Right.

All right.

We are recording everyone, just so you know.

All right, I'll go call the meeting to order.

We'll get started.

I will call the meeting to order of the Bethlehem City Council Finance Committee.

My name is Michael Cologne.

I chair the finance committee.

Our other committee members are Justin Eamon and Councilwoman Hillary Quietek.

Mr.

Miller, please call the roll.

Mr.

Cologne.

Here.

Mr.

Raymond.

Here.

And Ms.

Quietek.

Present.

There are no other council members present at the moment.

Tonight we have six agenda items for the meeting.

There are five are ordinances involving proposed budget adjustments.

One is a resolution involving a proposed budget transfer within the fire department to cover temporary help.

We're gonna have public comment at the top of the meeting.

I don't believe there's anyone here for public comment.

Public comment is over.

Moving on to agenda item number one.

The first agenda item is to review a proposed adjustment to the sewer capital fund 2025 year end reconciliation.

I'll turn to the administration.

Thank you, Chairman Cologne.

There are six memos as you mentioned tonight, six requests and evenly split three from water sewer resources.

Probably present all three of those and then take questions or kind of tied together.

Then we'll turn to the items four, five, and six.

All have to do with the fire department, and Chief Griffin is here to explain them and then answer any questions you may have with regard to agenda items four, five, and six.

So I'll turn to Mr.

Boscola from administration.

Thank you.

Welcome, Mr.

Boscolo.

All right, thank you.

Uh so the first one on the agenda is the sewer capital fund.

And like Mr.

Evans uh mentioned, these were all of them really uh involve effectively adjusting all the fund balances to uh a reset at January one.

When we put the budget together in the fall, we use October 1st as our kind of like bogey.

That's our set point when we put the budget together, and then at this time we go back and reset everything to true it up to January one.

So the first line item, the cash balance in the sewer capital fund, that change from 6.5 million and change to 6.8 million reflects the change in the cash balance from October one when it was 6.5 million, January 1 is 6.8 million.

So that change of 291,000 reflects that change in the in the fund balance.

And then to balance make the budget balance, you do an equal change on the expenditure side.

So we have a net positive change in revenue.

So we're showing a net plus change in expenditures of 290,000.

And we identified several several line items that required adjustments.

Some of these reflect bills that were paid in the fourth quarter.

Some reflect some additional work we want to do in 2026.

So under collection system new and renewal, we're adding 100,000 to do a little bit more uh capital work in our sewer collection system.

The 100,000 dollar reduction in the sewer trench restoration line item reflects a bill that was paid in the fourth quarter, so that can come down.

That's why that went down.

Aeration tank upgrade and digester replacement reflect again additional capital.

We're planning to invest in the in the wastewater plant this year.

And then the balancer is really the future capital needs that is unassigned dollars.

Uh that just sit in the uh um the sewer capital fund uh budget.

So that went down 208,000 to make sure everything balances out.

So you could go through all three, and then I'll open it up to questions okay in the committee at one time.

Certainly.

The second one is is very similar, it but this is on the water capital side.

So on the revenues, the change in cash balance went down about 506,000.

So our cash position from October 1st to January one went down about 500,000.

The construction fund was spent down entirely.

So that went from 321,000 to zero.

So we spent all the construction fund uh dollars in the fourth quarter.

So that went to zero.

And then we're adding another five hundred thousand dollars in uh capital appropriation from the water fund balance.

And that is reflected in the next line item that we that we'll talk about when we uh that moves that 500,000.

That so that cash from the water fund balance goes over to the water capital fund uh account.

That's an add additional 500,000 dollars.

So there's an overall net decrease in water capital fund um dollars available for 2026 of approximately 327,000.

So we we make appropriate adjustments on the expense side to add up to 327,000.

So some of the replace relocate distribution system that net deductive 400,000 reflects a lot of bills that were paid in the fourth quarter for water main replacement in 2025.

Uh lead service line project, we're gonna start to accelerate some more uh lead service line replacements uh this year and and and the succeeding years.

We're doing some additional facilities improvements.

That's mostly up at Wald Creek and the filtration plant.

