Harrisburg City Council Legislative Session 2/11/2025

e

we will conduct a brief legislative

caucus to review our meeting agenda and

then we will proceed with our

legislative session so immediately

following caucus I will call the meeting

to order Mr Parker will lead us in roll

call um in the absence of councilwoman

Daniels um whose absence is excused I

will Le the invocation this evening

followed by the Pledge of Allegiance

which will be led by councilman Jones we

not have any Communications this evening

we will then open the floor to Courtesy

of the floor uh then the approval of

minutes for the legislative session that

occurred on January 28th

2025 we have one committee report uh

which will be delivered by our budget

and finance committee chair vice

president green on the work session of

February 4th

2025 we do not have any ordinances for

first reading ordinances for Amendment

or ordinances for final passage we will

move to resolutions resolution 4 of

2024 we will uh vote upon resolution

five of

2025 we will um suspend the rules for a

brief discussion and then we will vote

upon resolution 6 of 2025

[Music]

we will move to the Public Safety

Committee resolution 7 of 20125 will

move to the administration

committee resolution 8 of 2025 will move

to the administration committee and

resolution 9 of 2025 will move to the

administration committee resolution 10

of 2025 will move to the public works

committee is there any old business for

discussion council

members okay any new

business okay and then we will

adjourn the time is

6:04 p.m. I would like to officially

call our legislative session to

order Mr Parker could you please call

the

role Miss Daniels is excused

Miss Davis

pres Miss

green

present Mr Jones here M

rolls present Mr Rodriguez present Ms

Bowers

present thank you um as Mr Parker noted

councilwoman Daniels is excused this

evening I will lead the invocation in

her

absence please keep the following

residents families and friends in your

thoughts and prayers in the coming weeks

and months ahead Miss Lorraine Lawson

she was a proud John Harris High School

Pioneer she was a member of the class of

1957 Miss Carol an Wilkins was a

graduate of Harrisburg High School she

was employed by rate Corporation where

she retired Miss Wilkins enjoyed playing

Bingo and socializing with her peers who

lived in Jackson

Towers Elder alista Waters

affectionately known as Miss tiny she

held many jobs over the course of her

professional career she worked for the

federal government where she retired she

was a beautician who owned a beauty

salon uh she owned a bakery and she was

a daycare director Miss Waters also

known as half of lesson tinies and the

carousel that were two blackowned

businesses people frequented for a good

time miss m Williams received her formal

education through the William pen high

school she earned an Associates Degree

in Social Work from hack Miss Williams

served as the first black woman

supervisor within the water department

and the first black woman director for

the human relations Commission of the

city of

Harrisburg Miss Lori Jenkins was

educated in the Limestone main school

school system

she graduated kumare with a ba in

political science from the University of

Southern Maine she later received her

jurist doctorate degree from the

University of Maine school of law a ma

in public policy and management and a

PhD in public policy and management from

the University of may she was a

brilliant woman who excelled in various

roles she was a self-employed attorney

at Future Foundation

Mr Brian Pendleton was a self-employed

barber in Harrisburg and a mentor for

children at breaking the chains he was a

barber to many a coach and a team player

please join me in a moment of silence as

we

remember these residents and keep their

families and friends in our thoughts and

prayers thank you the Pledge of

Allegiance will be led by councilman

Jones plge allegiance to flag of United

States of America to the stands one

nation thank you councilman Jones we do

not have any Communications this evening

we will move forward with our meeting

agenda next we have courtesy of the

floor just a few housekeeping notes

before we begin please state your name

and your address for the meeting record

if you don't feel comfortable sharing

your address please share the vicinity

in which you live within the city you

will have four minutes to share your

comments Mr Parker will serve as our

timekeeper I will begin to my right is

there anyone that would like to offer

public comment

okay this this courtesy

yes I am Jeff clatt I currently reside

at 322 North 2

Street until very recently I was

previously residing for 23 years at 660

boa Street I have filed two tenant

landlord

complaints with the Harrisburg Bureau

codes one complaint in November of

2023 for my first add for my prior

address and one complaint January 2025

for my current address while the issues

were different between the buildings one

