committing to that moving forward?

Because you know, it really is a, you know, we've seen that like the city serving this function has had tremendous impact on our community.

Indeed.

Um I'm glad to hear that you're thinking that way.

And I mean, I can attest it's it is a rare and extraordinary opportunity to work with individuals within your in your own community.

And I know firsthand that you put uh a lot of effort into creating an application process that is um open and inviting, that you are willing to have meetings and conversations, that you're your helpful a grant application is you you know better than most.

Um even at the community level, um, is and if you've never done it, if you if you're a small nonprofit organization and you don't have the funds to support a professional grant writer, this is extremely daunting.

And to have the opportunity to talk directly with individuals to talk you through through the process.

I'm going to commend Ms.

Giulio on her first official year, I suppose.

Um, you know, this project alone feels like a full-time job, but I know and have talked with you and and am amazed at the glee with which you manage these if if you haven't participated in a feder one federal grant, I I can't comp and I I have, and I can't comprehend um the amount of reporting demands, multiple deadlines that that millions of dollars are at your at yours to yours to lose if you're not watching these things carefully.

You are also there looking at out at your community and saying, how can we make this process more accessible?

And I do feel like that's a running theme in your department at large, which I I value so so much because we talk, and it's great to have people at a budget meeting.

It's not common that we have people in the audience, and I get it, it's overwhelming.

It's not, it's not uh it doesn't feel like an inviting process, and you're you're taking something overwhelming and inviting people in that I really really appreciate that.

Um Ms.

Wenrich, I I had a couple of questions for you again.

Um could you say a bit more about Project Life Saver?

Sure.

Project Life Saver is a program um that we work in conjunction with the police department on.

So individuals who are at risk of wandering, um, somebody that has Alzheimer's, dementia, autism.

We have a grant um through the Bureau of Justice to be able to purchase bracelets and fit that individual with a bracelet.

The police department has tracking equipment.

So if that person wanders, they are able to deploy their resources and try to track that individual down.

Okay.

So that is something that you work directly with individuals to provide this service.

Are you working through partners or is that just through part?

Um, and then we do education out in the community promoting the program.

Residents will come to us um if they're in need of a bracelet, and then we'll provide the education and fit their loved one with a bracelet.

Thank you.

Um and I saw that there were 523 community connections referrals this year, past year.

Does that represent a steady increase since the program has it has it has increased year on year, yes.

Do you have a sense of sort of what percent increase?

Um, sorry, off the top of my head, I don't.

It's just been like slow incremental.

It's a complicated measure of success, right?

Because it reflects it is, and we have um a lot of individuals that we see repeatedly.

So, for an example, with the homeless population.

So the numbers on a whole might not look large, but they're repeated interactions.

So we have one person that pretty much is a point person right now with the homeless.

So they're every week, they're down in the encampment.

So they're working with the same individual.

So they're not counted as like duplicate um referrals, but right it's it's a lot in terms of of resources.

Yep.

And the it's um reflects a need, which is you know, hard to we don't we're not proud of the need, but we're proud of the response.

So um, I was I was really pleased to see that number and and glad that it's just that the program is more and more successful every year.

So thank you.

That's my last question for you.

Um rental inspections.

Um, that's every three years, correct?

Yes.

Um, when did that start?

2021, 2020.

2020.

I was wondering if that has been effective in sort of identifying and addressing absentee landlords and landlords who are not meeting their responsibilities and what that process is like.

I would say yes.

I also will probably ask Ms.

Satulo and Mr.

Simonson to fight over who wants to chat about that topic.

Good evening.

Uh so prior to the enactment of our proactive rental inspection program, um, it was basically a landlord had to call us at change of tenant, and it was an honor system.

So that meant we were getting into the same properties of the same landlords who are playing by the rules, and we realized that we were not getting into thousands uh of properties.

We have about 15,000 um rental units across the city.

So we are now stepping foot in every single one of them every three years.

Um, and the work really actually starts with our rental licensing manager.

Um, she will she stops at nothing at finding people, finding rentals, identifying them.

Um, and she does it, you know, with amazing customer service and even with folks that she's kind of come after or gotten them to pay three, you know, back years, they will come in the office to like introduce themselves to Wilma.

Um, so she does a wonderful job.

And then um the amount of knowledge just all of our housing inspectors have about the housing stock and landlords and who owns what that's just kind of a kind of another measure.

So we really are getting to um almost every single rental every three years.

Um, that does not mean that we don't have landlords who don't comply.

Um, you know, that is gonna happen in any sort of program.

Um, but we are well aware of who they are, um, and we have ongoing enforcement actions with them.

I think it's wonderful as a renter.

I appreciate it.

Obviously, I've been fortunate to have excellent landlords, but I know that's not always the case.

And I think um this is a really important service to those who are um having that experience, knowing that somebody will be there and and is robustly interested in their well-being and livelihood.

Um, I think that's my last question, but just um thank you again.

We have a lot to be proud of.

And um, you know, Bethlehem is setting examples in our work, as you said.

Um, it's you know, I know with the community connections and um other programs being being looked to and um not just not just the work itself, but the extent to which we are putting effort into collecting the data um and communicating that if we don't do that work, um, you know, success builds success in that regard.

And I appreciate the investment that we put in to um making sure that we are um collecting and communicating our successes that we can then build upon.

And every time we sit here and hear you talk about what has happened in the past year, we see that it's built on what has been created and so on and so on.

Uh so thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman Councilwoman Cramsy Smith as dealer committee member.

All right, thank you.

Um thank you for the presentation and thank you to the various bureaus for all um you've done throughout the year.

I I have some questions.

I'm just gonna go um page by page in the book.

Okay.

So on page uh 53 under administration, I just want to get clear on the new physicians because it looks like it's uh an increase of 2.3 positions from this year till next year.

So the one is Secretary 2, and that's going to be under code enforcement.

Is that what that is on page 53?

So there is one new position in administration.

And yes, that is a secretary two position.

So the secretary two positions are union positions in in DCED.

All of them are listed under administration.

They all have the same job description.

It's a you know clerical two under the the SE uh the union category.

Um, but they are in practice um more associated with certain departments.

So of those existing here, um, you know, one is currently more associated with code.

The new one will be more associated with code, um, whereas another is more associated with housing inspections.

Okay.

But they are listed in the administration budget as opposed to those other bureaus.

Okay.

And then um I had a question about overtime, just because it looked like I mean it went from 452 in 24 to 4,000 in 25, like that's 10 times more.

Can you just comment on that?

I can, yeah.

So um we paid out of the overtime line in this administration budget for um uh one of our code employees, the plan reviewer to to do overtime work.

So, you know, as a result of being you know grossly understaffed, which is why we increase fees and are and adding more staff, you know, before we were able to put that into place, you know, we were we were we were really struggling to keep up with the volume of work.

So we did have our plan reviewer um working overtime, working on the weekends to um work through that stack, and we just we didn't actually previously have in the 0303 budget an overtime line, so we did have to pay them out of 0301.

Um, but you will see, I believe that we did this year add an overtime line into 0303.

Right.

I did see that.

Okay.

And then under um training in ed, I see that that doubled.

And I'm all a proponent of training in ed, but I'm just wondering why it doubled.

And I'm also hoping that um, you know, everyone's taken advantage of all the free, you know, free resources like the NYU Firm and Center and um, you know, the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Urban Institute and Ground the Solutions, and you know, there's so many free resources out there for trainings.

Yep.

Um, so the the training continuing is actually the same um from 2025 to 2026.

It was increased from 24 to 25, but it is it is the same proposed for 26 as it was for I was just wondering why it doubled from 2024 to 2025, it doubled.

Um, I I think it was based on you know the the need.

We've got a number of, you know, myself, the deputy directors, um, you know, the grants administrator, a number of people who are are in this uh bureau who are taking advantage of continuing education who are taking advantage of trainings, um conferences, particularly around housing and housing policy.

Um, and so you know, we we just uh increased that last year.

You increased that last year um based on that need.

Okay, thank you.

Um, and then I didn't really have any questions about health because those questions were answered, and then on page 63, the the plan review of then if you could just say that so that's a total new position, correct?

Is that correct?

Okay, so what does that position entail?

So in the in the construction process, um, when a developer comes in uh or or a homeowner comes in uh seeking a permit, they do have to present plans, um, you know, engineered plans associated with um their permit application.

So it would be the person who is primarily responsible for reviewing those plan sets.

Okay, so I guess someone's an extremely technical position.

Sure, yeah.

It's a new position.

So who did this before?

So previously we had one employee who was serving as both a plan reviewer and an inspector.

He was uh labeled in the budget book as uh as an inspector.

Um that employee uh left in the middle of last year.

We filled that position with somebody who is now uh performing um just inspections um in anticipation, you know, of adding this position that we'll be doing just um plan review.

Okay, so it would be a totally new position within the bureau government.

Yeah, as as I mentioned, there are there are two totally new positions in the bureau.

Um that was addressed in the the memo that was associated with the construction fee permit increases that city council passed.

So you had the first vote on those two two meetings ago and the second vote on Tuesday.

I'm aware of those, yes.

And and so uh the proposal that was presented as part of that um construction permit fee increase uh was that the associated uh increase in revenue would cover these two positions um, you know, directly.

Okay, and then also we talked about the overtime.

You said that would be now this year it's gonna be 5,000 that you're putting in there as a line item that didn't exist before.

So okay.

Okay.

And let me see.

Moving on.

Um okay, so page 67.

Um, and I might have missed this, but the neighborhood coordinator is a it says it's a contract position.

Correct.

So um what do they do?

Because I don't recall.

That's the that's uh Mr.

Dario, who is primarily responsible for the North Side program.

Um the North Side alive.

She was hired in 2023.

Um her role has expanded over time.

She's now um working in a number of different like neighborhood and community engagement functions.

Um, she's been extremely successful at advancing the North Side program.

Um she's gonna be working with us as we pursue the next five-year plan.

Uh, she was also instrumental in the Pembroke Choice uh project and um, you know, is doing a number of other uh projects um with the department.

Okay, and that's a full-time position, I assume.

Correct.

Right, give it okay.

But it's a contract position.

It says contract position.

Yes, it is a contract position.

All right.

Um and then I think I've asked this before.

I'm just very interested in Delerta Affordable Housing.

So it's it looks like we're budgeted for 97,000.

Um is that just gonna go total totally toward like the gateway and the BES and all the initial the current projects, or is there anything else that that's earmarked for?

So we we are you're marking that for the gateway on fourth uh project and phase one.

Okay.

Thank you.

Um you see what else?

Oh, the temporary help then on page 75.

So this is under recycling.

That really um increased significantly from 2024 to 2025, and then a little increase for 2026.

But um, can you just comment on why you know why there's such a need for that?

Or is there um the temporary help in the recycling bureau?

Those are the I believe there are 12 part-time employees who operate um at the drop-off center and the compost center.

Okay, so those are part-timers, but we have them under temporary correct.

Yes, okay, thank you.

Okay, and um okay, page 79.

Um, I just wanted to clarify.

So we have the economic development coordinator, and then we have the deputy director of economic development.

So those are two totally different positions, and they've existed for the last.

Well, the coordinator existed since 2023.

That was a new position, correct?

No, it was not.

It um prior to 2023, economic development bureau didn't have its own breakout in the budget book.

Um, so that position did previously exist.

It was just listed under the community development bureau.

Okay.

It still shows up on page 67 in 2022.

It's there and it disappears 23 because it reappears on 79.

Yeah, I believe the economic development coordinator has been a position with the city for since at least maybe 2013 2012, 2010.

Yeah, because I see a in 2022 on 67, and then it goes to 2020.

Okay.

Um, and then the the other expenses, which um it went from like 3,000 to 35.5 this year.

And I believe under that it says I was just curious about the ed program implementation.

That's 30,000 on page 80.

Um, yes, so we just abbreviated economic development program um implementation.

So that what that's uh um uh line item that's been in the budget for quite a while, you know, as part of our um enterprise zone designation.

Um, we we are putting money aside to implement that program and you know, looking forward, we're actually gonna be um uh trying to uh renew that program.

So some of those funds are are are meant to go towards that effort, um, but they also can more broadly support economic development programs in the city.

So it'd be more it would be more for programs and for programs and uh for our enterprise zone renewal.

Renew looking forward, yeah.

Okay.

Okay, and then um I think that's I have we went through the housing inspections.

Oh, and then finally, I just wanted to talk about the community uh recovery fund because I just wanted to get a feel for the process because correct me if I'm wrong, but is it that we you know we have it in the budget, but we do not have a say or vote on who exactly gets the different funds.

So we treat the community recovery fund process very similar.

We built it similar to the community development block grant process in terms of like what our review looks like, um, but there is not a we we have not put in a step in which city council uh votes on those approvals.

So the process uh, you know, we have um applications go out around you know March or April.

Um applicants have a couple of months to submit those applications.

Again, we receive 72 this year.

We have about a dozen people across city departments who um uh end up in in small review teams to review those applications.

So we typically group them by um program area, whether it's um food access or housing or senior services, and then we put subject matter experts from the city in those review groups.

Uh they have a scoring rubric, and then we uh work through a multi-layer review process and then ultimately come up with the um award list um with through through that um scoring process.

Okay.

So I guess so for this year you would said um it was it says 1.6, but there's really I think 800,000.

Did you say that is about 980,000, I believe is 98,000 left.

And when will you know who exactly is going to be designated to get the funds for for 2026?

Or did you already did you all you'll only designated the funds for 2025 at this point?

You said within the next couple of weeks, I know.

So we are on our third uh round.

So the first round we we called uh program year 2023.

And so that was you know, spring application window open, we made the awards by the end of 2023.

Uh then there was last year, same process.

We made our 2024 awards.

So between those two buckets, you know, we are currently administering those grants because we don't send all the money out right away.

It's a reimbursement process.

So we are actively administering those grants, which is how you get from the 1.6 to the to the 980, um, because those awards have already been made, um, but we're still you know waiting for the reimbursement requests from from various organizations.

So then for the 2025 for our third program year, uh we received applications, we received 72 of them.

We are nearing the end of our review process, and so the awards for those should be going out in the next couple of weeks.

Okay.

So it's more like toward the end of the year that the awards will actually be granted.

And this is through the ARPA money initially, right?

Is that how that's how it started, I believe.

It did, it did start uh with ARPA.

Um, so with the lost revenue replacement that that made possible, then the general fund expenses for affordable housing, homelessness, and the community recovery fund.

Okay.

The only the question I would have at this point, I mean, I know I thought about it last year too, is like I feel that council should have a say or at least an approval or to look at it to see who's getting it, because I think it's I feel like it's sort of risky and the liability because it's ARPA money is tax money, and we're not knowing who's getting this money, and God forbid there's a question, and we're the ones that you know, in addition to the administration responsible for you know, dispersing and making sure um the taxpayers' money is being distributed, you know, as appropriately as it should be.

So that's the recommendation or comment I would make.

I think moving forward that in the there needs to be some kind of mechanism or provisions where um it's reviewed.

Yeah, and just to add a little bit more about the review process.

So our guidelines are posted online, which do indicate and I believe they also include our scoring rubric on there.

So you can see, you know, pretty clearly, and we've been pretty transparent about what the criteria are, what the rubric is by which we are um evaluating, and you know, we do have, as with any disbursement of dollars, a pretty robust review process.

And you know, if there are, you know, um, you know, we we ask applicants if they have any perceived conflicts, you know, with the you know the city at all, and you know, we think through those those different different pieces, we coordinate with the controller's office, um, you know, as we're administering the funds and and and always considering anything that like you said that could present a liability for the city.

That's definitely baked into the process, I guess is my understanding that I certainly believe that it is, and um, you know, I'm not questioning it, I'm just saying that um, you know, we're a branch of government and we you know we have we have to trust in all the departments as far as the money goes, but then every you know the departments have to come to us for approval for all the money.

So I think if that's the case, we shouldn't have one area where we're not even knowing where the money's going.

I think it's just a real liability and a risk.

You know, I'm not questioning, you know, where it's going or how the process is going or saying anything is wrong with it, but I think that proper protocol for taxpayer funded money is the council should be able to know who's getting that money.

Okay.

Thank you.

That's all the questions I have.

Thank you, councilwoman.

Any other questions or comments from other members of council?

Councilwoman Laird.

Uh just brief ones.

Um, and I'll keep my thanks to just thanks.

You know, there's more there.

Uh so uh for recycling.

Um it looks like most of the goals uh for the upcoming budget year.

I know that there were some uh improvements made to the recycling center this year, which is great.

Uh it looks like most of the goals are just like maintain the service that's already existing and enforce the existing rules.

Um and I wondered though, because we do have our climate action plan and we do have um, you know, our EAC and everything, um, when we might see some investment made in some new initiatives, like if that's in your it's not in this year's budget, but is that in the longer term view to explore some new programs, new products we could recycle, et cetera.

Well, first I'll say with with respect to the bureau detail.

I mean sometimes we put a lot in there and sometimes we sort of just leave it um as it's always been, but I don't know that it has that page in particular necessarily reflects the actual um work with respect to the climate action plan because for example, Mr.

Halpforster is an active member of the subcommittee on uh local food and waste and is participating very actively in any of the climate action plan strategies that are coming out of um his particular area.

Um so while they're not reflected in activities of the bureau specifically, I would say that essentially everything that we covered this morning at the climate action plan update that was coming out of that food and sub waste committee and has a tie to the recycling bureau is in fact something that Mr.

Help Forster is working on.

Um I there's not uh dollars associated with it that are reflected in the budget, but in terms of uh, you know, his time and his effort and you know what's coming out of the climate action plan, like he he he is actively engaged in that.

