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Borough manager proposes cutting seasonal street sweepings and sharing equipment to curb costs
Summary
Borough manager proposed reducing scheduled street sweepings from five to three times a year, removing fixed-street references in ordinance No. 350 for flexibility, and pursuing equipment-sharing with neighboring townships amid a broken sweeper and limited budget (about $95,000 set aside vs. ~$250,000 cost for a new sweeper).
The borough manager told council that staff is recommending reducing the number of seasonal street sweepings from five to three (end of spring, mid-summer and early fall) and amending ordinance No. 350 to remove named streets so the borough can prioritize sweepings based on need.
Manager said the street sweeper has been out of service for several weeks due to failing water jets and brushes, and that repairing or replacing equipment is expensive: staff said the borough had roughly $95,000 set aside for equipment but that a new full-size sweeper is about $250,000. Given the budget gap, council discussed sharing resources with North and South Londonderry townships and accepting an offer from South Londonderry to make a paver and driver available under a sharing arrangement (borough supplies crew).
Councilors noted resident calls about the missing sweeper and said enforcement (tickets) is paused when the sweeper is not operating. Manager said the reduction to three sweepings and the removal of mandatory street names in the ordinance are intended to give more flexibility to respond to conditions and reduce costs. The council did not take a final ordinance vote at the meeting; staff will pursue the ordinance language changes and follow up with the solicitor as needed.
The manager discussed coordination with public works committees and the potential to save capital costs by relying on partner jurisdictions for occasional equipment needs. The council asked staff to return with recommended ordinance language and implementation details for future action.