The reduction in equipment, water maintenance and collection and treatment, the 60 and 140,000 reflect again bills that were paid in the fourth quarter, so that can come out of the budget, and then we're adding a little bit to equipment for water filtration, and then the unassigned dollars is in that future capital needs.

So that that goes down about 20,000 to make everything balance.

And then the final like a uh adjustment, which I just alluded to is in the water fund itself, the operating fund.

So we're taking another $500,000 from the water fund cash balance, putting it towards capital appropriation, and then that shows up in that water capital account.

That that's where that $500,000 comes from.

Anything else added Mr.

Boscola?

No, the the cash balance is very healthy right now.

It's $15 million, roughly.

And that's been building up over time over the past 10, 15 years.

You said the cash balance is about $15 million.

$15 million.

For which fund?

Water fund.

Water, okay.

The water fund.

So that money, that's your net operating uh revenue.

Um if we were a private company, that would be the profit.

But being we're government um that is our net operating income, that just sits in the cash fund.

And the whole purpose of that is to fund the capital count.

So if we don't have to go out and borrow money, we have that cash uh sitting in the uh in the uh the cash fund that we can use on for capital.

And it's both both funds are the same.

There's a pretty healthy balance in the sewer fund as well.

What is it?

It's it's in the same order of magnitude.

Yeah, it's in the top part.

It's in a 12 to 15 million dollar range.

It's very close.

Okay.

So operating the waters bigger than quite a bit bigger than the source, but the capitals are equal.

Yes.

Anything else before I open it up to questions, comment from committee members?

I will recognize our controller, Mr.

Yasso is here.

Before we adjourn, Ms.

Riyasso, I'll invite you to give comment if you'd like to on anything.

Anything from committee members for Mr.

Boscola.

Councilwoman.

Thanks.

I would just ask the 500,000.

I noticed in um tonight at the meeting, we'll be talking about the water, the big water tank, the reservoir.

That number is really healthy.

Are you just seeing that the capital projects that you have planned for this coming year are coming in that the bids are coming in higher than you expected, and you just wanted to move some money over or well, we have we had enough money budgeted for the tank.

So that's because that you know, you you'll see in the budget adjustment, the tank line item was not um okay is not in here.

So we did we built in a little bit of fat in the budget for the tank.

Now the tank numbers did come in a little bit higher, uh, but we did account for that when we put the budget together in the fall.

Now I would say that generally speaking, overall there is there has been a substantial increase in the cost of construction for both water and sewer capital projects over the past several years.

I think ever since we came out of COVID and inflation really started to hit.

There was a step increase in the cost of material and labor, and we're seeing that in everything.

Cost of pipe, tanks, pumps, raw material.

Um, so it's just something that we're gonna have to really deal with in the coming years.

Okay, thank you.

Anything else?

No, sir.

Thank you, Mr.

Boscola.

What we'll do is we'll go through one through five and then we'll group them together for one vote to forward them to council, like we did the last time.

So we'll move on to agenda item four.

Four, five, and six are all from the fire department.

Yeah.

So we'll go through four through six, and then we'll vote on what we have to before we adjourn.

Chief.

Uh good evening, everyone.

Uh tonight I'm gonna present to you three items on behalf of the fire department.

The first one is being it being a 2025 Office of the State Fire Commissioner grant in the amount of six thousand one hundred and thirty-seven dollars.

Uh, that money was awarded to us by the fire commissioner's office through this grant and will be utilized to acquire new grace industry's past devices for our firefighters.

Uh, just to elaborate a little more on that, those past devices or pass alarms that are worn by the firefighters in the event that they become downed or trapped.

Um, they sound an alert so they can be located and found.

That's that's what a past device is.

Um, they cost uh approximately 595 at the time we received a quotation and applied for the grant.

And this grant will allow us to purchase 27 of those units.

The second item on the list tonight is a 2025 Office of the State Fire Commissioner EMS grant that was awarded to our paramedic and EMS bureau in the amount of 14,975.

Um, and this grant money is going to be utilized to purchase a med vault, which will secure um medications and narcotics in an ambulance as well as an organizer and uh equipment for the rear of the supervisor's uh vehicle.

And did you want me to roll an item six right away?

You can.

Okay.

And then I'll take care of what we have to do from a voting perspective afterwards.

