NEW BETHLEHEM, Pa. (RVO) by John Gerow – New Bethlehem Borough Council has extended an offer to Chief Robert Malnofsky of Seward (Westmoreland County) Police Department to serve as Chief of the Southern Clarion County Regional Police Department. If Chief Malnofsky accepts the offer, he is expected to start working part-time immediately and full-time on November 14. Councilman Stewart Bain cast the only vote against making the offer. Councilwoman Jen Murphy was not in attendance.

At the meeting’s open, Ms. Eilleen Conner of the Leech Insurance agent gave a lengthy detailed presentation of the employee health insurance options that Council can consider before the end of this insurance year. Ms. Conner explained that the Borough has limited options available to it because there are so few employees who participate in the Borough’s health insurance program. New Bethlehem Borough currently offers health insurance through UPMC and under current conditions, UPMC is about the only option open to the Council. Other insurance carriers require that at least 50% of eligible employees participate in the benefits program. UPMC does not have that requirement. Currently, there are only 2 Borough employees utilizing the health insurance offered by the Borough.

The current plan that the Borough offers is a $1,000.00 deductible. The Premium for this plan is expected to go up for 2019, but Ms. Conner said that the “out of pocket” expenses are also slated to increase for next year, making it less of a value than it has been. She reported that several of the UPMC plans with higher deductibles have lower “out of pocket” costs and may actually be a better value for both the Borough and the employees. Council asked Ms. Conner if they could have more time to consider the options before renewing their health insurance coverage. She said that she could get the renewal done if Council could decide by mid-November.

Police Officer in Charge Nicole Peck reported that the New Bethlehem Police Department had just received a grant from Clarion Wal-Mart for $2,700 for the purchase of bullet-proof vests. Officer Peck also reported that the new evidence lockers had been delivered and installed. She also informed the Council that two of the police cars need snow tires. Councilwoman Lisa Kerle said that she had priced tires and they were going to cost about $135.00 plus mounting and balancing. In further discussion, the Council decided that other vendors needed to be considered. Councilwoman Kerle moved that Council approve up to $1,300.00 for the purchase of snow tires, and directed Officer Peck to get the best price that she could. Officer Peck also asked that part-time Officer Nick Hawk be compensated at the same rate as the other part-time officers. On a motion by Lisa Kerle, council approved raising Officer Hawk’s pay from $10 to $12 per hour.

Councilman Barrows made a motion that the Council spend no more than $1,600 to purchase roll – signs for the fire department. The motion was approved.

Mr. Barrows also reported on his discussion with the Redbank Valley Municipal Park Board. The Park Board would like New Bethlehem Borough to contribute to the operation of the park through a “per capita” tax of $3.75 per person. Mr. Barrows reported that the survey that he conducted on the internet showed significant opposition to a Park tax. While only 16 New Bethlehem Borough residents answered the survey, 11 (roughly 70%) opposed. After considerable discussion, Council authorized Mr. Barrows to conduct the survey one more time online and to discuss the feasibility of making a donation to the park rather than instituting a new tax. New Bethlehem Borough Council invites all New Bethlehem borough residents to take the online survey and make your opinion known.

Council dismissed guests and entered an executive session prior to adjourning.

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MEETINGS:
New Bethlehem Borough meetings are held the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 7:30pm at the Alltel/Windstream Building on Lafayette Street. Folks may contact the Borough’s office to be placed on the meeting agenda.

MISSION:
New Bethlehem Borough Council fosters business, community, and personal growth within the borough while maintaining the small town appeal and family friendly environment that makes New Bethlehem such a great place to work, live and raise a family.

GOALS & OBJECTIVES:
To learn more about Council’s Goals & Objectives, please visit: NewBethlehemBoro.com/about and click the ‘Mission’ tab.

CONTACT:
To contact any member of Council or the Borough’s office, please visit: NewBethlehemBoro.com/about and click the ‘Council’ tab. You may also ‘like/follow’ New Bethlehem Borough on Facebook for the latest news/announcements: Facebook.com/NewBethlehem

For more info, please visit New Bethlehem Borough’s website: NewBethlehemBoro.com