New public safety committee created
With a full council now in place, North Wales Borough officials are getting new responsibilities.
Council President Sal Amato announced a new set of committee assignments for the next two years.
“These committees allow council to investigate and address a variety of issues confronting the council, and borough, allow council members to apply their individual expertise and interests, and bring forth creative ideas for solving a variety of challenges,” Amato said.
Earlier this month Amato announced that council will be going from five subcommittees to six in 2022 with the creation of a new public safety committee meant to increase communication and coordination between council, the public, and the town’s volunteer fire company. That committee will be represented by Amato and councilmembers Mark Tarlecki and Wendy McClure, meeting regularly with borough police and the fire company and reporting back to council, and Amato announced this week that borough public works supervisor Brian Schleicher has been added to that committee.
Council’s Buildings and Grounds committee has a slightly updated description, Amato said, which includes providing input to staff and council “on all significant borough repair, utilization, and maintenance plans and activities,” and generating ideas to ensure that town-owned spaces are “maintained and utilized for maximum benefit.” Council members on that committee will be Eion O’Neill, Anji Fazio and Alex Groce, along with Schleicher, whom Amato said was “an obvious addition.”
The Employee Relations committee will be guided by the town’s manager and solicitor “to review personnel and human resources policies, and assist with the resolution of employment and personnel issues,” Amato said. Members of that committee will be Tarlecki, McClure and councilmember Sarah Whelan.
A new communications committee will be tasked with making recommendations “for enhancing communication between council, residents, borough businesses and external entities,” Amato said, with input from administration and the borough mayor; on that committee will be Fazio and council members Sally Neiderhiser and Sherwin Collins.
The finance committee will “provide input to the manager, when requested, on all borough finance-related issues,” and that committee will include Amato, Whelan and Neiderhiser. The technology committee will “identify technology opportunities that fall under the control and interest of borough council,” and make recommendations for any upgrades, with that council populated by O’Neill, Groce and Collins.
“We will discuss how these subcommittees are supposed to be operated. We’re still working on that,” Amato said, before asking each group to communicate with each other ahead of council’s March meetings to choose a chair or head of the subcommittee.
“The leader of that subcommittee is going to report back here, probably once a month, and let us know what’s up. There may be nothing happening, but I want to hear from each of those leaders once a month, on how those subcommittees are doing,” he said.
One non-council committee now has a vacancy: Council voted unanimously to accept the resignation of O’Neill from the Nor-Gwyn Pool Commission, which is shared with adjacent Upper Gwynedd and oversees the operation of the swimming pool at that township’s Parkside Place complex. Amato thanked O’Neill for his time on that board, and borough Manager Christine Hart said she would add it to the list of vacancies on borough boards and commissions seeking applicants.
“You do not have to be a council member, but you do have to be a resident within the borough,” Hart said. McClure added that she’d submit a letter of interest for that spot, and Hart replied that she would still advertise that vacancy publicly for 30 days in case any other residents are interested.
One spot is also open on the town’s human relations commission, from a member who served an initial term but then chose not to return for a new term through 2024, and Hart said that group met in February and reappointed a chairperson, but postponed naming a new group secretary pending that vacancy.
Other current vacancies on borough boards and commissions include one spot on the town’s civil service commission, for a term running through 2025; two posts on the historical architectural review board, both running through 2023 and one of which must be a licensed real estate broker; one spot on the shade tree commission, for a term running through 2026; and one on the uniform construction code board of appeals shared with Upper Gwynedd, for a term running through 2026. Anyone interested in any vacancy is asked to send a letter of interest and resume to Hart at 300 School Street, North Wales PA 19454 or email CHart@northwalesborough.org.
North Wales borough council next meets at 7 p.m. on March 8 at the borough municipal building, 300 School Street. For more information visit www.NorthWalesBorough.org.