The Nazareth Borough Council met Monday, Nov. 4 to approve various requests, the 2025 operating budget and various payments.
The first order of business during the regularly scheduled monthly meeting included public property items that council unanimously approved. Approved items are listed as follows: direction for the secretary to advertise the yearly closing of the Skate Park on Sunday, Dec. 1 with a regularly scheduled reopening on Tuesday, April 1, 2025; the request of the Nazareth Area Youth Baseball and Softball Association for the 2025 spring/summer/fall use of both Bill Gold fields, Veteran’s Memorial Square Field, Holy Family Field, Holy Family Forrest Drive Field and the main field in Nazareth Borough Park with the understanding that the Legion and middle school team receive preference plus the use of the pavilion in the park for pictures on picture day weekend in late April or early May; the request of Nazareth Chamber of Commerce for the annual tree lighting ceremony in the Circle on Friday, Dec. 13 at 7 p.m.; the request of Nazareth Chamber of Commerce for the annual Christmas in Nazareth celebration on Saturday, Dec. 14 beginning at 10 a.m.; the payment of $4,000 for additional abatement work to be done in the library; and the request of the Greater Valley YMCA to conduct their annual Pumpkin Pie 5K Race/Walk throughout the streets of the borough beginning at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 28.
Under finance, council unanimously approved the following motions: the payment of $88,408 divided into quarterly payments as the borough’s share of 2025 library support as determined by the established formula and most current EIT numbers; to acknowledge receipt of the borough’s annual Public Utility Tax reimbursement for the Verizon property on North Whitfield Street in the amount of $2,953.47; to acknowledge the payment of the borough’s semi-annual loan obligation to ESSA Bank in the amount of $215,894.91 ($174,000 in principal and $41,894.91 in interest) with 12 semi-annual payments remaining; to return the $100 deposit of the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce following their Fall Festival event on Oct. 19; and renewal of the borough’s health insurance with the Highmark PPO 500 Pre-ACA “grandfathered” Plan with no increase over the 2024 rates, with coverage lasting through Nov. 30, 2025.
Council also approved the proposed 2025 borough operating budget for advertisement, which contains a half mill tax increase with only Councilman Michael J. Kopach voting against the motion, whereas the prohibition of blitz spending during the final 45 days of 2024 by all department heads that requires all expenditures not previously approved in the 2024 budget to require full council approval was unanimously approved, as well as direction for the treasurer to advertise that the proposed 2025 operating budget will be available for inspection at the municipal offices (located at 134 S. Main St.) during business hours for 10 business days from Nov. 13 through Nov. 27.
Adoption of the budget will be voted on during the December monthly meeting, and if approved, it will bring the borough’s total millage rate to 17.5 mills, increasing the average assessed homestead’s tax bill by approximately $27.50 per year.
Under police items, council unanimously approved the request of the Nazareth Area/Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce and Downtown Manager Lisa Borick for free downtown parking on both Black Friday on Nov. 29 and Small Business Saturday on Nov. 30, as well as Christmas in Nazareth on Saturday, Dec. 14 with no charges for parking in metered zones on those three days.
In other news, council unanimously approved the motions listed under law to reschedule the borough workshop meeting from Thursday, Nov. 28 to Tuesday, Nov. 26 due to observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, and to direct the secretary to advertise both the cancelation of the Nov. 28 meeting and rescheduling of the meeting on Nov. 26 in the Nazareth Key and on the borough website. The meeting will be held in the back training room of the Nazareth Regional Ambulance Corps building, located at 519 Seip Ave.
Following a packed workshop meeting prior to the start of the regularly scheduled monthly meeting, council and residents had a lengthy, respectful discussion on the potential ordinance to ban chickens, ducks and other birds.
Although there have been numerous complaints regarding a small number of individuals who have created a nuisance due to housing chickens irresponsibly within the borough, most of the public that showed up for the meeting was against the ban.
Moreover, council was unaware of just how many residents responsibly house chickens within the borough since that information is not tracked, which is why the motion to vote on the ordinance that would make it unlawful in the borough to “maintain chickens, ducks and any similar type of bird or fowl including geese, turkeys, grouse, pheasants, partridges and any other game bird, migratory bird or wild bird” was tabled to allow for further discussion during the Law Committee meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at the solicitor’s office (located at 124 E. Belvidere St.) and at the next workshop meeting on Tuesday, Nov. 26.
The Law Committee will take all factors such as parameters, enforcement and others into consideration when determining the best cause of action and recommend it to council. However, at this time, it is unknown when council will receive that recommendation.
Under environmental steering and lighting, council unanimously approved closure of the borough’s Yard Waste facility on Stoudt Boulevard for the 2024 season on Sunday, Dec. 1 and for the secretary to advertise the closure. To clarify, the facility will be open on Dec. 1, but that will be their last day open of the year.
Under public works agenda items, council unanimously approved a resolution certifying the borough’s submission of the Nazareth Borough grant initiative proposal for a Statewide LSA Grant seeking funding for a new Chevrolet Tahoe.
Additionally, council approved resolutions honoring, thanking and congratulating Theresa Fedele for being named the borough’s employee of the year, Charles Donello for being named the borough’s veteran of the year and Brenda Reinert for being named the borough’s volunteer of the year. Honorees will be presented with the resolutions at the December council meeting.
Last, Mayor Lance E. Colondo presented the police report for the month of October, which included 297 total police activity/calls for service, 20 crimes reported and investigated, 10 criminal arrests, four drug-related crimes, four Part 1 offenses, 68 traffic citations issued, 73 warnings issued, three reportable traffic accidents and 10 non-reportable traffic accidents. There were also 81 parking enforcement officer violations issued and 52 officer issued violations, which totaled 133 parking tickets issued for the month of October.
The next Nazareth Borough Council regular monthly meeting will be held on Monday, Dec. 2 at 6 p.m. in the Nazareth Regional Ambulance Corps training room, which is located in the back of the building.
