Easton City Council Meeting – April 22, 2026

The meeting was called to order. Council voted to approve the agenda, followed by approval of the minutes from the April 8th meeting. Both items passed unanimously on roll call votes.

Mayor Panto welcomed a large crowd of students from Lafayette College and Easton High School, and thanked Professor Kincaid for attending. The mayor noted he regularly speaks to the professor’s class.

Eight resolutions approving Certificates of Appropriateness were considered as a consent agenda block. The properties included:

• 530–532 Northampton Street
• 200 Northampton Street
• 35 North 5th Street
• 32 North 3rd Street
• Centre Square
• 505–507 Northampton Street
• 109–111 North 4th Street
• 7 S. Third Street

Motion by Council Member Pintabone, seconded by Council Member Rose. Passed unanimously on roll call.

Council Member Ken Brown introduced the Finance Committee report, noting that Finance Director Mark Lysynecky was present to deliver the 2024 audit highlights and first quarter financial report.

2024 Audit Highlights:

• Government-wide revenues: $63.5 million, including $28.1 million from charges for services and $22 million (35%) from taxes.
• Total expenses for all programs: $59.9 million. Largest categories: Public Safety at $20.5 million (34%) and General Government at $8.6 million (14.3%).
• Governmental activities revenues: $57.6 million; expenses: $47.4 million.
• Business-type activities (e.g., sewer): revenues $5.9 million; expenses $12.5 million.
• General fund balance decreased by $5.2 million in 2024, ending at $3.9 million. The drawdown included $3.6 million for healthcare expenses and $2.1 million for debt service, funded from prior ARPA balances.
• A further drawdown on the general fund is projected for 2025 due to healthcare inflation.
• Long-term outlook is positive: savings of approximately $1.8 million per year are expected in 2027–2028 through reduced MMO (Minimum Municipal Obligation) payments.

Council members requested that both the 2024 audit and first quarter results be re-presented at the next council meeting in council chambers, as the audit documents were not distributed until approximately 5:00 PM the day of the meeting. The Finance Director agreed to defer.

Council Member Brown also mentioned interest in speed bumps similar to those recently installed in Allentown, specifically for Butler Street, Line Street, and Berwick Street, noting that PennDOT District 5 approval would be needed.

Council Member Frank Pintabone reported on recent department activity:

• Attended several Southside Blueprint steering and business implementation meetings.
• Met with partners and local sign companies to investigate site locations for a digital message board to support the Southside and city information. Mayor Panto noted the city wants to control the content on the boards, rather than accept a model that limits city messaging to 15 seconds per minute in exchange for advertiser control.
• Completed a draft business guide for orienting new Southside businesses.
• Planned the second ‘Taste’ food industry technical assistance workshop in partnership with SBDC and Northampton County, scheduled for June 16th, 8:30–10:30 AM at Quadrant.
• Attended the GEDP board meeting.
• Met with Lafayette College administrators to discuss riverfront redevelopment strategy, the proposed Highline, and Lehigh Drive trail and recreation improvements.
• Completed the outdoor dining application round with nine participants for the 2025 season: Vault, Presley’s, Sette Luna, Colonial Pizza, Mesa, Antojitoss Latinos, Tandoor Grill, Tierra de Fuego, and Third and Ferry.
• Represented the city at the quarterly Link Regional Trail System steering committee.
• Applied for three grants: T-Mobile Hometown Grant ($50,000) for South Sitgreaves Street upgrades; Green Light Go ($99,700) for Miovision One expansion at intersections; MAP Grant ($98,040) for the upcoming comprehensive plan.

Council Member Pintabone also announced plans to bring a land bank proposal to the administration — identifying city-owned and other parcels (including the Porter School lot) that could be reserved for affordable housing development, given concerns that rising development activity may reduce available land before affordable housing funding can be secured.

Council Member Crystal Rose reported one item under new business: a resolution establishing procedures for new residential parking lease agreements. She also noted that the next Planning Commission meeting will be Wednesday, May 6 at 6:00 PM. Rose mentioned attending the Lehigh Valley Chamber’s Real Estate Outlook event earlier in the day, along with Mayor Panto and City Administrator Luis Campos.

Council Member Frank Graziano reported on public safety matters:

• Police are wrapping up their current hiring process. Chief anticipates hiring four to five new officers for the next academy class.
• Fire Chief Hennings is still awaiting the NIOSH report from the Hampton Fire incident.
• Two current fire recruits are on track to graduate the academy in June.
• The monthly incident report has been submitted to council.
• Two items on the evening’s agenda: Goal Number 7 under Unfinished Business, and a resolution authorizing an equipment lease line of credit for essential equipment.
• The Westward cleanup scheduled for the current weekend has been rescheduled to May 9th. Sign-ups are available on the GEDP website.

