The Lehigh County Board of Commissioners met 7:30 p.m. March 25. The eight commissioners in attendance adopted both the meeting minutes from the Feb. 25 and March 11 board meetings without comment or question.

Chair Geoff Brace announced Resolution 2026-15 which would “celebrate the accomplishments of 4-H within Lehigh County and encourage our citizens to acknowledge and celebrate 4-H for its valuable service and continued efforts to empower youth with a foundation of success for a lifetime.”

Several 4-H educators and participating youth were in attendance to share their own success stories in honor of 4-H week which had occurred the week prior.

Brace proceeded to read a prepared statement in light of the District Attorney’s filing of new charges against Commissioner Zach Cole-Borghi earlier that morning.

Brace read, “The allegations against Commissioner Cole-Borghi are very serious. I will respect the legal process that will transpire. …There is no mechanism for the board of commissioners to remove a commissioner on the sole basis of criminal charges. This body will move forward with its legislative duties for the residents of Lehigh County.”

Brace further reinforced he feels the decision on resignation lies with Cole-Borghi himself.

When given the opportunity, Commissioner Jon Irons expressed his steadfast support of Cole-Borghi, even in light of the recent allegations. He provided a number of legislative successes which Cole-Borghi has fought for in his time as commissioner, event stating Cole-Borghi’s absence from the meeting is “a loss for the people of Lehigh County.”

On the other side, Commissioner Antonio Pineda shared his unwavering belief Cole-Borghi should resign as the charges will “only deepen the concerns surrounding his ability to serve in this office.”

While Commissioner Ron Beitler had not previously called for Cole-Borghi to resign after the first charges were filed, he has changed his position because he now believes “Commissioner Cole-Borghi can no longer effectively perform his duties. This is not exclusively because of additional charges, but rather because in recent weeks, he’s used this dais to mount a public defense. He’s had to abstain from multiple votes related to the courts, and he’s used our public forum to criticize county officials involved in the prosecution of his case.”

George Rivera, of South Whitehall Township, took to the podium to share his own passionate beliefs regarding the matter, as well as to specifically call out the statements shared by the commissioners.

Rivera depicted support of Cole-Borghi as “erroneous” and clarified, “to support someone that is poisoning their own community is ridiculous. That’s not leadership.”

Continuing on with the business of the evening’s meeting, several appointments and reappointments were on the agenda. The motion to reappoint Joseph J. McDermott, Tammi S. Bateman and Donald Senderowitz to the Lehigh County Board of Assessment Appeals with a term expiring Dec. 31, 2029, was approved with no opposition. Additionally, Kimberly Townsend received a positive recommendation and was unanimously appointed to the Mental Health/Intellectual Disabilities Board with a term expiring Dec. 31, 2028.

Paul Semmel was unanimously reappointed to the Lehigh County Conservation District Board of Directors. Pineda spoke in support of Semmel’s reappointment as farmer director and noted Semmel will be 90 years old at the conclusion of his term Dec. 31, 2029.

Lastly, Michael Drabenstott received a positive recommendation and was successfully reappointed to the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission with a term expiring Dec. 31, 2029.

Bill 2026-10 was unanimously approved to amend Ordinance No. 2023-143. This ordinance previously authorized $62.4 million in general obligation bonds for capital projects and will now allow for $10 million of the unused money to be evenly split and redirected toward both the Cedarbrook completion project and investing in the Lehigh County Authority-owned pretreatment plant which services industries in the Upper Macungie Township area. Several commissioners commented favorably upon both the economic and environmental benefits this $5 million investment will provide.

Bill 2026-11 approved subgrant funds from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania under the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program to upgrade the Fountain Hill Elementary School of the Bethlehem Area School District.

Lastly, Bill 2026-12 approved adding a new section to the Lehigh County Administrative Code as a means to require annual reporting from the Office of Assessment. As was clarified several times throughout the evening and during the bill’s first read March 11, the bill does not call for reassessment, but simply prompts the conversation and better prepares the board should reassessment be necessary.

Under new business, Resolution 2026-11 accepts a donation from J.D. Eckman, Inc. for asphalt millings to be recycled and reused at the Jordan Creek Parkway, valued at approximately $2,800. This resolution, deemed a “no-brainer” by Beitler, was unanimously approved.

The next three resolutions were also approved with no opposition. Resolution 2026-12 approved a professional services agreement with El Law, LLC, for Attorney Edwin Leon to serve as criminal conflicts counsel.

Resolution 2026-13 approved a professional services agreement with Cristina Paredes-Salazar to provide interpretation services for the 31st judicial district of PA. Lastly, Resolution 2026-14 approved an agreement with the Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley, Inc. to provide violence prevention counseling services for crime victims to help ensure they do not become a part of the criminal justice system in the future.

Nearing the conclusion of the meeting, Pineda shared some of his experiences from the Spring CCAP Conference in Harrisburg. Spanning the varying topics of data centers, water usage and juvenile detention centers, he expressed the value of connecting with other counties to both share information and better make informed decisions for that of Lehigh County.

The Lehigh County Board of Commissioners will meet for its first bimonthly meeting of the month 7:30 p.m. April 8.