Um, you know, and that includes everything from you know, talking about um you know how our local festivals are um um recycling and you know how we can better enforce that.

He's been very involved in those conversations, um, and about you know, food composting and and things like that as well.

So there right, so there is conversation about um the example you just made, food composting for one.

Um and I'm glad to know that.

Um, I'm hoping that we can see some investment in the budget uh in future years.

I I know that that we're not just there yet.

Um and I'll also say that sometimes initiatives that come out of um you know that that subcommittee, for example, they they are funded, but maybe just not from this budget specifically.

Right.

So, for example, one of the initiatives that came out of that um that that climate action plan subcommittee was the change to the big belly um, you know, um solar compostable, like the um the the containers and that are out here and that are on Main Street.

And so Mr.

Halforster was very involved in that, you know, and that was funded by the city, but not out of his budget, that actually came from a health grant, for example.

Got it.

Okay, thank you.

Uh, and then my only other question is I know that we have uh the money earmarked for BES, which I fully support, and um, you know, we've heard consistently from public commenters throughout the the whole year um about you know public support for continuing uh to look out for that population and do what we can infrastructure-wise and funding-wise.

Um I'm wondering if you think that the that there will be real traction this year.

I know you're not the city does not run the shelter, um, and there's lots of factors at play, but um are we do we think that there's a chance that some of these uh physical improvements to the space that need are needed, etc.

can happen within this year?

So the total project cost is is six million dollars.

And so the question of what you know when work can start is very dependent on you know when the money is secured.

So uh, you know, we have committed the two million, and and as I said, we're we're currently working with them.

We have active applications out for LSA, both the county and the statewide.

We have an active um RCAP application, and also we just submitted today a fair application, and those in total uh are four million dollars.

Um, and also BES is working on their own side um on a uh capital campaign for for private dollars as well.

So um, you know, do I think that there's going to be construction in 2026?

No, I don't, but do I think that we're gonna make great progress on securing dollars that will make that more possible?

I do, I do think we will.

Okay.

Um, and I believe I had heard that there's leadership transitions coming.

That's correct.

Yeah.

Is that um a concern in terms of moving forward on that project?

We are having regular conversations, you know, and we have been even even before the transition change, um, not only with the executive director, but also with members of the board.

So we have a standing meeting every other Monday.

Um, and as this news about the transition came, you know, we've continued that cadence of meetings.

We're having conversations with them about their plan, you know, first to you know, just stabilize for this shelter season and make sure that they have the management in place, and then also thinking long-term planning about you know who fills that role and or you know what the organization you know looks like moving forward.

Um, so uh, you know, I think that the board is you know strong in their thinking about how to move forward, they're still committed to the goal of um you know, sheltering not just for this season, but in the future and sheltering, not just you know, in the um that the temporary seasonal way that they do currently, but also working with the city on the the long-term year-round plan.

Thank you.

Those are all my questions.

Any other questions or comments from members of council?

Mr.

Callahan.

Thank you.

Uh Miss Callis, thanks for that presentation.

I I appreciate it.

What what year did you become uh the director?

2022.

2022.

All right.

Oh, if you could go to page 53, please.

So in uh in 2022, um there was eight positions, correct?

Uh as how yes, how it's broken out here in the book, yeah.

And now in and then uh then the first the one year after you got in, it was up to nine, uh it was up one final year up another half, and then this year up a whole nother position.

So we're up two and a half positions under administration, correct?

So uh yeah.

So what happened from 2022 to 2023?

We did add the grants administrator.

That's the um work that Miss Gillio is doing that we've talked about a number of times this evening.

Prior to that, the city didn't have a dedicated person to fill that role, both for like grants that we were seeking, but also that was the same year that we established the community recovery fund.

So that position was created to support the community recovery fund.

Yeah.

Um, after that, the half that you're um describing is actually the contract position, it's half for World Heritage, and that that does pay half of Miss Ajello's um salary.

So that's it's not actually a new position, it's just that it's funded in part out of out of the um community economic development budget now.

And then the other is the one that we also just talked about previously, uh, which is the um code related clerical person who is going to be funded by the increase in construction permit fees.

Right.

So um the administration's in your department since 2022 went up two and a half positions.

Um if you could turn to page for those reasons that I just described, right?

Right.

There's gonna be, I'm sure there's gonna be lots of reasons on page 63.

Um in 2022, code enforcement was at six when you took over.

Correct.

It's at seven now, so that's a plus one, right?

Correct.

We mentioned multiple times this evening that we're proposing two positions.

I would be more than happy to talk about I'm just I'm just trying to, I'm just trying to get a total of where we're going.

Okay.

So we're up to the explanation is not important, just the total.

Oh, it is, but I'm sure the fire department's explanation is also you know, more valid.

Um page 67.

So we're up three and a half positions right now, right?

Community development under um how or uh under community development, and you took over, it was at six positions.

It's up, it's at six now.

Correct.

Well, it went down one in the actual in 2023 was five.

So then it went back up again.

So that's a plus one.

Well, it started at six and now it's at six.

Right.

Uh planning and zoning 2022 was three, correct?

Correct.

And it's at what now?

It's right here on page 71.

What's that say four?

So it's up one.

Thank you.

Okay.

All right.

Let's move to recycling.

When you took over, it was at five.

And we're up at what now?

Six.

Yeah.

Would you like an explanation on that one?

No.

Oh, okay.

Because it was a position that was previously in another department and it was just moved to my department.

I know there's a lot of shifting around.

Okay.

Yeah.

So we're up one there in your department.

That's another one.

It's head count neutral because it was a position that just existed in a different place previously.

Or we raise fees or other things.

I mean, it'd be beautiful if the fire department could raise fees every time they go out to uh a fire call and and and hire more people.

It'd be great if the police department could do that.

Unfortunately, they can't.

So you you have a department where you have the ability to you know to raise fees like that.

Okay.

So we're up to total positions uh economic development.

When you took over in 2022 on page 79, there was zero.

As I mentioned previously, the economic development bureau didn't previously have its own budget breakdown in the book.

It existed elsewhere.

So again, that's just a shift in the book.

It was previously in a different place and is now here.

Yeah, that's plus two.

It's not plus two, it just moved from a different place in the budget book.

But under your control, though.

It it moved from a different place in the budget book.

Right.

There was no change in the number of employees in the department.

Okay.

Housing inspections, page 83.

When you took over, it was eight positions, correct?

Correct.

It's now ten.

Correct.

All right.

Is there a good reason for that one now?

Because that's I know we raise fees for that, right?

Do we raise fees?

We did not raise fees for that.

We didn't.

Okay.

So that's we're up two up two now.

That's that's the end.

That's the last one.

Right.

So that's eight and a half positions since you took over.

And I I only bring it up because under certain times during the times I've been on council back 10 years ago, there were departments when we were struggling.

We all and Mayor Rands was part of a council at the time.

Mr.

Evans was too.

We had to make very tough decisions in cutting almost every department.

Fire took probably the biggest hit.

They took four.

And I think there was actually some a couple before that, but I'm not 100% sure on that.

So but I do know that they're down four.

Your department just keeps every year increasing, increasing positions, positions and position.

And I know there's economic development going on in the city, but you can't tell me there was more, there was there was probably more economic development in the city the in the years that the casino was being built.

I mean, we we've had I know you mentioned like it was 1.5 billion dollars.

We've had multiple years like that where we've had that same around number, sometimes higher in economic development, and the ministrations at that time handled all that with a much smaller workforce than what you're proposing tonight.

So I'm not saying this in a personal way, what I'm saying is there's gonna have to be some cuts because there anybody in your department that is forced overtime, mandatory overtime.

That's not how the department of community economic development works.

There's does there anybody in your department that's required to work 39 hours straight without a break?

No, no, their department does.

So I'm not picking on your department.

What I'm saying is there's gonna have to be cuts.

Something has to be done because the fire department is working at a strained level, and it's probably along with the police department when it comes to public safety.

I don't mess around with it.

It's the two most important departments in the city of Bethlehem.

And economic development, I think right now is bloated, severely bloated.

And I would love to be able to have them or the administration say, hey, you know what?

Every time they go out on a call, there's gonna be a fee.

Because that's what we do in your department.

Whenever we want to add something, there's fees added, and that's your justification at budget.

Hey, it's it's you know, we're gonna raise this this money for these positions.

I wish they could do that.

I wish the police department could do that, because we could probably add in a lot more.

The fact that we can't find $500,000 to find four more firemen is is ridiculous.

And and it's not up to you, it's up to the administration.

And it's gonna be it's excuse me, it's gonna be the will of the administration and council to find the $500,000.

So they aren't dealing with 39-hour work shifts, and they aren't in it, and we're spending over a million and a million dollars a year in overtime.

Can I just say, you know, I think my role as the director of community economic development department is to talk about the work that we do and why it's important and to you know explain these things.

I did present that the budget itself is 96% funded by by grants and fees.

It doesn't have a large impact on the general fund.

But with all of that said, you know, the decisions of council as it relates to the overall budget are the decisions of council.

Um, you know, I I don't appreciate it being put in a position where it's uh an us versus them.

I I have tremendous respect for the fire department.

I think the conversations that you have are important ones, but you know, I I certainly won't be baited into having a conversation about what's more important because that's not the right question.

So I'm not trying to bait you, but I wanted to make sure that I made the points now because when we're starting to talk about their budget, when you're done with your budget here, I'm assuming everybody's leaving.

And I didn't want to say this in without you present.

I didn't, I don't talk behind people.

You know me, I'm very straightforward person.

I don't talk behind people's backs.

So I wanted to say what I'm gonna say, and I got more to say when we start talking about the the fire department, police department budgets.

I wanted to say what I have to say because I didn't, I'm gonna be saying this when it when they're when I'm talking about trying to find them $500,000.

I'm gonna be going after your department.

And I didn't want you to feel like I backstabbed you after you left.

I said it.

And while I'm here and have the mic, and you know, while the members of the department are here, I will just of course have to say that you know that the staff works incredibly hard.

I think all of their positions are extremely valuable, they do an incredibly good job, and we've had tremendous outcomes.

Again, that's not an us versus them conversation at all.

I don't because that is not the conversation.

Um, and I have tremendous respect for the fire department, but also just you know, these these people work really hard every day, and to to hear that I'm sure is tough.

So I just want to reiterate that you know they do an incredible job.

I I respect their I I respect it too.

I respect everything that they do.

Anytime I've had to deal with your department, they've been very professional.

So I do appreciate that.

It's just that over the years, there's things been that been happening, especially on the two years I wasn't on council.

There was hires made of people that had no experience to do the jobs that they were put in.

Zero, and I don't want to mention names, but but there was zero, all right.

That big positions that had zero economic development experience.

I disagree with that characterization, but I don't think that's an appropriate conversation.

Right.

But anyways, on page 63 on the plan reviewer.

So we just hired someone, someone was doing that job, the plan review and also inspections.

We had a person who did who did both.

Um while that person was still still here when we were talking about adding a position.

The consideration was we could add a position that would would also do both, would be a half-time plan review, a halftime inspector.

Uh that person did leave in the middle of the year.

Um, and at that time we re-evaluated what made the most sense for the department, and rather than having a split position, it made sense to have you know an additional full-time inspector and an additional plan reviewer.

Right.

So we brought someone new from the outside to fill a position that was vacated when somebody left.

Right.

Why didn't we I mean wouldn't it have been better to try to take someone that's already in our I apologize?

You're you're right, actually.

We did we did promote somebody internal.

I'm all right, yeah.

When you said yeah, outside.

But wouldn't it have been better to hire someone that could or uh whoever we filled for that position that could do the same thing instead of adding a new position?

We had always contemplated at that time adding a new position.

The question was just whether we were going to propose adding a position that was a part-time plan reviewer and inspector, or adding a position that was one and then making the other one also you know full-time.

All right.

So when you went to the administration with this with your contemplation, they agreed to it.

It was a good thing in their eyes to do to add this position because it's in the budget book now, correct?

Which is the proposal that was presented, not just to the administration, but to city council, which was in the it was very um detailed in the memo that I provided with the ordinance that was read both on first and then final passage and passed seven zero by city council.

That was part of the whole package of a plan that was very clearly spelled out in that memo.

Yeah, I'm just saying though, in my perspective, we hired someone that can't do the job that can't do the job of the person that they're fulfilling.

That's all I'm saying.

That's incorrect.

Yeah.

Well, there's a new position for for that other that's in that's incorrect.

Didn't you just say that we made a strategic decision that we wanted one person who did just inspections and one person who did just plan review, right?

That was a right.

So and the person who is doing inspections is highly qualified to do inspections.

So we have two people instead of the one person.

Mr.

Simonson is jumping up and just step up here for a second.

So um, so before the previous person who left, we had we had conversations internally in our department that this job needed to be split up.

It was it was more than what any one person can handle, and it was affecting review times and other things like that.

Not any lack, just lack of time.

Um, that's what rendered the overtime in the budget that we spoke about earlier that was uh put in there.

So when we had the chance, I when I reviewed the the code enforcement fees, they worked they they were uh stagnant for the last 21 years.

So um, so I just raised the fees, a very minimal amount for our permit fees, just to cover some additional employees so that our office can run more smoothly and we can keep up with the so what I'm I'm what I'm hoping is that we don't have to go through as much professional service, the third party plan review or anything like we did this year, because I will have a full-time plan reviewer on staff.

Thank you, Mike.

Yeah, yeah.

Miss Collins.

So the um so it was you guys were contemplating this, and you presented it to the mayor, correct?

Yeah, yeah.

We pres we presented it to the mayor, but this was a comprehensive plan.

It wasn't just that we um we're we're we're contemplating it.

We tried to find a way that we could complement the developers, the the homeowners, that everybody who's putting in their permit applications and fees and plans, and at the same time minimize the impact on the thing.

So if you um the the on Tuesday night when uh the uh the fee increases were the fee increases were um presented, you could see they're very minimal fee increases for over a 20-year period.

Um, construction value per square foot has gone up 60 to 80 percent in that 20 years, and our fees probably went up five to fifteen percent from the 2024 costs.

So um my my whole point in asking it was though it was something that you guys wanted, and you presented it to the administration to the mayor, Mr.

Evans, and they put it in the budget so they agreed to it.

It was something that they felt was important, correct?

Well, it was something I felt important was important.

Mr.

Mr.

Collins, can I answer the question here?

Because I think it's been made very clear that you guys just voted on Tuesday for the fees after Ms.

Collins sent you a very lengthy memo.

I don't have a problem with the fees.

Can I can I please can I please talk?

But the fees going up are to pay for the position.

So as we have tried to explain to you in years past, like the ability to be able to raise revenue associated with an individual job, and the origin of this job is Ms.

Collins has talked about now, probably 10 or 15 times in this room, is the idea that as Mike has said as well, people wait for time period.

Every single person in the city council is contacted, Mr.

Simonson or that department to ask why aren't things moving quicker?

Why is this person waiting six weeks, nine weeks, so on and so forth?

So the proposal was should we take this to city council because they're people that are looking for this fees, as you know, associated with these particular permits and things like that can only be supported for these particular functions.

So the ability to come to basically say we have an ability to do this thing that people are asking for, and I believe Miss Collins laid it out in her her in her memo as far as where permits went from from year one to year two, year three, which was consistent with what the experience was of people on city council.

So the proposal in the conversation from Mike and from Miss Collins was because people are saying things are waiting this long, since we're able to take this particular fee.

Should we go have the conversation with city council about whether or not they want to raise this fee to shorten those times and approve the plans, which city council passed twice, including the fees, two meetings in a row.

So I'm not sure where the disconnect is here as far as like something you literally just voted on versus like what we're talking about, but it was a conversation about what the trade-off is, and ultimately, if city council went to go rescind the fee increases or want to rescind this and so on and so forth, there's nothing else that can be done with that money because that money goes to pay for the administration of the particular fees.

No, I no, I get it, but I'm just trying to um I'm trying to establish that a department felt there was a need or a want.

They presented it to you to add additional hires, and they came up with a way, uh or you came up with a way or agreed to present the council to raise fees to fund the new positions, correct?

Right.

Okay, that's all I want.

That's all I want to establish.

Okay, I think when we talk about fire, we need to have that same conversation.

And and I think and I think I would agree with you here.

And one thing I would agree with with Ms.

And one thing that Chief Griffin would tell you as well is that whatever the needs are, and whatever city council decides to do with the fire department or not, is that like we are a team here that work together.

So whatever it is that are needs as far as fees are concerned, but you are correct in that the ability in some departments to be able to pay for services with fees is different than it is in other departments.

Like EMS is one of those ones.

We're able to get money from certain things.

Some part of the fire department is paid for by some fees having to do.

That's correct, Mr.

Evans, right?

That some of the fees having to do with fire permits and things like that help to pay for those salaries.

What we are unable to do, and what is often the reason why every couple of years incrementally we decide to raise taxes one percent, two percent, three percent, is because there are some expenses that can't be paid for with fees that they just can't be.

The fees need to go to pay for the the administration of what it is.

So when we're talking about different budgets, like one of the challenges in some budgets, such as Department of Community Economic Development, is that since they process permits and things like that, you can take that revenue in a way that you can pay for expenses that you can't do in other departments.

It's the same thing with water and sewer.

Like water and sewer has the ability to be able to go to the PUC and so on and so forth to be able to raise money through those fees and the permits to pay for their own and so on and so forth.

So it's both not it's not a fair comparison, though, to say, like you guys could there, and I've talked about this before with earned income tax and other things.