building was 360 Apartments the current

building is about 140 Apartments

the results were similar in terms of uh

my complaint no action was taken IE no

citations was written to either landlord

both of which I understand to be out of

state both complaints related to

building condition not up to Harrisburg

code I recently received a text message

stating that someone in the codes Bureau

quote at admitted it meaning citations

rarely does anything to the landlord

unquote that statement suggests to me

that the city May rarely write code

violations if the city does not initiate

a code VI a code violation then courts

cannot be invol courts cannot be

involved and penalties cannot be

assessed section 8-11 15.99

cannot be implemented if there's no

citation to start the process how can a

landlord ignore a citation the city can

find and potentially imprison the the

landlord I have come before this Council

four times June July and September of

last year I come before you now in my

experience related to separate large

apartment buildings I conclude that the

city the city's tenant landlord

complaint system is seriously

broken the landlord apparently convinces

the city not to issue a

citation on the promise that the

landlord will do something the landlord

avoids monetary penalty and possibly

imprisonment if only traffic motor

vehicle citations were so easy to evade

this Bureau of Code system needs a

thorough audit I know that because my

business for the last 20 years was

auditing for major Global multinational

companies thank you very much for the

opportunity to expound thank

you thank you is there anyone else my

right that would like to offer public

comment okay seeing and hearing no one

anyone in the middle

section I'm a very visual person

thank you my name is Deb wire I also

live at Harmony Towers 322 North 2

street I'm in apartment

1506 and I have hot water 20 of my

neighbors do not and they have not had

hot water anywhere from three to six

months let me repeat that 20 of my

neighbors have not had hot water for

three to six months

see in my picture here our management

company is in San Antonio Texas our

owners are in New York and just like Mr

glad explained I was told by city codes

that they were holding off citing them

uh because they've now finally after

months submitted a um what do they call

it a statement of repair um we were told

by our building uh office staff nothing

until last Monday they put a notice in

everybody's door and it said that the

part was on back order and that was the

first time February that anybody from

our office has notified

tenants the office manager spoke to me

on Friday to tell me that they've

actually had the part it isn't on back

order it's been sitting there waiting

for someone to put it together and

install

it our office manager said that so the

next well that same afternoon uh a

Cordia van was in our parking lot and uh

I asked the staff what was happening and

she said they were putting it in and he

was going to stay until it was done well

there's still no hot water and it's not

done and again because we got vocal and

got newspapers involved and Facebook uh

all of a sudden then they wanted to be

vocal about this we have been sending

messages to the management company in

San Antonio Texas for months and not

getting

responses we're talking about senior

citizens disabled people and Veterans I

don't think that's how the city wants to

treat those members of our

community so I beg you to do something I

don't want to be here tonight I did not

want to do any TV interviews I thought

by contacting the Attorney General's

office HUD city codes Pennsylvania

Housing Finance Agency that holds the

mortgage on the building and ly

management I was so naive I thought it

would be taken care of and I've been

involved for a month now I have hot

water but I'm here speaking on behalf of

my neighbors who aren't able to come

might have just be scared you know that

they might not have a place to live if

they get vocal about it please get hot

water going in our building please don't

walk away tonight and do nothing about

it I don't know what you're able to do I

see a building and housing committee

chair I'm hoping maybe you're part of

what we need

it's been 3 to six months and everyone

in here is going to go home except these

two people and the other 18 back in my

building and they're going to have hot

water you're going to be able to do your

dishes you're going to be able to get a

hot shower or a tub and most of our

people need bath because they can't

stand in the shower they can't boil

water and carry it to their their

bathroom please hear what we're saying

please hear what we're saying

please yes if I may miss um yeah one of

the things um I'm very familiar with Mr

glad as well I'm very sorry to hear that

this is happening um but one of the

things U for Council though we really

don't have enforcement Powers but we I

definitely I believe that all of us do

support your efforts in getting this

