ALLENTOWN: Town adds new titles for two staff positions

By David Kilby, Special Writer
   ALLENTOWN — The borough has officially created three new positions in its municipal government, two part-time positions to assist the chief financial officer and borough clerk, and one special officer position which the borough is currently seeking to fill.
   The newly created assistant to borough clerk, and assistant to certified municipal finance officer are positions that are recognizing the efforts of current personnel who have taken on more responsibility after the part-time CFO was hired to replace a full-time CFO, Mayor Stuart Fierstein said at the Feb. 19 Allentown Borough Council meeting, when the positions were officially created.
   He said the council did not pass the ordinance initially because it wanted to see if the borough could function with a part-time CFO.
   The mayor added that the borough could potentially save $40,000 to $50,000 in the budget with a part-time CFO.
   ”These positions are currently occupied and the duties that are being recognized are by title so that those duties are approved and authorized by the governing body,” he added.
   He said the position of Class 2 Special Officer has not yet been filled but the borough will hire someone as the need is required.
   In other news, residents have voiced their concern about the unsightliness of the temporary fencing around the Allentown Lake dam bridge.
   Kristen Hornung of South Main Street asked at the meeting if the borough has any plans to replace it with permanent fencing.
   Mayor Fierstein said the fencing is just temporary fencing that the county put up last June.
   ”I assume the county has ordered materials and I assume the county will be taking that down when they put the new fence up,” he said. “It is unsightly and it is purely a safety issue because without that fence people were going down into the ravine. We felt that something had to be done and that was the only way the county could address it. “