Freemansburg council approves mower purchase, multiple grant applications and directs solicitor to research health bureau

Freemansburg Borough Council on July 1 approved a slate of procurement and grant actions and directed staff to pursue legal research on a potential borough health bureau.

The council voted unanimously to authorize a CoStars purchase from Hilltop Sales & Service for a Z950M ZTrak mower for Public Works for $12,875.92 after a motion by Council Vice‑President Jim Smith and a second from Council Member Margaret Lorrah. Council also adopted Resolution #2025‑018 adopting the borough’s 2025 fee schedule (motion by Margaret Lorrah; second Jim Smith). All votes recorded in the minutes are listed as passed 6‑0.

Council members approved multiple grant submissions to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Local Share Account (PA DCED LSA) programs related to the amphitheater and the community center. The motions approved were:

• Resolution #2025‑019: $398,000 (PA DCED LSA Monroe) for Amphitheater Project Phase 4 (moved by Colleen Gallagher; second Margaret Lorrah). • Resolution #2025‑020: $398,000 (PA DCED LSA Northampton/Lehigh) for Amphitheater Project Phase 4 (moved by Margaret Lorrah; second Colleen Gallagher). • Resolution #2025‑021: $475,000 (PA DCED LSA Monroe) for Community Center Project Phase 4 (moved by Colleen Gallagher; second Margaret Lorrah). • Resolution #2025‑022: $475,000 (PA DCED LSA Northampton/Lehigh) for Community Center Project Phase 4 (moved by Margaret Lorrah; second Colleen Gallagher). • Resolution #2025‑023: $895,000 (PA DCED LSA Statewide) for Community Center Project Phase 5 (moved by Colleen Gallagher; second Monica Elliott).

All five grant resolutions were recorded as passing by unanimous vote (listed as PASS 6‑0 in the minutes). The minutes note that the amphitheater’s grass‑seating retaining wall was put out for bid on PennBID on June 27 and that the borough engineer will provide a recommendation to council once bids are received.

On policy direction, the council authorized the Borough Solicitor, Anthony Giovannini, to research the pros and cons of creating a borough Health Bureau. That motion, made by Council Member Monica Elliott and seconded by Margaret Lorrah, passed 6‑0; the minutes record this as direction for legal research rather than a policy adoption.

Council also approved a resident’s request for a handicap parking sign for Elizabeth Derr. The agenda text lists the requested address as 113 Main Street, while the motion recorded in the minutes authorizes the sign in front of 117 Main Street; the minutes do not reconcile the discrepancy. Motion to approve the sign was by Margaret Lorrah and seconded by Colleen Gallagher; vote recorded PASS 6‑0.

Other items recorded: remittance reports from Portnoff Law Associates listing sewer fees of $831.57 and trash fees of $990.00 were provided as informational; a review of Whitetail Disposal’s May 2025 service overview was noted; NIC members reported a June 26 meeting and council signaled a move toward more aggressive code enforcement with solicitor assistance; and the amphitheater retaining wall procurement remains pending engineer recommendation.

After an executive session to discuss litigation, property acquisition and personnel, council returned to authorize the solicitor to send a draft letter regarding a property listed as “Land Swamp” to Hogar Crea concerning tapping fees; that action and the subsequent adjournment were recorded after the executive session. The meeting was adjourned at 7:59 p.m.

The minutes do not record public comments verbatim and contain limited narrative detail; several items are recorded as informational. Where the minutes show inconsistent or incomplete details (notably the address for the approved handicap sign), the minutes are cited as the source and the discrepancy is noted.