problem um resolved um so we definitely

will be able to talk to who we need to

talk to and see if we can um have some

type of influence on this I appreciate

that yes ma'am I do thank you so much

yes ma'am my time's up and um may I ask

a question for her this

um this phone number can you be reached

at any time during the day or is there a

time except for Thursday Friday and

Saturdays um yeah but any any is

terrible because yeah you should be able

somebody should have been done this is

the first time I heard about this six

months no hot water this is the very

first time that I've heard about this

and uh yeah this is ridiculous that

senior can't have access to hot water so

two of our people join gyms because they

have arthritis and and just to go get a

hot shower they shouldn't have to put

out money for that and then I was told

by City coastes well you should get your

get their rent in escrow can you imagine

this generation trying to explain to

them how to do that and why should they

have to they just want what everybody

else has what what they're entitled to

is hot water yeah our city codes

Department should be able to Force this

like expeditiously I don't understand

spoken to them and I know he has

and we can't but you can't believe what

you're hearing because I I said get

notice about the part being on back

order on a Monday and then Friday I'm

told it's not in back order we've had it

so that's also very frustrating you

can't believe what you hear unless

you're going to back it up and and

follow through and and get the truth you

just can't believe what you hear and

that's what what we feel city codes is

doing just letting ly management talk to

them and tell them okay you know this is

what we're going to do this and then not

following up I'm following up I used to

want to own my own detective agency so I

call anybody I mean and I get people to

talk to me so you know you you just

can't believe what they're telling you

unless they can back it up with a

document do you mind waiting until after

the meeting um so that we can speak to

you further about how

it's Bingo night and I hold Bingo for my

residence but my son and his girlfriend

are there doing it so I'm just I'll

message him and say I'm going to wait I

will gladly do that because we need to

fix this hopefully it won't take too

long that's okay no I appreciate that

thank you

yes that's

crazy I'm I don't need four minutes

because they pretty much said everything

that needed to be said I'm a resident of

the building my name is Julia deloro I

work for the state of Pennsylvania

phfa I'm 65 years old I have not had hot

water in 6 months I am one of the ones

that have joined the gym LA Fitness to

take a shower I have arthritis on both

of my knees I need a knee replacement

and I refuse to get it um especially

because you never know what can happen

some people get lucky and some people

don't this man is 77 years old I hope

you don't mind and we've been living

here with no hot water in and it's not

safe because not only that we cannot

take a shower we can't even do our

dishes and disinfect them correctly cold

water doesn't clean dishes I'm old

school you know and um We complain and

complain and has gone on deaf ears uh we

were Presbyterian department and even

then we had issues but not as bad as

they are now we no longer are owned by

Presbyterian which was for the elderly

now it's called Harmony Tower um and

like she stated Deb who's a president

there as well they are based out of

Texas and I did research on them and

they're slumlords they've been Su from

different buildings that they have

worked in other states they just took

over our building last year in February

and ever since they did that the

Privileges and the things that we've had

have been taken away like she said the

gym we have a small gym for the

residents to work out everybody has

their own key to let themselves in the

gym is closed we have a computer room

the computer room is also closed because

they stated that the elderly were

watching pornography whatever anyway

people still need it for other

things um the upstairs we have a

penthouse we used to use the penthouse

for events for like special occasion

Father's Day Mother's Day all that is

off limits we can't use it anymore we

also had because now that the building

is no longer a senior building and it's

open to the public you can be 18 and

over as long as you qualify to live

there uh we have a lot of crackheads

that have moved in a lot of homeless

people and the building has really

really has gotten uh dangerous

especially for the elderly and um we had

police patroling the building they will

come around once a day you know and it

was just nice to have them there you

know you feel safe but they did they did

away with that the new owners so there's

a lot of things that have gone bad um

since we've had this new owner and I

really feel bad for the residents I mean

I'm very lucky that I can take a shower

