Good evening, everyone.

We can get started on our council meeting for the evening.

If we could all rise for the pledge of the flag, I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

The clerk in Colorado.

Mr.

Raymond, present.

Mr.

Callahan.

Present.

Mr.

Cologne's present.

Ms.

Daniels.

Ms.

Laird and Ms.

Leon.

Jacenta, we would like to congratulate Councilwoman Laird on the expansion of her ever-growing family.

And so she will not be joining us for the next couple of council meetings.

Moving on to the approval of the minutes.

Any comments on the minutes?

Is on subjects not being voted on.

A reminder there's a five-minute time limit for public comment.

Starting off with the people who have signed up to vote.

First, I have Mike Garcia.

Thanks.

That is more and raised in the South Side, which was Northampton Heights.

Better start hiring Americans, okay.

We got an issue.

Why can't we have our own people here in America?

This country was built by the Americans.

Of course, the Europeans came and settled here.

He was brought in by the Brasero's uh leader who was Pedro Gonzalez.

Pedro was a good man.

He got all the Mexicans to work, and the heist itself was built so many homes for the Mexicans when they came.

They set them up to let them live there.

And then all of a sudden things changed around.

I think it was 54 when I was shining shoes.

I was in uh Leo's Cafe, and uh they had some MPs coming in, taking out the Mexicans that were here for a number of years working in the steel industry, and the reason for that, they didn't need them anymore.

They brought in the Puerto Ricans from Puerto Rico because they didn't speak English.

They figure they're gonna keep these guys to break the union, is what it was all about back then, also low wages.

This is not anything to do with the city, of course, but I think we better start waking up in this country and show the respect toward one another.

We have big issues, and it's gotta stop.

I I don't care what party you folks are with or whatever, you gotta start showing respect and the understanding of one's feelings.

We all have our feelings, and you gotta respect everybody's opinion, no matter what it is.

If you're for transgenders, gays or whatever, that's your business, but don't shove it on the people who don't want to see these kids being crucified with this transgender stuff.

We have big problems, okay.

Where's the mayor?

I thought he would be here.

I I wish he would have an open door policy.

I've been coming around 60 years in here, Bob Donchus, Cunningham, Callahan, Marcin, Gordon Maurer.

Well, back then, Mayor Schaefer was here as you're in the 50s.

But we had good leadership back then.

All of a sudden, it's just all greed with all concernment with music festivities continuously.

Everybody goes, Art's quest is the major thing in our city.

Well, there's the homeless.

What about them?

And they're being allowed to uh loiter out here in awe and allowed to do so out here in the city hall.

I I just can't understand it.

The country has changed.

Well, that's all I've had to say, okay.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Garcia.

Next, I have Alex Miller.

Uh Alex Miller, 80 Minocasi Street.

Uh, tonight I'm here to comment on the city's use of Flock safety.

Uh, for those unfamiliar, Flock bills itself as a public safety technology ecosystem, which provides safety solutions to law enforcement neighborhoods and businesses.

Flock sells license plate readers, security cameras, gunshot detectors, and now remarkably drones, as well as software solutions that synthesize audio visual data to produce a mass surveillance network.

They now sell to more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies in more than 6,000 communities.

Current estimates vary between 80 and 100,000 cameras around the nation from just one company alone.

Flock also offers an AI-powered search tool for this data called freeform.

You can type in any term like man in green hat and blue hoodie, and Flock's platform will comb the video footage collected in our community to find relevant targets.

Functionally, a law enforcement agent can now Google someone's car, bike, or appearance, apparently for any reason whatsoever or no reason at all.

Back in October, Senator Rod Wyden of Oregon opened an inquiry into Flock's practices in an open letter.

His office concluded that Flock does not require law enforcement users to enter case-specific reasons, nor does Flock prohibit law enforcement customers from entering meaningless generic reasons, such as investigation or crime.

Last week, 404 Media reported that in response to grassroots flock camera mapping efforts.

Several law enforcement agencies have actually encouraged personnel to be quote as vague as permissible in justifying their queries.

In the wake of nationwide protests in 2025 and using Flock data obtained through open records request, the Electronic Frontier Foundation discovered that several law enforcement agencies provided, quote, only a few words or even just one.

In many cases, the word used was just protest.

In December, reporters at 404 Media actually managed to surveil themselves using Flock camera feeds that were left exposed to the open internet.

The team was able to surveil children at play in parks, watch themselves using crosswalks, and follow cars around a city.

Quote the cameras were left not just live streaming to the internet for anyone who could find the link, but in many cases, their administrative portals were left open with no login credentials required whatsoever.

Last month, a quote, handful of police departments that use Flock unwittingly leaked details of millions of surveillance targets and a large number of active police investigations around the country because they failed to redact license plate information in public records releases.

If I did not mention the widely reported assistance that Flock's tools and software have contributed to ICE's heinous activities in cooperation with local law enforcement subscribers.

Outcry from the ACLU, the University of Washington, and countless local media outlets let's led Flock to patch certain issues with its product, but to think to think that these issues could not arise once more would be laughable.

ICE has already been to Bethlehem, and just today we find out that DHS has purchased two warehouses in Hamburg and Schuylhaven, probably to warehouse human beings.

To quote Senator Ryden's letter once more, Flock confirmed that it misled its state and local law enforcement customers.

Customers were inaccurately informed that Flock did not have relationship with DHS, while pilot programs with sub-agencies of DHS were briefly active.