The challenge and the reason why, and the reason why I've done it in the past, and I've done it many times, and I've been attacked for doing it to raise taxes, is to keep promises and to pay for public safety.

So unfortunately or fortunately, depending on how you look at it, I kind of look at it fortunately, is like when you want to look to pay for public safety, it comes from property tax.

Like that's what the revenue source is.

That's what the revenue source has been for 18 years that I've been here, and that's the revenue source that's laid out as far as what's allowed by the state of Pennsylvania to be able to raise revenue to pay for things and so on and so forth.

But can't the ARPA money be used for the fire department also?

What ARPA money are you talking about?

We have ARPA money left.

Yeah.

So as I know Miss Collins kept saying committed, it's only committed because past councils committed it.

No, it's committed because one of the things that we've talked about is when we received the 34 million dollars, and I've mentioned this many times, and I know you don't come to the budget presentations, and you don't come to the state and city and don't listen to me talk about this.

But for the past four years, we've talked about how we had a plan for the 34 million dollars, and the 34 million dollars was we took 10 million dollars and we spent lost revenue replacement for five five years in a row.

So that was 10 million dollars.

We avoided borrowing twice for capital bonds.

That was I believe 14 million dollars.

Yeah, I don't need a full explanation.

I think you do because back to Miss Collins' point, though, is like if you continue to repeat things that aren't true, it is necessary for us to be able to correct the record.

And I've been talking about this as openly as I possibly can be for four years.

So I want to be very clear about this because uh you said you didn't want an explanation.

It's hard to have confident then moves until you have an explanation of what is or what it is not true.

So when we decided to do that, and when I ran for this job on this, and I was elected and then re-elected, I was very clear that what we're gonna do is we were going to balance both the needs of the long term versus the short term.

That money was passed in Congress in March of 2021 to pay for the effects and the consequences of what happened with the pandemic.

And we looked at that as a city, and we got behind this, and a lot of these people came to work here under this idea that we were going to invest in the systems that broke down, and we made a policy decision to do that, but we didn't spend all 34 million dollars in housing or homelessness or community recovery fund and so on and so forth.

We bought fire engines, we paved roads, we did all sorts of work that were obligations that were shared by all 80,000 people.

So part of the deal that we made at the time during Reynolds, I don't need a filibuster on this.

It's not a filibuster, Mr.

Cowan, and nobody talks in this room more than you do.

And I wish Mr.

Clone, I would have the opportunity to continue.

A couple things I'm gonna interject, Mr.

Callahan.

I'm rejecting all I'm gonna ask.

Well, a couple things is one to and I understand where you're coming from, Mr.

Callahan, but I think Mr.

Reynolds' point, because one thing I I want to remind everyone when you ask a question and introduce a question, I think everyone in the room, council, administration audience is all entitled and answer.

So even though to some things it might be regardless of it, the answer, and I've said this before, the answer is the answer.

I don't ask I didn't ask him the question, but another thing I would say too respect to the fire department, which has been a major subject of this conversation, we're on a community and economic development.

And I heard what you told Ms.

Collins, and to a degree I understand it, but at the same time, I have a sneaky suspicion I'm gonna hear this again when we get to the fire department budget, which is fine, but then let's save it for the fire department budget.

I just again I just didn't want to say what I said after she had left and her department.

I wanted lending the I wanted them to hear what I was thinking, and that was it.

I understand.

So she's gonna hear as being fair on my part to be honest with you.

She is gonna hear it right, whether it's tonight or the video or what it be, right?

But I also, as I stated at the top of the meeting, if we're gonna have conversations about the fire department, I welcome them when we get to the fire department.

Because again, I think some of these things, as it relates to ARPA funding, and as Ms.

Reynolds speaks to the accounting of where the money went, if we're gonna tie this conversation about ARPA funding back to the fire department, well, when you have your conversation about the fire department, let's let's talk about it then rather than read I will redo the accounting.

I just brought up the ARPA money because he he was talking about uh you know, this money's here, this money's there, and there is money there for this 500,000 dollars.

It's a it's a matter of a will.

Mr.

Clone.

So I'm gonna let I think I have the microphone here as well.

I am gonna, Mr.

Callahan.

I will let you time, right?

Well, but you introduced a question that I'd like to again hear the answer to, and I think everyone should.

You stated, you know, there's ARPA money, or why can't we use ARPA money?

I'll let Mr.

Reynolds concisely finish his accounting of where the ARPA money goes.

And as I've said before, it's like you have every right to ask every question.

It's just you don't get a time limit on what the answers are, especially when we know when we repeat information over and over and over again, somehow it doesn't become part of further conversations, which is just incredibly frustrating.

But I will just finish this up because I don't think it makes sense to try to talk about something that we've had success with, because I know that's not where you're going.

But the idea though, about the money that we set aside between homelessness, affordable housing, and the community recovery fund, as far as what that those dollars were, which was choosing not to spend the majority of it on it in the short term, those dollars are both leveraged as far as grants are concerned, as far as work is concerned, as far as down payments are concerned, and things like that.

So that's the one literal thing.

The other thing is is like those are one-time dollars.

Something else that I talk about all the time is if you're looking to pay for sustainable expenses, you need to find sustainable revenue.

So the idea of moving $500,000 from a one-time, like you could say we're not gonna go buy a fire engine because then we want to spend that money on staff.

If you want to find $500,000 in in sustainable revenue, it's got to come from sustainable revenue.

Right.

So then the idea though is like there's ARPA dollars there is an elementary way to look at how money works in the idea that like there is money that came from the original ARPA allocation that we have promised and that we have leveraged.

But with that being said, moving one-time money to say sustainable expenses is the one thing that we've talked about over and over and over again.

That's a bad idea because next year, and I saw Mayor Turk talk about this in the paper this morning.

Is like if you have a $500,000 sustainable expense this year, it becomes a $600,000 sustainable expense next year because it's a hole in the budget because essentially it's like you took one time cash to pay for it.

It just means that we have to find the money next year.

But you got to find more money next year, which is what I was saying is like I'm not passing any policy.

Or we cut or we're cut conversations back again.

But once again, most of what comes out of their department is paid for by fees.

And I remember having this frustrating conversation with you five years ago, is that like if you cut those positions, you're cutting the fees that come along with those positions.

So it's not possible to cut the positions and take the fees from say permits or plan review or whatever and go pay for something that doesn't have to do with the administration of those particular things.

I'm I'm just trying to point out that there's a continuous growth, growth in this department.

And I'm presuming in the next year or the next year after that, she'll probably be back here again asking to add to her department.

Don't say she'll be back here.

Like the administration operates together, right?

And it is, and it is something as far as like, and she also mentioned this, and I will stop here, Mr.

Cologne, but I just want to say it one more time.

Like, I'm not sure how many times we have to talk about like a budget position moving from page 67 to page 42, like not being a new position.

Like that's just uh it's like a sophisticated thing, like it's not the creation of a position.

And Miss Collins doesn't sit around as none of us do and think about things in a vacuum or in our own.

We don't say this versus this versus this versus this.

It's everybody sitting down together and looking at what the operation is and what the needs are and how we can support each other, mayor.

Are there uh in the in the affordable housing and a homeless initiative for those funds listed as 1.951 in four point um or 4.9, whatever it is.

When that money's expended, are there gonna ever be additional fees that are going to be expected from the city?

As far as affordable housing?

Uh on their four, well, on under 95042 on page 175.

When that four million dollars of the ARPA money, which is not spent yet, and miss and miss and the homeless initiative, 1.9 million, which Ms.

Collins has already said probably will not be used in 2026.

But when that money is spent, is there gonna be any additional line items on our budget for those for those two line items?

So, first of all, that money there, and I think this is important because it goes to like your revenue point and so on and so forth.

And I see Ms.

Satulo waiting to go.

Um, uh, as far as adding to this, is like we've been able to take those monies we have and leverage them into other dollars.

So part of what the goal is moving forward is any time you get money in, so on and so forth, as far as revenue is concerned, is to be able to leverage it into other dollars, grant funding and things like that.

What the future of the city looks like as far as these programs are concerned, like one of the things you heard them talk about was how successful our tenant advocacy investment has been.

So then at whatever point the goal in the short term will be to try to find more grants, try to find more money to be able to pay for things like that, but then also over the long term, like you look at like how are we able to support that?

Is it through community development block grant?

Is it through tax dollars?

I don't know because that is a conversation for down the road.

But isn't that isn't that the same thing that you're saying about if we create if we come up with revenue for their 500,000 for the four positions, you're trying to say that even if we took it from ARPA, you're saying that it's it's reoccurring uh uh uh expenses and there's no reoccurring revenue for it, and you're and you're probably gonna be doing the same thing on those two line items once that once that money's spent, they're they're not reoccurring expenses, they're not reoccurring expenses.

Yeah, but aren't but so we're not gonna have any additional uh funding needs, they're not gonna need any any additional funding needs.

Well, that that's not covered right now.

It's it's going to be it's gonna be a situation though, where in once again, this is also something Ms.

Collins and Mrs.

Tulo talk about, they present, they have all sorts of public meetings about.

So this is something that we've talked about many times.

But the idea, too, if it's like just take it from a generic point of view, like these dollars that we got through ARPA as a response to the pandemic, which I know is now almost five years old, but all the different systems that broke down.

The idea is how do we leverage those dollars into more dollars in the future?

So, like, can I tell you that five or six or eight years from now, when there's someone else that probably thinks similar to the way we do that are sitting in these chairs, like they're gonna say, like, we need to put all these money all this money into housing?

Like, I don't know what that answer is.

But one of the things that we've been trying to do, and Ms.

Tulo, I think can explain this better than I can, is the idea about like how do we leverage these dollars moving forward?

But it's not a situation where like we could be like, we have four million dollars now, and you spend down four million dollars, and then we're gonna come back and we're just gonna be like, Well, we need to raise taxes to be able to put four million dollars back in there.

You gotta find more additional revenue.

That's and that's but that's what the goal is all the time.

But if we hire four more fire, right?

Doesn't FEMA give us money?

Isn't there it will isn't there money coming back?

I think now we're on the fire department budget, though, Mr.

Callahan.

I need let's please keep it but I to where we are though.

I know, but it's going back and forth because he's talking about the same the same issue that we're on.

Let's wait to the fire department, right?

Please could I please answer your question about the five million dollars?

Yeah.

So we have taken that initial investment that city council has made.

We have leveraged that into over seven million dollars of grant awards for the city and its partners.

That money is helping support our staffing.

When we have a grant award, we charge our staff time back to that grant.

So therefore, that money is not coming out of the general fund.

We are setting up programs like the revolving loan fund, which will be a sustainable source of revenue for affordable housing initiatives in the city going forward.

So that is what a major allocation.

So you're you guys are gonna be finding additional revenue.

I mean, that's that's the goal, right?

We already are.

We've already secured seven million additional dollars on top of the five.

That's that's going to be my argument also when we start talking about the fire department, which we can have that discussion later.

So thank you.

I appreciate it.

I I think a good point I'd like to make just again to conceptualize this, right?

When we're talking about staff, those personnel, any staff, anywhere in the city, every close of payroll, they're entitled to a paycheck.

When we're talking about different initiatives that are just broad line items, like the homeless initiative, that's not necessarily a set.

I mean, we know where that money is going now, but two years from now, it that's the the funding's gonna depend on what what's the goal of the initiative.

If I'm making sense, so to me, it makes sense.

Is again when we talk about head count and bodies, that's salaries, that's people that they come work, they're compensated for their hours.

Some of the other things that that are here, uh again, just to tackle like the homeless initiative, we don't know what that's gonna look like in two or three years.

If we add anyone to the head count, there's an expectation that we're gonna maintain that head count for you know as long as they their services are needed by the city.

So that's just another way to kind of conceptualize it.

And that was my point saying there's gonna have to, there's gonna be a need for additional revenue in years to come on a yearly basis.

But we don't know what the need for these initiatives is gonna be in a couple years, right?

But I I can assume, I think we can all assume there's gonna be some need, right?

We could assume a lot.

Right.

And Mr.

Ken, I'll tell you, there's gonna be need in every department.

So like I will tell you, and I think the question comes down to, and the other thing that will happen in the future too is that like at some point, either we or the next mayor will raise taxes.

And like we've talked about this.

And I think the conversation separating this two these two things out is like what are the needs for the city and the individual departments, what are the potential funding sources, and like what is gonna have to happen.

And I've said this once again, every budget presentation every time I talk about it, is like the most reliable source of funding we have is every couple of years raising property taxes by a couple of percentage points to pay for our obligations, our promises, and our collectively bargained agreements with our unions, which is the majority of them is public safety.

So, like it is correct that we are going to seek that.

And I will be completely honest with you is like in the future, we or other administrations will have to raise taxes to be able to pay for those ongoing expenses the same way that we've been doing for a hundred years.

Thank you.

So, my my last question, Miss Collins on the on the uh community recovery fund.

So there's 1.6 million there right now, right?

And you said there was how much was already committed?

Um, so about 600,000 of that is already committed, yeah, is already under like uh grant award contract.

So there's a million left about that's not awarded yet.

So there's about a million left that's not awarded.

However, when we opened the grant round in you know, March of this year, we said that we were uh probably going we we said that we were going to award 500,000, and that is what resulted in the 72 applications.

We actually have three million dollars of requests, but so there would be then five hundred thousand dollars left that's on that no one knows has any for future community recovery fund rounds.

Can that money be transferred into or used to hire four fire department officials or or firemen?

You mean as far as like legally can is it connected to anything?

Yes, it is not connected to anything as far as legal is concerned, right?

But I will tell you, as Ms.

Collins, and once again, we could, and we've been here long enough to do this as well.

Is like if somebody said you're gonna cut $500,000, you get a different group of people in here, you have different conversations.

There's a whole bunch of conversations as far as like we can't fund it this year, but in the future, based on your CDB app CDB applications and stuff like that.

But it goes back to once again, the idea that the original 34 million dollars for ARPA was not about paying public safety.

We have other ways to be able to do that.

It's allowed though for public safety.

We did some of that, but as far as paying for fire trucks and ambulances and things like that.

But from a legal point of view, like, yes, from a moral point of view, is it something that we would support?

We wouldn't, because we have made promises to people about where those dollars could go.

Yeah, but nobody's nobody's been awarded or promised that money.

We we've told them that there's X amount of money there, and everybody everybody submitted their their applications.

But but Mr.

Collins, like how how many applications were this round there was 72.

So not in how many people were already told that they're gonna get this amount of money, X amount of money in this current round or or previous.

So we from 2023 and 2024, we have a total of I believe 49 active uh organizations that are receiving community recovery fund grant dollars in the butting money has not been, no one's been told you're you're gonna get this main amount of money.

No, they have not.

But I would say this though, Miss Collins is like we've talked about this is like we've set up a community, a community that people in city council are aware of, as far as nonprofits, whether or not it's new Bethany or housing assistance or so on and so forth, where we've told them after they come in and they talk about people are starving and they can't do this and so on and so forth, is like this is a funding source that came from the ARPA dollars.

And they look at me and they say, Mayor, when that ARPA dollars were passed by Congress in 2021, it went to help out with these systemic causes having to do with the pandemic.

So, like we have very much built up a community of people that are counting on these dollars moving forward.

So, as far as like, do they know they're getting five or ten thousand dollars next year?

No, do they come and be a part of a process where they're talking to other nonprofits, food assistance people and so on?

So, especially with what's going on in Washington now with what Trump has done to cut all the different funding and so on and so forth.

If you're looking for revenue, like this is not the place to go because there are people that are counting on that, and the people behind us, and there's people not here that if they needed to be here would be here to say, like, we have made promises to people as far as like where those dollars would could go.

And we have already spent the majority, if we spent all of those dollars in year one, which we could have done on community recovery fund and just burn through the money and send it out there and sent Mr.

Yassah through the ceiling and so on and so forth, as far as contracts are concerned.

We could have spent all three million of that dollars, which would have been an inefficient use of those dollars.

Instead, what we did was we came up with a sophisticated plan that we were gonna give out those dollars over several years to allow organizations to be able to leverage our dollars against anybody and so on and so forth, and then to hold it against us as far as coming up with a long term sophisticated plan to be able to help out the people that are helping the most vulnerable people in our community is not something that we're gonna support.

And then to hold it against us as far as coming up with a long-term sophisticated plan to be able to help out the people that are helping the most vulnerable people in our community is not something that we're gonna support.

Listen to me though, isn't it?

Don't they every year at like some groups will say, hey, we're asking for $100,000?

We end up giving them $30,000.

Another group might ask for $30,000 we give them $15.

Another group might ask for $300,000, we give them $200,000.

So no this money is not accounted for.

I mean, this is a a group of people who who they're working 39 hour shifts and are being forced to do mandatory overtime.

And I Mr.

Callahan, again, I'll ask you to find that we'll have fire.

But I I appreciate the comments.

I'm just saying it when we start talking about the $500,000 that's left over in the community recovery money fund.

There's in if you don't wanna use that money, that's your priority.

But I would ask you to work with council to try to find the money to get four more fire departments.

And I will tell you if that's a priority to get it.

Again, we'll talk about the fire department.

I will tell you, and I will just just because you asked a question, Ms.

Clone, then I'll wrap up too is I think just the implication here between what you're talking about and your priorities and my priorities are pretty pretty clear as far as what the difference may be.

But if you want to do that, the other thing too that I've said is like you should never add jobs with one-time revenue because it lowers the trust in people that that money's gonna be there next year.

