North Catasauqua Borough Council held its second meeting of the month Jan. 20.

Marc Hillenbrand, with North Catasauqua Betterment Committee, started the meeting with a review of his organization’s activities in 2019 and a look ahead to plans for the rest of 2020.

In 2019, the committee spent more than $18,000 in contributions to the borough, in addition to the carnival, Autumnfest and car cruises. Those contributions included custom banners and 70 American flags that have been hung around town, flowers planted in the park, a defibrillator for the emergency management department and several new telephone pole mounts for snowflake lights.

Hillenbrand says the committee hopes to do even more in 2020. He received council’s approval to schedule the 2020 carnival for June 10-13 and the car cruises to occur on the first Monday of every month May through September.

In her report to council, borough Secretary Tasha Jandrisovitz said she received three complaints about truck traffic in the past week. Specifically, the heavy shipping trucks, which have plagued the borough for the past year, were rerouted onto even worse paths because of UGI’s work on Howertown Road.

With half the road closed, UGI workers were instructing truckers to use small alleyways to get to and from the FedEx Ground shipping center on Willowbrook Road in Allen Township. This resulted in trucks getting stuck. Residents were also worried about the safety of their parked cars with tractor-trailers squeezing through narrow roadways.

Mayor William Molchany Jr. mentioned a multimunicipal task force, which has joined together to address the issue of truck traffic, met recently.

To concerned residents, Molchany said, “We’re on top of it, but it’s a slow process unfortunately.”

Borough Solicitor Steven Goudsouzian announced Northampton Borough is considering joining Catasauqua and North Catasauqua boroughs, East Allen Township and Hanover Township (Lehigh County) in the multimunicipal comprehensive plan, also known as the River Central Comprehensive Plan. The group is expected to have a formal kickoff sometime in April or May.

In his report for the public works department, Supervisor Travis Brett presented council with contract options for the removal of two large trees in the area of Sixth and Cherry streets. Council decided on services from Snowscapes, which will remove both trees for roughly $5,000.

Council also approved a $1,424 contract for preventive weed control in early spring at North Catasauqua William J. Albert Memorial Park and the Main Street public works complex.

President Peter Paone informed council the borough will receive more money than it asked for from the Livable Landscapes and Shade Structures grants, thanks to the Northampton County hotel tax. He expressed this came as a very pleasant surprise since he has never gotten more than he asked for in all his years of applying for grants for the borough.

In other business, the borough received half as much grant money as it had asked for to install signs for the D&L Trail. With the original cost accounting for two signs - one at the trail and one to lead people to it from Main Street - council settled for one sign on Main Street.

Interim Police Chief Chris Wolfer presented council with new parking fine rates for 2020 and beyond. The police department will be ordering 1,000 parking tickets, which Wolfer said should last for several years, so it is crucial all the information on them is appropriate and correct.

In explaining the choice for a $25 standard fine, Wolfer said high prices only result in more people contesting the tickets. The legal process that ensues could cost the department more time and money than it is worth.

Council agreed to the $25 fee for standard violations. They requested the $75 fee for more egregious violations, such as stealing handicap spots and blocking fire hydrants, be raised to $100.

Roger Scheirer gave a year-end report for the emergency management department and disclosed he and Greg Scheirer worked 314 hours in 2019. That time does not include the eight training courses they completed through Louisiana State University, which included active-shooter response training.

For 2020, the department will formulate a boroughwide evacuation plan as a contingency for any large-scale disaster. It also hopes to host an active-shooter response training course for other local government officials and borough employees sometime this year.

Council celebrated the news that the property at 1020-22 Second St. passed its final inspection Jan. 3. This ends a nearly three-year, back-and-forth situation between the borough and the property owner to get the building up to code and deemed fit for habitation.

Borough council will meet 7 p.m. Feb. 3 at borough hall, 1066 Fourth St.