Quote, the company has adopted a CNO evil approach of not proactively auditing the searches done by its law enforcement customers because as the C the company's chief communications officer told the press, it is not Flock's job to police the police.

In my view, in Senator Wyden's view, local elected officials can best protect their constituents from the inevitable abuses of Flock cameras by removing Flock from their communities.

I know that this is one contract with one firm.

But proliferation of new technology has a tendency to happen very slowly and then all at once, and often not for the best.

I urge you to end the city's partnership with an endorsement of Flock safety.

Do not continue to pay a company that that is at best grossly negligent and complicit in unspeakable state-led violence and cruelty.

So many realms of modern life have been forever changed by Silicon Valley's ethos.

Move fast and break things.

Surely we should not apply this to our civil civil liberties.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Miller.

You're welcome to stay and speak with any of us after, or if you have any questions for our chief of police, she can meet you in the hallway.

Moving on to Mr.

Will Weber.

Trying to do it.

Mark Will Weber, 66 West Elizabeth Avenue, talking about utility issues and in general and water specifically, of course.

Um I don't know how many council members look at um complainers of Bethlehem site.

There's about, I think they have about nine or ten thousand people that look at it.

So a lot of people.

A lot of it's frivolous, like people complaining that somebody took up two parking spaces at Target or something.

But but some of it I think is really valuable because you, as council people can get sort of a heartbeat from what's going out uh on out there in the community.

And I saw one last week that really made me feel sad, man.

This lady was on there saying that her electric bill for the month was 420.

She has a tiny little place on the south side, makes her living cleaning houses and small businesses.

So she puts her it's it has uh electric board heat, so that's that's why it's so high.

But um, you know, she was freaking out justifiably, you know.

She's like, how am I gonna even pay this?

And uh if you remember, uh Senator Boscola warned everybody about a year ago that you know electric price prices were gonna go through the roof and um that kind of thing.

I really feel like the next real uh battlefield uh and class warfare was going to be over utilities, you know.

And the guy from PPL made nine million three years ago, and this lady is wondering how she's gonna pay her monthly bill, and it's gonna it's gonna come to a head at some point.

Now, as I've said before, I realize council can't do much about uh electric prices, that kind of thing.

But you can do something about water, you know, it's gonna circle back to water, right?

So um, these water apps uh can save people a lot of money, and they can keep people off um Mr.

Boscola's payment plan, and they can save you from being ambushed by a big uh beautiful quarterly bill that you'll get if you have a leak and you don't know about it.

Uh, I think earlier in the year I told you about this guy down in Fairmont, West Virginia.

He's retired now, but the guy's name David Sago or Sago, I'm not sure how he pronounces it.

Uh and in 2016, 2017, he already had smart meters in Fairmont, West Virginia.

I didn't even know where the place was, it's about 10 miles south of Morgantown, apparently.

But it actually is almost kind of like a model project of how things should be done with smart meters and more importantly, the protective app that goes in because by 2018, he had that protective app on everybody's phone in Fairmont, West Virginia.

It's only eight years ago.

Uh and you know what I loved, I read an article about it, and when when he got around to um putting in the giving the people these downloadable apps to protect them against big bills, he said this was the crown jewel of my project.

It was the most important part of it for him, even though he knew the smart meters in themselves were going to make money for the water department because inevitably, I think they had like 15% of their meters, uh, old meters were slow or not working at all.

So he knew as soon as he put these new meters in, they were gonna regain all that that increased revenue.

But the crown jewel was the protective app that he gave the people, and that's what it looks like when you have a water department that actually works with in conjunction with the people.

Uh and by the way, the guy, you know, you know that old adage, you get what you pay for.

It's sort of an insinuation that if you don't shell out big bucks, you're not going to get the real talent.

Well, Mr.

Sago was making 81,000 when he did that for his community.

There's a lot of uh laid-off co-workers and stuff.

So he knew it was important.

Uh he wasn't making a six-figure salary for 10 years.

Uh so you don't always get what you pay for.

You want somebody that's motivated to do the right thing for the community.

And uh, that's what I hope happens here.

But I think you're gonna have to walk it all the way to the finish line council because I think really what he wanted to do was jam 37,000 smart meters down the public's throat and not give them the one thing that was good for them, which is that protective app.

So without that, it's good for him, but it's not good for us.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Will Weber.

That exhaust the list of people who signed up beforehand.

Um, so moving on to in the room, public comment on things not being voted on, Mr.

Faber.

Harry Faber, I think I've been gone for too long.

I think I signed up for the wrong one.

It's okay.

No, you're I crossed it off.

Appreciate it.

Um words fail me.

Uh my present vocabulary does not do justice for the feelings I have, nor the horrors we are witnessing in the present.

The sheer scale of injustice is unquantifiable.

There is a quote from the book uh The Divide by Jason Hickel that essentially goes like this society should be judged by its capacity to do versus what's actually being done.

And human civilization in the present has the capacity to ensure decent living standards for all while simultaneously taking care of the planet and being sustainable by what we are doing versus what we could be doing.

We are the worst generations in history.

I would like to relate that to what's happening in this country and what our local government is doing.

Obviously, I know Bethlehem City government can't dismantle ice as an organization, but there are measures that could be taken which aren't.

We need legislation preventing law enforcement from sharing information and resources with ice.

This is a bare minimum.

You cannot claim to care and be on the side of the working class while not doing the bare minimum.