at the gym but more than 70% of the

residents are elderly they don't leave

their house they're in canes they're in

Walkers it's hard for them to get around

and let alone take a nice shower you

know what a shower does a hot shower it

makes you feel good it's therapeutic you

know I like to get my bubble bath going

with my oils and and and feel good you

know um It's just sad it's a very sad

situation I'm glad that Deb and this

other resident who is new have stepped

up to the plate because I have done it

with the office I have called the

corporate office and it's all gone on

deaf here they really don't care the

last thing the office told me what do

you expect Julia it's an old building it

was built in 1968 I'm older than that

building I want my hot water you guys

have a good day and thank you for

listening you thank

you is there anyone else in the middle

section seeing and hearing no one anyone

to my left

okay seeing and hearing no one we will

move forward with our meeting agenda

next we have the approval of minutes for

the legislative session of January 28th

2025 council members are there any

revisions to those

minutes okay seeing and hearing none the

minutes stand approved we have one

committee report this evening that will

be delivered by our budget and finance

committee chair vice president green on

the work session of February 4th 2025

vice president green thank you president

Bowers uh please excuse my voice I have

a little bit of a Cod uh during the work

session of February 4th 2025 the budget

and finance committee discussed

resolution 4 and 5 of

2025 resolution 4 of 2025 a resolution

ratifying the 2024 application for the

recycling development and implementation

Grant under Section 902 of the ipal

waste planning Recycling and waste

reduction act 101 for the city of

Harrisburg and authorizing the city of

Harrisburg to execute any and all forms

required relating to the subsequent

Award of 2,000 excuse me

$200,000 for the purpose of purchasing a

new Leaf truck we had a presentation

from the director Dave West on this

resolution there was a question from

Council about where the remaining funds

needed for the total cost of truck would

come director West said the funds would

come come from the public works budget

and also noted that they were able to

get the total cost of the vehicle down

even lower than the original cost they

expected in order to save the city some

more money I ask my colleagues to

support this

resolution resolution 5 of 2025 is a

resolution approving the first proposed

2025 budget reallocation in order to

reclassify certain allocations to

authorize the rooll forward of certain

2024 budget year incumber commitments

and to reaffirm certain 2024

project Appropriations as amended we had

a presentation bless you we had a

presentation from the county manager

Brian McCutchen and budget manager

Timothy Brooks this is a pretty standard

exercise that we do annually to bring

forward money budgeted in last year's

budget that was not expended in that

fiscal year but will be spent in this

fiscal year uh we did have a question

regarding funds not spent in last year's

City Council budget for the Youth

commission staff and if that will money

will be able to be rolled forward as

well the law Bureau said that's

something that could be done but would

need to be amended to this resolution I

ask my colleagues to support this

resolution as well and this concludes my

report thank you we do not have any

ordinances for first reading ordinances

for Amendment or ordinances for final

passage we will move to resolutions the

first resolution for consideration this

evening is resolution 4 of 2025 Mr

Parker could you please read it into the

record yes resolution 4 of 20 25 a

resolution ratifying the 2024

application for the recycling

development and implementation Grant

under Section

902 of the municipal waste planning

Recycling and waste reduction act act

101 for the city of Harrisburg in

authorizing the city of Harrisburg to

execute any SL all forms requiring

relating required relating to the

subsequent award of

$200,000 for the purpose of purchasing a

new Leaf

truck thank you council members are

there any questions comments and

concerns related to resolution 4 of

2025 seeing and hearing them Mr Parker

could you please call the

vote Miss Davis

yes Miss green yes Mr Jones yay m M

rolls yes Mr Rodriguez yes Ms Bowers yes

resolution four of 20125 passes

unanimously with a vote of six Ys to

zero Nays with one

absence thank you next we have

resolution five of 2025 Mr Parker could

you please read it into the record yes

resolution five of

2025 a resolution approving the first

proposed 2025 budget reallocation in

order to reclassify certain allocations

to authorize the role forward of certain

2024 budget year en coverboard

commitments and to reir reaffirm certain

2024 Capital project

Appropriations as

amended thank you I will entertain a

motion to suspend the rules for a brief

