NEWTOWN BOROUGH, PA — The search for a new borough manager will shift to the interview phase in August as the council looks for a replacement for Greg Totaro.
Totaro announced his retirement in May, just two years after taking the job as the borough's first full-time manager.
Council President Emily Heinz on Wednesday updated the public on the search process, announcing that the borough expects to post the position in early August and to begin interviewing candidates later in the month.
"Right now, the timeline is that we are going to post the position in early August and hopefully have a round of candidates to interview in mid-August," she said.
Following Totaro's retirement in May, the borough retained the services of the nonprofit Meyner Center to assist with the search and recruitment of a new manager. The council also hired an outside accounting firm to handle the borough's finances until it can bring a new manager on board.
As part of the search process, Heinz said the borough is conducting a reassessment of the last two years "to determine what worked and didn't work so whoever comes into the position next is set up to succeed."
In other business at Wednesday's meeting, the council voted unanimously to advertise for bids for this year's road program.
Borough engineer Michele Fountain said the work will include base repair work on Edgeboro Drive between Jefferson Street and Frost Lane and base repair, milling, and the overlaying of North Congress Street between Greene Street and Washington Avenue.
The council also approved the purchase of a new police vehicle for $86,117.84. The Chevy Tahoe will replace a 2019 vehicle, which had been placed out of commission.
"The 2019 (Ford) Expedition needed a lot of work. It didn't cost that much, so we had it done, but three or four months later it just died completely," said Heinz.
The purchase sparked a discussion among the councilors regarding the purchase of an electric vehicle for the police department, which had been discussed at prior meetings but never acted upon.
"My concern is this is another big gas-powered vehicle, and we haven't really seriously looked at what the electric vehicle opportunities are out there, which may save us in the long run," said Councilor Julia Woldorf.
Councilor Josh Phillips agreed, noting a lot of research has already been done by the police department on the available options. "We need to either proactively look into what the costs would be and who is producing the types of vehicles for police departments."
Heinz said she would pass on the suggestions to Mayor Tara Grunde-McLaughlin, who is the liaison to the borough's police department, but was unable to attend this week's meeting. "If we know a vehicle is due to be replaced in 2027, there's no reason why we can't have that in place," she said.
In other matters, the council approved a special events application for this year's Newtown Black and White Dinner on Sept. 6 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on North State Street. The event is a fundraiser for the historic Newtown Theatre.
The council also granted three special event applications submitted by the borough's recreation board.
Movies In the Park will feature the film, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," on Friday, Sept. 11, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Linton Memorial Park.
A Fall Fest will be held Saturday, Sept. 19, at Linton Memorial Park from 4 to 8 p.m. The rain date is Sunday, Sept. 20.
The Newtown Borough Halloween Parade will take place on Saturday, Oct. 24, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on State Street, ending at Brian Gregg Park.
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