Martinsburg Borough Council Minutes

Meeting Overview

The regular meeting of the Martinsburg Borough Council was held on Monday, January 4, 2021, at 7:00 p. m. in the municipal building. The meeting began with a prayer by Richard Brantner, Jr. , and the Pledge of Allegiance.

Attendance

Elected Officials Present:

• President P. Robert Dickson
• Vice President Durban D. Metzler
• Pro-tem Ed Bennett

Elected Officials Present via Zoom:

• Mayor Richard A. Brantner, Sr.
• Councilman Neil E. Gartland
• Councilman Charles E. Kensinger (via phone)
• Councilman Darin B. Meck
• Councilwoman Linda K. Smith

Other Attendees:

• Manager Richard Brantner, Jr.
• Secretary/Treasurer Jane Staily
• Chief Kerry Hoover
• Lt. Justin Davis
• Attorney Mike Gieg (via Zoom)

Appointments and Commissions

The council appointed members to various commissions and approved several staff appointments.

Commission Appointments:

• Safety: Charles Kensinger
• Property: Linda Smith
• Streets: Ed Bennett
• Finance: Rob Dickson
• Water/Sewer: Durban Metzler

Staff Appointments (Approved via Motion):

• Chief of Police: Kerry Hoover
• Fire Marshall: Kerry Hoover
• Pol Lieutenant: Justin Davis
• Solicitor: Gieg Law Offices LLC
• Zoning Officer: Richard Brantner, Jr.
• Open Records Officer: Jane Staily
• Deputy Emer. Mgmt. Coordinator: Dustin Russell
• Zoning Solicitor: Atty. Shawn Sullivan
• Engineer: Stiffler, McGraw & Associates
• Building Code Inspectors: MDIA and PMCA

Board Appointments:

• Zoning Hearing Board: Mark Fluke (3-year term ending 1/2024)
• Planning Commission: Linda Smith (4-year term ending 1/2025)
• Municipal Authority: Walter D. Foor (5-year term ending 1/2026)
• Vacancy Board: Vacant since Jan 2016

Committee Appointments:

• Pension Committee: Rich Brantner, Jr. , Durban Metzler, Jane Staily
• Emp. Med. Reimb. Com. : Rich Brantner, Jr. , & Rob Dickson
• Employee Benefits & Regs Manual: Rich Brantner, Jr. , Jane Staily & Linda Smith
• Revitalization Committee: Rich Brantner, Jr. , and Linda Smith
• Recycling Committee: Linda Smith and Neil Gartland
• Community Development Com. : Durban Metzler, Rich Brantner, Jr. , Linda Smith
• Police Personnel Review Committee: Rob Dickson, Durban Metzler & Ed Bennett
• Committee for Trooper Landon Weaver Memorial: Kerry Hoover, Rich Brantner (Sr. ), Rich Brantner, Jr. , Jonathan & Megan Zimmerman
• Government Advisory Committee Member: Richard A. Brantner, Sr.

Financial Reports

• Minutes Approval: Minutes from the regular meeting of November 2, 2020; the special meeting of November 12, 2020; and the regular meeting of December 7, 2020 were all approved unanimously.
• Financial and Treasurer’s Reports: Presented for December 2020 by Treasurer Jane Staily.
• List of Bills: The list for December 2020 (check nos. 10191-10218) totaling $270,521. 65 was approved. This amount includes a transfer of W. Gene Henry’s donation of $214,533. 00 and $50,000 to the Reserve Fund.

Departmental Reports

Mayor Richard Brantner (Sr. ) Report:

• Noted that the following day marked four years since Trooper Landon Weaver died.
• Reported a recent donation of $1,100. 00 from Tame Your Mane Hair Salon for the memorial fund.

Chief Kerry Hoover (Police Report):

• December was not a busy month for the department.
• A new police car was received and placed into service.
• Parades of vehicles were organized before Christmas to honor employees and residents of Homewood and Morrisons Cove Home.
• In-car cameras have arrived and are scheduled for installation.

Manager Rich Brantner, Jr. Report:

• Dec 15: Bettway installed cameras at outside entrances of the municipal building.
• Dec 16: A fire hydrant was hit and broken off on Silvery Lane in Homewood.
• Dec 16 & 17: Approximately 10-12 inches of snow fell; Justin Davis assisted with snow removal.
• Dec 17: Snow was cleaned up at the town center.
• Dec 18: President Rob Dickson signed paperwork for the property at 310 E. Allegheny Street, donated to the borough by W. Gene Henry.
• Dec 23: Water leak reported at 104 E. Penn Street.
• Dec 30: Water leak reported at 306 E. Allegheny Street.

Attorney Mike Gieg:

• Had no report but thanked the council for retaining their firm for 2021.

Other Business

• Martinsburg Volunteer Fire Company: Minutes from the December 14, 2020 meeting were included in the agenda. Manager Brantner reported that the fire company purchased apartments beside the fire hall and plans to demolish them in the next month or two to expand the station. All residents have moved out.
• Watershed Topic: Tabled until next month pending more information.
• Depositories: Council approved maintaining depositories at First National Bank (General Fund Checking/Reserve, Payroll, Equipment, Recycling, TPR Landon Weaver Memorial) and PLGIT (Building Maintenance, Highway Fund, Revitalization Project, Christmas Light Fund, Medical Care Reimb Plan, Police Pistol Range Fund).

The meeting adjourned at 7:40 p. m. on a motion by Ed Bennett, seconded by Durban Metzler.