We cannot use terms like systemic issues without addressing the system we live under, that being capitalism, colonialism, patriarchy, white supremacy.

As it's been said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Inaction is action.

By not acting, you enable the ethnic cleansing of our community.

Bethlehem needs to be the shining star, the guiding light in opposing fascism in the Lehigh Valley, not just another cog in the machine.

I also want to second everything that Alex said.

I thought he did a wonderful job, and really we need to do more.

We can't be a cog in the machine.

And as the mayor should already know, we need to be a little revolutionary.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mr.

Faber.

Turning to the center.

Does anyone have public comment on things, Mr.

Shire?

Bill Shire, 1898 Avenue.

Well, no, no more Mr.

Nice Guy.

I have to channel a uh Gilda Radner once again from Saturday Night Live.

Never mind.

I had some nice things to say about uh snow removal at the last meeting, but I discovered it with the recent uh snowstorm, which was more substantial.

Uh, same old, same old.

Snow pushed in front of the car, snow pushed behind the car, snow pushed alongside the car, and snow pushed under the car.

But thanks to my neighbor and her snowblower and a young man named Javier Javier from Queens, who now living in Allentown.

I was able to get up and go.

Leaving uh the library one night, I happened upon a little interesting little picture here at the intersection of Church Street and that little street to the east of City Hall.

I forget the name.

But a front loader was dumping snow into a dump truck.

Oh that's that's that's pretty good.

And that caused me to wonder if it would be possible to do more of that in the future.

How much would it cost?

Uh, how much would we have to add on to the property tax?

But I think it's worth worth thinking about.

Um, I'd like to segue into the parking authority.

Um the let me just say that it won't come as a great surprise to you that the parking authority is not universally loved in this city.

Um in fact I know of someone who says likes to say that the parking authority has too much authority and not enough parking.

They and I'm wondering if it's possible.

I imagine they have some sort of financial statement, but I haven't in the 23 years I've been back, I have never encountered such a thing.

I think it would be very interesting to say the least if uh their annual statement, perhaps of expenditures and what they went for and revenue and so on, were made more public.

Uh the and so instead of well, and then also there's a business about the big white box.

It's going to loom over Main Street, seven stories.

I'll remind you that Gordy Mauer said to me once that his biggest mistake as mayor was urban renewal, and he realized the future was around the corner on Main Street.

Having a seven-story building, somewhat dominating mainstream, reminds me of the fable of killing the goose that laid the golden egg.

It's going to detract from the appeal of Main Street.

Back again to the parking authority.

The well, instead of a parking authority, we have a parking authority.

Okay, I'd like to add on to uh what Mr.

Garcia said with a little thought of my own about people being here and deserving to be here and so on.

See, this is a statement of personal feeling, but it seems to me that if somebody wants to live here and is willing, if able, to work, and subscribes to our laws and to our beliefs or ideals.

To me, they are already an American.

And 50, oh my goodness, 50 seconds left.

You got it.

Uh I want to piggyback on Harry, but now I forget what it was I wanted to say, so I'll have to save that for another meeting.

We'll be here next time.

Good night.

Good night, Mr.

Scheyer.

Anyone else in the center?

Mr.

Ant Alex?

Mr.

Ant Alex?

Mr.

Ant Alex.

Stephen Antalix, 737 Ridge.

The approval of the city budget which allows the hiring of several individuals as co-enforcement officers of the Department of Community and Economic Development.

And a recent vote by this body to not replace the Ford dismissed firemen has sent a very clear message to the community.

Revenue enhancement over public safety.

This was well aired by this speaker during the public meeting section of the agenda at the last meeting, and was followed up by the council person who voted for a farm and replacement and rejection of the budget approving personal personnel additions to of co-enforcement officers by this council members questioning the fire chief about excessive overtime.

The two new additions to council, although pressed to speak out for the firemen did not respond to the urging.

This speaker would like to know this evening as to how they might have voted, were they then sitting behind that table when the farming issue was highly discussed?

Will they now support the vocal council member in getting answers by following up on his questions?

Support for this local council for this vocal council member was lost when a supportive member ran for mayor rather than for re-election to this council.

At the public servant.

Also, will those five votes against a farm and replacement still hold their opinion?

This is a concern of the public as exemplified by the turnout the evening of the initial vote.

We wish to and deserve to know.

We wish to and deserve to know.

Will we again sit through Bifflium's version of the silence of the labs?

I am speaking to our public servants and not private citizens.

Thank you, Mr.

Mantalex.

Does anyone else from the center have comment on something not being voted on this evening?

To the right.

Moving on to public comment on things being voted on.

I don't have anyone signed up for things being voted on.

So all right, turning to the center, Mr.

Antalix.

This is for the second.

Yeah, on things being voted on.

You're the first hand I saw.

Very good.

Still antalics.

One could say that anyone who chooses the profession as a member of the community police force is in fact choosing an honorable and noble profession since their goal is a welfare and safety of the community.

The community in turn provides a free arm, free free firearm in the performance of this duty.

Upon completion of this service and upon retirement, the retiree has been granted by tradition and approved unanimously by this body the ability to purchase that firearm.

Why would anyone wish to deny this very honorable retiree to purchase this weapon?

Has a weapon now in the hands of this retiree suddenly come a threat to the community as equal to those unruly individuals who also own them.

If this retirees denied the purchase and is forced to person one on the open open marketplace, thus is not punish the retiree with an additional cost.

If the decision is from a private person, then one could argue that this is their right.

