Easton City Council Meeting – 01-22-25

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 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 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 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 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 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 Open floor for general public comments.

2:06:09 Mayor discusses safety improvements for city festivals.

2:06:50 Motion to adjourn the meeting.