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ALLENTOWN: Borough Council swears in new members

By Joanne Degnan, Staff Writer
   ALLENTOWN — The Borough Council held its annual reorganization meeting last week to swear in three council members, adopt a $485,239 temporary operating budget and make municipal appointments for 2011.
   Mayor Stuart Fierstein told the six members of the all-Republican council to brace for a difficult year ahead because of limited financial resources, less state aid and a new state-mandated 2 percent municipal levy cap.
   ”My new year’s wish is that we all somehow get through this year, provide the necessary services and live up to the people’s expectations,” Mayor Fierstein said.
   Three newly elected council members also took the oath of office at the Jan. 4 meeting. Newcomer Jean Hunter, 69, of Waker Street, and incumbent Audrey Mount, 75, of South Main Street, were both sworn in to three-year terms, and incumbent Dan Zorovich, 76, of Sandburg Drive, to a one-year unexpired term.
   The council unanimously chose Michael Schumacher, 49, of Sandburg Drive, as its council president for the second year in a row.
   The Borough Council also adopted a temporary $485,239 operating budget to enable the government to continue to function until a permanent budget is adopted. The council also approved other temporary appropriations independent of the municipal operating budget including $95,300 for the water utility fund; $141,915 for the sewer utility fund; and $11,202 for the open space fund.
   The current operating budget includes a $4,000 transfer of unspent money from the 2010 trash removal account to replace the transmission in the borough’s 2000 Chevy dump truck/plow that lost its ability to shift into reverse just as the Dec. 26 blizzard began. Mayor Fierstein thanked Robbinsville, which provides public works staff to Allentown under an inter-local services agreement, for lending the borough a township vehicle for the snow-removal emergency that day.
   ”They could have charged us $50 an hour (for use of the township’s dump truck), but they basically told us that’s what neighbors are for,” Mayor Fierstein said.
   In other action, the council adopted new 2011 shared services agreements with Robbinsville for vehicle repairs and public works services.
   The vehicle contract pays Robbinsville $50 an hour for a mechanic’s labor on borough vehicles. The $115,399 public works contract provides Allentown with two assigned PW personnel and includes: grass-cutting and weed-whacking at borough properties and parks, as well as the cemetery and water plant; snow removal of borough parking lots and roads; building maintenance; pothole and road repairs; weekly cleaning of borough hall and the police station; and maintenance of the dock, gazebo, walking bridge, ice-skating rink and the basketball courts on Lakeview Drive.
   Also approved last week were appointments to various municipal positions, as well as the volunteers who serve on numerous boards and committees. The staff reappointments included Julie Martin as municipal clerk, Robert Benick as borough CFO and Victoria Butchon as tax assessor.
   Appointed to a one-year term on the Planning Board were: Martha Ploshay, Borough Councilwoman Margaret Rose, and alternates Gregg Barkley and Al Pleva.
   Councilman Daniel Wimer was appointed to a one-year term on the Environmental Commission, and Al Pleva and Greg Westfall to two-year terms.
   Mr. Schumacher was appointed to a one-year term on the Board of Recreation Commissioners and Robert Schmidt and Tracey Hartshorn were each appointed to four-year terms.
   Ms. Hunter and Mr. Schumacher were chosen as the Borough Council liaisons to the Upper Freehold Regional Board of Education.
   Appointed to one-year terms on the Historic Preservation Review Commission were John Fabiano, Jason Harris, Mrs. Mount and Mr. Zorovich. William Borkowski, Rosine Dussenberry and Susan Davala were appointed to two-year terms.
   The appointments to the Economic Development Commission were Janet Taffrow (alternate), Nick DeMauro and Barbara Yacullo (alternate) for four-year terms; C. Dansch for an unexpired three-year term; Martin Locke for a two-year unexpired term; and Mr. Zorovich for a one-year term.