So like we wouldn't, we could have done this two years ago with the paramedics, and we could have hired four paramedics using ARPA dollars and not created the sustainable revenue.

And what is the message that it's sending to those employees that we we're using a one-time revenue source to hire them?

If you wanna hire four firefighters, and Mr.

Evans, I believe told you this property tax increase is 1.7%.

We we could talk about that we bought us in the fire department.

That's a sustainable revenue.

I wanna make a comment now about what he's saying, but I'll wait till I I think for everybody.

Yeah, fire department included respect to the I'd like all the fire department.

It sounds like we're really getting into the fire.

Right, right.

So the are you done, Mr.

Callahan?

I am for with this part.

And I appreciate the the comments and and I'm trying to have a civil discussion.

That's all I'm trying to do of how can I know there's gotta be someplace that we can find your fire department one more time.

That's all I'm gonna.

So and Miss Cowells, I'm not I'm uh please don't go home thinking I was trying to pick on you or your department, because I was every time I've had to deal with anybody in your department, they've been nothing but professional.

But I just think there's gotta be some place in this whole budget that we can find to get something that I think is important myself, Miss Crampsy Smith, and from what I'm hearing, one or two other council members.

So I I appreciate your time tonight.

Thank you.

Well, just a reminder, we remain on the community and economic development department budget.

Councilwoman Leo.

Um shifting gears at a break next speed.

Um, I actually do want to talk about that specific line item 95042, uh, which is the committed um affordable housing, I believe.

So we talked about the gateway on fourth, and that's committed revenue, which I have said I'm very supportive of.

I don't believe it's a long-term sustainable solution for absolutely everything, but in an emergency housing situation, it absolutely makes sense.

Tourniquet approach here, Pembroke Choice, which would be one of the biggest wins for this community in a very long time.

Um very supportive of that.

The the questions I had were about land use development incentives and eviction prevention.

I know we kind of glossed over that.

Can you tell me a little bit about uh the land use and the development incentives?

Sure.

Mr.

Tula looks very excited to talk about it.

So let's go.

Hi.

Um, so we uh like as we presented previously, we have the opening doors, the budget for kind of all of the strategies, which was how we initially built out the 95042 budget.

And it is constantly kind of an evolving living document.

So, like for example, we had had um, I believe like 40,000 some dollars for the success rate dwelling unit zoning update.

What we received grant funding both to the city and Lehigh University is funding um money like for that study.

So that is money that is no longer coming out of 95042.

Um, we have uh maintained funding for any future um zoning work that could occur as well as for um associated incentives that may be uh recommended to lower the cost of access rate dwelling units for uh property owners in the state.

Um so that could perhaps be like a revolving loan fund, it could be assistance for um payments, uh like to pay professionals and like things like that.

Um and then okay, displacement and eviction prevention.

Um we um have provided 390,000 to new Bethany.

Um 190,000 of that was for um rental assistance, which is actually been recently exhausted.

Um, and we are providing um case management support annually for five years to them.

And uh we're currently uh Ms.

Gillio has been working on this week over like 400,000 of grant applications looking to replenish that.

Um they do have other sources of rental assistance, they just have exhausted the cities, which was their most flexible.

Um and then we uh have supported the landlord uh tenant uh advocate at community action development Bethlehem, and that actually ended up coming out of CDBG.

We have supported that um to $60,000 thus far.

Okay, I was at a community meeting last week, I believe.

And is this the one that prevents the that prevented the 59 evictions?

Yes.

That's the okay.

So 59 evictions have been prevented through community action with the position that was supported.

Yes, and we provided their initial seed funding, and they have then gone out and gotten another, I think 175,000 in grant funding to support that position for several years.

Okay, all right.

Um, I had a question about the the housing stock in general in South Bethlehem because we've we've talked a lot about uh inspections.

Um and I think one thing that is missed a lot in the conversation is how much of South Bethlehem is rentals.

I know for some reason we keep comparing Bethlehem of 2025 to Bethlehem of 1980.

Um and the landscape is so very different, especially the housing in South Bethlehem, which needs inspection on a regular basis.

Um can you talk to me a little bit about the amount of inspections necessary in South Bethlehem or like just in Bethlehem in general, how much the rental market has upshifted.

And I will say I pulled um some interesting data out of Northampton, and most of the houses sold in South Bethlehem went from like homeowners to selling into LLCs.

So it seems like that's going to continue to uptick.

And as a reminder, the city has absolutely no, not a reminder to you, but to our riveting viewing public, that we have no way of stopping a private land sale to an LLC that will turn it into a rental.

There's no control mechanism.

All we could do is inspect it after it's been sold.

So what is the inspection process look like now?

How intense is it?

So it it's it is in so we do the inspections every three years across the the city.

So we strategically pick wards throughout the city.

So we don't spend like an entire year on the south side or an entire year on the north side.

We mix the wards up so that we have a presence throughout the entire city over the three-year period.

Um, some of the things that we've done, I we have noticed that you know, a lot of properties in the South Side are are selling.

Um those properties go on.

We we have, like you just said, we have no regulation over private set uh land sales, but um we do inspect those at the time of sale.

We do they do come on if they are going to be used for rental, they do fall into our program and then we become part of the three-year rental program.

Um a few years back, we started uh the residential student overlay.

Um I'm sorry, the student overlay.

And what that does is prevents the spread of the student housing outside of that zone.

So um that's one of the things that we did to deplete that.

So we don't see the so the properties are out that are outside of those respective zones.

We don't see the students going in, so we see families going in.

Um also noticed that during uh this year during our rental student rental inspections are annual inspections.

So we noticed that a lot of the student rentals were being occupied by single families as well.

So we're we're seeing a larger presence on the south side of the properties being rented to single families just because the student housing overlay is kind of locked in the approximately 700 student housing.

Okay.

And I would uh kind of add, uh, we have done a pretty intensive focus on um the student housing landlords, especially the largest ones and getting all of their properties certificates of occupancy over the last year.

Um, and because a lot of them were purchased, that allowed us to do things like require egress windows on the third floor, which can be grandfathered in, but we know that there's students residing up in those bedrooms and from a fire safety perspective, we want you know individuals to be able to get out.

So we've been requiring that.

I mean, and we I mean, Mike, how many people in that private ownership and uh ownership, I guess you would want to call for profit when you do a rental property, they're subject to different inspections.

So a lot of the things that you may do in your own personal home, you can't do, or or you may require a a larger or uh a more upscale layup level of safety in a rental property just because of unfamiliarity with the property and stuff like that.

So um and when people sell their properties it allows us to go in with that with that mantra that we're going to inspect it for a rental property and it allows us to upgrade the safety of the property in general.

Okay that was my biggest concern because like when it comes to Fifth Street properties they I've seen them do some incredible work.

But when it comes to some of the other properties when I as I door knock um when I go in I worry a lot about how many students are in what used to be multi or what used to be single family homes to three bedrooms are now occupied by five or six people um and it it concerns me.

Yeah we we have very strange so student rentals are subject to annual inspections they're subject to provide us with a lease if we request it so and they're they're maxed out at five students so and part as part of that you can't just say five students like we have to make sure that there's the the required bedroom sizes and all that other things to have five occupants.

Can't be three bedrooms in a closet correct correct correct um and kind of to one of your points uh we know about 19% of the property transfers in the city in 2024 were to LLCs yeah like four and a half percent of them was one student housing provider in particular.

Yes exactly that um I have I mean I guess the statement I would say to that is whether there's wig or in the budget or not I would caution against anything regarding affordable housing because when it comes to affordable housing initiatives um I I've heard this a bit in this rotunda whether anyone takes it seriously or not that you can just go to Southside and buy a house for 1600 um which is just not factually correct um or that the South side is a place where you can still find an affordable house which is just not factually correct.

There is more rentals than anything in South Bethlehem and more rentals in general throughout the United States were going to become permanent tenants I swear but what they need is advocacy tenant landlord um interventions.

I've said this I brought it up every budget season I know we do not have the IT for this but you know a database where people can see what type of landlord they have so they can pull up the inspection record and see if they're getting a slum lord or not um so that's that's all I want to say about that I did have a question thank you uh about the community recovery fund um maybe you can't tell us who's currently in the pool but has any of the community recovery fund been used to supplement anything like after school programs technology to affected families um that cannot afford technology um any work with BA uh BASD as in like computers or anything like that uh food support specifically to any of the food banks that have received funding cuts lately um yes to all of that um so there are 49 current um grantees uh a few off the top of my head when you talk about food assistance we fund the Northeast community center and um their fresh produce for families program um when you talk about the school district we fund the shanti project which is in BASD elementary schools um working on behavioral issues um homelessness we fund Lehigh Conference of churches for case managers for street outreach um boys and girls club we fund teen programming I forgot some of the other specific examples they used but yeah there are a number of food there are a number of food assistance programs there are a number of technology or school district based programs yeah all right so I did have a question and it it's a follow-up to something that councilwin crampsley Smith said because it's it's a it's a valid question and I would like to explore it a little bit more I mean I I think I'm coming at it from the opposite end where I think that um seven people weighing in I think we inherently are all going to bring our own things to it like if you fund an e-bike for the cops everyone's just going to look at me and be like hmm you know so like how do you stop any kind of like human bias within the system of people receiving funding from that grant pool.

So you know I think a couple ways we tried to structure it first where you know because there's so many applications like we are breaking off into individual groups and then but within each group there's multiple reviewers and there's a rubric.

So it is both um like there's a there's a system that is based on numbers and and and ranking and criteria that people grade you know those scores are evaluated together and against each other and then you know there's also a a discussion that happens among that group but it's not one person making individual decisions like yes or no you know there's multiple people who are using a rubric and also discussing the review like you know among them and and moving things from there.

Okay.

Um, I think it would be helpful if after you were you award a specific whatever funding cycle we're in, if council can find out exactly who's received uh funding, just so we can see how it's being uh distributed, um, just around community members.

For the 2023 and 2024 awards, we do have those posted up on the We Build Bethlehem website.

And you know, so we build Bethlehem was also was the original source of our um assessment of community need.

Like if you remember back when we first started this, we did a lot of um community surveying to understand like what are some of the greatest needs, and that also informs you know the criteria of the grant program itself and also the the rubric that we're using is based on that initial feedback.

But we did that through We Build Bethlehem.

That was my that was my connection.

We did it through We Build Bethlehem, and we're continuing to track the program there.

So we we do list you know the awardees there.

Um, we also have an annual meeting when we do the awards.

Um, and I was gonna say, like, I know that you give annual meetings about this, and I know it's just gonna be one more ask from council.

Um, but because we cannot be at everything, if you could just take whatever slideshow you show at those public meetings and just slide them over to Tad so that we can kind of get our head around what's going on as well.

That would be very helpful for us to kind of see what's going on.

Yeah.

I think Mayor Reynolds also had a thought on that.

And just like that was something we had done in year one as far as looking at what a process would look like.

But just a couple of like values that I think are important that are inherent to that process is one of the things that people did.

And I do not sit on any of these committees, so I'm not the one that reviews it, and I'm not the one that says, oh, 30,000 here, 20,000 here, and so on and so forth.

They're all of the people that do it.

But part of the idea about the applications was about leveling leveling the playing field for nonprofits and people that apply.

So you have some nonprofits that have a lot of people, a lot of ability to apply for things.

And they're also the people that tend to have the most ability to be able to lobby legislative bodies like city council and do it publicly and get email and so on and so forth to be like, make sure you tell city council to give us $50,000 for this and so on and so forth.

And grounding this process in equity and in fairness was something that took months and months and months for the people that are behind me, Miss Santoro, people that weren't there, Mr.

Yasso's department weighed in on necessarily how to do this in a in a legal manner and so on and so forth.

But like it was very intentional about that process that was set up to avoid what we have seen happen in other ways, where it's basically like if you have a lot of people that you know, it influences and it throws the whole actual merit-based process out the window.

And everything that we try to do comes down to what the merits of it are.

So it took us months and months and months and a lot of sophistication and try to come up with a process by which if you have a good idea and you have the ability to carry it out and you're a staff of two, like you don't lose out to the person that has the staff of 70 because they know how to necessarily play the game and they know Rachel from this board or they know Kira from this board, they know Colleen from this board or whatever it might be.

So I would just, and once again, we have released those publicly, the ones in the past, and we can release all of them and we can let you know about that and so on and so forth.

But it really is an important part of that process.

And we have heard from the grantees as well about how valuable that has been to them, because we're trying to get away from this scarcity mindset that somehow these nonprofits that are doing the work are in competition with each other.

They already have to face with enough, like your work's not important.

We can move your money.

It's not something we need to do.

And it is something that we have been trying to avoid is this competition that we're in here in the front lines helping the most vulnerable people, you're competing against that person over there.

And now we have to try to start an email campaign as far as like to make sure we can get to these people that we know and so on and so forth.

We're trying to take all of that out of there in the name in the name of equity and fairness.

And I know you know this, councilwoman Leon, you just happen to ask me the question.

It's like when you go and you talk to the nonprofits, it is a mindset that they're in this work together because it's not about that, it's not about them individually, it's about working with each other and it's about creating a culture by which the government and the public and the people that represent them support their work on a day-to-day basis, so they don't have to rely as much on private donations.

And it's one of the things that we're most proud of is that when you go to those events and you talk to those nonprofits and you talk to those community groups and things like that, that they're like, Here we are valued for the work that we are doing.

And when you guys say something, you keep your word.

And a lot of that comes down to the inherent trust that they have in the process and the dedicated, experienced fantastic staff that we have that are helping to oversee these programs.

And uh to that point when we're talking about grants and I know that we talked about this when we initially hired the grant writer.

Are we tracking how much additional funding has come into the city through the to the position?

Because I remember my initial yeah hesitation with adding the position.

Um, at first, it was not like a sure thing.

It was gonna be like how are we tracking this?

Are we receiving a lot of money through grant donations?

How has that been going?

We we are definitely tracking that.

I don't have the number in front of me.

I mean, if I remember from even last year's budget, I think the number was around 27 million dollars just in the the budget we we're looking at for this current year in in grant funding that doesn't necessarily fund the the Department of Community Economic Development, but it's funding, for example, that might show up in the non-utility capital plan.

It's you know, the 1.3 million dollars it's for friendship park.

Um, you know, the grants administrator assisted with and is now administering the 10 million dollar grant that came in um from the Department of Transportation.

So that like the results of that work are not just in the D CED budget, but they're um throughout the entire budget.

And so, yes, we are tracking all those grants.

It is the tens of millions of dollars.

And I mean, the 16 million dollar, you know, award that we just got through PHFA was something that she had worked on as well.

And then obviously it becomes like a dual, there's the direct ones that you can point to, but the way the real world doesn't work, it's not like Lori, go fill out this application and get us a million dollars.

It's oftentimes too, her being able to take away tasks away from public works, away from other departments that then allow them to go out to be able to get other dollars as well to be able to do things efficiently to be able to get streets paved and things like that.

That was my follow-up question is uh when it comes to I promise I'm not gonna dip a toe in any other department right now, but when it comes to everyone else's the grant writing, well, maybe I will then um the grant writing, can she write grant for other can she write grants and she does as well?

So we can okay, so she it is okay.

So it's not just a DCD related thing.

She can write grants for other departments and they can look for receive funding through those grants that she can help.

Correct.

Okay.

Right.

Thank you.

That's all the questions I have.

Any other questions or comments from members of council?

So go around again.

Councilwoman Wilhelm.

I I did neglect to I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Hi.

Uh I I gave Councilwoman Wilhelm the floor.

Councilwoman, and then that's fine.

You'll be next up then.

Just a couple of questions that I neglected to ask at the beginning.

Actually, you answered one of them, which was regarding Bethlehem Emergency Services um fundraising undertaking, assuming that this is beyond anything they've ever had to think about before in terms of fundraising.

And so you had referred in your presentation to the fact that the city is supporting them in that.

And it sounds like you have assisted in applying to two four million dollar grants, totaling four million dollars that would add up with the two.

Yeah.

So yeah, it's four, it's four different grants.

I think that's four grants.

Okay.

So there was that.

But I with regard to the issue of homelessness, we've referred many times to the fact that this is a regional, there are no city boundaries um to homelessness.

I I really I was curious um about the state of conversations um around homelessness regionally.

And I don't just mean Allen Town, Bethlehem and Easton, but the Lehigh Valley at large.

Okay.

Miss Satulo actually sits on the governing board for the Lehigh Valley Regional Homelessness Advisory Board.

Okay council board.

Yes, right.

Um, yes, so I'm on the RAB board.

Uh so there are representation from um all three cities, all of the kind of nonprofits that you would expect, um, kind of representing the state belt.

We have a trooper um from the Pennsylvania State Police.

So it's a very kind of diverse group.

So um, you know, we meet monthly on coordination on issues, um, and especially have been meeting more frequently about encampment response first with what's been occurring in Allentown and now in Bethlehem.

Um, and that has led to us to actually make um the uh emergency solutions grant application.

Um we put in um and we were awarded just we were notified last week that we've been awarded 156,000 additional dollars from the state.

So we work with um PADCED and then through the RAB, um, the RAB has been convening a lot of meetings.

Um, like we had a uh mayor come in um from the community that was the first uh to achieve functional zero veterans homelessness um for a regional conversation recent recently right now it's on the conference of churches hunger and homelessness awareness week tonight is actually their keynote speaker.

Um they're having a really great conversation um about solutions um from outside of the area for that's open to the general RAB membership on Friday.

So we're both kind of trying to respond to that short-term acute need and also really trying to think outside the box.

