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At some point each year I review all the Council Meeting Minutes from the previous year to see what was accomplished. Some may not be agreeable to all and all may not be agreeable to some, but nobody can say the 2017 Council was stagnant.

I have a tendency to forget things that occurred last month, let alone last year. That’s probably due to my heavy heavy drinking when I was 5. The Old Bastard never locked the liquor cabinet and I was able to pull a kitchen chair over to it.

Joking aside, with so much going on, one can forget the subjects discussed and acted upon the previous year. I also think the public, especially those who don’t attend the meetings, aren’t aware of what Council does, how it spends, or saves taxpayer money.

Council convened 17 times in 2017.

Of course, the “heavy work” is often done by our employees. Roads are plowed, curbs painted, debris removed, fields mowed, signs installed or replaced, and other tasks are done by our road crew of one, Dane Thatcher (though we try to get him a helper in the summer).

Ensuring the multitude of reports required at all levels of government are done, discovering lost grants (see the list, below), doing the job of a secretary, talking with vendors, updating the website and Facebook posts, dealing directly with the public, dealing with Right to Know Requests, keeping the office running, and being asked to look up information for those who can do it themselves, is a juggling act for Joan Heebner, our Borough Manager.

Joan is a person, who in my opinion deserves more than what she is getting for the job and often doesn’t get credit for what she does do, such as initially planning and coordinating the recent [Easter] Egg Hunt Event with Donna Stamets, from The Safety First Ladies Auxiliary.

As Chair of the Grant Committee, I can tell you that her assistance in obtaining past grants, by locating needed information for applications, made them successful in getting awarded funds. Nobody should bemoan her salary, or my personal desire to see her eventually receive benefits.

What follows are gleamed from 2017 Minutes and from memory.

• Began Codification process of West Easton Ordinances
• New Office Printer – Saving approx $1000/yr on rental and printing fees
• Donations made to Mary Meuser Library, West Easton Scholarship Fund, Wilson Recreation Board, Safety First Vol. Fire Co., EMS
• Monument stone for WWI Veterans Plaque purchased (to be installed in 2018)
• Demolition and removal of large dilapidated shed on Ridge St. property
• Construction of 2nd Street Stormwater Project completed with new storm drainage lines, sidewalks replaced
• Dedications of Gross and Niko Parks
• [Easter] Egg Hunt renewed (how many years since the previous one?)
• New Late Payment Forgiveness Policy implemented for quarterly sewer/trash bills
• 2-percent wage increases for Borough employees
• Actions taken against businesses in violation of local ordinances (including court action)
• Additional road resurfacing performed
• Approved enacting an Emergency Text Alert System for residents
• Fire Code updated to International Code
• Borough monies moved from no-interest bearing accounts to interest bearing CDs
• LED Street light installation completed throughout the borough
• New traffic signage purchased and installed or replaced where needed
• Ordinances and resolutions passed for a part-time police force
• Advertising for the hiring of a future police chief
• Expenditures (Approx. $7000) for open spaces reimbursed when a “lost” grant was found
• Basketball Court sealed and fencing painted
• Engineering fees paid, for borough projects obtained through grants
• Purchase and installation of cameras to deter illegal dumping along Lehigh Drive area
• West Easton received ORI Number allowing part-time police force formation to move forward
• West Easton renewed National Night Out event after 14 year absence
• Additional handicapped parking space created for Safety First on 6th Street
• $300/yr pay raises provided to next newly elected, beginning in 2018
• Travel expenses for education conferences (also costs of webinars) for elected officials and employees
• $60,000 Grant for Ridge Street Public Works Building obtained
• $40,000 Grant for park sidewalks obtained
• Mechanical repairs and mechanic safety inspections made to Borough Jeeps
• Hired Emergency Management Coordinator
• Police Consultant hired for police department development
• Building to house future police department approved to lease
• Repairs began on future police department building
• First Junior Councilperson appointed to sit on Council
• Millage rate remains steady at 11.7 for 2018