Easton City Council Meeting – 01-22-25

Easton City Council Meeting – 01-22-25

City of Easton, 01/22/2025, 6 PM

Easton City Hall
Documented by: Laini Abraham

TIMESTAMPS

:08

Pre-Meeting Conversations

  • 0:08 – 8:18 Casual discussions among council members and attendees before the official meeting begins.

8:44

Meeting Call to Order & Opening

  • 8:44 Meeting officially called to order.
  • 8:51 Invocation and Pledge of Allegiance.
  • 9:46 Roll call of council members.
  • 10:14 Approval of the agenda with a modification to table a resolution on fiber optics.
  • 10:58 Approval of minutes from the last meeting.

11:25

Swearing-In & Police Department Promotions

  • 11:25 Chief Scalzo introduces two new police officers: Officer Nathan Capwell and Officer Philip Vooz.
  • 13:01 Officers take their oath to protect the city.
  • 16:15 Promotion of Dave Costa to Criminal Investigator.
  • 18:55 Promotion of Brian Byrd to Inspector of Criminal Investigations.
  • 22:15 Recognition of retiring officers John Piperato and Tony Arredondo for their service.

25:11

Public Comment (Agenda Items)

  • 25:11 Public invited to comment on agenda items.
  • 25:41 Pastor Chris Santos speaks on the ongoing legal dispute between the city and The Rock Church over the Timothy House.
  • 30:37 Discussion between Pastor Santos and the mayor about potential negotiations.
  • 32:34 City Solicitor Jeremy Clark states that the legal matter is pending litigation and should not be further ..
  • 35:30 Pastor Santos requests a private meeting with the mayor to resolve the issue without legal proceedings.

36:52

Public Comment (Regarding Rock Church)

  • 36:52 Additional public comments supporting The Rock Church.
  • 41:06 Debate between the mayor and a citizen about the city’s historical preservation efforts and the necessity of the eminent domain case.
  • 45:05 Pastor Samuel Santos makes an emotional plea to save the Timothy House for the church.
  • 51:05 Citizen concerns over government overreach in the eminent domain case.

56:39

Committee Reports & Resolutions

  • 56:39 Council votes on approving certificates of appropriateness for two properties.
  • 57:32 Finance Committee report on budget adjustments.
  • 58:49 Discussion of grants for housing improvements in Easton.
  • 1:03:49 Report on power outages and MedEd plans for vegetation management.
  • 1:11:50 Planning & Codes Committee updates on comprehensive plan timeline.

1:24:46

Business & Policy Updates

  • 1:24:46 Resolution passes to support an arts initiative.
  • 1:26:08 Council debates approval of a fourth handicap parking space on a city street.
  • 1:34:19 Discussion on managing reserved handicap spaces and updating the review process.
  • 1:44:10 Heated debate over a new attendance policy for council members, including accusations of misinformation on social media.
  • 1:52:54 Introduction of new ordinances, including the sale of a city-owned lot for affordable housing development.

2:05:07

Final Comments & Adjournment

  • 2:05:07 Open floor for general public comments.
  • 2:06:09 Mayor discusses safety improvements for city festivals.
  • 2:06:50 Motion to adjourn the meeting.

Additional resources:

https://easton-pa.com/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_01222025-562

Next meeting: