Alburtis Borough Council held its reorganization meeting Jan. 5. Outgoing Mayor Kathleen Palmer administered the oath of office to Hector Moss, Steve Hill, John Aleszczyk and Michael Gerhart. The gavel was then handed to Moss.

Ron DeIaco was elected president and Hill was elected vice president.

Aleszczyk was elected second vice president in a 4-3 vote. Steve Mehl was elected as vacancy board chair.

Resolution No. 2026-2 appointed the following: Borough Manager Stephen Nemeth, Borough Treasurer Brenda Bower, Borough Solicitor David Knerr, Borough Engineer Ott Consulting, Inc., Borough Fiscal Consultant Matthew Mumma, Zoning Officer Nemeth, Assistant Zoning Officer Barry Isett & Associates, Construction Code Inspector and Enforcement Official Barry Isett & Associates and Property Maintenance Code Enforcement Official Barry Isett & Associates.

The Jan. 14 meeting had a focus on routine business, public safety needs and longer-term municipal operations. The meeting was called to order 7 p.m. and council opened the floor for public comments.

Rev. Geoffrey Whitcomb stepped up to the podium to announce he is running for the PA House 187th district democratic seat. He took comments and thoughts from council members about their concerns. Following their short discussion, council moved into executive session.

Council approved the minutes from the Dec. 29, 2025 and Jan. 5 meetings without changes, followed by approval of bills for payment to keep borough operations current.

Aleszczyk requested council add and approve the new purchase of the police car to the bills for payment, which was done unanimously. This cleared the way for reports on borough operations, finances and emergency services.

Mayor Hector Moss delivered the first mayoral report of the year. Moss started by thanking and welcoming new police officer April Knerr. He then announced he is looking into a traffic sign with the police department and requested to upgrade the PCs for the police department. These items will be listed on the next meeting’s agenda.

Moss also said he is starting a Mayor’s Recognition Award to give citizens a chance to be recognized by the borough for work within the community.

The police report outlined recent activity and department operations. The treasurer’s report detailed the borough’s financial position, revenues and expenditures.

The borough engineer’s report updated council on infrastructure and maintenance-related items.

A report came from the Macungie Ambulance Corps, covering service levels and emergency response statistics.

Council also received the Lower Macungie Fire Department’s 2025 statistical review, which summarized call volume and fire service activity over the past year and highlighted trends relevant to regional emergency planning.

New business kicked off with some equipment needs and public safety concerns.

Council approved a request from the maintenance department to purchase a new mower.

Next, a request from the police department to purchase an automated external defibrillator was approved, with Nemeth stating each of the police cars needs an AED and one of the cars is missing an AED.

Speeding concerns within the borough were discussed, with Gerhart introducing and explaining various traffic-calming approaches.

There was pushback from other members of council due to the inability to enforce all the traffic violations within the borough already.

Council members continued by discussing various traffic problems within the borough, citing many examples. It was decided the highway safety committee would discuss this further.

Council discussed the importance of compliance with FEMA National Incident Management System courses, noting training requirements are critical for emergency preparedness and eligibility for certain types of funding. Members also reviewed available resources for elected municipal officials, focusing on education and training opportunities to support effective governance.

With no further business to address, council adjourned the meeting after completing the agenda.

The next meeting will be held 7 p.m. Jan. 28 at 260 Franklin St.