On the phone or meet in person at any time.

This first finance meeting there is usually a busy one.

You'll see there are 10 items.

We made an attempt to control that number.

There are some others that we did put a hold on.

But what that does mean is we will be requesting another finance meeting sometime sooner than later.

Uh the reason for the first is uh you know the clear fact it's beginning of the year.

We want to reconcile some from some accounts when we set the capital budget for the uh budget season, it's September.

We take cuts at 930.

So numbers that you see at budget time for the most part, unless it was um through a discussion through the particular department.

The default position is we use that 930 number rather than trying to guess or project, which some places do, we use a 930.

Uh, and then this time of year, we need to reconcile whether we use all of it or more or less of it.

That's what our what number 10.

And that that's a bit of an extensive one in and of itself.

And on then on top of that, uh, since our last meeting has been two months because it's a new council committees were set.

So that we appreciate you being with us tonight.

We have 10 items for you.

I'm gonna handle one and two, police will do three, fire chief will do four and five.

We have our health director for number six, CED for number seven and nine, water sewer for eight, and our director of budget and finance will kind of lead number 10.

So we have almost just about every department represented tonight.

Member memo number one is a year end adjustment.

And what memo one is doing is tying the actual usage from three accounts and 0901.

Those are the community recovery funded down, the homeless initiative and affordable housing from what was at 930 to what the actual use was, and you'll see some somewhere a little bit lower.

And on top of that, there's a separate 0901 in there, 95012 downtown initiative.

And I'll take you back to September.

In September, we added 150,000 to this account at finance committee, or may have gone.

No, it didn't go directly to council.

It was a finance committee where we discussed it and moved 150 into the count.

That was accumulated savings.

It was money that was not spent over a period of several years in the downtown initiative.

And that the plan for that money and what was voted on at that time was that money would be then spent sent to Moravian University.

They uh with regard to World Heritage, they took on the responsibility responsibilities of hiring a project or our site coordinator.

And um the part or the um pledge from the city was 150,000.

So that's what was voted on.

Um, the year ran out before that invoice.

They're still working through some logistical steps as they bring that into fruition.

The coordinator was hired.

You may have met her at this time or since then.

Um, but there are several groups working, including the university, including the city, including historic Bethham Partnership.

And uh because it got past the check time that 150 was not spent.

This is simply moving into this year's budget.

So that 150 that was voted on can indeed be sent to Maraven University for the items that we that we talked about last fall.

So that's memo one.

Thank you, Mr.

Evans.

Mr.

Eamon, do you have a question?

No, sir.

Mr.

Evans, the only question I have, and just as we start our first uh finance committee meeting, as you referenced, grab another one soon.

Can you just give the committee a brief background of when budget transfers come to council?

Uh obviously the administration has some discretion how you're able to move money during the year.

We don't come to you don't come to council, nor do I think should you come to council every time you have to move some money around.

Can you just briefly educate the committee on the threshold that meets when you send a memo over and request the committee meeting?

Come, yes, yeah.

Come to council.

Anytime we're going to add something, we want to increase any line item, it's going to come to council.

We're asking for more.

If it's moving uh budget neutral, if we are moving within there are there are restraints to moving money, there's some administrative, as you said, discretion in order to keep the lights on from day to day.

These are projections that we put in the um in September, and there are times when we may need to find something for something that came up, just unlike in real life in any government or any business.

Not everything is always exact.

So if there's a need to do that, the limitations we have are that we can move 5% of any category.

That would be the categories are personnel, materials and supplies, purchase services, and then equipment.

So we can move up to not just in the transaction, but the accumulated value over the period of the year.

So if we we can't lose you move five and then five percent tomorrow the next time is five percent total from one line to another within a department.

So public works is the example.

We can move across the bureaus up and down five percent, but we can't move it into community development or police or fire, anything within the departments or if it goes into civic expenses, you owe 901 or general expenses 0801.

That's going to trigger the need and requirement to come to council.

Um, typically during the year, we'll have several council meetings.

Typical agenda might be four to six, you know, four to eight agenda items.

The first one of the year again, just because of the pent up demand and the turnover the year is always gonna be a little bit larger.

But uh again, so the next one, what you don't see tonight is the water and sewer capital.

That we are just about we could have been ready to go, but we're trying to space it out as we can because those are similar to memo number 10 tonight.

The reconciliation of the capital fund.

There are a lot of accounts in that particular fund.

So we'll hold on to that.

But we would we will be making a request to meet again, not the next meeting, but sometime in in early March.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Evans, for that background.

I didn't have any other questions as it relates to item one.

The uh we're not gonna, Mr.

Aimon, just so you know, historically, we would vote on every item tonight.

We're just gonna have one broad vote on the group just for sake of everybody's time.

Welcome, councilwoman Kleatec.

The no problem.

I was just saying we're just finishing up agenda item one.

We're not gonna vote individually on all of them.

I'll welcome us voting on them as a group at the end of the uh the committee meeting.

Got it.

So we'll move on to agenda item two.

Two is also a carry over of funds from the 2025 budget at the end of the year.

Money was identified to purchase equipment, and you'll see, and the reason for their proposal is that purchase of new office furniture.

If you look up top, is the amount being transferred down below.

There are under, I say down below, it's under the expenses.

Two different accounts 0507 is that's public works, and that's the facilities bureau.

That equipment or that furniture entails different conference rooms, and that's A100, B504.

0601 is listed as equipment that also is the for the furniture of that 0601 is the police department.

So there is some furnishings that are being um renovated throughout the police department.

We've attempted to do that through time, different divisions um to upgrade their facilities.

Any questions from any member of the committee?

I I just had one, Mr.

Evans.

So for the 35,000 for the police department renovations, you said that's for renovations, correct?

Or chief, maybe yes, I would ask to turn to chief.

Just so thank you.

If the run of is the renovation ongoing, or is this the entirety of what these furnishings are going to look like?

I guess my question is if there's a renovation, where are we at in that renovation project?

So it's going to be for new office furniture for the records room personnel as well as our police traffic bureau.

Okay.

So desks, uh, with the half-wall cubicles, new chairs, um, filing cabinets.

Uh, where we're at right now, we uh have been dealing with the vendor.

Uh, we have them coming, do measurements, give us a quote.

Uh, we feel confident in the the product that they were able to show us.

Um, we were able to demo the chairs, uh, kind of look at the the desks that they have in stock.

So we're we're at the point right now where we're ready to purchase set equipment.

And will there be future purchases for other divisions coming?

If you remember, um, Mr.

Evans, correct me, it was probably five years ago.

We did the criminal investigations division.

We uh we upgraded all of their furnishings as well.

So it's something that we evaluate on a yearly basis.

Okay, uh just you know what the the status and the the uh the capabilities are of what we have in stock and what we're able to utilize for our personnel.

Okay, thank you, Chief.

Yeah, if you visit the police department, if you move back near Chief's office, there's a nice yeah center got upgraded nicely.

Um, fifth floor additional space was created.

AARP used to be a tenant in City Hall, and we got to point where it didn't seem to make sense when we're looking for space and we have tenants that maybe don't need to be here in the first place.

So they found another home, and that happened, and that created significant additional space, but then the need to furnish it um adequately.

So we that was one, and then also if you come in to the elevators to the garage, if you make a left, and we're chiefly just talking about all the way down, it's restricted area.

We can't get in unless we have a guided tour to take you back.

But they did a nice job both internally, when I say renovations is paint, the IT, the wiring all gets tucked away.

So rather it was getting a little bit quite outdated and very much in need of a facelift and just um something much more appropriate.

So that was done.

And again, I was trying to think about that pre and post-COVID and when that that was done than when you're speaking up, but all around all a couple of them were a couple years ago, going 21 arrows from thinking.

Thank you.

We can move on to agenda item three.

And this is a grant, uh JAG grant for Chief Cott.

So this is for the justice assistance grant.

Um there was a balance left over from last year that we're simply looking to have transferred over to this year.

Any questions from the committee?

Councilwoman.

Just a quick one.

So um assuming we get another grant this year, we can add them together and spend them together.

Yes.

However, um, the uh the federal government still has not released any information on the 2025 JAG grant.

So we're still waiting on that as well as the 2026.

Yeah, I'm just looking 2024.

Yes.