Since the elected official is a public servant.

Thank you, Mr.

Ant Alex.

Anyone else in the center want to make public comment on things being voted on this evening?

To the right.

Moving on to new business.

Do any council members have new business to address?

Thank you.

Um I I what did want to follow up on Mr.

Miller's um questions?

Um, and um perhaps Chief Cock could join us at the microphone.

So, Chief, we talked about Flock um in terms of the license plate readers uh a while back because somebody had brought it up, and we do contract with them for with um with Flock for the license plate readers, and at the time um you and I believe that um um Mr.

Spurk also confirmed that in the contract we do not share that data, right?

It stays within our can you explain that part?

Correct.

So we are the sole owners of that data, that information, and we do not put it on uh any open source website that's available to the public.

Um, I am aware of what transpired some police departments for one reason or another, decided to release all of that information on redacted.

Um it makes no sense.

I I I can't speak to why they would do that, but uh that that did indeed happen, but that's something that we're not in the practice of.

And when I said that about it kind of being locked down, I meant that in other words, um, Flock doesn't have a right to take our license plate reader data and and use it or sell it or share it or correct.

Correct.

So that's um, and then in terms of the cameras, um, do we contract with Flock for our cameras?

We do not we contract with Genitech for our cameras.

We do not have any flock cameras.

Um, we only have flock automated license plate readers.

The automated license plate readers will take um short burst of a license plate that goes by and maintain that information.

I believe it's for 90 days.

Uh I I will double check on that for you, but uh, we do not have any of the I believe it's called the flock falcon uh cameras that some other jurisdictions have.

Thank you.

That was helpful.

Um, I don't have any more questions for you right now.

Um then I just wanted to say that uh I was in a room with 400 people on Friday night uh who are as concerned and worried and scared and angry about what's going on.

Um, I think we all heard the news about um the purchase of the warehouse in uh Berks County with some alarm uh and know that we're not the the Lehigh Valley is not alone and that something like 23 different municipalities have woken up to this news as well.

Um, but our uh our city and our valley is full of uh really good people who care and want to protect their neighbors and and want to do the right thing.

Um and uh and I just wanted to um just to point that out that I I couldn't believe there were 400 people in this room um on Friday night when it was just it was such an overflow, they had to break us up into two groups to have the meeting.

Um, and so I I want to thank everybody who came out to that uh and uh who continue to look out for their neighbors.

That's all anyone else have new business that they want to address.

I just have two two quick uh uh things.

Um Mr.

Shy, I I couldn't agree with you anymore on the uh on that white box.

Um I think it's gonna be atrocious as far as the height.

Uh and not only that, um it's not only Bethlehem land that we're selling to a developer, it's historic Bethlehem Land.

That that acreage there is in the historic district.

And for this administration to allow historic Bethlehem land gets sold to a developer, I think was a disgrace.

And I've fought it as much as I possibly could during all the discussions in you know it it went through anyways, but I'm with you, and I totally understand your your uh concern about it.

Um Mr.

Evans, I just saw in the end of year statement that there's a seven above and beyond what we projected.

There was a 700,000 initial uh uh additional profit to the golf course over what was budgeted as a profit last year in the budget.

Are you talking about the budget?

Yeah, and yeah, in the budget book, the budget the the numbers that we got sent.

There was an additional 700,000 in profit above what we expected to have, which was in the budget book.

That's 700,000.

What happens with that?

Does that go into the general fund?

No, no, the funds are all segregated.

Um that's a conversation we had back at budget on it.

We really can't do water to do general or the general to do the sewer and the golf as the golf.

Uh at this point, the primary objective for that funding is to replace repair the barn that's next to recycling center where the roof is falling off, the walls becoming a uh safety hazard, and it is used to store equipment.

Um as well as it's a chemical room.

So you know it's building I'm talking about it's a pretty large, it's a barn like structure.

So um Mike Alcall and his team, members of his team has have been out to evaluate that barn that is structurally um not able to be renovated, so it's gonna be taken down, um, some demolition and then rebuilt.

So that's what we're funds already appropriated though for what's that?

Wasn't that money already appropriate and set aside for rebuilding it in the budget?

That's what it's going towards it.

Yeah.

Well, this is new revenue.

It was last year's the 2025 revenue that exceeded, and that was is planned to move over into the golf account to handle that project, which still doesn't have a full price tag on it.

And so I believe in the coming weeks, and maybe Mr.

Alcall.

I look on my left shoulder to double check with him.

He's had um engineers out to determine the design and build what is the cost to get it done.

We don't know what that number is yet.

Cause you gotta take it down, remove it, and then build.

So until I I don't know what that number is gonna be.

I look to them to do it, and then they will handle that.

So that's that's number one objective right now to because it is gonna become a safety issue with uh well and I was under the impression during the budget hearing for this year.

Yeah, that the money that was already uh there was this there was a discussion when we were talking about the golf course that we were already putting money aside for that.

Everybody was aware of that uh garage or that barn needing work.

So it was already money uh set aside for that.

This is an additional 700,000 dollars of what was what what what was in the budget book as far as our profit was concerned.

What we're saving towards the total will be maybe around close to a million dollars, but that's what that barn may be until we know we don't know.

So that's so any and all profits in the future from the golf course stays in the golf course fund.

Each fund is segregated, yeah.

Yeah, the funds don't crisscross a water sewer fund, the golf fund, the liquid fuels fund, the stormwater fund and general fund.

But don't we do budget transfers all the time?

