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Residents press council on locksmith spending and municipal building decisions
Summary
At public comment residents queried a nearly $12,000 locksmith line item and challenged past building decisions; Mayor Talarico and staff offered explanations and invited one resident to meet for further detail.
During public comment, resident Ali Madawi asked about a budget line that appeared to show nearly $12,000 paid to locksmith services and sought clarification of the expense. The chief explained the borough is upgrading to coded access systems and that keypad units can cost $1,000–$1,500 each, and that work included multiple municipal locations and the firehouse.
Madawi and other residents also pressed the mayor on past votes about the municipal building, referencing a public video and asking for clarity on eight years of decisions. Mayor Anthony Talarico Jr. responded that a video left out important context, defended the record of unanimous votes so far and said the council had agreed to pursue an independent study. "I'm quite confident in all my votes in the past and my advocacy for upgrades in this building," he said, and offered to meet with residents to walk through the factual record and building history. The administration also noted that several items remain under review and that staff would provide more detailed budget explanations.
