Laceyville Meeting Results in New Leaders, New Office Hours, and Lower Taxes

A reorganized Laceyville Borough Council met on Tuesday evening, including (back, from left) Phil Brewer, Courtney Salsman, Kenneth Johnson, Mary Robinson, (front) Kristy Fassett, Randy Brigham, and Henry Laboranti.

Photo and Story by Rick Hiduk

With newly reelected Laceyville mayor Phil Brewer already sworn in, Brewer started the first meeting of the Laceyville Borough Council in 2018 by swearing in new and reelected council members. These included new council member Mary Robinson, reelected member Henry Laboranti, and Randy Brigham, who had been appointed to the board in early November 2017 and officially elected the same week.

Prior to the brief ceremony, Brewer cited the accomplishments of the previous administration and his confidence that the reorganized board will continue its goal-oriented operations. The police department has been stabilized and has a new vehicle; Second and Franklin streets are newly paved; more lights have been converted to energy saving, longer lasting LED bulbs; the water company is utilizing more sophisticated equipment to detect leaks; and new water meters are being installed, Brewer noted.

Brigham was then nominated as the new president and chairperson of the council by Laboranti. Brigham in turn nominated Kristy Fassett as vice president. Both were approved to the positions by unanimous vote. Former council president Don VanDerMark, who retired from the chair in December, agreed to serve as a member of the Vacancy Board, which has one seat yet to fill. Technically, the Vacancy Board also needs at least one resident member.

Reappointed to the positions of secretary, open records officer, and building and yard sale permit officer was Courtney Salsman. Kenneth Johnson will continue to serve as treasurer and Bradford County tax collection representative. Officer Kevin Costello will serve as code enforcement officer. The filling of several other positions was tabled while the board looks for qualified and willing residents to assume the tasks.

When the previous council mulled the $502,834 budget for 2018, the members agreed that borough tax could be lowered to 22.6 mils due to known cost reductions and other savings measures. Brigham engaged the new council in a cautionary discussion of the plan, noting that unforeseen obstacles and issues can sometimes take a municipality off guard and become a financial burden.

He cited the baseball park across the river that the borough maintains as an example of a liability not specified in the budget. The bleachers need to be repaired or removed, he related. Ongoing subsidence of the bank on the upper side of East Main Street needs to be addressed, he added, and brush cutting throughout the borough can easily get out of hand.

Brigham also referenced the Franklin Street Bridge, which the borough temporarily closed in 2017 as per a PennDOT mandate. “Do people want that bridge reopened?” he asked, noting that the borough would have to absorb the cost for reconstruction.

Nonetheless, he and the rest of the council members agreed that the fiscal integrity of Laceyville is the best that it has been in years, and that dropping the tax by one mil is a gesture in the right direction for its residents.

It shows that we are looking out for them,” said Laboranti. “The goal is to get people to buy homes here, and lower taxes are a part of that.”

In other business, a road report was presented that included plans by PennDOT to resurface Route 6 in Laceyville and Braintrim Township from the Bradford County line to about Willow Street starting in July.

A police report offered by Costello indicated 61 total responses, including 13 assists of motorists, pedestrians, and other residents; three checks on the welfare of residents; 12 traffic citations; and one incident each of credit card fraud, landlord/tenant disagreement, and an unwanted customer complaint.

Wyoming County EMA has offered to make photo ID badges available at no cost to elected and appointed officials, as well as other approved individuals who would be helpful in the event of an emergency. The project was spearheaded by Johnson and Wyoming County operations training officer David Carichner.

The Laceyville Borough office will now be open an additional day each week. Johnson will maintain office hours from 3 to 7 pm on Tuesdays, and Salsman will open the office on Wednesdays from 4:30 to 7:30.

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