During the Bath Borough Council meeting Dec. 9, a resident asked about the upcoming Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) program and its cost. The borough is required to develop a plan to deal with the discharge of pollutants to protect water quality as required by the Clean Water Act.

Municipalities are required to develop and implement a stormwater management program. There are six minimum control measures to be contained in the program, including public education and outreach, public participation/involvement, illicit discharge detection and elimination, construction site runoff control, post-construction runoff control and pollution prevention/good housekeeping.

The resident asked about the cost for residents. There were no clear answers, except to say there may be several tiers of costs levied on residents and businesses based on several factors. It is expected property owners will receive an MS4 bill in 2025. The amount can be appealed or requests for a credit can be applied for.

Bath Borough Council President Frank Hesch said the MS4 program is in early stage of development. The costs are expected to be as fair as possible for residents.

Council recently developed an MS4 Authority, which will be addressing all issues that occur as the MS4 program is being developed. Hesch noted the meetings are open to the public. The total cost for the borough’s MS4 requirements may reach $500,000.

The next MS4 Authority meeting is planned for 6 p.m. Jan. 27, 2025. Hesch encouraged residents to attend.

The Bath Fire Department report for November included 40 calls, with a year-to-date number of 326. The spike was attributed to small fires because of the recent drought. A burn ban continues in Northampton County that includes Bath.

Mayor Fiorella Reginelli Mirabito thanked all who assisted at the recent holiday tree-lighting ceremony. She noted she received many accolades from residents about the event.

Reginelli Mirabito reported the family in need selected to receive items for Christmas are very grateful for the gifts, which included food donations, furniture, gift cards and more.

“The generosity extended to the family was overwhelming,” she said.

The parks and recreation committee report noted the planned band shell project now has a lay out. It was suggested the volunteers to build the band shell be coordinated by the end of February. The plan is to have the band shell in operation by summer 2025.

There was a discussion about the schedule for committees and other scheduled meetings for 2025. Council voted for the 2025 borough meeting schedule to remain the same as 2024.

Bath Water Authority announced there is no increase in water fees for 2025.

Borough Engineer Ron Madison noted the Old Forge Estates street light project is delayed. It was originally planned for completion by the end of 2024. Completion is now expected to be in February 2025.

Council passed a motion to extend the municipal solid waste contract extension with JP Mascaro into a fourth year. This will extend the contract for 2026 and includes a 6% increase in fees.

Resolution 2024-013 to add public works employees as parking code officials was tabled until the next council meeting.

Ordinance 2024-737 was approved to be advertised. It allows for an accessible parking zone on the 100 block of North Walnut Street, adjacent to the yellow curbing on the east side of North Walnut Street.

All resolutions and ordinances are available for review by visiting bathborough.org or by calling the borough office.

The next Bath Borough Council meeting is set for 6 p.m. Jan. 13, 2025, at borough hall, 121 S. Walnut St. The meeting is recorded on YouTube and accessible at bathborough.org.