Not between the funds within funds, within the fund, yes, but never never across funds.

We also use money from the fund to pay for health insurance uh workers.

The fund pays yeah.

If you look in the golf budget, medical's paid in there, pensions paid in there, there's so there is a self-susta each of them are built to be self-sustaining funds, and you'll see the line items that do that.

So at no point would we ever take profit money from the golf course and use it any other place, it would all stay in the golf course fund.

Or to pay for things associated, so like for example, it's the same thing we do with the water authority and things like that.

So, like whatever percentage, and you know, we do a maximum study, I believe, that is similar.

So, like whatever, like the golf course doesn't have their own solicitor, they don't have their own HR department.

So just it's similar to the conversation we've had with other funds.

So, whatever that is percentage-wise, like there is a number there that and I'm making this up where it's like 4300 goes to pay for the HR version of whatever the HR services are, but that is set by the maximum study that we talk about.

So essentially, because they're not, you know, they don't have HR, they don't have health care, they don't have stuff like that.

Right, those are costs then that are that that are sent over, but that number is capped at the number.

So if your point is like once we hit that number based on the study, like if the golf course has a good year and there's not a lot of rain and there's good weather, and they bring in an extra 100, 150,000, we don't get more of that in the general fund that stays over there in their operating fund and has allowed them to do some more projects.

Got it.

My my whole goal and ask, and just I want to be quick with this because I don't want to take up a lot of time, but I just uh as Mr.

Antalx was talking about uh during budget hearings.

We all had talked about possibly finding a way uh to fund uh after we had our budget hearings, the four additional firefighters for this last six months of the year.

I want to, I want to be analyzing as much as we can uh between now and the in the next month, month and a half, to try to come up with the funding for the 400 and I think it was 60,000 for the four firemen.

I am not gonna let that die.

I I'm gonna keep pushing that until we get uh these guys fully staffed.

I I I know there's uh a study gonna go on, but um the study's gonna tell us exactly what the firemen are already telling us.

They're overworked, and it's exactly telling us what you what you guys were telling us that um there's so much overtime needed that they don't even want they're being forced to do mandatory overtime.

So in my eyes, maybe I'm convoluted in my thought process, but when we're forcing people to do mandatory overtime, they don't even want to do overtime.

Normally they want to do overtime for the extra money when they don't want to do overtime and they're being forced to do overtime.

That's telling us we need more staffing.

So uh I would hope that we have a discussion as uh as the months go on here in the next few months about trying to come up with the the money uh for the four additional firemen.

So that's that's my whole th thought process.

I was hoping that we could I I knew that we used some of the money for um paying a pro uh payroll over there and health care and benefits and stuff.

No, and it's the same it's the same conversation we had a couple months ago as far as and I know that during the budget process you had suggested the property tax increase.

There's a lot of different revenue functions within the city that is money that has to go to that particular operating expense.

And that's a state law or a that's a state that's a state law backed up by state case law as well.

Thank you.

That which is the idea if you bring in a hundred dollars to provide a service, that a hundred dollars needs to go to pay for the overhead as far as that service is concerned.

Thank you.

But if we're also using some of that money uh for legal fees that might have been used by our solicitor, right?

Isn't it true that at some time isn't do they ever use the fire department over there?

Does a fire department ever have to go over there and do an inspections or anything like that?

Like fire inspections and things like that.

We the numbers that we use come out of the maximum study, who are the professionals that necessarily measure that.

Um I don't do maximus studies for a living, but I would assume that you know, maybe you could find a city where you have frequent fires at a at a golf course by which that becomes a legitimate expense.

Um, but that's not something that I've ever seen in any maximum study I I have seen as far as as far as fire services are concerned.

Thank you.

And um last thing is I I need to have a I need to schedule a meeting at some point in the future.

And I'm just asking for a real quick uh answer on this.

Uh I need to have a um a safety meeting on uh new construction over at the Walnut Street Garage.

And I'm wondering what's subcommittee that would be.

Would that be community economic development or I believe we moved uh I believe we moved the parking authority under community and economic development from public safety, so it would be community and economic development, and that would be up to the to that chair.

Yeah, thank you.

All right.

Um, so does any other council councilman clone?

Thank you, President Leona.

I just want to follow up on what Mr.

Callahan was saying, because I think it's very important if we're gonna continue having these conversations that we kind of remember our recent history that relates to them.

Mr.

Evans, the maximum study that was referenced um to those who maybe weren't here during during budget season, but essentially we have to prove any any money that we're taking out of that enterprise, right?

So golf is its own enterprise, waters its own enterprise, sewers its own enterprise.

So if we're gonna move money around, we have to have legitimate um backup to support moving that out because I think the the issue we ran into, and doesn't let my thought is that anytime we're charging user fees, so golf, I'm not supporting the golf fund with property taxes because I don't golf.

The folks who go and play around and run a car are supporting golf.

Water, it we turn on the tap, we run the water.

That's why a cash balance remains in these funds that maintains the the fund maintains the cash balance and we don't transfer it between different funds.

So to so I guess it's a two-part question, correct?

The maximum studies pretty much our proof to charge for administrative functions to funds outside of the general funds, and then also even within the general fund, we would have to any user fees have to be dedicated, be spent on what they're coming in for.

Correct?

That's correct.

Yeah, the funds are created for that purpose to be run and to be self-sufficient.

So that's why we design revenues to meet expenses according to each particular sun fund.

