First Posted: 10/2/2014

After the regular Clarks Summit Borough Council meeting on Oct. 1, council reduced the borough’s debt by voting 6-0 for a $20,000 advance payment on the principal of debt service.

“We just paid off at least two percent of the debt,” council member Vincent Cruciani said after the unanimous vote.

Cruciani originally suggested council make an advance payment towards the borough’s over $950,000 debt at the September council meeting. After discussion from council at the September work session regarding the amount that should be allocated towards the debt, council compromised on the motion passed at the October meeting. The remaining $30,000 of $50,000 extra funds will remain in the borough’s capital reserve.

Council also voted unanimously to give Mayor Patty Lawler and Police Chief Chris Yarns authority to move forward with advertising and scheduling interviews to hire a new part-time police officer.

Chief Yarns said the borough needs an additional part-time officer to help cover weekday shifts. Under the motion passed, the mayor and police chief will recommend a primary and an alternate individual for hire to the borough’s personnel committee, and then council will vote to hire the candidate.

In other news, council also addressed the upcoming leaf pickup as a result of the fall season. Chair of the Public Works Committee Herman Johnson advised residents that they may rake their leaves to the curb, but to be especially careful not to brush leaves into the road.

“Once you rake them into the road, if we get a little rain, it washes down into our storm sewer, and that causes flooding,” Johnson said.

Borough Manager Virginia Kehoe said leaf pickup will begin in mid-October, at least two weeks after the October meeting. Kehoe also said the borough is planning to complete one final brush pickup, but it is not guaranteed. “Once we start the leaf pickup, we will not do another brush pickup before the spring,” she said.

Acting Council President Dominic Scott also reported on the progress of the borough’s sewer billing collections. According to Scott, 90 properties, less than half of the amount delinquent earlier in 2014, were sent letters of delinquency in August. More have made payments. However, four properties will receive a water shut-off warning this week, according to Kehoe.

“We have made drastic headway,” said council member David Jenkins of the improvement, adding the sewer collections, “has been a cooperative effort.”

Mayor Lawler also announced to residents that the Mayor’s Brunch originally scheduled for Nov. 1 will be postponed until spring 2015, with more details on the exact date to come.