2025-01-22 – Easton City Council Meeting

Easton City Council Meeting – 01-22-25

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

City Council Chambers, 3rd floor, Easton City Hall, 123 S. Third St, Easton, PA


Documented by: Laini Abraham
Posted on: January 29, 2025

About Easton City Council Meetings

Easton City Council Meeting Frequency and Purpose:

There is an Easton City Council meeting on each month’s second and fourth Wednesdays. The members of Easton City Council meet in a public forum to discuss the business of the City, introduce and approve new legislation, hear presentations on current projects, and hear the voices of members of the public.

How to View Easton City Council Meetings:

These meetings are live-streamed to the City of Easton’s YouTube channel and its website, with the recording of the meetings posted afterward. I’ve included below a summary of this meeting with timestamps to meeting highlights.

How to View the Meeting Agenda:

An image of this meeting’s agenda is posted below. You may also download it directly from the Agenda Center on the City’s website. It is usually available the Friday before the scheduled date of the meeting.

How to Attend an Easton City Council Meeting in Person:

The Easton City Council Meetings are held in Council Chambers on the third floor of Easton City Hall. They are open to the public and are accessible to persons with disabilities. There are two opportunities for public comment: the first is for Public Comment on agenda items only and must be about a topic on the published agenda. The second is for comment on any city matter at all and is at the end of the meeting. There is a five-minute limit per person per commenting opportunity. When you go up the podium to speak, you will be asked to provide your name and address. Public comment is open to both residents and non-residents of the City of Easton.

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.

Link to agenda:

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

CITY COUNCIL AGENDA 123 South Third Street Easton, Pa. 18042 Stated Session Wednesday January 22, 2025 6:00 p.m. 1. CALL TO ORDER 2. INVOCATION 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 4. ROLL CALL 5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA 6. ACTION ON MINUTES – Approving minutes of January 8, 2025 meeting. 7. PRESENTATION TO COUNCIL: Chief Scalzo will have two new officers sworn in: Nathan Capwell and Philip Vooz Two promotions: David Costa to Detective Criminal Investigations and Brian Byrd To Inspector Criminal Investigations Two officers retiring: Anthony Arredondo 20 years, John Piperato 21 years 8. PUBLIC COMMENT – Agenda Items Only 9. CONSENT AGENDA (a) Approving Certificate of Appropriateness for 157-63 Northampton Street (b) Approving Certificate of Appropriateness for 140 Northampton Street 10. REPORTS RECEIVED BY COUNCIL 11. REPORTS OF COMMITTEES (a) Finance (Kenneth Brown) (b) Economic Development (Frank Pintabone) – Update on Met-Ed (c) Planning and Code (Crystal Rose) (d) Public Safety (Roger Ruggles) (e) Public Works (James Edinger) (f) Administration (Taiba Sultana) (g) Report of City Solicitor (Attorney Joel Scheer) (h) Report of Mayor (Salvatore J. Panto Jr.) (I) Report of City Administrator (Luis Campos) 12. CORRESPONDENCE 13. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 14. NEW BUSINESS (a) Resolution for Adoption and Support of GEDP’s Inclusion in the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts Creative Communities Initiative (b) Resolution Authorizing the Destruction of Police Records in Accordance with the Retention and Disposition schedule for Records of Pennsylvania Municipalities (c) Resolution Approving new contract with Tracey Werner d/b/a Blabbermouth Communications (d) Resolution Approving a 3rd Handicap Parking Space to be located at 871 Cattell Street (e) Resolution Approving a 4th Handicap Parking Space to be located 433 West Wilkes Barre Street (f) Resolution Approving a 4th Handicap Parking Space to be located at 614 Pardee Street (g) Resolution Approving License Agreement with Intrepid for Fiber Networks (h) Resolution denying a Certificate of Appropriateness for 300 Larry Holmes Drive (j) Resolution Approving application for PADCED HOME Funds (k) Resolution Amending the Code of Conduct for Council Members (l) Bill No.38 – An Ordinance Approving an Agreement of Sale between the City of Easton and the Redevelopment Authority for property located at 101 Kleinhans St (m)Bill No. 39 – An Ordinance Amending sections of Chapter 285 – Fees (n) Resolution Approving a Proposal from HDR Engineering to oversee the pending Environmental Cleanup work at the former Easton Iron & Metal site (o) Resolution Approving an Agreement with Constellation New Energy Inc. (p) Resolution Approving an Agreement with Pennoni Associates for material and Structural evaluation work for the Hooper House (q) Resolution Approving a Proposal from Traffic Planning and Design to Redesign the Intersection of Bushkill and Pearl Streets (r) Bill No. 40 – An Ordinance Amending 2024 Budget Fund 101 (General Fund) (s) Bill No. 41 – An Ordinance Amending 2024 Budget Fund 252 (Health Benefits Fund) 15. PUBLIC COMMENT – On Any Matter 16. ADJOURNMENT

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