And then Chief, how long do you have to spend this money that's rolling over?

So for this particular grant, uh, I believe it's 2028.

Okay.

So we have some time to spend that money.

Thank you.

Any other questions from the committee?

Thank you, Chief.

Thank you.

Item four.

Four.

I'm gonna move into four and five will be fire chief.

Uh good evening.

Item number four is a five thousand dollar grant awarded to the fire department through FM Global Insurance.

Uh, this grant is awarded to fire departments throughout the country uh that basically meet the minimum criteria uh through training and inspection and enforcement.

Uh, we're lucky enough to receive five thousand dollars.

This grant is going to be used for IT needs, such as switching over to iPads uh from our current MDTs and buying the necessary equipment and hardware to mount those within within the apparatus.

Any questions?

How many current vehicles are already updated with this with this technology?

Where would this take us then after this?

Uh so we are actually still in the testing phase.

Okay, we are switching from the large uh MDT laptop computers that we carry to iPads.

Um, our inspection division as well as our administrative staff has been using those for about six months.

We're still working some bugs out.

Uh, but what this is going to allow us to do is start start installing them in the apparatus.

We find them to be capable of doing everything that the new software does, uh, except we can purchase three of the iPads and mounts for the price of one MDT.

So we we we're hoping it's going to be a very cost-effective move for us.

May I just ask somewhat related?

Does police also use a similar similar piece of equipment for their vehicles?

Are they sticking with laptops?

I I don't I know that they're not the same, but we stick to the MDTs, the mobile data town terminals, which are basically tough books, rugger ruggedized laptops for our officers.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Anything else?

Any other questions?

I don't have any.

Thanks, Chief.

We can move on to six.

Excuse me, five.

Yes, item number five is a 2025 per grant, which is a pipeline emergency response grant that has been awarded to the fire department in the amount of 55,455.

Uh, this will award this grant is awarded through FEMA, and we plan on usually utilizing this grant to purchase equipment such as combustible gas monitoring equipment that would be used in pipeline or rail type emergencies.

Thank you, Chief.

Any questions from the committee?

Uh I just had one.

Uh, have we received this grant before?

Is this a typical award?

Uh, yes, in the past, we have received both of these grants in various amounts, uh, just not in consecutive years.

Understood.

Thank you.

We could move on to item six.

Six is health.

Health director, Kristen Wenrick.

Welcome, Miss Wenwick.

Good evening.

So we just received a grant.

We were notified in December that we were receiving a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health to work on maternal health initiatives.

So a new account is requested to be created, um, both for um other cost type expenses, but also for temporary help as it will be paying for staffing, and then the uh second uh is an amendment is uh an increase, and that's just a rollover from 2025.

That's with our workforce development grant that was paying for a communication plan and also for a community health needs assessment.

The work wasn't completed in 2025, so we had to allocate those uh expenses for 2026.

Thank you.

Any questions from the committee?

Uh pardon my ignorance.

How does uh how does one take advantage of this kind of funding as a person in terms of like the emergency hotel stays, etc.?

So this this grant is I don't know if you're familiar with our community connections program.

Loosely, sure.

So we have a community connections program.

We have social work, a team of social workers that work closely with the police department.

We get referrals, um people with all types of different social service gaps.

So what this grant is trying to do is it's trying to merge our home visiting and partners for healthy baby program where we work with families and and new parents with community connections.

So most of the individuals will be community connections clients.

So if they come through as far as a referral and they have unmet needs, such as housing or our food insecurity, we'll be able to utilize some of these funds to assist in that manner.

Thank you so much.

No further questions from me.

Councilman.

Thank you, Ms.

Quinner.

So thank you.

Item seven.

We'll do seven and nine together.

That works for me.

Thank you.

Hi, good evening.

Uh, if you don't mind, I will actually start with number nine, uh, which has the full scope of the ESG, the emergency solutions grant, uh, amendments for the budget.

So we were awarded in um 2024, the fiscal year 24 emergency solutions grant.

We've talked about that before.

We administer that on behalf of I believe seven uh nonprofit organizations.

Uh homelessness prevention, street outreach, emergency, emergency shelter, and rapid rehousing.

Um, we were also at the end of last year added an additional 150,000.

