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Northampton County Council approves budget amendment, AFSCME term sheet and multiple contracts; introduces TIF and land-purchase ordinances
Summary
During its Sept. 18 meeting the Northampton County Council un-tabled and amended a 2025 budget amendment ordinance and approved a series of resolutions and contracts including an AFSCME term sheet, pay-scale revisions, donations, a Commonwealth Gaming grant request, and two construction and radio-system contracts.
Northampton County Council on Sept. 18 moved to untable and then amend the county—s 2025 budget amendment ordinance and adopted the restored ordinance by roll call, 8-1, clearing a pathway for multiple funding allocations and contract approvals.
Council members then approved a series of resolutions and contracts: the AFSCME Local 2549 term sheet for corrections officers (adopted 9-0); revisions to Department of Human Services pay scales (adopted 9-0); two small donations ($1,000 to Area Agency on Aging and $2,000 to the drug and alcohol division), both adopted 9-0; and a Commonwealth Financing Authority local-share grant request for emergency radio equipment totaling $207,183, adopted 9-0.
The council also approved an amendment to the BlueScope Construction Inc. contract for electrical work on the new parks maintenance garage at Louis Moore Park, increasing the contract from $204,890 to $259,139 (change orders of $29,790 and $24,459) and approved a three-year contract with Motorola Solutions Inc. for a northern radio expansion project with a total cost listed in meeting materials as $8,025,298; both contract amendments were adopted unanimously.
Several ordinances were introduced for future public hearings: a proposed tax increment financing (TIF) district in Wilson (public hearing Oct. 16; possible vote Nov. 6), purchase of approximately 6.9 acres in Lower Nazareth Township (public hearing Oct. 2), and an ordinance requiring council review of funds to establish on-demand voting facilities at Lehigh University in Washington Township (public hearing Oct. 2).
Council members discussed technical details of pay-scale revisions and funding. Human-resources staff explained that the pay-scale changes reflect updated state maximum allowable salaries and are effective July 1, 2025; whose retroactive pay, where applicable, will be processed according to state reimbursement rules tied to specific programs and block grants.
Roll-call votes were used for all listed approvals. The budget amendment passed with eight votes in favor and one opposed. Several county council members noted that the budget amendment had been the subject of prior committee review and a recent finance committee meeting.
The council also heard a brief county-executive—s absence report: no county-executive report was delivered at the meeting. A public hearing schedule was announced for items introduced that evening.