Um we get regularly complimented from HUD that the way our continuum of care and the Lehigh Valley operates, that we work collateral collaboratively and seek funding together as opposed to working in competition, kind of what Mayor Reynolds had talked to about that attitude of scarcity.

We're trying to come up with strategic and like grant applications where we're all going in together as opposed to all fighting for the same piece of the pie.

With that said, outside of the three cities, like there's certainly still a lot more to do with respect to other communities stepping up.

And that is the large part of the conversation as well, right?

Like homelessness does not just exist in the major cities, it does not originate just in the in in the cities.

And you know, that has been a frequent topic of conversation and a and a large push of ours.

Um is to kind of try to demand some more accountability in that regard.

And we are hopeful too that with new two new executives coming to Northampton Lehigh County that from an organ organizing point of view, and they're two great people who are who really care and have talked a lot about the value of housing.

Is that they are also going to be people that are going to be leaders and organizers and understanding that this is something that needs to be shared by all 62 municipalities.

Because one thing I think you find is oftentimes people just don't necessarily like they don't even think it's a problem, they don't think it's their responsibility.

And one of the things that we've done in the city obviously is take a lead on letting people know that this is a priority of ours, and that doesn't exist in a lot of other places, especially other townships, other suburbs, um, where they think basically I can just look at what my own self-interest is right in front of me and not think about what the holistic picture is.

And um, I've had positive conversations with council uh for county exec elect Zerenski and um Siegel.

And I think that they're they're they're they're willing partners, but ultimately from Oliha Valley region, we have 62 municipalities.

And I think I figured out the other day that the three cities are like five and a half percent of the land, and yet we are the ones that end up taking on the burden of this, and um it's something that we are hope, we are hopeful that people will step up and not necessarily just see their blinders on.

I appreciate the update and the the sense that that those voices are going to be coming from the executive level.

And I it's understood that not every municipality has the same resources or um can assist in the same way, but unquestionably, all 62 municipalities can participate.

And so I'm I'm glad that the conversations are happening with those multiple voices around the table.

I appreciate the update.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Quizek.

Thank you, President Cologne.

Um, I wanted to briefly, I promise, go back to the uh ARPA funds, the in the the civic expenses, the um affordable housing, homelessness, and uh community recovery fund.

And those were actually buckets that were in some way uh at the um at the impetus of council members during the budgeting process.

Mr.

Evans, can you refresh my memory?

I think this was in 2021, looking at the 2022 budget.

Is that correct?

Yes, it's first time it appeared in a budget was 2022.

But it was the 2021 budget process where they and there was actually like a motion, if I recall, to increase one of those buckets or to in some way uh take money and make sure that some of some of the ARPA money, because there was, of course, a lot of discussion about, you know, are we really going to use this money to pave the roads?

You know, there was there were there was a lot of conversation that happened.

I wasn't on council at the time, I was incoming, so I was um sitting in on the budget hearings, and that's why I think I remember this.

But um, I do recall that some of those numbers were actually uh shifted by moat by motions or amendments during that process to actually make sure there was funding for sort of the elts and nonprofits and homelessness and housing affordability.

Yes.

Uh upon the layout, it was new, it was unique and it was a large amount.

There's a lot of training, coaching, and education available at that time on the many ways it could be used and the some ways it could not be used.

And concrete minors on definitely ways it should not be used.

And uh, as we talked earlier, should never we were told over and over uh as receivers of it, uh, to push or to place into salaries.

Don't go hiring people, don't add positions for this because it's a one time it's gonna go away, you're gonna cause financial distress or problems for the city when it runs out and you've created something that you can no longer sustain or now have to result in a very large action increase that may be unexpected.

So if you're going to do additions, you're welcome to do it, but do it the correct way.

Don't use this in order to complete that.

So we laid out a process that made sense to the city at that time was the um fourth year of the mayor, uh, Mayor Donsa's administration.

We presented it to council.

At that time, we presented two fundings of nine million dollars into the capital account to invest in city infrastructure.

Four years at $2 million to offset the lost revenue because when their economy slowed all our kind of all our revenue lines slow down from EIT to D transfer and it happened.

So it was to help us uh cross that bridge and then it left funding that was still available uh in the first year was only the community recovery fund that was created it was created by the and we offered a 1.5 leaving some available and then there was a motion made by council and approved by council to double it from one and a half to three million dollars that line that's I knew I it was coming back to me as we were discussing that.

So I just wanted that fact to go into the pool of knowledge tonight um that the community recovery fund was actually created by city council not a city council again that I was on I came on in January of 2022 but during the 2022 budget process in 2021 the council at that time uh whoever was on it and you know we've had a lot of turnover so pardon my you know lack of recollection on that uh but they were the ones who were very invested in making sure that our nonprofits our cultural and our educational and our human services organizations were made in some way whole by the losses that were experienced um in terms of their um funding during the pandemic so I just wanted to point that out and also I just wanted to say that this is my last comment um again you know there's the the the positions that are being created by the increase in uh fees all go to a holistic process of increasing our economic development improving our public safety so we've got uh you know now we've got a full-time plan reviewer and a full time um I forget what the other one is in that uh in the that particular process zoning planning right the planning and so um we've got those two positions now um and then we've also got um you know more inspectors on the public safety side of things who are making sure that our rental which has you know as we know a large part of our housing stock um remains you know code compliant and safe um which of course makes our city safer and reduces the number of you know potential tragedies because we're getting into 10 000 units a year and that's such an impressive number so I just wanted to uh again thank the um the department for all of your work the fact that you only are leaning on about four percent of tax you know of your budget is from tax dollars um really speaks to the entrepreneurial uh spirit of your teams and that you are always looking for ways to make things better for you know our our businesses in terms of the permitting process which you know having watched a few small business owners this year and they're hear their frustrations with the length of time and you know when you when you are so when your capital isn't huge because you're a small business person every month that you can't open because your permits haven't been you know your inspections haven't finished and you haven't gotten your your certificate of occupancy um you know is money lost and it and it makes things hard so being able to smooth that process means we're gonna have more successful small businesses which again in turn uh returns tax dollars to our um to our city coffers so it all really works all together and I appreciate Ms.

Collins that you uh you know have that sense of camaraderie with the other departments uh in the city and understand that everybody is doing their piece of the work uh and that was all I had to say thank you councilwoman I'm gonna let councilwoman cramsey smith answer your first question in part she might remember that amendment she may have made the amendment I did I'm just a quick briefly I just want to clarify that I actually amended the budget because 1.5 was only earmarked of the ARPA money for housing and homelessness and I doubled it to three million and within that I believe the mayor then uh created the community recovery fund not council um and like my comments before was a community recovery fund can be great but we have a fiduciary responsibility to taxpayers and we need to know where all the money is going um my only other comment is that at that time we did not have the staffing study that denotes that we have a really serious life threatening in my mind um issue with the fire department staffing thank you anything else from members of council as we wrap up the community economic development budget collins I just have a couple brief questions the one can you send us the presentation or Mr.

The uh turning to page 57 for the health bureau.

So the health bureau uh predominantly grant funded.

Where are we with grants?

I guess in simplest terms, and I know other funding sources have been identified that were brought in before or were mentioned before.

Are are we expected to make any, I guess, cuts or changes to services that have been historically delivered due to any changes in uh grant awards, grant opportunities, anything like that.

Are we expecting the same level of service for 26?

I'll try to summarize quickly.

So we haven't made any major changes to our programming.

There's um the lead in Healthy Homes grant is one that we have received an extension from HUD for I believe another year, but that would be ending in 2026.

Um, but we do know the end date for that.

So that's a change that you'll see like in the second half of the year.

Um, the COVID dollars as well are also um coming to a close.

So after uh the June 30th, those will those will have cycled out.

Um, and then otherwise, I think we are just generally kind of reviewing um all of our programs against the like ever-changing landscape of uh federal priorities.

But um, for now, those are the those are the major changes that you'll see.

Um, and also, you know, we are we are though trying to be strategic about, for example, like if we have vacancies in grant funded positions, um, you know, we're you know, for example, right now we do have three positions that we are we are not actively filling, just as we're kind of seeing how things shake out.

Understood.

And then talking about COVID money.

So on page two under grants and gifts for general fund revenue.

We have care uh the CARES Act line item, which we've had for you know since the pandemic, which is close to 3.5 million, which I believe, if I'm not mistaken, ties to on page 57, the roughly 3.5 million for public health preparedness.

Am I correct?

In that those two tie to each other.

Yes.

So is that what you were referencing that money?

We we s were to have a hard cutoff of um the end of June of 2026.

June 30th, yeah.

Or June 30th.

And of course, that money comes with certain parameters on how it could be spent.

Correct.

What's our level of confidence?

Will Gordon be able to exhaust the entirety of the 3.5 million by by the end of June.

It's unlikely, I would say.

I mean, there's there are a lot of restrictions on on how that money can be spent, and particularly as we've gotten further and further away from the pandemic.

There just less, there are fewer and fewer activities that actually fall within the parameters.

I mean, we're acting we are actively, you know, um administering those dollars to the extent that the state will allow us to.

Thank you.

And that was gonna be my follow-up question.

And I've no doubt everyone's been trying to find every way of charge things back to this money.

I guess it but it just speaks to the more restrictions that are put on it.

But sometimes the number doesn't matter, as the devil's in the details.

That number could have been a hundred million, but the same restrictions would have only allowed you to expend the same amount.

So I recognize that.

And I know we've been having this conversation for a couple years.

So I just wanted to uh identify that and again sympathize for I would imagine there's some frustration to know you have such a large number of money at your veil, but again, with all this you know, restrictions, red tape call what you want to spend.

The I do appreciate, I don't remember if it was in here last year or if this is the first year, but where we have for the uh positions, their classification, and then we have contract.

Is this year the first year we did that, or did we do that last year?

That uh that was done this year for the for the first time.

Yeah, well, they were previously on the other, as I would mention our temporary help, correct?

We're on the other side of the page under temporary help.

I'll just extend my appreciation now that that's there.

I think it it's easier to follow along.

So certain departments still have temporary help.

Is that strictly sort of part-time and seasonal, then where temporary help or part time?

It's people that work at the uh recycling center, as you pointed out, it is crossing guards for the police.

It is the summer help and recreation, uh, the pool, uh the lifeguards.

There's some summer help at you'll see temp help when we did the golf, which we did the other day.

The golf course has seasonal, meaning it's not the year round, so it's part time hourly.

And to do a conversation that was had a little bit earlier, it just helps.

Like I know historically, given the number of years we've been doing this, some of these positions that now show up under contract may have been listed under temporary help previously and things like that.

So it just helps to identify that maybe they're not new positions, but now moving forward, they'll carry over in budget after budget.

And correct.

Uh, so there's no misunderstanding of what's new or uh what may have been added.

It's just because it's not a uh TAMS or a CIU or not a classified employee, they've some of these employees have been contract employees for years.

Am I correct to say?

Correct.

Yeah, correct.

Thank you.

The uh speaking to the the grant awards, I think a lot's been said by again.

I just would extend my thanks to everyone.

I know we talk about it throughout the years, but it really comes down to some of these grants are competitive grants, and it comes down to the quality of the grant application.

So I thank everyone who's been working on these because yeah, I don't know what it is this year versus previous years, but there's a lot of big ticket projects that are on the horizon thanks to some of these grants.

So again, my my thanks to everybody.

The I think the only other thing I'll say that's that's relevant, and it's just a as we talk about sort of historically and how a budget works uh for recycling on page three.

The sale of materials is budgeted for 65,000.

There was a time many years ago in the early 2010s where that brought in at a high one year $855,000, and then there were a couple years of over half a million dollars.

So in terms of true budgeting and how it works, that's money that again has to be replaced somewhere if we want to maintain operations, and that just speaks to how things change over even 10 years, but that's not three thousand dollars here or four thousand dollars here.

That's hundreds of thousands of dollars that have come out of the budget.

That was one time of revenue that we've had to make up for.

So I just want to recognize revenue lines that go the wrong way, make it that much more difficult to balance the budget.

Yeah, yeah.

And that one is obviously out of our control, it's entirely based on like the recycling commodities market.

Markets the market, yeah, 100%.

That was all I had.

Did you want to touch on community development block grant fund, Ms.

Collins?

As you said, we voted on it already.

I know we're correct, it's exactly the same as what you had seen previously.

So um, I don't have anything else to present on that.

Yeah, any members of council have anything on to the block grants.

Thank you, Ms.

Collins for your time and your efforts.

Yeah, thank you very much.

I will open it up to public comment.

This is just gonna be strictly about community and economic development department and the community development block grant fund.

No one had signed up to speak on these, so anyone to the left will talk on community economic development, wide center, turn to the right.

Thank you, everyone.

I will move on to the police department, which starts on page 137.

And I invite Chief Cott.

Thank you again for making it out, Chief.

She's getting the chief set up.

Okay, thank you, sir.

Thank you, Councilwoman Laird for getting the presentation set up.

Yeah, I can go with mine if that's easier, Tad.

Yeah, absolutely.

Chief, yeah, what'd you help until we get some where am I going?

It doesn't matter.

I think I've answered.

Um had to sign into Google.

I just have more uh can't pass that.

Um yes, let me know.

Um I don't want you logging into anything with it.

Projecting on the screen, yeah.

Um exactly this one was favorable.

Where did Ted go?

Do you know how to mute the projector?

Like how to mute the video on the projector.

I've never touched anything that's over there.

Other than go into Tad's email, but I don't want that to be displayed to everyone.

Do you know where you want?

I'm guessing it's this control panel that's behind Kirava.

I'm not sure.

We'd be slower, but that people say that's wrong if you like here.

No, no, no, I know, I know.

Sorry.

Yeah, and we're gonna lose Hillary.

Chief, how many slides do you got?

Oh, there's like 18.

She sent it to Tad.

I sent and he's logged in.

I just don't want to pull up his email in front of you.

What would Tad do if he was here?

Mute the projector.

What are you?

I don't know.

WWT.

Yeah, that's you know, I ask myself that a lot.

So like this, what would Tad do?

I'm gonna miss my little sides with anyone to close their eyes for a minute.

Yeah, everything Hey, look at that.

I invite you to turn your attention to that size.

Are you able to mute the mute the projector video?

I don't want people logging into their emails with it on the screen.

I mean, is it gonna show his past?

Or do you have her per presentation?

She really aren't she may in mind.

I should aren't you gonna miss it.

Are you okay with it being here?

I'm getting rammy.

So we have new user going on.

My third night this week.

And I've been out of my house.

I miss sleeping.

I haven't eaten eight.

Oh that's fine.

I don't think so.

That's why I've had like that.

I love top.

Yeah, I think that's I was at the county till like seven last night for intercommittee stuff.

But as they say in the Godfather chat, like this is the life we choose.

How are you feeling?

Not the life.

This is confusing at the end of every someone's term.

I was gonna make like comments on at my final meeting.

We're gonna figure do I do that on December 16th or January 6th?

January 6th.

We have a meeting.

I have to look at the agenda.

Chad sent me the reorganization agenda from last time.

We have a brief meeting.

I don't want the I'm up here for a bit.

Yeah, you'll have an opportunity to speak.

And then I go to Joe's tavern.

Just make sure it's a real but it doesn't, it does include thinking about it.

Whatever's on the payroll, and that would be part of the pay-ball expense.

I have to miss December 2nd video.

Oh yeah, he said that's what you bring it up if I won't silly.

Everything all right.

I'm not getting my mother.

You may remember that for me.

Uh she's right now.

I'm on the city site.

Then she's coming to stay with me and she's leaving once her husband live in the reading here.

Yeah.

Okay.

But then she's gonna be with me and that's what I have to do.

She's coming in town here.

Yeah, that's when is she coming to the case?

Oh, she's already bringing her to the re lighting next time.

But what I'm looking at is gonna be with me on December 2nd, and so I'll hit Charlie name for her.

Yeah, I got to do like either like pilot.

Are you gonna be at the tree lighting?

I mean, at this point, I'm lost.

All right, let's go.

Are you gonna be at the tree lighting?

The whole family.

Oh, me will be the third tree light.

I'm sure you're maybe the first one.

Kids are the first thing.

She started saying OMG now.

Oh, and she's she was saying, Oh my god.

And I was like, so then she'll walk down and go, Oh my goodness.

I didn't say oh my god.

But you're saying it.

Yeah, she's just a piece of work.

Is her dad's daughter?

I didn't say this.

Almost nine thousand.

Um we orders take out you did you also skip that?

I did.

I have five minutes.

Icon.

Do you need one?

I filled mine up.

I'll take one.

Race Brown, you have bottle of water.

Yes, I've got this.

Is that a thumbs up?

Yes or a thumbs up.

It does, I guess.

Yes.

No, don't be so very ambiguous.

That's not clear.

That's not clear communication.

I'll get again uh I didn't know John McCain, but you served or no John McCain.

Yeah.

Speaking of undergrads.

Yeah.

I said Lehigh is rad.

Well, they have an area for some time.

And what is it?

Like fires or like you know, one more time.

Yeah, I'll see something stories and like dorms and stuff for the student house or other parties.

Yeah, no, it's my husband's copy.

I don't understand what she's saying.

I don't understand what you say.

This right here has seven three miles.

This is from um there.

I'm not quite that old.

Yes.

Right now, right now it's added in the retirement first.

60 and 70.

Um just what you said to the clerks, not me.

If I have it, it wouldn't probably be email it's a tad.

I have no idea how they're three hundred or four.

Well, what does what does that mean?

Oh when would we have gotten it?

I don't feel like I received it.

Wouldn't it be in his sand email?

See ya, yeah.

Yeah, because there's the detachment.

