Dormont Borough Council Voting Session – May 5, 2025

The Dormont Borough Council held its voting session on May 5, 2025, at 7:00 PM in Council Chambers. Mayor Jason Walsh presided, and all council members were present. The agenda included the consent calendar, committee reports, the mayor's and manager's reports, and 15 action items; all votes before the executive session passed by voice vote with no announced opposition.

Consent Calendar

• Council approved the consent agenda, including the April 2025 meeting minutes; February and March 2025 expense reports; Assistant Manager Reports for January–April 2025; the Fire Department Report for April 2025; the March 2025 Animal Control Report; the April 2025 Engineer's Report; the Sewer Engineer's Report for April 2025; the appointment of Kevin Bratkowski as Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator; the resignations of Planning Commissioners Kristen Brahier (effective April 17, 2025) and David Goodnight (effective April 25, 2025); and the Community Manager's recommendation to approve summer employees and rates of pay.
• Council members thanked Brahier and Goodnight for their service on the Planning Commission. Beth Bachman noted the borough is still hiring summer staff; later in the meeting she reported 25 certified lifeguards, 14 more in the next scheduled class, and a completed summer camp staff of 11.

Public Comments & Testimony

• There were no registered public comments at the start of the meeting.
• Nicole Molinero, President/CEO of the Women's Center and Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh, spoke in support of the proclamation designating May 2025 as Women's Center and Shelter Month. She said one out of every four women and one out of every seven men have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime, and only four percent of the 7,500 people served annually need shelter; the rest rely on free, confidential legal advocacy, medical advocacy, support groups, and counseling.
• No public comments were offered at the end of the meeting.

Committee Reports

• Councilmember Downs described the Women's Center and Shelter history and recognized ongoing conversations between the business community and borough staff.
• Councilmember Fabus reported that the comprehensive plan is nearly complete; a public meeting was held, county comments were received, school district comments were still pending, and a public hearing will be held before the June 2 voting meeting.
• Councilmember Kipp reported that the Property, Supplies, and Public Works Committee discussed Potomac road surface options and reviewed the Toshiba, Patton Building Services, and CINTAS contracts on the agenda.
• Councilmember Ventresca reported on a park signage presentation by PCI, a proposed flower art installation by Dormont Arts and artist Josh Ruffing at Hillsdale Park, and planning for the May 17 playground ribbon-cutting event.
• Councilmember Ledford reported that the Public Safety, Building, and Code Enforcement Committee discussed the Keystone Oaks MOU, the borough parking lot ordinance, and potential code changes based on business and community feedback.
• Councilmember Rieger reported that Finance and Legal worked on a formalized vacancy-filling policy for boards and commissions, amendments to the Public Goods Expenditure Policy, a Brentwood Bank presentation, and new CINTAS contract terms.

Mayor and Council President Reports

• Mayor Walsh thanked first responders, public works, parks staff, and residents for their response to the previous week's storm. He suggested the borough might continue to provide dumpsters at the park because recent garbage policy changes make it harder for residents to dispose of large items.
• Council President Mazzocco also thanked staff and volunteers, promoted the Dormont Free Pantry's Wednesday evening hours, praised the Dormont Green and spring cleanup events, and announced that four streets applied for the shared streets program, with official approval and signs coming soon.

Borough Manager's Report

• Borough Manager Stinner reported that Jordan Tax Service was selected as the borough's earned income tax collector for the next three years.
• The Bake Snyder playground is finished; a ribbon-cutting will be held May 17 at 10:00 AM, and a camera network is being installed to monitor the playground after hours.
• PRT released an RFQ for transit-oriented development; construction is slated to follow the 2026 NFL Draft.
• The purchase of new parking meters signals the start of Dormont Village paving. The lot will be reconfigured as a loop with one entrance on each side instead of two runways, and traditional meters will be replaced with digital meters; an engineering report and street opening permit are still required, and final plans are not complete.
• Pennsylvania American Water closed out 52 road opening permits, and an Allegheny County utility coordination meeting is scheduled for June.
• Staff are developing a five-year road program using pavement analytics, traffic calming recommendations, sidewalk improvements, stormwater needs, and potential grant applications, including the Safe Streets for All grant.

