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Committee advances $737,219.43 capital supplement from Lehigh County Authority for ADA ramps and street repaving
Summary
A council committee moved Bill 118 forward to the regular meeting to add $737,219.43 from the Lehigh County Authority to the 2024 capital fund for utility-related milling, paving and about 100 ADA ramps; vote was by voice and recorded as ‘‘Aye.’’
Allentown City Council committee members voted to advance Bill 118, which would amend the 2024 capital fund budget to add a $737,219.43 supplemental appropriation from the Lehigh County Authority for utility-related street repaving and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ramp work.
The supplemental appropriation funds repaving of roughly 1.5 miles of roadway and replacement of about 100 ADA-compliant ramps on streets where the Lehigh County Authority is upgrading water mains, staff said. ‘‘They’re giving us 700 and $37,000 to repave the roads on the roads that they’re gonna be doing the water main upgrades,’’ a staff member explained to the committee. ‘‘So this money, we’re gonna pave approximately 1 and a half miles of roadways along with replacing a 100 handicap ramps throughout different locations at the city.’’
The staff member described the payment as part of the city’s established cost-share arrangement with utilities: the utility replaces underground infrastructure, and the utility provides funds so the city can restore the surface ‘‘per our city ordinances.’’ Council member Hendricks asked whether the cost share is a 50-50 split, and the staff member replied that the arrangement is a standard agreement with utilities to fund street restoration and ADA ramps, noting that it spares taxpayers and property owners the cost of replacing ramps.
A council member asked whether the city’s curbing ordinance applies. The staff member replied that because this is ‘‘utility paving,’’ the curbing ordinance would not apply; that curbing requirement, the staff member said, applies only to the city’s in-house street paving program.
A motion to move Bill 118 forward was made and seconded; the committee chair called the voice vote and recorded ‘‘Aye,’’ advancing the bill to the regular meeting. The motion text read, in part, that Bill 118 ‘‘amends the 2024 capital fund budget to provide for a supplemental appropriation, $737,219.43 from LCA for the purpose of construction ADA handicap ramps and the milling and paving of streets under the city's utility paving program.’’
The bill will appear on the next regular meeting agenda for final consideration.
