SC Council Votes to Accept EMC Resignation

The Spring City Borough Council met for its regular meeting last Monday night at . Among the major topics discussed were the Emergency Management Coordinator position, the Keystone Markers and a request for a new position for tax collection.

The major topic of discussion was what to do with the resignation letter of Joe Lorman, former Emergency Management Coordinator for the borough. Lorman submitted his letter of resignation last month. At last month's meeting, council to talk to Lorman more in depth about why he was resigning.

Council President Lou DiGuiseppe said he felt like he was being held hostage by Lorman's many requests.

"He said he needed to have this, that and the other to continue in this position," DiGuiseppe started. "I felt like I was being held hostage. I sit here and most of the rest of you sit here and do what you have to do for no money and we don’t ask for space or replacement for our things that go wrong. I checked around with other Emergency Management Coordinators. No one has 400 square feet of work space anywhere."

DiGuiseppe went on to explain that Limerick Township, who has the in its backyard, keeps its supplies in 318-gallon totes in a closet – which holds everything they need to run Emergency Management. DiGuiseppe's research also concluded that other townships have Emergency Management meetings on a monthly basis with 10-12 people on a team.

"If that’s the way it’s supposed to be run, Joe wasn’t running it here like that in town," he said.

There is a volunteer interested in taking the position. DiGuiseppe said he went to Liberty Fire Chief John Trego and asked him his opinion. The discussion is still ongoing between the two. Council moved to accept Lorman's letter of resignation in a 4-1 vote. Councilmen Mike Hays and Thomas Kratz were absent from the meeting. Councilman Jim Burns was the sole nay.

Burns said Lorman had been in the position since before he was elected to council and did not agree with the decision.

From the acceptance of the resignation, the borough has 90 days to put a new EMC in place. The person willing to do that as of right now is Todd Bliss, former Fire Chief of Spring City.

"He's not a total rookie as far as what goes on with the fire department," said DiGuiseppe. "I do believe more than anything that the EMC would work closer with the fire department than any other group here in town as besides what they have to do with council. Council is supposed to be quite involved with Emergency Management."

Council also discussed the acquisition of new Keystone Markers to be displayed in historic spots in Spring City. Last month, they heard a on what those markers mean to the history of Pennsylvania and the community.

"Personally, myself, I think $5,000 for a sign is steep," said DiGuiseppe. "They are nice to put people to work during the depression. Right now with money as tight as it is, and with us having so much other things to do with just this building, putting out $5,000 in town… I think the [Spring City] Foundry will be there a long time, and still doing it down the road, I’m not totally opposed to revisiting in the future."

Councilman Donald Shaner agreed, saying the money could be better spent on the borough building. Burns suggested another foundry, which makes signs out of aluminum. It could be a cheaper option. Borough Manager Dennis Rittenhouse suggested applying for signage at the bridge and using that money to purchase one Keystone marker. DiGuiseppe pointed out that by doing so, council would only have to pay 10 percent, which would come out to $200 for one sign. Council decided to revisit the idea later.

Mary Rex began her duties as Spring City's tax collector. Council reported everything went smoothly in her first month. She did, however, request for a "Deputy Tax Collector." In order to approve of that position, council needed to wait for approval from the Spring-Ford Area School District. The district did approve that motion. The former tax collector, Shirley Shaffer, was the borough's tax collector for 20 years and never had a deputy. However, council expressed that Shaffer did the job out of her home, while Rex does it from her place of business. Therefore, Rex cannot always be readily available to approve collections, which is why she would need a deputy.

To end the meeting, Burns spoke with council about the possibility of providing the council's meeting agendas on the website prior to borough council meetings. Rittenhouse said sometimes the agenda changes the day of the meeting. Otherwise, council expressed no concern with putting the agenda up on the website. The next meeting is scheduled for March 5.