For example, you cannot increase the water fee, ask for water fee increase, and then hire more police.

A water fee is for the what users of that water system or the golf system or the the stormwater projects.

That money that comes in there stays in a separate account.

We can't raid that account for a quick fix, it needs to stay within that stormwater fund and handle stormwater project.

So that's why it's isolated and audited and budgeted in that manner.

And any charges to that individual account.

Right.

And so that we understand if it's an account that needs supports a maximum study, is what we look to.

And that's again done by an outside agency that determines how much support is the golf course.

As the mayor said, it doesn't have its own human resources or financial services.

So after it pays all the bills and pays the medical and pays a pension, it pays the general fund 150,000 according to the maximum study.

That's where that number comes from to the city to cover those supports, administrative supports.

Yeah, thank you.

And again, I'll state to gentlemen to my left in full council as we continue having these conversations through the year, just to remember we talked about this uh a handful of weeks ago during budget season.

We talked about again tonight.

Just there's there's rules that we must follow as we look to get creative with things.

Thank you.

All right, any other comment from members of council.

Right.

The only thing I will say is because this will be a continuing conversation.

I'm just going to keep track of what we've discussed.

So so far we've discussed basically payment in lieu of fees.

Um that that fee and enterprise funds.

So so far, those two are off the table.

So as we continue to look, those two are kind of we'll backburger those and just continue to look in a different direction as we continue to look for money.

Right.

We're going to move on to communications.

Communication 6A.

January 20th, 2026 memorandum and proposed resolution from public works director Michael Alcall.

Mr.

Alcall recommends an agreement with Arbor Pro Incorporated of California to provide an inventory that details the location, size, and condition of street trees throughout the city.

Cost is 96,750, and the inventory is to be completed within eight weeks.

There are no renewals.

Arbor Pro was the lowest of four qualified bidders.

And resolution 10A is on the agenda.

Communication 6B.

The January 23rd, 2026 memorandum from police chief Michelle Cott with an attached resolution and agreement for the purchase of a duty weapon by retired officer of the Bethlehem Police Department.

Pursuant to the third class city code, retired officers may purchase their duty firearms at fair market value.

Resolution 10 B is on the agenda communication 6C.

The January 26, 2026 memorandum and proposed resolution from business administrator Eric Evans.

Mr.

Evans recommends an agreement with the Center for Public Safety Management, LLC to conduct an objective and comprehensive fire and EMS apparatus protection and efficiency study.

Cost is not to exceed 82,740 dollars.

Work is to begin within 30 calendar days from the notice to proceed and is to be completed within 120 calendar days thereafter.

There are no renewals.

Resolution 10 C is on the agenda.

Communication 16.

A January 28th, 2026 memorandum and proposed resolution from Laura Collins, Director of Community and Economic Development.

Ms.

Collins recommends an agreement with JLS surveying LLC of effort to provide land surveying services for two parcels associated with the Greenway.

Cost is $6300 and is to be completed by December 31st, 2026.

There are no renewals.

Resolution 10 D is on the agenda.

Communication 6E.

The January 23rd, 2026 correspondence from Lahood Law representing Ridham Cowboy Company.

The applicant seeks approval of an intermunicipal transfer of Pennsylvania Retail Restaurant Liquor License R 8050, which was previously issued to Easton Meat and Produce Corporation for licensed premises located at 250 Line Street in the city of Easton, Northampton County to the new licensed premises located at 217 Broadway in Bethlehem, Northampton County.

I'll accept the motion and a second to schedule a public hearing on this proposed intermunicial liquor license transfer on Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 at 7 p.m.

So moved.

Second uh motion by Councilman Quitex, seconded by Councilman Cologne.

The clerk will call the roll of the motion.

Mr.

Callahan.

All right.

Mr.

Cologne.

Hi.

Ms.

Daniels.

Aye.

Ms.

Quietek.

Aye.

Ms.

Laird.

Ms.

Amon.

Uh Mr.

Oman.

Aye.

And Ms.

Leon.

Aye.

The public hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, March 17th, 2026 at 7 p.m.

A resonant resolution will be placed on the March 17th council agenda.

Moving on to reports.

If you'll see that this recent set of minutes was a shortened version, the only thought process I had around that is that we do have the live stream online and it's part of our our record.

So just to ease up on the city clerks for the right now, we will have a more condensed, so it's going to capture everything that we're legally required to capture by our minutes.

It will just be slightly more condensed.

Um moving on to mayor's report.

Congratulations to her.

So just I really want to thank you for coming out.

It's important to be able to talk about those projects as they move along.

And I just want to thank Ms.

Collins and Mr.

Tool and everybody that works so hard to be able to uh make the presentation.

I want to thank uh county executive um Siegel from Lehigh County for coming over as well to talk about housing.

Um just a couple other things.

Uh I do want to uh thank uh Mr.

Alcall and his whole group for their snow removal efforts.

Um it is uh it is a challenge, obviously, when snow comes quickly, and then when it gets cold, um, that just stays around for a long time.

And uh, you know, it really was for us a tale of two different weekends, obviously with two different snow um uh levels of snow.

This was the first time we actually called a snow emergency in the city in about five years.

Um, so during our first term, there wasn't one.

So the last one actually went back to February 2021.

Um, so there's some operations that we had not done in five years, and I thought it went really well.

I do want to thank Mr.

Alcohol.

Um, and one just note is that, and you I know some of you know this is that when there's a snowstorm and we don't call a snow emergency, we can't mandate anybody extra to come out.

