Strasburg Borough Council
December 13, 2022 Municipal Brief

At the December 13, 2022 Strasburg Borough Council meeting, Borough Council heard from citizens regarding their concerns about the potential use of the old Strasburg Elementary School as a rehabilitation facility for Restart Ministries.  Council President Michael Chiodo stated that since the Borough has not accepted an application regarding the Elementary School that no action can be taken by Council. 

Borough Council approved the 2023 Final Budget which does not include a tax increase and set the 2023 Real Estate Tax Rate at 3.03 mills.  Borough Council also approved the replacement window requests from 109 West Main Street and 10-14 South Decatur Street; approved the change orders and pay requests for the Eshelman Run Streambank Restoration Project; approved an escrow reduction for 93 Lancaster Avenue; enacted Capital Reserve Fund Policy Ordinance 2022-2; and approved 2022 budget reallocations to reserve funds. 

The Borough Manager reported that 1) he would like input on adding a fee to use the side yard of the Borough property; 2) the Authority has been under a DEP mandated boil-water advisory since December 7, 2022 and he anticipates it to be lifted tomorrow afternoon after the last of the required water test results are received.  He stated that the boil water advisory was mandated because DEP took a water sample of the raw water at the Old Springs which showed algae, which is an indicator that it has surface water infiltration.  The mandate was to turn off the Old Springs, turn over all the water in the system, and then obtain five negative finished water test results two days in a row.  He added that this is the first boil water advisory in Strasburg Borough since September 2012; 3) he attended the Lancaster County Commissioner’s meeting regarding the ARP grant application and the grants will be discussed again at next week’s Commissioner’s meeting; 4) he anticipates doing a MS4 educational power point presentation of the Eshelman Run Streambank Stabilization Project at a future meeting; 5) Lancaster General Health is open at 505 Historic Drive but he learned through the prothonotary’s website that Rutter’s filed a contempt motion against LGH; 6) reminded the members that Commissioner Trescot is scheduled to attend the January 10, 2023 meeting. 

The Police Chief reported for the month of November 2022, the Police Department had 377 calls for service.  There were two criminal arrests, 15 speeding arrests, 25 other traffic arrests, one parking ticket, 37 traffic warnings, and no accidents.  Two officers attended Traffic Patrol/Drug Interdiction training and the Police Department renovations are complete. 

Consent agenda items were payment of the bills, approval of Historical Architectural Review Board Certificates of Appropriateness, adopting the Fee Schedule Resolution 2022-7, adopting the Police Pension Contributions Resolution 2022-8, adopting the Fire Company 2023 Activities Resolution 2022-9, approving the Strasburg Fire Police to assist at events in Strasburg Township on April 1, 2023 and Fulton Township on January 1, 2023, approving the 2023 meeting schedule, reappointing John Mroz as the Zoning Hearing Board Alternate Resolution 2022-10, and reappointing May Dresser and David Felpel to the Planning Commission, John Mroz and Ray Reeder to the Borough Authority, and Dale Spaulding to the Civil Service Commission. 

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For additional information on this press release, please contact Borough Manager Steve Echternach at 717-687-7732 or echterns@strasburgboro.org