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Hanover Borough Council approves consent-agenda items, updates tax and personnel rules
Summary
Council approved a set of consent-agenda items including the finance report, an overtime-equalization agreement, reclassifying a police administrative position to nonunion, planning and public-safety resolutions, ratified a contract change order, and approved higher tax-certification and duplicate-bill fees.
Hanover Borough Council voted to approve several consent-agenda items and separate resolutions after discussion at the council workshop.
Council moved to pull items 502 (finance report), 505 (overtime-equalization side agreement) and 507 (salary resolution) from the consent agenda for discussion. On the finance report and health insurance, staff explained the borough participates in a Benecon health-care pool; rebates in recent years have ranged around $300,000 and have been as high as roughly $500,000 depending on claims experience, staff said.
AJ, describing item 505, said the overtime-equalization side agreement "basically just formalizes the process we already follow for overtime," explaining the policy formalizes a rotation by seniority and qualification so overtime is distributed more evenly without increasing total overtime exposure.
Regarding item 507, staff explained a long-time administrative assistant to the police chief is retiring and the borough proposes reclassifying the existing union position as a budgeted, nonunion professional role to protect confidential information and provide professional growth; staff confirmed the position will have no longevity. "This person's job is more suited to a nonunion position," a staff member said.
After discussion the council approved the three pulled consent items. The council also approved a planning commission resolution for a preliminary/final subdivision plan for 404 and 408 South High Street (planning item 601) and approved changes to the fire department civil service rules.
The council ratified PCO number 118 for the 44 Frederick Street project as recommended by the architect and staff; the amount read in the meeting packet was transcribed unclearly during discussion and was not specified clearly on the record.
On a separate agenda item, staff previewed a Community Development Block Grant curb-and-sidewalk project for 2026 East Canavan Street: bids will open Friday, staff will return with a contractor recommendation at the next meeting, and a county-required public meeting will follow to present scope and funding to the public. Staff emphasized there was no actionable vote on the CDBG item that night.
Council also approved a resolution to set tax-certification and duplicate-bill fees. One council member asked for justification for fee increases (questions cited moving from $5 to $35 for an original certification and charging $10 for duplicates). Staff replied the proposed fees align with common rates across the Commonwealth and noted that the tax collector has been charging similar fees.
The meeting closed with a second public-comment period highlighting neighborhood concerns about truck parking and idling, animal-feeding and public-health worries, and a communications update on borough events and newsletters.