There was some additional funding available from the Commonwealth.

And when we saw what was happening in Allentown in Bethlehem with some of the encampment um clearing, we went in um together with the Lehigh Valley Regional Homelessness Advisory Board and asked for some more money as part of this grant to support with those efforts.

Um, so that's how you get to the 559 total for the fiscal year 24.

And then also we were just awarded uh for our fiscal year 25 an additional 400,000.

So we're adding all of that into um this year's budget.

So you'll see the the revenue and the expense accounts for both of those under number nine.

And then going back to number seven, one of the awardees of the uh grant.

So we we are a pass-through for the ESG, but one of the awardees is the health bureau.

Um so they are getting 20,000 of that 150 additional uh that we were awarded at the end of last year for some programs that were running specifically out of the health bureau.

So we are adding um in number seven, we are adding that revenue and expense into the general fund.

So they're they're presented separately because the ESG money exists in what's usually like our HUD account, like our um 009, I believe.

009, and then the health money is in the general fund budget.

Thank you, Ms.

Collins.

Any questions?

I I just have a quick question.

So the city acts as a pass through as is outlined in the memo for the recipients.

Who does their reporting go to then?

So the reporting comes back to us, and then we submit it to the state.

So in our office, um, our housing policy lead and then also our grants administrator, they work through all the grant agreements, and then they also are responsible for coordinating with each of the recipients, which I think we're now up to 14 total.

So we get um their invoices, we process their payments, um, we also get their reporting that's due to the state and and kind of funnel all that up to the commonwealth.

And compliance is typically where it needs to be.

I would assume so far, yes.

Yeah, it is um, you know, it's it's federal money, it comes through the state, but it's federal money, so it is fairly complicated, but um we're we're handling it well.

Thank you, Ms.

Collins.

We we could go to seven.

Are we oh yes?

I had mentioned seven is just for the health bureau general fund portion.

Oh, sorry about that.

20,000.

We're good on questions from the committee.

Thank you.

Thanks.

So item eight eight.

Uh Ed Boscaller, director of water and sewer resources.

Okay, so uh this is uh the addition of a a staffing uh uh person in the water fund.

So we have a we had a recent retirement from the sewer fund, an account clerk at the wastewater treatment plant.

We are not gonna fill that position.

His roles are going to be assumed by others in the department.

Um, and we feel a need to create some additional maintenance support up at our water water filtration plan.

So it'll be head count neutral for the entire water and sewer fund, uh, water and sewer department.

I should say, and the budget amendment is to add the salary number into the water fund to account for that new that new position.

Any questions?

I don't have any questions, Mr.

Buskell.

Thank you.

And we could go to 10.

Um, I'll take that one.

Um, this memo is an annual exercise when we originally submitted the proposed 2026 non-utility capital budget.

In most cases, we presented numbers that were equal to the 930 2025 balances.

And so in January um of 26, we compare the 930 to 2025 balances to the 1231 25 balances and calculate the differences.

And this memo um reflects those changes.

And I'd like also like to add that um the list of these projects are only um this list it only includes expenditures that were previous previously approved by council either through the budget process or through a finance committee meeting.

Thank you, Ms.

Lizarchek.

Thank you all.

Any questions from the committee members?

Uh just seeing the the two million dollar difference, if I'm reading it correctly, yeah, about two million dollar difference.

Can you call to any anything major um significant that would have caused that, or is it just really a conglomeration?

Was a couple projects on Friendship Park.

Um, as of 9 30, they're expecting it to be completed.

So we budgeted zero for friendship park.

Um let me see if you see friendship if you're tracking it there.

6999 662048.

And the first minute was halfway down on the back side.

Um the under the expense.

Oh the first page is our revenues, and if you go back three pages, or you can tell what um funding source.

If you look at the budget unit, you can see what the budget unit tells you what the funding source was.

For example, 62017 was 2017 bond money.

Um, 62019 was 2019 bond money.

So, but if you go all the way to the end, there's a 6999, and that's um funding through um grants, um, interfund transfers from the general fund, um, UGI um expense reimbursements, it's various funding sources.

So the large items, the one I was referring to was a six nine nine nine friendship park.