Council Member Susan Hartranft-Bittinger (Administration Committee) reported no items this evening.

Council Member Julie Zando-Dennis (Public Works Committee), participating remotely, also reported no items this evening.

The City Solicitor had no report, noting it was his first meeting.

Mayor Salvatore J. Panto, Jr. reported on several items:

• Police staffing: Five new officers sworn in approximately six weeks ago have completed Field Training and Orientation (FTO) and are now on patrol full-time. Additional retirements are anticipated this year, and more officers will be sent to the academy.
• Summer concert kickoff: On June 20th, the city and Lafayette College will co-sponsor a performance by The Cyrkle — a 1960s group with Easton roots, formed at Lafayette College, whose manager Brian Epstein also managed The Beatles. The Cyrkle had two top-40 hits: ‘Red Rubber Ball’ and ‘Turn-Down Day.’
• Illuminating the Falls: Friends of Easton PA announced plans to light the falls. The mayor noted the city and John Kingsley had been discussing the idea for approximately six months. The organization plans to raise all necessary funding, with a possible city budget contribution.
• Comcast fiber: Comcast is ahead of schedule laying fiber optic infrastructure and is expected to arrive in Easton within 6–9 months as a competitor to RCN and Service Electric.
• Homeless encampment: Mayor Panto addressed a Facebook post by Council Member Pintabone about a homeless encampment near the creek. He noted police and the crime advocate coordinator  regularly visit the encampment to offer housing referrals, mental health support, food, and advance notice before camp clearance. He stated that occupants had voluntarily left the camp approximately two weeks prior.
• Parking lease resolution: The mayor expressed concern that Council Member Rose’s parking resolution encroaches on administrative rather than legislative functions, and suggested waiting for the results of a forthcoming parking study before acting.

City Administrator Luis Campos had no formal report this evening.

An ordinance amending Article 3 of the Traffic Control Map to add a 15-minute parking space on North Second Street was brought before council. Council Member Zando-Dennis, participating remotely, noted that at the prior meeting, the 15-minute space was to be placed directly in front of the retail establishment, but she understood it had since been moved. Mayor Panto clarified that the handicap space is being relocated one spot and the new 15-minute space will be in its former position, in front of Mia & Maddie’s Bakery. The previous occupant of the handicap space had passed away.

The ordinance passed unanimously on roll call vote.

Prior to unfinished business, Mayor Panto recognized a student presentation from Lafayette College’s GovLab (Government and Urban Ventures Lab), conducted in partnership with the city’s Economic Development office as part of a business recruitment strategy project.

Presenters: Kate Santa Maria (junior), David [UNCLEAR or last name not given], and Ben Rizley (senior), members of the Lafayette GovLab — a student-led, nonpartisan policy research group of approximately 40 students working on real-world governance issues.

Survey Overview:

• The Fall 2025 student experience survey ran from September 3–30 and achieved a 41.3% response rate — nearly double the average of comparable institutions (~21%).
• Outreach included tabling at the student center (Farinon), targeted outreach to club executives and faculty, the school book fair, and a campus-wide send from student government.
• The survey was not randomized but had a large and diverse response base.

Key Findings:

• Lafayette students are highly interested in visiting downtown Easton but cite transportation (infrequent college shuttle, difficulty returning uphill) as the primary barrier.
• The most common reasons students visit downtown: dining, community events (Baconfest, Garlic Fest), shopping, and entertainment.
• Students’ top wish-list businesses: grocery stores, clothing stores, more restaurants (varied range and types), bookstores, coffee shops, bars, and sports/fitness facilities.

Future Plans:

• GovLab intends to conduct the survey annually to track changes over time as Easton and Lafayette continue to evolve.
• Plans include yearly reports and presentations to stakeholders, and biannual student focus groups.
• GovLab invited council members and other stakeholders to suggest questions for future survey iterations.

Mayor Panto responded by noting two new restaurants are in development downtown, that a major developer is in talks with an independent grocer about a 6,000–10,000 sq. ft. space in a future project, and that the city is actively working to attract a pharmacy following the closure of the College Hill location.

Council Member Crystal Rose introduced a resolution establishing procedures for new residential parking lease agreements. The item prompted extensive discussion among council members and the city administrator.

