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City Council of the Mayor and Council of New Castle Present: President of Council William Blest Others Present: Mayor John Klingmeyer, City Administrator Cathryn Thomas, City Solicitor Roger Akin Council President Blest led the Pledge of Allegiance and the meeting began at 7:05 p.m. Approval of Minutes by Date Council Members requested minor changes to the Minutes in their packets and were so noted. Councilperson Churchill made a motion that the minutes be accepted as presented or revised, as the case may be, for the dates of June 19, June 20, June 22, July 10, July 24, July 31 and August 9. Councilperson Reese seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Approval of Treasurer’s Report City Treasurer Janet Carlin was unavailable for the meeting so Mrs. Thomas presented the Treasurer’s Report. Mrs. Thomas stated that there was $525,150.72 total cash in the Wilmington Trust accounts, $600,020.23 in the De. Government Investment Pool, and $1,125,170.95 total cash on hand. Councilperson Reese made a motion that the minutes be accepted as revised. Councilperson Churchill seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Report from the City Administrator Mrs. Thomas stated that her report was in Council’s packet but touched on a few items. First, the City Code has been updated and is accessible online through the City’s website. Second, the City has received bids for the road and street repairs and this work will be underway. Approval of Staff Reports Lt. Brams stated that the Police Department’s reports were in Council’s packets and Lt. Brams introduced Officer Zachory T. Bascelli to Council. Officer Bascelli will begin working in the Police Department on September 3. Councilperson Churchill made a motion that the staff reports be accepted as presented. Councilperson Reese seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Grant Review Councilperson Churchill went over the grant review. Specifically, the Bellanca Project has received bids for three phases (roof replacement, site drainage improvements and building restoration) and stated that Council would award the bids on August 14. Details of a meeting held concerning the Western Gateway Project were included in the City Administrator’s report. Business from the Floor (concerning agenda items only) Corky Viola spoke on behalf of the Friends of Bellanca Air Field and thanked the City for agreeing to be the overseeing administrator for the funds. Commendation presented to Master Sergeant James Barnes in honor of his service to the City of New Castle on the occasion of his retirement. Councilperson Reese read Resolution 2007-30 recognizing Master Sgt. Barnes for his service to the City and thanked Master Sgt. Barnes for same. Unfinished Business
New Business 1. Motion, Discussion and Vote on Resolution No. 2007-28, to Award the Bids for Phase I of Restoration Work to the Bellanca Airfield Service Hangar, funded by State and Federal Grants. After the Resolution was read Councilperson Reese made a motion to approve. It was seconded by Councilperson Gaworski and passed unanimously. 2. Motion, Discussion and Vote to Approve Ron Bright as an Ice Cream Vendor to operate with the City of New Castle. This matter was tabled until the next scheduled Council meeting. 3. Motion, Discussion and Vote on Resolution No. 2007-29, to reopen for limited purposes contract negotiations with the Fraternal Order of Police, concerning the issue of scheduling. After a reading of the Resolution, Council has some concerns regarding it and some changes were made to it. Councilperson Churchill made a motion to accept the Resolution as amended. Councilperson Reese seconded the motion and a vote was taken. (Gaworski-yes, Reese-yes, Churchill-yes, Petty-yes, Blest-yes) 4. Discussion to develop a process for performance evaluation for the City Administrator. Council President Blest suggested using the performance evaluation forms used for a previous City Administrator. This item was tabled and is to be placed on the agenda for the next Council meeting. Comments from the floor Mr. Thomas Wilson spoke to Council regarding different City issues such as development of a skate park; the operations of a commercial car dealer located at the corner of 6th and Chestnut Sts.; and the fact that he felt, as a City resident, the City is not capable of maintaining Battery Park and asked for Council’s feelings on possibly contacting the State or County to take over the park. Councilperson Churchill made a motion that the meeting be adjourned and Council proceed to Executive Session. It was seconded by Councilperson Petty and passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 9:18 p.m. Respectfully submitted,
Jill DiAngelo, |