When we were originally budgeting friendship park, they were expecting it to be completed as a 930, but it wasn't, and we um adjusted it for 700 and 77,000.

Um also at um police vehicles.

Um, during the um one of the five later finance committee meetings, we transferred um savings from the police over to escrow, and that's to get that into that one up 600,000.

The rest are just reconciled money they did not spend as of nine as of 1230.

That they expected to, it's just an estimate on the other ones.

Thank you so much.

You're welcome.

Any other questions from the committee?

I don't have any questions, Ms.

Lassarchik, but I will recognize our controller, Mr.

Yasso is here tonight.

So I was going to invite him up to the lectern to give any comment he would like to.

Mr.

Yasso, thank you.

Uh just a note on the on the last uh agenda item, the adjustments to non-utility capital.

Um, it obviously has a lot of moving parts in that one agenda item.

Um my note for uh for councils that at this point, or excuse me, for the committee.

At this point, you know, what we try to do is look at all these balances, and again, most of them are adjustments from what either was not spent in the fourth quarter or uh was spent in the in the fourth quarter, and we try to verify them all through uh basically running expenditure uh analysis reports, right?

Um, so the one I cannot verify, and it's one of the smaller ones, uh, only a five thousand eight hundred and twenty-five uh dollar adjustment when you're looking at that full two million.

Um, but it is the East Broad Street corridor improvement.

Um, through the different expenditure analysis reports we ran, we were unable to tie that number in any way.

We did meet with Mr.

Evans and Miss Lazarchek this afternoon.

Um, and we're kind of giving an explanation, but at this point, I don't have any physical documentation.

Um have access to or have been provided with any any physical uh documentation that I can tie that number to.

So that's just a note for the for the committee.

Thank you, Mr.

Yasso.

I'm going to ask a question related to what the controller just shared.

Can is what can you share with this committee about that?

I sent the reconciliations, how I came up with my numbers, and I have um so I'm waiting for questions.

I sent the I have spreadsheets with reconciliations.

I was waiting for questions for if there were any others.

I was the person we're in the process of reconciling the grants, and I know what that is.

It had to do with matching, matching a calculation of matching a grant.

Like I think it was like 85% was supposed to be grant money, and we had a 15% match, and when it was originally presented, um the 15% was based on the funding and not the total project.

And so that's what that was an additional match that we needed to uh of I think it's rec fees, I believe.

But I have to meet with Carol Stoneback who reconciles the grants.

So the and just so I'm understanding correctly, it's 5825.

Is that the amount that we're talking about?

Yes, and Miss Lassarchek, what's your level of confidence that that's from rec fees?

I'm not sure if it's rec fee, but it has to do with the match.

Okay, I remember that part of it.

Okay.

And Mr.

Yasu, you don't need to come back down to the mic, but of all the projects that are listed, that was the only one that you had something you want to share tonight, correct?

Understood.

Thank you, Mr.

Yas.

Anything else the administration wants to share before I open it up to the committee members for any other comments before we vote?

No, sir.

Any other questions or comments from members of the committee?

So, as I had mentioned at the top of the meeting, uh historically we would vote one by one.

I will accept a motion and a second to consider all 10 agenda items as a group.

So moved.

Motion by councilwoman Quietek.

I'll second.

Second by Mr.

Eamon.

Any discussion on the motion?

There's none.

Mr.

Miller, call the roll on the motion to vote on them as a group.

Mr.

Raymond.

I miss Quitek.

I and Mr.

Cologne.

I passes three zero.

All right.

Now we will thank you.

I will.

Well, we still got vote on them.

So I will accept a motion and a second to send the groups to full council to forgive me.

I'm a little out of practice.

I will accept a motion in a second to recommend approval of all 10 items uh in the group on tonight's council agenda.

So moved.

Second.

Thank you, councilwoman.

Motion by Mr.

Raymond, second by councilwoman Queatech.

Mr.

Miller, call the roll.

Mr.

Raymond.

Aye.

Ms.

Quitechak.

Aye.

Mr.

Cologne.

Uh it passes three zero.

The reference legislative items will be placed on tonight's city council agenda.

Thank you.

Thank you, everybody.

Meeting is adjourned.

Nice job there.