Christmas Comes Early for Borough Manager, Chief

File photo from August, 2018 when council removed the "interim" from the titles of Police Chief Michael Markovich, left, and Borough Manager Justin Keller, right. At center is Borough Council President Dan Weand.

It only took about 30 minutes Monday night for Pottstown Borough Council to spend more than $45.6 million.

It happened when council unanimously adopted the $45,618,671 2020 budget as advertised.

It will raise property taxes by 3.83 percent.

No one from the public showed up to speak in favor or against the budget.

No one on council had any questions or comments about next year's tax and spend plan before voting.

The same could be said for two additional surprise additions to the agenda of the last meeting of 2019.

Borough Police Chief Michael Markovich received an 8 percent pay raise for a one-year contract extension, pushing his salary from the current $110,000 to $118,720 in 2020.

Borough Manager Justin Keller, who was making $107,000 this year, got a new three-year contract.

It gives him more personal days and carries raises of 3 percent in 2020, 4 percent in 2021 and 5 percent in 2022, according to Borough Solicitor Charles D. Garner Jr. who explained the specifics of both contracts only after council had already voted.

Keller was first hired in 2016 as assistant borough manager to then-borough manager Mark Flanders. His salary at that point was $78,000.

Keller became interim borough manager on Jan. 1, 2018 when Mark Flanders, a former police chief, retired as borough manager.

It was August of last year when the "interim" was removed from his title, as was the clause that required that he live in the borough and he was awarded a contract that expires this month.

That same night, Markovich also had the "interim" removed from his title of police chief, a post he inherited from predecessor Rick Drumheller, who retired in July of 2018, 18 months early.

Taken together, the two votes will add up to another $22,069 Pottstown taxpayers will pay over the next three years.

But that pales in comparison to the impact of the five-year police contract council approved unanimously last night, again with no comment from the public and no comment or question from council members.

Police Contract Approved

That contract will provide more than 18 percent in raises over its five-year term and will add more than $750,000 to the police budget by the fifth year.

In exchange, the Pottstown Police Officers Association agreed to end its post retirement health care for new employees.

That benefit has ballooned over the years into a liability of almost $29 million by the end of 2017, which requires an annual contribution of $2.3 million, according to a May report on Pottstown's finances.

"From 2014 to 2018, retiree benefit expenses have increased by 46 percent. Retiree benefits are predominately comprised of retiree health insurance costs," the report's authors wrote in May.

Janice Lee said it may take 20 years before the financial benefit of that change is realized.

The police defined benefit pension remains firmly in place however, something else which has generated rising costs for borough taxpayers. This year, combined pension liability payments added $1 million to the expense catalog.

Although the police pension is the same, the non-uniformed borough workers represented by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees agreed to implement a defined contribution plan for their new employees hired after Jan. 1 in the three-year contract they signed with the borough in September. 

Another unanimous vote council took last night implemented the ordinance putting that new AFSCME pension plan in place.

New Ricketts Center Contract

In other business, council unanimously approved a two-year contract with Boyertown Multi-Service

to run programming at the Ricketts Community Center on Beech Street.

Council chose the agency in October, over proposals by Pottstown-based agencies.

Last Week, Lydia Messinger, executive director of Boyertown Multi-Service told council clean-up and painting of Ricketts Center will occur in first weeks of January.

The said in 2020, the center will be open seven days a week, with a focus on after-school, days when schools are closed and summer time.

Street Tree Maintenance

Council also unanimously approved a proposal by Thomas Hylton for the maintenance and replacement of street trees.

The proposal will not cost taxpayers anything. A $35,000 grant from the Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation will be matched by another $35,000 from Hylton and his wife Frances, who are once again donating their own money toward the maintenance of street trees.

Hyltont told council he will focus on trees on main thoroughfares like King Street, High Street and Hanover Street.

Street trees along King Street.

In the two previous years, the Hyltons contributed $70,000 toward the maintenance and care of street trees in Pottstown, in addition to paying to treat them against the invasive insect, emerald ash borer

In addition to being a member of the Pottstown School Board and Pottstown Planning Commission, Hylton heads up the Pottstown Tree Funds, originally called Trees Inc.

It is a non-profit entity that in 2016 merged with Save Our Land, Save Our Towns, also founded by Hylton.

Since 1984, Trees Inc. had planted more than 1,900 new trees; 700 replacement trees; removed about 300 stumps; trimmed roughly 11,000 trees and remediated 431 sidewalks damaged by trees, all at a cost of about $1.1 million. 

The Pottstown Tree Funds has taken up the upkeep of Pottstown's street trees after council disbanded the shade tree commission Hylton headed nine years ago.

Two Councilwomen Say Goodbye

Photos by Evan Brandt

Outgoing council members Carol Kulp, left and Rita Paez, right, are recognized by Pottstown Borough Council President Dan Weand at Monday night's meeting.

This being the last council meeting of the year, two councilwoman who lost their reelection bids, said goodbye and were feted by council.

In the Second Ward, Council Vice President Carol Kulp lost a Democratic primary contest in May to Lisa Vanni, who will take the seat at the first meeting in January.

Kulp, who has applied to be appointed to the Pottstown Borough Authority seat held by Michael Benner, who as applied to be re-appointed, said being a member of council was "an educational experience."

She said "it's always good when younger people get involved in government."

Council President Dan Weand read proclamations recognizing Kulp and outgoing Sixth Ward Councilwoman Rita Paez.

Michael Paules, center, graduated from citizens academy Monday.
Next month, he will be sworn in as the Sixth Ward councilor.

Paez lost her seat in November by just six votes to newcommer Michael Paules, who ran as a Republican after winning the ballot position as a write-in in the May primary.

Ironically, Paules was also recognized Monday night as one of several who had successfully completed the "Citizens Academy" course the borough offers for free to anyone who wants to learn more about how the borough operates.

Normally at this point, I would say "here are the Tweets from the meeting."

However, the Twitter Publish site seems to be having the holiday heebeegeebees and I current cannot embed them here.

So instead I'll just direct you to the moment on my Twitter feed. It is titled "Everybody Gets a Raise."