Catasauqua resident Tammy Hauser asked the borough council to take another look at an obstructed view at School and Railroad streets in the borough.

"There is a wooden fence there and it obstructs the view," she said. "I'm worried that one of the neighborhood kids gets injured riding their bikes back there."

Borough Manager Eugene Goldfeder said the property had once had a rock wall, which was replaced by the wooden fence. The rock wall dates back to 1972 and the fence was approved by the borough zoning hearing board about four years ago.

"In 1995, I applied to erect a fence and it was denied because it would obstruct the sight lines," Hauser said. "Yet this one was approved."

Goldfeder explained the zoning codes were changed in 2001 to account for the different types of traffic on roadways. "Under the new ordinance, the requirement for line-of-sight clearance is different for major arteries versus less-traveled streets," he said.

The property in question is owned by Councilman Vincent Smith.

"I applied for the change using regular zoning rules," Smith said. "I later asked that stop signs be installed at all of the intersections."

According to Smith, there were no known accidents in the area.

Solicitor Jeffrey Dimmich indicated Hauser could appeal to the zoning hearing board.

"Council is not authorized to make any changes approved by the zoning board," he said.

In other business, Mayor Barbara Schlegel spoke about a rumor she had heard about police force staffing.

"I heard that some people are saying that if an officer leaves the Catty police that he would not be replaced," she said. "That is not the plan. We intend to keep the police fully staffed."

Also at the meeting, Dimmich reported a complication has arisen on the deed for the Front Street property the borough purchased from FL Smidth.

"We could not have foreseen these problems. They involve the stub road that leads to the property," he said. Council declared a small road that once served as an access drive to the FL Smidth property as a public road. The road needs to be accounted for in the deed, he said.

In other business, there is concern on council about the high-rise apartments on Third Street occupied by elderly residents. Various council members questioned how the elderly tenants could be evacuated in case of an emergency.

According to borough Fire Chief Richard Hertzog, tenants must attest that they cannot self-evacuate.

Councilman Alfred Regits asked council to approve the new refuse collection contract with JP Mascaro & Sons. Regits asked the borough manager to calculate the residential fee reduction based on pricing for the new five-year contract. Representatives from Mascaro promised to have their mascot, the elephant balloon, in Catasauqua's 2014 Halloween parade.

According to Councilwoman Jessica Kroope, Catasauqua's Main Street business association is putting together a marketing campaign to generate revenue for the municipal pool.

"The first step in the campaign is to offer season pool passes at 2013 prices until the end of the year," said Kroope.

Councilman Eugene Schlegel asked Goldfeder for a status on a citation against Miller Surplus. The borough asked Miller Surplus for expenses related to cleaning up Catasauqua Creek after a storm scattered debris from the warehouse. Much of the work was done with volunteers, but the borough asked for costs related to removing debris from the site. The company refused and the borough issued a citation.

Goldfeder said the citation is with the magistrate. He will follow up on the status.

Council President Brian Bartholomew announced the council will hold its end-of-the-year meeting on Dec. 18.

"We will pass resolutions and ordinances at that meeting and approve the budget for next year," he said.