Okay.

Um, item number six is a is a budget transfer, uh, the amount of five thousand dollars to create temporary help in an account for the fire department.

We're evaluating the opportunity to create a part-time position for a limited period of time to support the ongoing conversion of our records management system, uh software referred to as first due.

Uh, we do need additional assistance in allowing us to get the software platform up and running properly.

And uh, we're asking for a part-time person to assist us with that operation.

Anything else, Chief, before I open it up?

No, sir.

Questions from the committee.

Councilwoman.

Um, just briefly, um, thank you for your letter, first of all, um, regarding this uh agenda item six.

Um, five thousand dollars is not a lot of money.

Is that enough for the amount of work that you think still has to be done?

So the the salary of this position and and who's offered the position will go through human resources.

Uh, it's not gonna be a very high paying position.

And it we estimate this to be approximately 15 to no more than 20 hours per week.

We're thinking maybe in the 90-day window.

Um, we're we're hoping that this person can come in, make a heck of a difference within that 90 days and leave us in a much better position where our people can then manage the workload and the training of the rest of the department.

Um, I remain optimistic that that's a reasonable timeline.

And just um going back to what you mentioned in the letter about the the resources that you've had to deploy into cleaning up the data and and retrieving it and and all of that, you've been using you have on occasion used firefighters for this actual work.

Uh we have a very small number of firefighters within the department.

Real really there's there's five individuals who have volunteered to there's been more that have helped, but there's five regulars that have volunteered to help us try to navigate uh this data conversion and all these constant changes.

Um and their help is very much appreciated.

That the problem with it is first and foremost, they're firefighters assigned to the line.

So they're one, they're doing this out of their own generosity.

Two, their other main responsibility is fire incidents and fire calls.

Uh, and although their help is greatly appreciated, they also work shift work.

So they may start a project, go home for their four days off, or be nights for two nights.

There's six days that nobody can make follow-up phone calls or Zoom meetings or things of of that nature.

And it just allows us to keep falling further and further behind.

Um, they're gonna continue to help and assist under the direction of this person.

They'll they'll ultimately be the ones who then carry on what this person is able to do to the rest of the department, but we just need someone to kind of lay the groundwork for them.

Great.

Thank you so much.

You're welcome.

Thank you.

Any other questions?

Chief, uh, starting with the fire grant.

So you said it would get 27 of these devices, and then that stays with the firefighter.

That is correct.

Uh that unit is is part of their issued gear and equipment.

Um, past devices are on the air packs.

However, NFPA does require a separate independent past device for a situation where the person may not be wearing an air pack.

Uh, they would still be required to have a past device on their person on their gear.

So are firefighters currently already issued these devices?

Yes.

Okay.

So this would be replacing this is replacing obsolete ones, obsolete units that no longer meet the criteria, um, can no longer be repaired, things things of that nature.

That is correct.

Understood.

And then for the EMS grant for the med vault.

Is that something that again is that is that new to an ambulance, or that's just replacing an old one?

Uh, if you don't mind, I'll step aside.

I'll defer to director Fritz.

He can provide some insight exactly where that one went.

Yeah.

Just replacing what we have in-house.

And it's actually for two that are sort of end of life new technology, just replacing what we currently use.

How long does one last out of curiosity?

The two that are being replaced, you know how long?

Maybe nine.

Okay.

2010, somewhere in that time frame.

Thank you.

Sure, Fritz.

And then the last question I had as it relates to the temporary help.

This might be a question for Mr.

Evans.

Do we have somebody potentially in mind, like a recent retiree or anything like that?

Or are we just kind of posted and see your chief, whoever might be able to do that?

Chief came to us weeks ago with this concern he had.

He did come to human resources with Michelle Saki and I sat down with Chief and Deputy Chief to discuss the ongoing problem, the growing issue that they had and wanted to tackle and brought their proposal to us.

We worked together to tighten up what a contract would look like.

Um, the definition, the scope of it, about and you know, the time because we don't know.

This is a new last time, I don't know.

We changed, we got into we leave we left New World and got went into first do.

When we went into New World, I don't know how long that's been since last what I'm saying is last time a transition transition like this happened.