So when we call a snow emergency, then there is the idea that they have no choice but to come out to be able to, and that influences our ability to be able to remove snow, to be able to get cars off the road and things like that.

So it is it's and I know this issue has come up as far as like forced overtime and things like that.

The streets department, water department, our police department, every department at certain times has the situation where, for whatever particular reason, there might be a situation where there's overtime that is necessary.

Our snow removal operations often are dependent on how many people choose to come out or not to come out.

It's in their contract, it's collectively bargained.

We can ask, we can ask nicely.

Um, but it is just it is always one of the considerations when we think about snow removal and things like that.

Um, but our guys came out, um, a bunch of shifts.

Uh, people came out to work.

They were able to move as much snow as they can.

Obviously, when you're dealing with over a foot of snow and it's cold and you're in a city, there's only so many places you can put the snow, which is why we've continued to do removal um in both the day shift and the night shift to hit a lot of the different main areas and so on and so forth.

Um, and I want to thank, I want to thank all of those uh individuals, and especially Mr.

Alcall, who I think this is not an exaggeration, doesn't sleep when it's snowing.

Um, so he's both watching our own AVL system to see where people are, where he's looking at other cities to see how well they're doing at snow removal, watching the forecast.

So I just I really want to thank Mr.

Alcall.

Um, and obviously connected to some of this as well, as many of you may know, is both in the city and outside of the city and some of the surrounding areas.

Um, there are have been an increase in water main breaks with how cold it has been.

Um, so Mr.

Bascol's guys have really been busy the last couple of weeks as well.

Some working nights, working weekends to both uh respond to um uh uh pipes that have been burst, and just sometimes those issues end up leading to other issues and things like that.

So I wanted to particularly thank um those two, those two um departments that have really been working.

The last thing I would just say, and I think a couple people were here is um last Friday, I guess it was the days blur together.

We had our opening for the coalition for appropriate transportation over at the Walnut Street Garage.

And it was um, it was just a truly special room.

There was it was packed, there was a vibrancy that you don't find in many rooms.

Um, and people just coming together under this idea that um, you know, we can be more efficient about moving around, that we can have doors that are open to people to come in to learn about bikes, learn about transportation, just a real community space that would not have been possible if we didn't make the right decisions about how to build that garage.

And that was a topic and a theme with a lot of people that were there from CAT.

Um, I think many of you know, I think um some of you might have been involved.

They walked all of their bikes from all the way out at their old location, which was miles, like probably a couple miles, two miles, two and a half miles.

I see councilman Quiatech saying yes, it was cold.

Um, and uh, but it's a it's a just a really special opportunity um that we have.

And Lanta was there, and L Planning Commission was there, DC and R individuals are there talking about how the city of Bethlehem gets it right, how how happy they are to be supporting our parks program.

It was just really one of those days when you look at the private and public sector coming together with a little bit of a unique idea um that uh is it turned out to be a success, and it's gonna be it's gonna be a success.

And there was a lot of talk about how you don't need to choose to be something that you can be everything, that you can put a coalition for a pro transportation um retail space in a parking garage and reach different people.

So it is the type of unique partnership that I want to thank Scott Slingerland.

I want to thank Cat.

I want to thank um LVTS, which helped us support um Cat moving forward, all of their donors, all of their board.

He's their only employee they have um that works full time for kind of really doing something special that was an idea and a concept and turned into something that's just gonna it's gonna help people out.

He's the only employee they have that works full time for kind of really doing something special that was an idea and a concept and turned into something that's just gonna it's gonna help people out and it's gonna help us to be able to have further conversations about having bike culture and pedestrian culture centered to downtown, um, lowering the reliance that we have on individual vehicles and just seeing what happens when you choose to make the right sophisticated smart growth urban decision.

So I want to thank everybody that helped us to get to this point um and more exciting news coming soon as it relates to that.

So thank you, uh President Leon.

Thank you.

Moving on to committee reports, Mr.

Columb.

Thank you, President.

The finance committee met earlier this evening at 6 p.m.

in town hall.

10 proposed budget adjustments were discussed, most of which dealt with adding grant money received by several departments and 2025 year end budget reconciliations.

As a result, all 10 bills have been advanced to this agenda for council this evening as proposed for first reading.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And before we move on to ordinances for final passage, I also want to pass along my thanks to Mr.

Alcall.

I did check on you last last week.

Um, but I would be remiss if I didn't do so publicly.

I live on a tertiary, tertiary, tertiary road.

Um, so we don't see uh a lot of the removal because that is obviously reserved for the primary rows.

That's where everybody is at.

Um, but even on my road, I was able to get safely to and from taking my son to school.

I couldn't go 60 and slam on the brakes, but I I could get to school safely.

Um it really is a Herculean task to get through a statewide snow emergency and our still emergency here.

So thank you to you and your crew.

Moving on to ordinances for final passage eight a ordinance of the city of Bethlehem, counties of Lehigh and Northampton, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, amending article 1701 of the codified ordinance is entitled Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code by adopting the 2021 Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code.

Bill number 02, 2026 is sponsored by Ms.

Leon and Ms.

Quietek.

Discussion on the ordinance.

The clerk will call the roll.

Mr.

Callahan Mr.

Cologne, aye, Ms.

Daniels, aye, Ms.

Quietek, aye, Mr.

Raymond, aye.

And Ms.

Leon.

Aye.

Passes 6-0.

And moving on to new ordinances.

