At a Dec. 6 Coplay Borough Council workshop meeting, a neighbor dispute over the location of a retaining wall had been resolved by requiring the homeowner to move the wall approximately one foot to be in compliance with the easements and setbacks required for the alley at 22 S. Court St.

The property owner had not been at that meeting but did attend the Dec. 13 council meeting to request a modification.

“We placed the end of the wall where the building inspector told us to put it. He was there, and the people doing the work asked where the end blocks could be,” Karen Romero said. “To adjust it now is going to cost about $1,500 - money we don’t have. We need to reset the gravel and the drain outlet.”

Romero explained she planned to rework an existing wall along the alley, one that is out of compliance but has been in place for decades.

“We don’t have the money to do the wall now. We are looking for a home equity loan to get the project done,” she said.

Romero agreed the older wall was out of compliance, and it was her intent to build the new wall to meet code requirements and setbacks.

“What we would like to do is to rework the front wall to bring it into compliance when we do the sidewall along the alley,” she said.

“The inspector made a mistake,” Councilman Charles Sodl said. “Council really doesn’t want to pay to have this moved. Your offer is an effective compromise.”

Council will send Romero a letter that says she has until October 2017 to get the old sidewall removed and replaced. The sidewall will tie into the front landscaping wall that was causing the concern.

In other action, council approved the borough’s 2017 budget. The new budget will increase tax rates to 3.83 mills. This is a 0.2-mill increase over the 2016 budget. Council made several changes in the allocation of general fund revenues to fund departmental projects.

Council reappointed Melvin Procanyn, Jane Gillespie and Faye Schreiner to the library board. Council accepted the resignation of Addie Todal from the park and recreation board.

Paul Myers, representing Commitment to Family and Community, commented on the requirement to upgrade the fire suppression equipment at the social club’s grill. At the time of the meeting, Myers had no formal notification of council’s requirements. Myers contended the only need to get the equipment in compliance was to check nozzle pressure.

“We understand that the system is not working now. We want it inspected and tied into the building alarm system,” Sodl said. “We are paying for the new alarm system. CFC needs to pay to get the fire suppression system at the grill inspected and tied in.”

Councilman Stephen Burker reported he had no word on the status of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources grant. The borough had submitted a grant request for enhancements at Saylor Park.

Burker also reported residents are complaining about feral cats.

“The people I talked to said it is the worst they have seen in years,” he said.

Coplay was once considered a leader in the Valley with its Trap, Neuter and Release program.

“The conversations I had were that it was hard to get the people in charge to respond,” Burker said.

Borough Secretary Sandra Gyecsek will alert the Feral Cat Committee and follow up on the problem.