There we go.

You want the mediator when I didn't get it?

Yeah, I don't think I have.

No, it's not that I mean click or I'll say it's gonna work on a PDF.

Yep, okay.

And then we're gonna close this.

Awesome.

And scroll down.

Yes.

Yes, ma'am.

Thank you.

Um sporting company.

Yes, I am good.

Thank you so much.

So who high seven?

Who's gonna undergraduate?

Two thousand.

Yeah.

It's taking care of twelve hundred undergraduates, three hundred crack.

So like in January.

And uh it's all good.

That's what we sign up for, right?

So uh Hillary's back here.

Well that's that's not bigger here.

I've got a business.

I got kids, kids sick, I gotta do this.

Thank you, Councilwoman.

All right, everybody, we're gonna get ready to get started here with the police budget.

Chief, are you ready?

Yes, sir.

All right.

Everybody, we're gonna get where you go on and give Chief Cott the floor.

Uh, Chief Cott, the floor is all yours.

All right, excellent.

Thank you so much.

So, as I present the 2026 budget, it's important to reaffirm our mission as the Bethlehem Police Department.

The Bethlehem Police Department is committed to maintaining public safety and fostering strong relationships within our community.

Through innovative technology and dedicated service, we strive to ensure a safe and secure environment for all our residents.

So the Bethlehem Police Department is the eighth largest police department in the state of Pennsylvania.

BPD is currently authorized to employ 154 officers.

At this present time, we employ 138 officers, leaving us with 16 vacancies.

Of those 138 officers, only 127 are currently available for duty.

To break that down further, we have 11 officers that are unavailable for duty.

Specifically, three are deployed with the military, four are on long-term sick leave due to ill illnesses or injuries, two are on light duty, and two are currently assigned to the Allentown Police Academy as cadets and are unable to exercise the duties of a police officer until they gain their certification through MOPEC, which is the municipal police officer education and training commission.

This past year we hired four new police officers, two with police academy training, two who had to go to the academy to get the certification through MOPEC.

The two officers that required Act 120 certification are scheduled to graduate from the Allentown Police Academy next month.

It would be foolish of me not to take this opportunity to do a shameless plug for the department.

So if you know of anybody who is interested in serving their community with a progressive department, please by all means direct them to our website.

And those applications are due by January 2nd, 2026.

As you know, policing today is more demanding than ever.

Recruitment cycles reflect that reality.

Of those, 63 were approved to move forward in the hiring process.

However, by the time candidates reach the physical fitness and oral written exam stage, that number dropped sharply.

Only 24 passed the physical fitness exam and 14 past the written exam.

10 candidates then underwent the polygraph and background investigation phase, which remains one of the most difficult hurdles for applicants to clear.

These vacancies put a strain on current officers, driving up overtime costs and limit our ability to expand proactive community policing initiatives.

While we continue to prioritize recruitment, the gap between applications and actual hires shows us that this is not a short-term challenge.

Looking back a few years in 2022, we had only 61 applications, yet a higher percentage were able to meet the requirements.

Today, while the number of applicants has increased, the rate at which they are successfully completing the process has decreased.

Moving forward, we must continue to invest in recruitment strategies, including outreach, community engagement, and incentives, while also ensuring that the officers we do hire are well trained and supported once they are on the job.

In short, our officers are doing more with less.

If we are to maintain the high level of service our community expects, we need to address staffing shortages with a long-term strategy that combines recruitment, retention, and support for our existing team.

Now, after hearing about the vacancies that we have and some of the needs that we have to help lighten our officers' workload, the police and city administration, after conducting extensive conversations with the FOP union, have worked together to create two non-sworn positions out of two currently vacant sworn positions.

The first is a dedicated IT professional for the police department.

As our officers are doing more with less, we are faced with several challenges, especially when it comes to technology.

In law enforcement, there is an increasing reliance on technology for daily operations, investigations, and communications.

Although fantastic, and I cannot stress that enough, although they are amazing, and we are eternally grateful to everything they do for us.

Our existing city IT is stretched incredibly thin.

This results in system downtime and software issues, which directly impact officer safety and response times.

A dedicated police IT tech is a necessity in today's public safety landscape.

This position will provide 24-7 technical readiness, which will result in immediate troubleshooting for computed aided dispatch and our report management system, body worn cameras, and in-car systems.

It will also strengthen our cybersecurity protection by providing a proactive defense against hacking, ransomware, and data breaches targeting law enforcement systems.

A dedicated police IT tech will also allow us to optimize our systems by maintaining and improving digital evidence storage, analytical tools, and data sharing within the city as well as with our regional partners.

And finally, the position will improve operational efficiency by reducing officer downtime by ensuring critical systems remain fully functional.

Simply put, our officers depend on technology to serve and protect our city efficiently.

A dedicated IT professional is not a luxury.

It's an operational necessity for safety, compliance, and accountability.

This investment enhances public trust, improves officer performance, and safeguards the city's technological infrastructure.

The second position created from the vacant officer position would be an intelligence analyst.

As we look at the evolving demands on modern policing, it's clear that having dedicated intelligence capabilities is no longer a luxury.

It also is a necessity.

Criminal networks are becoming more complex, and our community expects data-driven, proactive approaches to crime prevention.

Right now, our limited staffing makes it difficult to consistently connect critical information across units or collaborate as effectively as we'd like with our partner agencies.

By adding an intelligence function, we'll be able to closely monitor crime trends, identify emerging threats, and support investigations with timely, actionable insights.

This ultimately enhances officer and community safety, helps us deploy resources more efficiently, and strengthens our partnerships with regional, state, and federal intelligent networks.

In short, this capability positions us to stay ahead of crime, not to just respond to it.

Now, these next few slides are heavy with statistics, but help show the activity level of our dedicated amazing officers throughout the year.

So far this past year, BPD officers have responded to an average of 4,832 calls per month.

And from January 2025 to November 10th, 2025, our police department has fielded 49,272 calls for service.

This pace has us fielding over 55,000 calls for service this year.

Now this is consistent with prior years.

As you can see, in 2024, BPD responded to 56,715 calls for service.

And in 2023, we responded to 55,532 calls for service.

In addition to responding to calls for service, officers have also attended over 143 community events.

Furthermore, while serving the community, BPD officers have administered naloxen 32 times within the course of their duties.

And finally, during this past year, we've seized 131 guns off the street.

These firearms are from criminal offenses, kept for safekeeping, or were found.

This slide contains a breakdown of reported crimes in the city for the last two weeks, last 28 day period, and year to date.

As you can see in the year to date column, total violent crime, total property crime, and total public order and alcohol related crime is down in the city.

Our vice unit is made up of one sergeant and three officers, and primarily conducts narcotics investigations here in the city and throughout the Lehigh Valley.

Enforcing narcotic laws is crucial to maintaining the safety and well-being of our community.

By targeting the illegal distribution and use of harmful substances, we aim to reduce drug-related crime, protect public health, and create a safer environment for all.50 grams of fentanyl, 9,207.50 grams of methamphetamine, 2,543 pills, 20 grams of MDMA, 769.5 grams of mushrooms, 28 grams of GHB, seven firearms, and two vehicles.

With the majority of those being medical calls.

Arrests were also down significantly from 2024, with 17 total arrests recorded, representing a 39% decrease from 2024.

Now, throughout this presentation, you're going to hear about a number of programs that we participate in.

And the police department is a contributing member of this city.

We work together with these other departments to help make our community safer and better for all our residents.

So as I mentioned, that you know, responding to the medical calls at Music Fest with our amazing city paramedics.

There are a number of departments that we work hand in hand with to provide the top level services to community members.

And this next slide highlights some of the department programs and partnerships.

First is our community connections program, which is the collaboration between the Bethlehem Police Department and the Bethlehem Health Bureau.

So as of November 11th, 2025, BPD has made 392 referrals for community members with unmet social service needs to the community connections program.

Next is Bus Patrol, a school bus safety program, a partnership that we participate in with the Bethlehem Area School District.

And between September 1st, 2024 and October 22nd, 2025, BPD has issued 2,370 citations to violators who have illegally passed school buses that were letting off or picking up children.

The Handle with Care program is another extremely important program that we partner with the Bethlehem Area School District on.

So for the 2024-2025 school year, BPD has completed 69 handle with care referrals.

And finally, the Impact Project is a program designed as a diversionary option for first-time juvenile offenders.

And year to date, we've had 91 referrals so far in 2025.

58 of which have been successful.

Seven juveniles were referred for arrest.

36 juveniles were still awaiting disposition.

Six juveniles were ineligible for the program.

Three outright opted for court.

And one juvenile that was referred was rejected to the program.

And the blue envelope program is a simple but powerful initiative designed to help individuals with autism or communication challenges feel safer and more confident during traffic stops.

For many people on the autism spectrum, unexpected social interactions, especially with authority figures, can be very, very scary and challenging.

The traffic stop can quickly become overwhelming, increasing the risk of miscommunication or escalation.

Through the program, drivers with communication disabilities keep their important documents, such as their license, registration, and insurance inside a clearly marked blue envelope.

Inside the envelope, there are instructions for both the officer and the driver.

It explains how best to communicate and what each party can expect during the traffic stop interaction.

This program empowers our officers to recognize and adapt to different communication needs in real time.

And it supports our broader goal of inclusive community-centered policing.

Another highlight for the year was we welcomed our new canine to the department.

Officer Luca is a one-year-old Belgian Malinois that recently completed 480 hours of training in patrol, tracking, obedience, agility, and search at the University of Penn.

So we have a UPenn grad on the force.

Canine Luca is paired with Officer Gregoris and is currently assigned to our patrol division as a member of the first platoon.

The Bethlehem Police Department also had the incredible honor of participating in Bethlehem's inaugural Special Olympics Torch Run.

Together with athletes, supporters, Mayor Reynolds, and fellow law enforcement agencies.

We carried the flame of hope through our community, symbolizing courage, unity, and the celebration of every individual's potential.

And this is an event that the Bethlehem Police Department is going to participate in yearly from now on.

Our safe streets program, again, I mentioned earlier about the collaboration between city departments.

This is a collaboration between the police, the health bureau, and the traffic superintendent from public works.

And our safe streets program is designed to make our city safer, more accessible, and more welcoming for everyone, whether walking, biking, driving, or using public transit.

The goals of the program are to reduce traffic crashes and fatalities by addressing high risk areas, improve pedestrian and cyclist safety, and finally promote safe, responsible driving through education and enforcement.

By combining engineering improvements, community engagement, education, and enforcement, we aim to reduce crashes, calm traffic, and foster stronger connections within our neighborhoods.

And as you can see from the picture there, there is a radar sign that we were able to purchase two of them that we're going to utilize in neighborhoods and on streets across the city that we're receiving numerous complaints about.

One of the number one complaints as chief of police that I received from members of the public is about speeding in their neighborhoods.

So we're going to work with the traffic superintendent.

We're going to work with the Health Bureau to look at the statistics from accidents.

We're going to work with our traffic division to strategically place those in areas where we're expecting there to be issues.

And we're also going to conduct enforcement campaigns and educational campaigns to try to have people slow down and try to change the driver culture that is currently being displayed here in our city.

Well-maintained and reliable vehicles are crucial for operational readiness, public safety, and the overall effectiveness of law enforcement efforts.

These vehicles are heavily used by our personnel 24-7 while ensuring the community's safety.

Now, this slide shows the investments that the city has made in its police fleet over the years.

As you can see from 2022 to 2025, the city has invested over 1.7 million dollars into the police fleet.

We continue to invest in our vehicle fleet with eight vehicles slated to be purchased in 2026.

Bethlem Police Department is committed to providing professional police service to our community.

Therefore, we encourage our officers to increase their skills, knowledge, and abilities through further education and training.

Investing in police training is an essential aspect of modernizing law enforcement and improving public safety.

By ensuring officers are well prepared for a range of complex situations from de-escalating tense encounters to handling emergent threats, we can foster greater trust, improve operational efficiency, and reduce negative outcomes for both officers and our community members.

During the year, officers attended a variety of training courses.

Some of the topics covered were firearm trafficking and illicit trade arms investigations, medical marijuana workshop, crime scene initial response and management, criminal gangs awareness, trends and identification methods, search and seizure, crisis intervention training, investigative report writing, law enforcement response to suicidal subjects, and trauma management.

The department has made several facility improvements in 2025.

For example, we purchased new office furniture for our records room and traffic unit.

We've also worked alongside Sean Ziller, the city's ADA accessibility officer to improve after hour access to BPD headquarters for individuals with mobility issues.

For example, additional signs were posted, alerting community members of the handicap ramp, and a phone that connects to the Bethlehem Communications Center was installed at the end of the ramp.

This way, the communication center can alert the house sergeant that someone with mobility issues is here for service.

Finally, a camera was added to the ramp area that the house sergeant can monitor so they can assist community members with mobility issues.

As I mentioned earlier, technology plays a critical role in modern policing by enhancing the effectiveness, efficiency, and safety of law enforcement operations.

We continue to upgrade the city's camera network by adding new cameras and updating, replacing antiquated ones.

We've also replaced some of our older intoximeters, which are utilized in DUI investigations.

And finally, each patrol platoon has been outfitted with tint meters to aid in enforcement efforts.

Finally, e-bikes offer a cost effective and versatile tool for police departments, enhancing officer mobility and community engagement.

They allow officers to cover more ground than traditional bicycles while maintaining quiet, approachable patrols ideal for parks, downtown areas, and events.

E-bikes reduce fuel costs, require minimal maintenance compared to vehicles, and support environmentally sustainable policing, all while improving response times in congested or pedestrian heavy zones.

The final slide for the police portion of the budget presentation shows some of our goals for 2025.

Now, uh Mr.

President, I'm not sure if you want me to continue with the Bethlehem Communication Center and the Records Room, or you would like me to pause at this portion because we could do the entire department chief.

Okay.

Then I'll open it up for questions and comments about everything.

So next is our communication center, which serves as the initial point of contact for many of the phone calls coming into City Hall.

For example, over the past fiscal year, the communication center has fielded 90,000 phone calls coming into the City of Bethlehem.

In addition to answering phone calls, communication center personnel triage service requests and are responsible for entering them into community plus, which is the software the city uses to track work orders.

Year to date, the communications center staff has entered 3,468 service requests and have also processed 1,093 service requests that were submitted via the My Bethlehem app.

Furthermore, the communication center also answered 16,305 PA1 calls.

The communications center is also an extremely important part of the police department, and their staff work seamlessly with police personnel.

For example, staff monitors 244 cameras located throughout the city, which helps with situational awareness as well as officer safety.

Communication center staff are also responsible for clean NCIC entries, tow operations, and assist with snow emergency details.

And I have up on the slide just how many warrants get searched through clean NCIC, the stolen vehicles, stolen articles, stolen firearms, how many criminal histories are communication staff processes, hate confirmations received for wanted individuals.

How many criminal histories are communication staff processes?

Hate confirmations received for wanted individuals.

The final slide for the Bethlehem Communications Center portion of the budget talks about some of the goals for 2026 with the Bethlehem Community Communications Center.

And then finally, is the police records room.

Police records is comprised of four dedicated staff members, three of which process all requests for police incident crime and accident reports.

Additionally, they also assist citizens with right to know requests, complete state reporting logs for juvenile arrests, and complete the court ordered expungement of records.

Finally, the remaining police record staff member serves as an administrative aid to the police command staff.

So I I wanted to include this slide in the police records presentation because one of our records clerks also serves as our animal control officer, and she does an amazing job.

Year to date, we've had 191 strays in our care.

Thanks to Animal Control Officer Rich's tenacity, we have a reunification rate of 66%.

Finally, our trap neuter and release contract with no nonsense neutering for cats has yielded 130 TNR cats for the year.

And the final slide for the police records portion of the budget presentation shows some of our goals for 2026 for the police records room.

Thank you, Chief.

Anything else to add?

No, sir.

Um be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Appreciate the presentation.

I'll start with our public safety committee members, starting with the chair, Councilwoman Leon.

Good evening, Chief.

How are you?

It's good to have you with us again.

It's great to be back.

How's your recovery going?

All good?

Going well.

Wonderful.

Um, I want to talk a little bit about uh your numbers.

Um, first and foremost, and I like this should be a blanket statement for the rest of the evening.

Um words can't be put to what first response within the city does.

There's just no way to describe it, especially because so many people in first response also come from prior military service.

It's it's a common theme.

So thank you all for everything that you do.

Um yeah.

Pray for you guys every day.

Thank you.

Um you'd said that you have 154 people authorized, 138 assigned, but 127 available for duty.

Thank you for breaking those, breaking down those numbers because my biggest question was of those unavailable for duty.

This goes without say.

Um, it's not a judgment of people being unavailable for duty.

People get sick.

Mental health is a thing.

Um, that equates to about an eight almost nine percent vacancy.

Is that common or has it gotten worse over the years, or do you constantly work with about an eight or nine percent vacancy?

We we have roughly that amount on a yearly basis.

It fluctuates, don't get me wrong.

Um the issue though, what we're seeing is more people are leaving at 19 and a half, 20 years.

Whereas in the past, when I was a young baby cop, people were staying 25 plus years.

So if you imagine we always use the proverbial bucket analogy where you have a bucket that has holes in, and you're trying to fill it with water, but it you you're not retaining any of that liquid because it's leaking through the holes.

Retention is an issue.

And in past years, we were able to kind of make do because we were bringing in 10, eight applicants to kind of fill the ranks as we were losing people to retirement now a days.

Um that's just not the case.

We're we're not gonna the days of the 200 person civil service list.

