ALLENTOWN – Erica Torsiello will begin serving her first term on the Allentown Borough Council and John A. Elder III will begin serving his second term on the council when municipal officials conduct the 2021 reorganization meeting on Jan. 5.
The reorganization meeting will be conducted in a virtual manner on Zoom during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Municipal officials have announced that all of Allentown’s public meetings will be held virtually on Zoom during January, February and March. A full meeting schedule with links and times of meetings will be posted on the borough’s website.
The reorganization meeting marks the start of a new year’s worth of activity for the governing body. Torsiello and Elder won three-year terms in the Nov. 3 election and will serve alongside fellow council members Michael Drennan, Robert Strovinsky, Dan Payson and Martha Johnson.
Municipal Clerk Laurie A. Roth will administer the oath of office to Torsiello and Elder. Their terms are for three years, from Jan. 1, 2021 through Dec. 31, 2023.
According to the meeting agenda, Mayor Thomas Fritts will deliver his annual address.
Fritts has previously said his priorities for 2021 include seeing the ongoing construction of improvements to the borough’s wastewater treatment plant through to completion and working to solve the motor vehicle traffic issues that have been a concern in Allentown for many years.
The agenda indicates the first item of business for the year – Resolution 1-2021 to be precise – will be the election and confirmation of Elder to the position of council president for 2021. This year will mark Elder’s first term as council president.
In other business, municipal officials will appoint the professionals who will work in a variety of capacities for Allentown and they will name the members of the borough’s boards, committees and commissions.
Like many other municipalities in New Jersey, Allentown participates in shared services agreements with its neighbors.
Four such agreements are on the Jan. 5 agenda for the council’s consideration: an agreement with Plumsted Township for a chief financial officer; an agreement with Upper Freehold Township for construction code services; an agreement with Upper Freehold Township for code enforcement, housing inspector and zoning enforcement services; and an agreement with Freehold Township for the Everbridge Emergency Alert System.