Action Items

• Ordinance 1652 – Truck restrictions: Adopted. The ordinance amends Ordinance 1633 by revising Sections 195.17 and 195.51 to change truck restrictions to length limits, including a 28.5-foot length limit on Potomac Avenue. Councilmember Rieger said it addresses trucks making the sharp turn between West Liberty Avenue and Potomac; local delivery exceptions remain.
• Resolution 8 – Tax collector exoneration: Approved. The resolution exonerates Tax Collector Vickie McGurk for 2024 in accordance with her January 20, 2025 report. Council noted the $198,000 figure is lower than the prior year's resolution, indicating fewer delinquencies.
• Resolution 9 – Public Goods Expenditure Policy amendment: Approved. Changes include clean-up language, handling of excess funds at year-end, succession when an elected official vacancy occurs, and a 30-day limit on retroactive funding requests.
• Proclamation 3 – Women's Center and Shelter Month: Adopted. The Borough designated May 2025 as Women's Center and Shelter Month and committed to keeping Dormont a safe and supportive space.
• Police vehicle purchase: Approved purchase of a 2025 Ford Explorer Interceptor Utility, including auxiliary equipment, from Jim Shorkey Ford under COSTARS Contract #013-E22-239, IBIS Emergency Vehicles, and Motorola Solutions for a total of $61,323.28.
• Toshiba Business Solutions contract: Approved authorization for the Borough Manager to contract with Toshiba for scanning police and administrative records and DocuWare data storage at an annual cost of $15,731.22 for 2025 and 2026.
• Patton Building Services contract: Approved authorization for a Borough Building cleaning services contract at $2,885 per month; council noted the cost is lower than the current cleaning contract.
• Verner's Lawn Care & Landscaping contract: Approved a $14,250 contract for remediation of borough property after illegal excavating and dumping by the owner of 1666 McFarland Road. Councilmember Ledford said a complaint was filed with the magistrate and damages are being pursued.
• CINTAS rug services contract: Approved authorization to contract with CINTAS for rug services in borough buildings, with savings of more than $5,000.
• Brentwood Bank contract: Approved authorization to switch borough banking and financial services to Brentwood Bank. Manager Stinner said PNC currently charges about $34,000 per year in fees, while Brentwood will provide services with no fees and a 4.05% rate on all deposit accounts.
• Keystone Oaks MOU: Approved the updated two-year memorandum of understanding with Keystone Oaks School District for Dormont Police public safety cooperation.
• Public Good Funds – Wills for Heroes: Approved $210 for VFW parking lot rental for the July 19 Wills for Heroes event, funded by Mayor Walsh. The event will provide about 33 free will-writing slots to veterans and first responders with roughly 30 attorneys participating.
• Public Good Funds – Memorial Day Parade: Approved $500 for the 2025 Memorial Day Parade, funded by Mayor Walsh and Councilperson Fabus, to support parade expansion including a band and art-car float.
• Public Good Funds – PRIDE 2025: Approved $422.50 for Dormont Park rental fees for PRIDE 2025, hosted by DCDC and funded by Councilperson Rieger. The event is scheduled for June 29 from 1 to 8 PM with bands, food trucks, vendors, and wedding-themed activities.
• Parking meters: Approved purchase of six Flowbird parking meters for $57,549 for the Dormont Village parking areas.

Discussion Items

• Councilmember Downs asked whether the borough could create a Dormont Council banner for the Memorial Day Parade and future events; council agreed to follow up on timing and sponsorship rules.
• Beth Bachman updated council on summer staffing: 25 lifeguards are certified and ready, 14 more are in the next class, and summer camp hiring is complete with 11 staff members, most with certifications or college degrees. She also confirmed the dumpster requested after the storm had arrived at the park.

Key Outcomes

• All consent agenda items and all 15 action items on the May 5, 2025 agenda were approved by voice vote without opposition.
• A public hearing on the comprehensive plan will be held before the June 2, 2025 voting meeting.
• The Dormont Village parking lot will be restriped as a loop with digital meters, and paving will begin once final plans, engineering review, and permits are complete.
• Banking services will move from PNC to Brentwood Bank, eliminating roughly $34,000 in annual fees and earning 4.05% on deposits.
• The flower art proposal for Hillsdale Park was referred to the June meeting.
• The meeting then moved into executive session with no decisions expected afterward.