Among other items on the agenda for next week's city council meeting (below) is approval of a contract for a new curbside recycling program, as outlined in Ed Sieger's article for the Express-Times. If approved, electronic bar codes will be affixed to recycling bins and residents will receive credit for how much they recycle on a block-by-block basis, in the form of points that can then be redeemed at participating stores.
Also on the agenda is approval for board appointments, but the agenda doesn't say what the positions are, or who is being appointed. Hopefully the appointments will include appointments to the Board of Ethics, which, under Home Rule Charter and our Code of Ethics, written by Councilwoman El Warner, is supposed to have been meeting annually for the last three years to make sure that our mayor and city council are handling all processes ethically, but the mayor has yet to appoint anyone to the board yet.
Below is the full agenda for Wednesday's meeting:
CITY COUNCIL
TENTATIVE AGENDA
Stated Session
Wednesday
June 22, 2011
6:00 P.M.
1. CALL TO ORDER
2. INVOCATION
3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
4. ROLL CALL
5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
6. ACTION ON MINUTES – June 8, 2011
7. PRESENTATION – Nathan Nace
8. CITIZENS RIGHT TO BE HEARD – (Agenda Items Only)
9. REPORTS RECEIVED BY COUNCIL
10. ACCEPTING REPORTS ON BEHALF OF COUNCIL.
11. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES
(a) Finance (Kenneth Brown)
(b) Economic Development (Sandra Vulcano)
(c) Planning (Roger Ruggles)
(d) Public Safety (Jeffrey Warren)
(e) Public Works (Elinor Warner)
(f) Administration (Michael Fleck)
(g) Report of City Solicitor (Attorney William Murphy)
(h) Report of Mayor (Salvatore J. Panto Jr.)
12. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
(a) Action on Legislative Bills
1. Bill No. 20, Amending Section 285-29 Fees – Vehicles and Traffic, Chapter 560
2. Bill No. 21, Amending Chapter 560, Vehicles and Traffic Code of the City of Easton
3. Bill No. 22, Amending 2010 Debt Service Budget
13. CORRESPONDENCE
(a) Mercedes Marquez, HUD, 2011 CDBG Allocations.
14. NEW BUSINESS
(a) Introduction of Legislative Bills
-Over-
1. Bill No. 23, Approving a Five (5) Year Agreement of Lease between the City of Easton and Service Electric Cable T.V., Inc.
(b) Approving a Right-of-Way Encroachment Agreement.(R)
(c) Approving a Mutual Release and Settlement Agreement.(R)
(d) Approving a Certificate of Appropriateness for 43 S. 5th Street.(R)
(e) Approving a Certificate of Appropriateness for 22-24 Centre Square.(R)
(f) Approving a Certificate of Appropriateness for 520-522 Church Street.(R)
(g) Approving a Certificate of Appropriateness for 320 Ferry Street.(R)
(h) Approving a Certificate of Appropriateness for 330 Ferry Street.(R)
(i) Approving a Certificate of Appropriateness for 501 Northampton Street.(R)
(j) Approving a Certificate of Appropriateness for 524 Northampton Street.(R)
(k) Approving the placement of a fourth Handicapped Sign on the 1400 block of Lehigh Street.(R)
(l) Approving Appointments to City Authorities.(R)
(m) Authorizing the forwarding of funds to the Hugh Moore Parking Trust and Commission.(R)
(n) Approving an Agreement with RecycleRewards, Inc.(R)
15. CITIZENS RIGHT TO BE HEARD - On any matter.
16 ADJOURNMENT
Posts
4 comments:
there are no appointments to the ethics commission on the agenda I saw but I do know that the mayor recommends but he always asks if any council members have any suggestions. Last month several individuasl were appointed but I know there are still some vacancies including the ethics commission and most recently the Human Relations Commission has lost many members as well.
It seems it gets tougher and tougher to fill these vacancies. People should be offering their assistance. I serve on a small board but I feel that I should contribute so I do.
Can't blame the mayor and council if no one wants to step forward.
Also, the Ethics Commission is in the Charter.
if you want volunteers, you need to list the open positions.
What are they? You cannot appoint anyone to Ethics until council passes an ordinance giving them power.
Anons--thanks for posting.
As I understand it, El Warner proposed the structure for the Board of Ethics and drafted the Code of Ethics and both were passed by council three years ago. No appointments have been made to date, so the annual requirement to meet is not being fulfilled. A Board of Ethics cannot function if there is no one on the board. The board is important, as it protects against conflicts-of-interest/croneyism in maters such as awarding projects and contracts, and passing special variances.
I had heard that no re-appointments have been made in a long time to the Human Relations Commission too, and that they have dwindled in numbers to two people. This is worrisome as Easton just passed historic legislation granting benefits to same-sex domestic partners of city employees. But if we do not have a full Human Relations Commission, how are they to review discrimination cases?
The city should post a clear list of ALL positions currently open and put out a request for volunteers. These positions need to be filled right away.
Also on the agenda for Wed night: a certificate of appropriateness for the blighted Hooper House on the corner of 5th and Northampton Streets, owned by the Rock Church, that has been an eyesore under their ownership for at least 5 years now--below is the link to the ET article on this:
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/easton/index.ssf/2011/06/easton_wants_more_progress_on.html
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