So there's a tremendous amount of data that needs to be moved.

Uh, there is some experience available that we're gonna reach out to.

So I'm yeah, recent retirees that were part of the IAFF, part of the fire department that have skills that a lot of the um neurostaff does not have to uh to be honest.

And we feel they can bring that to the table.

Um, when Chief, one of the really selling points too is the idea they can get after it now.

We have an ongoing fire study that requires a lot of data.

And the 2025 data right now is going through transition, makes it a little bit more difficult.

Three and 23 and 24 is okay, but really one of the selling points is the schedule as well.

If they're there two days and getting multiple people touching it, and then the next person that was working on it isn't back for six or eight days, maybe next day, two day shifts is on the weekend, and then they come back to uh to two nights when they're working nights, you can't connect with the vendor, the first two or the county, which you need to do both.

So those two even days that you're working on night shift, you're not able to work on it.

So the we know it's a timing, it's a sensitivity.

There's technical nature to it.

So there are some people we have in mind that could come back, much like when we talked about the um police positions.

Will it be or will it not be a former police position, the new TAMS positions we added into the budget in 2026?

This is a similar nature.

If we can tap previous experience that is willing and able to assist to get this project up to speed, and then we'll close it out as efficiently as possible.

But I think that question to how much and how long it will be is a little bit of an unknown because again, this is a project that Chief has has requested.

We've talked about it, it's needed.

We we've come to that conclusion along with Chief.

So we support the request.

And I think once you get the person in working at City Hall is where that person will be doing the work, knock it out as quick as possible, and then uh then we're up to speed.

Is this a transition we've waited for for some time?

They were very excited about the move to first do this.

Goes back to Chief Reich into Chief Griffin when the decision was made and everything's been positive.

But there are every time if you ever been involved in a data transfer, there's bumps right along the way and obstacles to get there.

We know the end of the rainbow is gonna be nice, but this will be, I think it will be a real helpful position that can get focused and get it done.

I say Patrick's Day reference with the end of the rainbow.

Oh, yes, yes.

I will that in.

Yes, thanks.

Thank you.

Anything else, Chief Mr.

Evans A by in the administration.

Before we vote on what we have to, Mr.

Yasso, did you want to make a comment on any of the tonight's agenda items?

Thank you, Mr.

Yasso, for coming out.

So before we adjourn, we do have to.

I will accept a motion and a second to consider agenda items one through five as a group to place on the well.

So moved.

Seconded.

All right.

Motion from Councilwoman Queatech, seconded by Mr.

Ayman.

Mr.

Miller, call the role on the motion.

Mr.

Raymond.

Aye.

Ms.

Quietek.

Aye.

And Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

And now I will accept a motion and a second to recommend approval of the administration's request as a group and to place the appropriate legislation on tonight's council agenda.

So moved.

Second.

Okay.

Motion for the group to go on tonight's agenda with uh recommended approval from the committee from Mr.

Amon, second by councilwoman Quietek.

Mr.

Miller, call the roll.

Mr.

Raymond.

Aye.

Ms.

Quietek.

Aye.

And Mr.

Cologne.

Aye.

That passes three zero.

So the the agenda items one through five will be on tonight's full council agenda.

There's one more six agenda items.

Did we but do we need to this was the yeah?

Isn't is that that that's also supposed to go on the agenda?

Yeah, the resolution.

Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know we had two apologies.

I thought we were just my apologies on the resolution versus the ordinance needing uh adjustment.

A recommendation.

All right, I'll accept another motion followed by a second to recommend approval of agenda item six, the resolution count to have a recommendation for approval from the committee.

So moved.

Is that what should it be like to be placed on the agenda for the yeah?

Is that what you said?

And to place that legislation on tonight's council agenda.

Second motion for Mr.

Amon, second by councilman Queatech, Mr.

Miller, call the roll.

Mr.

Raymond.

Aye.

Ms.

Quietek.

Aye.

Mr.

Cologne.

All right.

That also passes three zero.

Again, apologies, everybody.

Okay, so one through six will be on tonight's agenda for full council with the recommendation for for approval from the committee.

That concludes the committee agenda.

We'll get started at seven for full council.

Thank you.

Thank you.