Background:

• The city currently has over 350 available parking spaces in city garages, with a monthly lease rate of $75 — valued at approximately $320,000–$325,000 annually.
• The Confluence development has been allocated 240 spaces across the Third Street and Fourth Street garages (60 currently active, with the remainder to be phased in). Third Street Garage total: 338 spaces; Fourth Street Garage total: 454 spaces.
• A prior parking study was conducted approximately 10 years ago. [Editor’s Note: The last parking study was performed by Walker Consultants in 2019]

Key Points of Discussion:

• Mayor Panto argued the resolution oversteps into administrative functions and should await the results of a parking study. He cited a $1.8 million projected budget gap for 2026 and the importance of developer parking revenue to city finances.
• City Administrator Luis Campos supported the parking study component, noting the complexity of the parking system (monthly parkers, daily parkers, special event parkers) and the need for a consultant to establish data-driven caps and policy guidance. He acknowledged that DPW (Department of Public Works) reports rarely show issues for monthly parkers, but noted a conflict with anecdotal constituent complaints received by council members.
• Council Member Pintabone supported a 3–6 month pause for the study, agreeing that no developments requiring new parking agreements are currently in the pipeline.
• Council Member Zando-Dennis expressed support for the parking study component and raised concerns about long-term reliance on privately leased parking lots, which may not be permanent solutions.
• An amendment was noted changing the trigger threshold in the resolution from five to six parking spaces, consistent with the zoning code requirement for parking agreements.
• Council members agreed that developments already in the pipeline would be excluded from the resolution’s restrictions.

Parking Study Timeline:

City Administrator Campos estimated a consultant engagement would take approximately 3–6 months to complete.

Vote: Resolution passed. Mayor Panto voted No. All other members voted Yes (Brown – Yes, Zando-Dennis – Yes, Pintabone – Yes, Rose – Yes, Graziano – Yes, Hartranft-Bittinger – Yes).

A resolution authorizing an agreement with Bridge Infrastructure was moved and seconded. A member of the public asked about the bridge project; Dave Hopkins explained that the grant funding could not wait any longer, environmental work is currently underway, and the developer has plans before the county district. Bridge construction is expected to occur in August. The resolution passed unanimously on roll call.

A resolution approving an agreement with Collier’s Engineering and Design for stormwater management was introduced. Mayor Panto explained this is an intermunicipal agreement with Williams Township related to the I-78 corridor. He noted that when I-78 was constructed, the state did not install adequate stormwater detention infrastructure, resulting in excess runoff into the city. The resolution passed unanimously on roll call.

A resolution approving signage identifying the 9/11 Memorial Trail within city limits was moved and seconded. Passed unanimously on roll call.

A resolution authorizing an equipment lease line of credit for essential equipment was tabled to the next meeting as a date certain. Council Member Graziano noted that the bank had been contacted and indicated readiness to proceed; tabling for two weeks was acceptable.

Two ordinances were introduced for first reading:

• Bill No. 8: An ordinance amending the 2026 budget, Fund 101. Introduced by Council Member Ken Brown.
• Bill No. 9: An ordinance amending Chapter 595 — Zoning Hearings. Introduced by Council Member Crystal Rose.

Three speakers addressed council during the public comment period on agenda items:

Speaker 1 — Feral Cat TNR Program – Laura AcCetta

A resident raised concerns about delays in the city’s feral cat trap-neuter-return (TNR) contract. Finance Director Mark Lysynecky responded that he had been in contact with ‘Rose’ at the animal organization, a revised contract had been reviewed by the solicitors, and the item would be placed on the next meeting’s agenda. The approved budget for the program is $3,500. The resident requested that the city consider signing contracts with multiple spay/neuter clinics (rather than just one) to address appointment availability issues, as the primary clinic is often booked out by a month. She also suggested making funds available earlier in the year (e.g., March) to address the spring kitten season more effectively. Council and the Finance Director were receptive to both suggestions.

Speaker 2 — Code Enforcement / Porch Furniture (Richard Morris, 324 Spring Garden Street):

Richard Morris, a 26-year resident of 324 Spring Garden Street , addressed a code violation notice (Orders No. 144–148) requiring him to remove indoor furniture from his front porch. He described the chairs as high-quality leather and wood construction that have withstood more than 1,200 consecutive days outdoors without deterioration. He argued the enforcement represents a vague and arbitrary application of the ordinance, raised due process and federal disability accommodation concerns, and stated the chairs provide necessary supportive seating due to a disability. He invited Mayor Panto and council members to visit his property. Mayor Panto responded that the ordinance is intended to address upholstered furniture and noted the matter was already known to the administration.

Speaker 3 — East High School Student (name not given):

Mayor Panto recognized a student identified as the captain of the Easton High School cheerleading team, who announced the team finished as UPC and district champions, placed 27th nationally and 13th in the state, and that she had just signed with the Morehead State University cheer team (ranked approximately 2nd nationally).

Council Member Frank Pintabone announced a community meeting to explore bringing a health facility to the West Ward that would serve residents regardless of insurance status. The meeting will be held at the Easton Phillipsburg Muslim Association, 1017 Lehigh Street, this Friday at 7:00 PM. Medical professionals will attend to hear from West Ward residents about their healthcare challenges and needs, which will help determine what services to bring to the neighborhood.

Mayor Panto noted that an executive session will be held before the next council meeting. Council Member Graziano moved to adjourn; motion was seconded and the meeting was adjourned.