Uh, because this has been discussed.

I would accept the motion and a second.

Uh, to combine 9A through 9J with a reminder that we can pull anything out that we would like to if we would like to discuss them.

But I would accept the motion in a second.

So move.

Second.

Moved by Mr.

Callahan, seconded by Mr.

Cologne.

The clerk will call the roll on the motion.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

Ms.

Daniels.

Aye.

Ms.

Quietek.

Aye.

Mr.

Ayman.

Aye.

And Ms.

Leon.

Aye.

Motion passes six zero.

The clerk will read ordinances 9A through 9J.

Ordinance 9A, an ordinance of the City of Bethlehem, Counties of Lehigh and Northampton, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania amending the general fund budget for 2026.

9B, an ordinance of the City of Bethlehem, Counties of Lehigh and Northampton, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania amending the general fund budget for 2026.

9C, an ordinance of the city of Bethlehem, Counties of Lehigh and Northampton.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania amending the general fund budget for 2026.

9D, an ordinance of the City of Bethlehem, Counties of Lehigh and Northampton, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania amending the general fund budget for 2026.

9E, an ordinance of the City of Bethlehem, Counties of Lehigh and Northampton, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania amending the general fund budget for 2026.

9F, an ordinance of the City of Bethlehem, Counties of Lehigh and Northampton.

Commonwealth of Pennsylvania amending the general budget for general fund budget for 2026.

9G, an ordinance of the city of Bethlehem, Counties of Lehigh and Northampton, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania amending the general fund budget for 2026.

9H, an ordinance of the City of Bethlehem, Counties of Lehigh and Northampton, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania amending the water fund budget for 2026.

9i, an ordinance of the City of Bethlehem, Counties of Lehigh and Northampton, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, amending the community development block grant fund for 2026.

And 9J, an ordinance of the City of Bethlehem, Counties of Lehigh and Northampton, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania amending the non-utility capital fund budget for 2026.

Bills 03 2026 through 12 uh Bill 20 correction, 12 of 2026 are sponsored by Mr.

Ayman and Ms.

Quitech.

Any discussion?

Mr.

Cologne.

Thank you, President.

As I'd stated uh a couple minutes ago, we reviewed all 10 of these tonight at finance committee.

I thank Mr.

Evans and all members of the administration who came out because it did cover a lot of different departments.

Ultimately, it's just a lot of routine end of the year transfers, some grant money that came through, and then um moving one position between departments, but ultimately it's head count neutral.

So I don't think there is anything.

Um it was all fairly routine.

Any other discussion clerk will call the roll?

Mr.

Callahan aye, Mr.

Cologne, aye, Ms.

Daniels, aye, Ms.

Quietek, aye, Mr.

Ayman, aye and Ms.

Leon.

Aye.

Passes six zero.

Moving on to resolutions.

Resolution 10A.

Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem that the mayor and controller and or such other city officials is deemed appropriate by the city solicitor, hereby authorized to execute an agreement with Arbor Pro Incorporated to provide a street tree inventory.

Resolution is sponsored by Mr.

Ayman and Ms.

Quiet.

Discussion.

The clerk will call the roll.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

Ms.

Daniels.

Aye.

Ms.

Quiet.

Aye.

Mr.

Ayman.

Aye.

And Ms.

Leon.

Aye.

Passes 60.

Resolution 10B.

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

Are hereby authorized to execute an agreement to effectuate the transfer of the city issued handgun assigned to Lieutenant Michael Deluzio, a retired city police officer.

Resolution is sponsored by Mr.

Ayman and Ms.

Quiet.

Discussion.

The clerk will call the roll.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

Ms.

Daniels.

Aye.

Ms.

Quiet.

Nay.

Mr.

Ayman.

Aye.

And Ms.

Leon.

Aye.

Passes 5-1.

Resolution 10 C.

Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem that the mayor and controller and or such other city officials deemed appropriate by the city solicitor are hereby authorized to execute an agreement with the Center for Public Safety Management to provide a fire and EMS study.

Resolution is sponsored by Mr.

Ayman and Ms.

Quiet.

Discussion.

The clerk will call the roll.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

Daniels.

Aye.

Ms.

Quietch.

Aye.

Mr.

Eyman.

Aye.

Ms.

Leon.

Aye.

Passes 6-0.

Resolution 10 D.

Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem that the mayor and controller and or such other city officials as deemed appropriate by the city solicitor are hereby authorized to execute an agreement with JLS Surveying LLC to provide a boundary and land area survey of two parcels.

The resolution is sponsored by Mr.

Eyman and Ms.

Quiet.

Discussion.

The clerk will call the roll.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

Ms.

Daniels.

Aye.

Ms.

Quietek.

Aye.

Mr.

Ayman.

Aye.

Ms.

Leon.

Aye.

Passes 6-0.

Resolution 10E.

Be it resolved by the Council of the City of Bethlehem in accordance with the municipal records manual.

Hereby authorizes the disposal of human resources public records as set forth in exhibit a.

Resolution is sponsored by Mr.

Ayman and Ms.

Quietch.

Discussion.

Clerk will call the roll.

Mr.

Callahan.

Aye.

Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

Ms.

Daniels.

Aye.

Ms.

Quiet.

Aye.

Mr.

Ayman.

Aye.

And Ms.

Leon.

Aye.

Passes six zero.

That concludes the city business for tonight.

Get home safe, everyone.

Enjoy your dad.

Brian.