discussion I'll move is there a second

second thank you so we have before us

resolution 5 of

2025 uh which vice president green

included in her uh committee report I'm

just going to call upon Mr

McCutchen um to Just

note the updated

exhibit for the meeting record please

okay yes uh thank you president Bowers

good evening everyone good evening um

supplemental schedule Exhibit C is

provided to you this evening uh

reflecting a proposed budget

adjustment uh related to the city

council's budget unit

uh involving the the footnote

description there uh expresses the the

nature of the adjustment uh for

accommodating the request for part-time

advisors to assist with the youth

commission so the total request at ask

on this is

$10,000 in the applicable lines which

which also includes uh the the payroll

tax expense the FICA portion so those

two amounts together make up the first

two lines in cre ing the temporary and

and the payroll tax expense line by

$10,000 collectively and then it's it's

funded or resourced by the the indicated

Revenue line there coming from the state

grants fund uh General Revenue for the

for the general fund so that's the the

resource offset for the proposed

increase thank you uh councilwoman RS do

you have any questions I know this

amendment uh you off for this amendment

thank you president Bowers um thank you

Mr mcluen for explaining that I don't

have any questions I just appreciate the

law beer and yourself um getting this

amended um so we can start getting

advisors for our youth commission get

our youth involved in our city and in

their own local government so thank you

yes

understood thank you are there any other

questions Madam president just for the

record since there aren't minutes from

the work session uh there is as we

discussed last week a corrected exhibit

B because the second page was missing

from the original one that was posted

just so that's in the minutes thank

you okay if there are no further

questions I will entertain a motion to

resume our legislative

session tone moved is there a second

second thank you so we have before us

resolution 5 of

2025 as amended Mr could you please read

it one more

time

certainly resolution 5 of

2025 a resolution approving the first

proposed 2025 budget reallocation in

order to reclassify certain allocations

to authorize the role forward of the

certained 2024 budget year encumbered

commitments and to reaffirm certain 2024

Capital project

Appropriations as amended

thank you are there any final questions

comments or concerns related to

resolution 5 of

2025 okay seeing and hearing now Mr

Parker could you please call the

vote Miss Davis

yes Miss green yes Mr Jones yay M rolls

yes Mr Rodriguez yes Miss Bowers yes

resolution 5 of 2025 passes unanimously

with a vote of six Ys to zero Nays

including one excused

absence thank you next we have

resolution six of 2025 Mr Parker could

you please read it into the

record resolution 6 of

2025 a resolution authorizing the city

of Harrisburg to negotiate and enter

into a Professional Services agreement

with WC CA Public Safety assessments for

the purpose of providing psychological

testing and assessment for the city's

Bureau of police thank you resolution 6

of 2025 will move to the Public Safety

Committee resolution 7 of 2025 Mr Parker

could you please read it into the record

resolution 7 of 2025 a resolution

appointing Robert C kenck II director of

financial management for the city of

Harrisburg to serve as the Dolphin

County tax collection tax collection

committee Delegate for the city of

Harrisburg thank you resolution 7 of

2025 will move to the administration

committee next we have resolution 8 of

2025 Mr Parker could you please read it

into the record resolution 8 of 2025 a

resolution confirming the appointment of

Mr Robert C kenck II to serve as

director of financial management for the

city of Harrisburg thank you resolution

8 of 20125 will move to the

administration committee resolution 9 of

2025 Mr Parker could you please read it

into the record resolution 9 of 2025 a

resolution confirming the appointment of

Mr Samuel F Sosi to serve as business

administrator for the city of Harrisburg

thank you resolution 9 of 2025 will also

move to the administration committee our

final resolution for consideration this

evening is resolution 10 of

2025 Mr Parker could you please read it

into the record yes resolution 10 of

2025 a resolution of the city council of

the city of Harrisburg reestablishing

hotspot Saturdays a community

beautification and Public Safety

initiative designed to encourage City

residents to participate in six

community cleanup events throughout the

summer of

2025 thank you resolution 10 of 2025

will move to the public works committee

is there any old business for discussion

council

members seeing and hearing none any new

business okay seeing and hearing none

the time is 6:35 p.m. I will entertain a

motion to adjourn so move is there a

second second thank you we stand a journ