Um, when we do have three military deployments, when we do have uh officers that are severely injured or or seriously ill and unable to come to work and do their duties, it hurts.

It's it's a heavy lift.

So it's something that you know we're we're managing, we're we're doing the best of our ability to to try to come up with creative, proactive ways to lessen the load on our officers.

Okay.

And to to that respect, you said you have three people out on long-term military.

How long is long-term military?

So one has been over in the Middle East for over a year now.

Um, another one uh was over for roughly six to eight months, was over in Kuwait.

Uh, we have an another individual that um has been on military leave for I would say roughly the past two years longer, um, who has been on continuous orders uh in a reserve capacity.

So we haven't had him for about two to three years.

Um and again, I feel like it goes without say obviously we respect their service right um where they're at.

What do we do to fill the gap here while they're gone?

If they're going to be gone for about you know six to eight months a year, that's a standard deployment.

But if you're looking at two years, three years, um, that's not a standard reserve deployment.

Uh so what do we do to fill the gap in the means or are we just down those positions?

We're just down those positions.

We, you know, by law, we we have to hold Sarah.

Yes, we have to hold everything and um we're unable to hire to fill those positions because rightfully so they're serving our country and you know right.

And it's not like you can hire temp help.

So fix that.

So when talking about that component, you said the gap between applicants and hires is quite big, you know.

If I billeted for you for 10 additional positions tomorrow, how quickly could you fill them?

I couldn't.

I I have 16 vacancies right now.

I I had roughly that this last period uh hiring period, and we're only able to hire two people off that list.

Um, and this question I'm I promise I'll come back to is actually for our director, uh Mr.

Haki.

Um, can you bring me up to speed a little bit on the civil service list?

There was some conversation a couple of days ago about the civil service list and how quickly you go from taking the civil service exam to getting the exam certified and then coming on board and going through additional background checks and stuff like that.

What is the average timeline to that?

So we're now doing for police two a year.

To a year.

Um so we're now accepting applications, they'll be due in January.

The goal is to get them in a July Academy.

Okay, so from January to July.

Yeah, so it's a very compressed and quick process.

Um, we've got a lot of things to improve it to make it that efficient out of necessity.

Uh, forgive my ignorance because I was gonna say, wow, that takes a long time, but this is a much more okay.

All right, got it.

Okay, thank you for like the people that are starting December 1st, they applied back in June.

Okay, so about a half a year per okay.

Thank you so much for that.

Um can you talk to me a little bit about the two non-sworn positions from two sworn positions?

This is great news.

We were just down in the service center the other day.

Um, and we've talked at length, you and I, um, me and some other council members about the IT needs of the police department.

Um, so you're taking the IT.

So we had officers doing this that they were officers, but we were using them for IT.

So you're moving that from a uniform position to a non-uniform position.

Correct.

So I I cannot fill the current vacancies I have right now.

So you can so we need to somehow carry that load.

Just because I have a very, very capable police lieutenant who is going to be retiring next year in January.

Who handles a lot of our IT needs that you know, JP or Charlie Rodriguez can't get to uh that work is still going to be there, even though he's earned that retirement.

Okay.

So we need to somehow pick up that slack.

And it would be horrible of me to expect the next person to step into Detective Lieutenant Deluzio's spot to carry that load.

Okay.

Not everyone has that IT background that he has.

We're very blessed and fortunate that we have a number of officers that are very, very good with IT.

Um, but that that shouldn't be their job.

Yeah, well, it isn't their job.

Right.

You know, so we needed to come up with some type of plan to put in in place to make sure that the job is getting done.

And from the beginning, we have sat down with our union.

We have sat down with the city administration, and we all kind of put our heads together and tried to come up with some actionable plan that is going to enable us to do something to try to uh take care of that workload.

Because right now, I am very confident that the worst thing we can do is nothing.

Um the worst thing we can do is just bury our heads in the sand and and just kind of you know, try to kick the can down the alley.

So us being able to work together to come up with these positions that are going to be able to take the workload off of our officers and allow them to police um to me is a is a win.

So officer Deluzio, who just received an award, so obviously a very stellar yes, yes, officer.

Was his like his primary responsibility was IT?

No, it was not.

It was just on top of ancillary duty on top of his already heavy, heavy workload.

Okay.

Okay.

All right.

So when we hire this um non-uniformed person to fill this IT role, is that going to is that specifically for the service center?

Is that going to help within the clerk, like the the clerks?

Does that cut down any of the clerk work?

So it would be in the it would be stationed in the police department structure and would report to the captain of the professional standards division.

Um would be able to help out in the communic communication center, but would primarily be helping with the police department with our body cameras, computer aided dispatch, our report management system, uh, the um multiple tech that is in our police cars from the MDTs to the cameras to the license plate readers, uh to the word escapes me in the back.

I want to say servers, but they're not the are in the trunk that help with the Wi-Fi.

The routers, thank you.

That the routers we have.

I mean, it's just so different from back when I started in 2004.

Um, so that that's what the individual would be doing.

So, point of curiosity how many police officers ride per car?

Is it one per car and all of this equipment?

So it it varies.

Um we are primarily a single person patrol car.

However, on good days when you know there's optimal staffing, we may pair people up to be a little bit more proactive.

Um, some of our uh specialized units, such as the community um service unit, north side and our officer or our south side officers will be paired up.

Um, the Bethlehem Housing Authority officers are usually paired up.

So, but patrol is primarily a single person occupancy in a vehicle.

And I'm sure you probably won't have this number off the top of your head, so maybe at some other point we can talk about it.

When it comes to single occupancy in in a vehicle, I would love to know like what the accident rate is like with one officer in a vehicle surrounded with that much equipment.

Um just a point of curiosity, not relevant right now.

Um eight new vehicles.

Awesome, love that.

Uh 56,000 calls annually.

Yes.

You said wellness and professional development for our personnel is a 2026 goal.

56,000 calls annually.

What is wellness and professional development look like?

So we encourage our folks to take care of themselves, and we send officers to training uh to learn about mental health and wellness to try to set them up for success because public safety is extremely difficult on an individual.

You can be the most hardened person, but the things that police fire EMS have to deal with is incredibly trying.

So we want to make sure that our officers have the tools in place to deal with those ineffects.

Um healthy coping mechanisms.

Uh, there is the um the struggle well program is a program that is being sponsored through St.

Luke's.

Uh, it is promoted by the Lehigh County Chiefs Association, and it's something that we send our officers to to make sure that they're getting those tools.

Something else is I subscribe to being a self-long uh lifelong learner.

We try to instill that in our officers for professional development to make sure that they continue to go to training and make themselves the best officer that they can be.

So that is another way that we're investing back in our personnel is is through training and can you know continuing education.

So sticking on that line, um, we lost an officer, you know, was it two almost three years ago?

2021.

Right when we got on.

Um and I I know that it's it's been quite some time, but anniversaries are a thing.

How is the platoon that responded to that?

How are they doing?

It's still incredibly difficult for everyone in the department that knew Matt.

Um, but I feel confidently that we responded to that tragedy in the best possible way.

And I believe that we were able to bring people together rather than cause more division and and divisiveness.

And I'm hopeful that if there is someone struggling, they will feel comfortable coming and having that hard conversation with a member of the police department, with a member of our our amazing human resources department.

Um, and and ask for help.

With no fear of retaliation, correct.

All right.

Let's shift to a slightly more uh happy note.

The impact project.

So the impact project came in not so long ago.

Um, I know you guys have taken part of it, and it is it's a budget meeting.

So, like, how much of the resources go toward the impact project?

Um, like what is what is that like for you and your officers?

So, our officers are educated on the impact project, and it is something that we push, we have a directive on for first-time juvenile offenders.

And it is a program that gives power to not only the victim and the police department, but also the the offender as well, the empowerment to better their lives and and to fix the harm that they caused.

And the program has been extremely successful so far, and it's something that um it would not be out of the ordinary for me to say that on a daily basis.

I I read the crime report for the last 24 hours every single day that happens here in the city.

Um, there is usually one or two project impact calls that can be found on that.

Um, that's how frequently it's used by our officers.

Good, good.

Um just wrapping it up, community um policing, just wanted to give a note.

I saw your uh the bike cops and all that.

Um, I think Bethlehem is just such an amazing example of how community policing just works and it works well.

There's not a single community meeting that I go to where there's not a cop present there.

Um, not a conversation I've had where people aren't like we want to see more cops on the beat, which is probably not the most used effective use of of COP time.

Um, but there is really so much support for you guys out there.

Um, and I love to see that.

And it wouldn't be me if I wasn't asking.

So we're down a couple horses.

Uh are we getting more?

So I don't want to spoil any surprises.

Okay, cool.

All right.

Just I I want to be hopeful then.

Um also the addition of a person in the records room.

Um love to see that.

I we've been having conversations about this for about three years.

Um very excited to see the addition of a person in the records room.

I've I've said this before, my gut tells me that 154 people is not enough.

Maybe it is, maybe it isn't.

Um, I think we can agree 127 is definitely not enough.

Correct.

Uh so there's that.

Um, and it is very frustrating to hear that even if I even if we as a council said here's more, you can't fill it.

Um, and I think as you said, we need to kind of look at what we're doing to continue to attract people.

There is a heart and within the police department for the kind of policing that we're doing.

Um, so maybe it is about more engagement and talking to people about this, the type of policing that we're doing.

Um to attract better candidates that stick and stay.

Uh so those are all of the questions that I have, and I will end it on saying that Luca is the very best boy, and we're very happy to have him with us.

Thank you, councilwoman.

I'll turn to the rest of the committee.

Members Kramsey Smith or Callahan.

Anything for Chief Cott.

Thank you.

Welcome back.

Thank you so much.

And thank you to your department for all you do.

I know it's challenging, especially with the low staff.

I just said questions.

Um retention's an issue.

Um, and I saw in the budget there was a retention bonus for 24 and 25, but none this year.

Can you just expand on that, please?

So that was through a grant.

Oh, okay.

That we received.

Um, it was something that uh Governor Shapiro had put out through the PCCD.

Um, because I again we're not an anomaly, right?

Uh this is something state, nation, you know, nationwide, you know, uh having a problem with right.

And so it expired.

It's not it expired, okay.

Did it help?

Do you think I no?

Uh honestly, I I don't think it helped.

I I just I I can go on for about two hours about generational differences and and how you know the economy and how there's various factors I think that have led to individuals wanting to retire earlier.

Do you think um I would assume like the lack of staffing and the stress with not having enough officers is one factor.

I I would say so.

Okay, all right.

And how about overtime?

Um, or is there I mean, I know it's you have general overtime, um, and then you have the music fest and specialty ban.

Um, is that becoming a concern as far as the overtime this necessitated because of staffing?

We are very fiscally responsible when it comes to overtime.

Uh we are on top of it, not only my administration, but my my boots on the ground, lieutenants and sergeants, and uh it's something that we keep a very, very close eye on.

Um now, granted, there are a lot of overtime shifts that you know may not get filled because officers do get burnt out.

Okay.

Um, but we we are able to at this time keep a very steady hand on our overtime budget.

Okay, so it's not mandated then like the firemen.

So you could if if they're under certain circumstances, yes, we we are able to mandate.

Okay.

All right, great.

And I'm not sure this question, I don't know if this would be for Mr.

Evans, but I so we have 154 total, and you said we have only 127 available right now, but some are on sick leave or whatever.

So 138.

Um, and then the money that we're not using for the salaries, where where do we put that then?

You know, if we have it earmarked for the salaries and we're not using it.

That's coming to you in the form of a memo at the next at the finance meeting.

Okay.

On is that December 2nd, we're gonna do the audit, and then I think there's just a singular memo at that time and we'll be able to talk about the use of those savings.

Uh, we've been working with the police department, the mayor, and the chief, deputy chief, uh, to find out the best uses or needs uh of the department.

So we'll discuss that on December.

I think I have some ideas.

That's that I think I have some ideas.

Yeah, and the money the money that's coming forward is one of the things that I had when Chief, when we looked at like the vacancy rate there, was I told her to have a conversation as well with Mr.

Nicholson and the FOP about their own ideas.

And I just want to just briefly in 20 seconds talk about the incredible cooperation we have.

The position these new positions came up in conversations with the FOP as far as like what the needs of the department were.

So that memo that's coming forward as far as what to spend the vacancy dollars on is staying within the police department is really an example of like collaboration as far as like the great job that Mr.

Nicholson does working with the administration to be able to say like this is something that makes people's lives easier within the department.

So we are particularly thankful for that.

I'm um thank you.

Just following up on that question.

Uh so there's 154 that was budgeted.

138 is on payroll right now, correct?

Is that what the number was?

Yes, sir.

Yeah.

So what is that?

It's um 12.

It's 16 positions.

So how much money are we talking about?

I I don't have that with me.

That's December 2nd.

I don't know.

How about at the top of your head?

I mean, I'm not gonna I I'm not gonna jump to numbers right now.

What what are you?

I can get some more.

I mean, it's several it's several hundred thousand dollars.

Uh that is what the money is that's gonna come back in the finance committee as far as the purchases that are all that money's out of the general fund, right?

That is out of the general fund, which is produced by taxes, yes.

So um chief I I you guys do an awesome job.

I I can't say more for the police department.

Every interaction I've ever had with them and talking to them, they're very professional.

And I actually enjoy when they stop by and and talk with me.

So um I I trust them, I think they trust me.

So um the um when it comes to Lehigh University and Moravian University, do you have a count of how many times our police department is called up?

I mean, I I would assume Lehigh and Moraven both have their own police departments, correct?

They do, yes.

But is there there's gotta be some times where we're called in, right?

So the Northampton County 911 Center has gotten better about differentiating when it is Lehigh property.

Um so we we've you know, when we first lost 911 capabilities here in the city and it went down to Northampton County, there was some times that we were being dispatched to Lehigh property um by accident, but uh those have those have since gone down considerably.

Do we have any idea how many times uh like in the last year that we've been up on?

I mean, I mean, if there was a shooting or something like that, are we called on on that type of a they would absolutely call us if there was a shooting?

Yes.

Between now and the final budget um meeting, could you get us a number of how many times the police department, if if it's possible?

I don't know if it's possible in the you know, in the computer system or not.

I'd like to know the nonprofits, Lehigh Moravian, Lehigh the hospitals.

How many times?

Because I'm gonna ask the same question in the fire department.

How many times are uh they pay no taxes at all?

How many times are but they're using our our our services a lot more, I'd say fire department more so because they don't have their own fire department, unlike you know they do have their own police departments.

How many times are we going up there a year for being called up there just for the police department?

I don't know if you can get that number to you know to council in the next couple days.

I'd appreciate it if you could.

Um I mean off the top of your head.

Do you have any idea?

Not off the top of my head.

I know we respond to Lehigh Valley Muellenberg uh on a on a good basis.

Daily, you think absolutely absolutely um our solicitor not here is Slissor Spurt?

I saw him.

Mr.

Spurt, it's off the top your head.

Is it possible for a city to I know we can't tax them, but can we charge like uh uh a fee to students at le let's say Lehigh University has uh I got the number here exactly just coincidentally?

They have 7300 undergrads, 1,500 graduate students, 8,800 or no, they have 7300 total, Lehigh, 53 undergrad, 2,000 graduate for 7300, and then Raven has 1200 undergrad, 300 graduate, 1500 total, 8800 students.

Is it possible for the city to charge their students a $50 fee for emergency services?

Because we're obviously there's an expense to our city for them to go up, and I would assume I don't know what the fire department numbers are, but I'm sure they're astronomically higher than the police departments because those two facilities or universities do not have uh fire departments in EMS where they do have their own police department and probably handle most of the things on campus or in-house.

So my question is if we is there a possibility or is there a legal way for us to assess a $50 fee to students that are here part-time?

I wouldn't want to answer that off the top of my head.

Could you do I I don't know, I could ask Ms.

Stewart to do it, but I I want to get uh you know, if if if the if the community economic uh development department can can charge fees for their services being rendered, there's no reason why uh we should be spending millions of hours a year in police and fire and going up to Lehigh, Moravian, um St.

Luke's Lehigh Valley Hospital, and they pay absolutely nothing and contribute nothing to the funds and services of our city.

So that that's something I want to look into in the next couple weeks.

I think if if we charge the $50 fee just on the students, 8,800 students times $50 is 440,000.

And when we get to start talking about the fire department, uh I think the memo for Mr.

Evans was uh right at vicinity of I mean, problem solved, you know, if we're allowed to do that.

So I I do know that they do claim or or provide in-kind services, whether it's tutoring kids at Broccole, uh, and and there's a variety of things that I'm sure that they do, but I it's time that they started paying their fair share for the services that they're rendering from the city.

And that's what I'd like to find out.

So if you could look into it, I'd appreciate it.

We'll get an opinion from you, we'll get an opinion from our solicitor, and maybe that can help us find the funding to get the the four additional firemen on on board and alleviate their stress, Mr.

Reynolds.

Yeah.

I was just gonna uh say as a concept, we a hundred percent will look into what the question is from the legal point of view, some practical just considerations as far as that's concerned is like there are other there are other contributions that are both in the budget and other places that are services that the health networks, Lehigh, Moravian necessarily might provide.

So I'm just saying to to you as an example for this, like it could be like if we are charged, and I don't know the answer.

I'm just once again being completely transparent, is there would be a bit of an anxiety in doing it in a very short term.

Like, for example, like Lehigh gives money to the Southside Arts District to the ambassadors as part of their ongoing community like agreement.

So for example, they sign contracts that say we're gonna give X amount of dollars based on this, that are then we obviously have staff associated with South Side Artists and things like that.

