Altoona council approves multiple ordinances, grant application and contracts; several depository bids fail

The Altoona City Council on July 14 approved a package of routine and policy items and adopted four ordinances. The meeting record shows multiple consent items passed unanimously while four depository bids that were pulled for separate consideration were defeated unanimously.

Consent and contract approvals (items a–l): - The council approved the minutes from the June 9 meeting (item a). - Item B: Awarded an Ash Tree Treatment Project to Bonetti Tree Service of Altoona for $13,410, payable from the general fund; city manager authorized to execute documents. - Item C: Authorized the submission of an application to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for a multimodal transportation fund grant for Baker Boulevard traffic-calming improvements. The transcript lists inconsistent numeric values for the grant and match; an exact grant amount and match were not clearly specified in the meeting record. - Item D: Authorized right-of-way acquisition by PennDOT for a small portion of land used by the water authority on Mill Run Road for $500 and authorized execution of documents. - Item E: Authorized a professional services agreement with Pennsylvania Municipal Code Alliance for services in accordance with applicable construction and local codes (amount not specified in the transcript). - Item F: Approved an agreement with OpenGov for phase 1 software for code enforcement, community development, and public works for $272,449.68; city manager authorized to execute documents. - Items G–K: Awarded a series of demolition contracts to J & R Excavating with amounts listed in the agenda: $17,100 (903 Second Avenue), $12,200 (1010 Third Avenue), $9,940 (50920 First Street), $13,800 (227 Third Avenue), and $850 (1000 And Third Avenue). - Item L: Approved a repository bid of $525 submitted by J and R Pennsylvania Properties LLC for property at 819 Sixth Avenue.

Items M–P (depository bids by Amarillis Rodriguez) were pulled for individual consideration and then voted on separately. The council voted 0–7 on the separate vote; the motion did not pass. The items and amounts were: M ($200 for 2030 Sixth Avenue), N ($200 for 810 Sixth Avenue), O ($300 for 601 Third Avenue), and P ($300 for 607 Third Avenue). The transcript records the failed vote as 0–7.

Ordinances adopted: - A guarantee ordinance was adopted authorizing the city to guaranty payments under a debt obligation of the Altoona Water Authority to the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority (PENNVEST) in an amount not to exceed $4,000,000; moved by Councilman Butterbaugh and seconded by Mayor Pacifico. Roll call: Councilman Beatty, Councilman Butterbaugh, Councilwoman Klenich, Vice Mayor Ellis, Councilman Ickis, Councilman Kelly and Mayor Pacifico all voted yes; the motion passed 7–0. - The council adopted an amendment to the personnel code adding Section 11.9, a Voluntary Leave Donation Program; passed 7–0 on roll call. - The council adopted an amendment to chapter 550 (Property Maintenance) adopting the International Property Maintenance Code, 2021 edition; passed 7–0. - The council adopted amendments to chapter 711 (Vehicle Storage and Parking) to add recreational vehicle and vehicle parking requirements; passed 7–0.

Votes and procedure: The initial consent vote on items a–l passed 7–0. The council then used a consent vote approach for items m–p after those items were pulled, and the separate roll call on the pulled items resulted in a 0–7 vote (motion did not pass). Several ordinances were introduced earlier in the meeting for first reading and later adopted; the four adoptions recorded above were carried by unanimous roll call votes.

Why it matters: The approvals advance city code enforcement tools (property maintenance and permitting software), authorize municipal support for water-authority borrowing, and fund immediate maintenance work such as tree treatment and demolition. The failed depository bids (items m–p) and the council—s decision to pull them indicate closer scrutiny of property depositories and local ownership questions.

Ending: Council discussion noted that some demolition and restoration work will follow city and utility projects; the OpenGov contract was described by staff as an enterprise transformation tool for permitting, asset management, and financial reporting. Additional ordinances and a separate proposed ordinance to change licensing for tradesmen are expected to be introduced in coming meetings.