ALLENTOWN – The members of the Allentown Borough Council have appropriated $1 million for capital improvements and the acquisition of capital equipment.
Council President Robert Strovinsky, Councilman Michael Drennan, Councilwoman Angela Anthony, Councilman Dan Payson, Councilwoman Martha Johnson and Councilman John A. Elder III voted “yes” on a motion to adopt a bond ordinance during a meeting on May 26.
On May 12, the council members introduced a bond ordinance that authorizes the issuance of $950,000 in bonds or notes for capital improvements and the acquisition of capital equipment.
The total $1 million appropriation includes a $225,000 grant that is expected to be received from the New Jersey Department of Transportation for the reconstruction of Pondview Drive; a $125,000 grant that is expected to be received from the Monmouth County Open Space Grant Program for recreational land development; a $7,248 grant that is expected to be received from the Monmouth County Historical Commission for repairs to the municipal building annex roof; and a $50,000 down payment from the borough, according to the ordinance.
“This bond ordinance was initially planned to be $1.5 million, but we reduced it to $1 million,” Mayor Thomas Fritts said. “It is exactly in line with what we hope to accomplish this year and into 2021.”
Greg Westfall, a former mayor, asked what the financial impact of the bond ordinance would be for Allentown’s taxpayers.
Municipal officials responded by saying the timing of the projects to be accomplished with the $1 million appropriation would vary.
Drennan explained that the financial impact of each project would be determined as bonds are issued for a project. He said each project that is planned to be completed as part of this bond ordinance would be subject to a vote by the council.
In other business, the council members passed a resolution authorizing Fritts to sign off on a Monmouth County Municipal Coronavirus Relief Fund reimbursement agreement.
The county has received relief funds from the federal government and is signing agreements with municipalities regarding the manner in which the funds will be distributed.
“This agreement with the county will give us the opportunity to apply (to recover) some of the costs we have incurred during this time (of the pandemic). This is really important,” Fritts said as he thanked the council members for passing the resolution.