You just you don't know whether or not it's like if you charge us X, we're just going to move this from Y and create different problems and so on and so forth.

And once again, I'm not saying it's a we will absolutely look it up and so on and so forth.

The other thing is like the potential to put it in, and then somebody complains about it and like you know, files action against it or so on and so forth.

It just pro it provides a potential uncertainty.

Once again, we will absolutely look it up.

I just want to be completely honest in case you have this conversation and I'm not here or so on and so forth.

There are there are different potential moving parts that we may not be aware of, not just on the legal side, but on the practical budget side, um, that may come up if it if it if it picks up as something that somebody was allowed to do.

I just wanted to be on, I want to be clear about that.

I I appreciate that.

My whole point in saying it though, and just like you stated with the uh with the ambassador program, I think they um thankfully pay for two is it is it two people to walk the streets down here and in and clean up what it's it's it's a little bit worse on.

It's a it's a contract with a group that we help to pay, so it's not quite as clear as like pay for this particular person as much as a contribution to an overall contract.

So they came forward I years ago.

I don't know if I think it was with under Mr.

Donchez or my my brother, I'm not sure, but they came forward because they wanted their area uh directly connected to the south side, it cleaned up a little bit more than the services of the city could provide.

So they offered, and if I'm wrong on this, Mr.

Evans, yeah, I think you're on a council at the time.

If you have um a memory about what the what the situation was, but I from what I remember was they wanted their area cleaned up on a on a day-to-day basis and an hourly basis with someone walking back and forth on third and fourth street and on New Street, sweeping up with a and and and those guys do a great job.

So they offered to do that because it was a benefit to their facility and their university image.

They also need to probably understand that it's it's kind of important that if their students are having uh uh a medical issue that our EMS and our and our fire department, and and I don't have any idea what the numbers are, I really don't.

If anybody could find that out in the next half hour or so, that'd be some great information.

If not, it could be at a later point.

But the these people that are sucking off our our services have have to it's not free.

And in in Lehigh and Moravian and uh apparently the hospitals uh are using our services on a regular basis without any cost to to them as nonprofits, and I don't know what Moravian's endowment is, but I know the Lehigh's endowment that they're sitting on is in the billions.

So it at some point there's got to be a little a little a little help from them uh to to provide funds, or maybe or maybe if they'd like to, maybe they could pay for the four firemen instead of you know, and and you know, as again, we're getting back to the fire department.

No, I know, but uh right.

And I and I do want to get to fire.

So that's that's all I'm asking.

If you could find out from me, uh number one, how many times have we went up to Lehigh and Moravian in the last year?

And uh if fire could do the same thing quickly, I'd I'd appreciate it.

And um I think that's it for now for fire.

Uh I'll just say real quick.

Um I uh advise you to reach out to attorney steward.

Yeah, right, you know, as soon as possible if you want her to look into something, and then just I'll I'll remind everyone this is a topic that came up um over 10 years ago before I was on council when there were conversations about like I mean it wasn't Apple Saples, but payment in lieu of and things like that, engaging the universities, the health networks stuff.

So there's been sort of conversations that have been kicked around before, I think to the point there was some engagement with other institutions that decided to contribute to the city in other ways, but uh there's history there you can look at right.

And I and I'd also like to know, and and and I hope uh Mr.

Evans, you you said coming next week or next month.

Um is it I don't know is it is it the next meeting that you're gonna approach us with the plan on what to do with the uh excessive money that the extra money left over from the non-contracted police officers, yeah.

Yes, the way that'll work is we're still looking at the salaries.

We're not you know, there's 24 out of 26 pays, just call a couple payrolls left.

So we have to calculate how much we need to leave for that.

Uh they're overtime, although very much under control and close to the budget amount.

We'll transfer some and move there, and then we'll calculate the difference, and that would be the 20.

It's not 26, this would be 25, right?

Right, it's still part of the 25 budget.

The move would be made at that time to shift it into the account that we're gonna come up with, and that's what we presented by the fire department by the uh now.

You got me doing it.

Uh by the police, I have that effect.

Getting tired too.

It's getting by on December 2nd, we'll have uh explanation of what that's gonna look like.

Yeah, and I would still money that has to be and I would just hope that uh there's no promises being made with that money.

I think when we were talking about economic development, uh we were saying, well, the we've kind of already told these organizations that we're gonna we have there's additional money there.

I would hope that no money from that fund is being committed until council decides because maybe it's something that you know that that we need to that's we have to to move it, we have to come to you.

Right, right.

It's gotta come with the memo.

But that money, and also let's just be clear it's like that money that was left over from the police department is something that like we made the decision.

And when Chief Cott came to me, I said, I want you to go have a conversation with the FOP and your administration as far as what you guys want to do, because it was money, and I think we talked before and I was out of the room about why we have the vacancies and so on and so forth.

But if that money is within the police department, it's budget for the police department.

The next best thing to hire police officers is to find other one-time uses for it with this one-time savings.

So the money that comes forward there, and council obviously has the as Eric said, like you don't have to transfer it, but I just want to be clear that like those recommendations that are coming forward are going to be ones that the chief, her team, and the FOP talked about would be the best use for those dollars.

It's not me, it's not Eric.

We said, Chief, you guys come up with what you think is your plan because you work well together with FOP and come back to council with it.

So that's all I just want to be clear about that.

Thank you.

And and I don't if if Chief, so when you when you were talking about um the the bucket, there's you there's officers that are leaving, they're falling out of the bucket, and we're we're trying to put new officers in the bucket.

Well, it's hard to keep up, right?

Yes, yes.

So this is an ongoing thing every year, right?

And our staffing, not what's budgeted, but the actual staffing has probably pretty much stayed the same over the last few few years, right?

It has, yes.

Yeah, and you're what you're thinking is even if you if even if with that additional money with the budget of 1540, it's gonna be very difficult for you to provide and fill up those uh 16 or 18 spots this upcoming year.

Yes, sir.

So at least for the a one year period, because I don't want to take any money away from the police department, but if it's not being used, I think the situation that we have with all the overtime, and again, it's something that we're gonna talk about in a minute.

I'm sure the fire department has the same type of situation that there's X amount budgeted, and there's only X amount that are actually on payroll.

So there's uh an extra there's a uh an extra amount of money in a fund there too.

I don't I'm assuming I don't know.

I would hope that's the one.

We're gonna talk we'll talk about that the fire department.

Thank you, Chief.

Thank you.

Yeah.

Just the if when we talk of if I can just pivot on the that vacancy, this the salaries when we are balanced every year, you know, we set ourselves up so we can fill all our positions and we don't want to get caught short by pledging away money for next year for salaried positions.

The money um that is saved in any year, most every department public works has a lot of turnover and vacancies as well during the year.

Sometimes it's available, sometimes it covers a medical because medical expense were self-insured, and that's some years I've gone way over the budget amount, and all the vacancy needs to be moved to medical to pay because we're all in it together.

And we'll talk about that in a couple minutes too.

But that's over 12 million dollars a year.

Sometimes it goes a million dollars over.

So we have to scramble, and that money really is never used until the end of the year just till we know we're in the 24th and 25th payroll.

There's gonna be savings overall comprehensively, because they can't just you know, just stay one place if we need it somewhere else in the general fund.

We come to you and say, We're over on medical.

We've been we usually tell you as a year's gone, we can see it's running hot by September, October, we're gonna have issues.

We're gonna come to you and talk to you about it and make a transfer once or or at the end.

This one we're doing at the end because we're waiting to see what those final numbers look like, and there are no needs at this particular year, but it's not enough, it's not always known as an ongoing anyone's savings and salaries.

This is a thing, a good thing we can do because our savings and we're we're okay on medical this year.

What what would we do in a situation where the full complement of police and fire are in payroll?

And then we have a situation where the medical came in hot that at the end of the year.

Where shouldn't we have I know the count?

I don't know what the county has.

I think it would I from what I read, I remember I think it's they're they're supposed to have a 10% um rainy day fund.

Yeah, we don't have that, right?

Yeah, yeah, we haven't done rainy day fund, which you're not supposed to, but in instance like that, we haven't had to do it for that, but that's what we would do.

And I'm I know when we went back in time, or the memos I showed you from 15 years ago, that count was zero.

And that's why we're so careful when we present to you and talk to you about our ideas.

We don't want to go back to like what that memo looked like that right names were on in 2010 and said there's no money, we're borrowing just to pay bill.

That's that's pushing to act 47.

And when we meet with our friends from our eight cities, we share stories and um yeah, they're happy to hear how we're doing, but they're very envious because they're not in the position where they can make how much is in our rainy day fund right now.

Um, if if we pass the budget as is, we think about 26 million dollars.

And our rainy day fund.

Well, it's it's the gen, it's the fund balance.

So, like it's not like a rainy day fund, but one of the things we just had this conversation, correct?

Uh well, if if we stopped every conversation when we did that, we would have been out here four hours ago.

Um, but it is it is a situation, Mr.

Callahan, and I just want to say a couple of things here.

Um, is that it is the same challenge with the cash balance that we were talking about before is if you move the money, which is a essentially a one-time revenue, it's not a recurring revenue, you're creating that hole in the budget for next year.

So if you move 500,000, so you could move to go from 25 million down to 24.5.

But and just go back to the other one, is like I would say just because once again, I want the opportunity to let you know, is like I would not be in favor of moving those from positions in police because the conversation here about these two positions has been a lengthy one that was supported by the police administration, was supported by Mr.

Nicholson under like an MOU type of situation that we weren't going to in 2026, because they're entering collective bargaining agreement then at the end of 2026 for 2027, move, try to move any to lower any positions to even transfer them to other things within the police department, let alone move that money outside of the police department.

So, once again, counsel, if you have the votes, you can do whatever you want legally.

But in this situation, like as far as that idea is concerned, like I would not be in favor of that because we really are trying to fill those positions and to just finish and get back to the other point.

Is like if everything is filled, but once again, if you have everybody, somebody's always gonna retire.

So if somebody retires in September or June, like you may have four months of salary, and maybe that's 20,000, and maybe you need that money for overtime or whatever and so on and so forth.

But back to your point about medical is like one of the things we've done, which I've talked about also ad nauseum in our budget conversations is that like when we come in below budget on medical, like then those that money is necessarily put aside as far as like for next year and stuff like that.

So then, in part of the way we build up a healthy cash balance to be able to have lower borrowing costs and having good bond rating and all these other things that allowed us to borrow not borrow debt is by taking those differences and then putting them over to cash like the cash balance.

So like if something would happen, you would look at where were there, maybe there were vacancies in public works or something like that to be able to move over to medical, but it would be a conversation.

We have just been fortunate the last several years.

But as Eric said, like if we come in under and the medical is running hot or whatever, we'll try to take proportionally from different funds that have vacancy rates to be able to make up for that.

Thank you.

I I apologize if the 26 million was discussed.

I went to the bathroom, so it was discussed tonight.

It was the first budget hearing capital plan.

And I talked about it publicly at my budget presentation.

I got I came late to that, so I apologize.

We're still here.

The uh are you done, Mr.

Calhan?

I'm sorry.

Anyone else on counsel for Chief Cott?

Councilwoman Laird.

Just to clarify, um, you're not typically like uh St.

Luke's Hospital is not within our jurisdiction, right?

So like the Fountain Hill campus.

It's not, however, um, due to mutual aid, you get called sometimes there there are calls occasionally, or just through the course of our our duties where we're you know, we're taking someone to the hospital and they decide to go to St.

Luke's.

Um, you know, we may be there when something happens and and be able to assist.

Okay.

Um, but that would be considered mutual aid.

Yes.

Um you I'll say thank you.

It's it's late.

Sorry.

Thank you.

I'm keeping it brief to that for everybody tonight.

Okay.

Um the shortages, um, and the difficulties in recruiting.

Do you believe that our hiring process we have one of the you know the best police forces?

We have high standards, yes, ma'am.

Um do you believe it's appropriately stringent, despite the recruitment challenges?

I believe that one of the worst things we can possibly do is is lower our standards.

Um, there is a reason that I believe, and I I always say that I am biased, but that we are one of the best police departments, not only in the state of Pennsylvania, but in the country.

Um, it is because of the standards, it is because of the rigorous process that we put our applicants through.

Um, and I I would not feel comfortable changing that.

Yes, I'm happy to hear that answer.

Um so you know, but it is a trade-off that we have to recognize, right?

It is, it it is, and and that is why we you know, when I discussed it, the the background and polygraph is is a treacherous hurdle for people to cross, but it is the necessary hurdle to cross.

Um we want people of the utmost integrity, and we we want the the best caliber individuals working here, and and we'll do everything in our power to um to try to vet people and and and find the right fit for our department.

Um, I know that we're uh accredited, and my my brain is not pulling up the um standard accredited yeah, yeah.

Um, and that that's not uh the norm uh right for a city our size.

Um, are the requirements a lot of the hiring uh process requirements that we have, are they aligned with those standards for that accreditation?

It goes along lines with uh industry, you know, standards and best practices, yes, ma'am.

Yeah, um, and uh have you had to like of course there's mutual aid.

Um, have you had to bring in other departments to Bethlehem to cover when you've had staff shortages, or only if there's been like a really exceptional situation that that mutual aid is required for?

Only um in exceptional circumstances.

Uh I off the top of my head, I can't think of any.

Uh, I know that the Pennsylvania state police can go wherever they want.

Um, their jurisdiction is the whole state.

So occasionally you may see a trooper helping out, um, such as like we had at Music Fest.

Uh, we have a very good working relationship with Troop M.

And we uh we invited them to come join us and and they were with us, but that was on an invite um to just kind of up our presence and and and just visibility throughout the festival.

Uh, but we have not had to call for mutual aid.

So the so typically things where we might see like I there's other mounted officers, even beyond state police here at music fest, I think, right?

Like Lankhead, not any longer.

Lancaster is no longer dissolved.

Um, but that's a planned thing and an invitation, like you said, not an urgent call in.

Um and you mentioned about mandating overtime um that occasionally it does happen.

Few and far between uh most of the time officers will jump on overtime, will uh will volunteer for it.

Um, but there have been a few and far between circumstances where individuals were mandated for the first four hours of the next shift or um, but even then uh our lieutenants and our sergeants are very good with trying to find volunteers to take that overtime to make sure that that individual um is relieved at some point.

And are um any of your constraints around uh overtime are those negotiated in your contract in terms of what you're allowed to require, how many hours they can work, things like that.

Is that part of your there are elements of overtime that are covered in the CBA, but the the majority of the the overtime is kind of dictated off of uh off of you know, management right through through the memo that is put out to the department.

Um and just to be extra sure, the uh the new roles, one of which uh as you know I've talked with you about the the tech and uh visited the service center um to see all of that.

That I'm very glad to see that and glad to, I think, even though it is ill illustrative of your shortages, real that is budget neutral, correct?

Correct to add those positions, correct.

Um will they support um I think you you answered about the service center, right?

Like they will somewhat be involved with the service center, but it won't be their primary responsibility, correct?

Yes, correct.

They they will be able to to assist with the communication center, but uh primarily it's it's going to be for the police department.

Got it.

And uh they also would in some capacity, like with the rest of the service center, be looking at that the app.

Uh I know you have customer support through the company that provides the city app, but uh would they be trained at least on basic troubleshooting with that too?

So I'm I'm not quite sure.

Uh I know that they're gonna work closely with the rest of our IT folk.

Um, so that may be something that they'll be trained up on.

Um, it may not be.

I so at this time I'm I'm not sure.

In the weeds.

Okay.

Um, but they would report to police, not to IT.

Correct.

Correct.

Um I think that's all the questions I had for you.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilwoman Kuyatech.

Thank you.

And thanks, Chief.

Thanks to um the whole force for all they do to keep us safe.

Um, I had just a couple of questions.

The first one to go back to the um the kind of the the hiring funnel from application to how many people actually pass the polygraph.

It seems like the biggest drop off after you look at 116 applications and know like off the top, you're you know you're gonna have a certain number that are just not qualified.

So fine.

But so you get to 63 that are approved to move forward, and then the first huge drop off is with the physical.

And so what I'm wondering is um, not that we I don't want to reduce standards, but I am wondering.

Um I mean, I think we've seen this across the board across the country.

This isn't something that's unique to Bethlehem in any way.

Are there discussions um about physical readiness kind of preparation for people who want to join the force because it's quite possible that we have great people who would pass the written exam, um, pass the background and polygraph, but they are they are stopped at that physical fitness piece.

And it seems like that's the one piece you could actually address because it is possible to get bitter physically.

Yes, ma'am.

And then that is something that we have met with our recruitment team members that are members of the Bethlehem police department, and we have them taking more of a mentorship role uh this time around, where they're going to be able to reach out to applicants to uh basically make sure that they are um practicing and engaging in some type of physical fitness regimen um so that they're prepared for that test.

Um, because right now the the standards that we're requiring for our physical fitness exam are or are that of what is expected uh through the Pennsylvania state um through MOPEC standards.

So we are making sure that we're reaching out to applicants, we're letting them know what they need to do.

We're making sure that they have those requirements well in advance of that test so that they can be practicing and so they can excel and pass the the written or I'm sorry, the fitness exam.

Excellent.

Because I do I do think that that it feels like the place where there's the greatest opportunity to um save save more people from getting sort of you know uh washed out of the process.

Um so uh the I will join the chorus of people who are thrilled that you're going to have in a dedicated IT person.

Um I know that at Lehigh uh we have a great one in the in the police department.

Um Mr.

Ramsey is is terrific, and not that I'm suggesting you steal him.