The Lehigh County Board of Commissioners meeting Sept. 24 featured a robust new business section with the approval of numerous resolutions and motions. Before that section and first up in the preliminary agenda items, Commissioner Geoff Brace spoke to the public comment and dissent brought forth during the Aug. 27 meeting concerning Ordinance 2025-149.

This ordinance requires online participants to preregister the desire to comment during commissioners’ meetings and it is set to go into effect in October. While nothing changes for comments made during committee meetings or citizens who attend in person, virtual participants will be required to comply at the next board meeting Oct. 8.

In his commentary, Brace addressed the legality and constitutionality of this rule change by explaining the county Department of Law was consulted once again. He explained the ordinance was reviewed and holds up given the legal expectation for time, place and manner in public meetings. While still upholding the right to free speech, “time, place and manner” restrictions offer a balance with one’s constitutional First Amendment rights.

During citizen’s input, Susan Jordhamo, of Allentown, spoke regarding her experience visiting inmates in prison, as well as on behalf of her place in the Pennsylvania Prison Society. She vocalized the concerns of select inmates in the Lehigh County Jail who fear speaking up without disciplinary consequences.

Based on conversations with a couple inmates to whom she had spoken, Jordhamo likened the atmosphere within the Lehigh County Jail to a “war between COs and inmates.” She also expressed general disappointment over solitary confinement used as a punishment for inmates with suicidal tendencies or wishes to commit self-harm despite broad evidence proving solitary confinement worsens health.

Jordhamo concluded her input with the hope to shift the focus more toward the approach in European countries, where attention is also placed on what can be done to make inmates better citizens after time served.

Two bills received their second reading and were approved unanimously by all nine commissioners in attendance. The first was the approval of the donation of the Walnut Street Bridge plaque to the Slatington History Preservation Committee.

The second was a bill to approve a lease agreement with City Center Investment Corporation for parking spaces in the Fifth and Walnut streets lot.

Referencing the subject of the executive session held before the board of commissioners meeting, Brace addressed two motions regarding the Lehigh County’s participation in existing opioid litigations. Essentially, both motions move to seek Lehigh County’s participation in the Purdue and the Sackler family opioid settlement, as well as another eight individual opioid settlements.

Commissioners commented on both motions, stating the goal is to both hold opioid manufacturers accountable, but also to offer some measure of healing. Commissioner Sheila Alvarado clarified the opioid manufacturers “will continue selling despite the lawsuit,” further justifying the importance of their involvement to help and assist in the prevention of future victims.

A total of 10 resolutions followed.

Resolution 2025-47 approved a professional services agreement with Health Network Laboratories, LP, dba HNL Lab Medicine to provide laboratory diagnostic services to residents of Cedarbrook Senior Care and Rehabilitation in both the Allentown and Fountain Hill facilities.

Resolution 2025-48 approved an agreement with Mark43, Inc. to provide a software-based records management system for Lehigh County. Commissioner Jeffrey Dutt emphasized the importance of this upgrade as it pertains to the increased presence of commercial trucks as a direct result of the warehousing industry boom within the Lehigh Valley.

This agreement will ultimately provide efficient data management and prove essential to keeping records of violations for continued enforcement.

Resolution 2025-49 approved an agreement with Info-Matrix Corporation to continue maintaining compliance with the Pennsylvania Child Welfare Information Solution. This agreement “will allow caseworkers to be more effective in the field,” Commissioner April Riddick said.

The next five resolutions all seek to support applications for a grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority – Pennsylvania Gaming Local Share Account to subsidize a variety of physical purchases and funding. These include the purchase, installation and integration of a Vuwall Pak System for the emergency operations center, as well as the purchase of body worn cameras and in-vehicle cameras for the sheriff’s office, the department of corrections and the juvenile probation department.

Also included in the approval of these resolutions was the application for the purchase of a utility equipment truck for the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office and Forensic Center and a vehicle to be utilized by the adult probation and parole department’s sex offender unit.

Lastly, Resolution 2025-54 requests grant funding to help the construction of a new education center at the Lehigh Valley Zoo with the goal of increasing zoo visitation and expanding its capacity to implement on-site educational programs.

The final two resolutions for the evening approved professional services agreements with both J&M Preservation Studio, LLC to provide professional engineering services for the Lockridge Furnace Historic Site Rehabilitation Project and Info-Matrix Corporation for mobile application development that interfaces with the Automated Children and Youth System.

Nearing the conclusion of the meeting, Dutt emphasized being in the “home stretch” of the 2026 budget hearing process. He reiterated the budget and any amendments submitted by the commissioners will receive its first reading during the regularly scheduled board of commissioners meeting 7:30 p.m. Oct. 8. The second reading and vote on the budget will take place Oct. 22.