New to the Borough

With a New Year and a new Mayor, changes are coming to the Borough. At the Jan. 2, 2012 , Mayor Higgins announced a new program to create stronger communication between the council and residents as well as the reorganization of five areas of government.

“I am pleased to announce a new program. Each Thursday, from 4:00 p.m. till 5:00 p.m. I will be in the to meet with you. If you have a complaint, wish to speak with me but can’t attend a council meeting or hopefully have a compliment about our services, you are always welcome to visit,” said Higgins at the meeting. 

In addition to more face time between the council and residents, Higgins also introduced the consolidation of five separate areas of government to better organize related government activities.  

“This year five areas of government will be reorganized into two existing committees and three new committees to bring together related activities of our government,” Higgins explained.

The three new committees are the Public Safety Committee, the Planning, Historic Preservation, and Code Committee and the Events Committee.

An email from Councilman George Schnurr outlined the three new "Super Committees".

The Public Safety committee shall consist of three Council members and monitor the public safety services provided by the police department, fire department, first aid squad, and Office of Emergency Management. The committee shall receive reports from fire, EMS, and OEM at least yearly basis and from the police department on a monthly basis and report those findings to Mayor and Council. The committee shall meet at least quarterly. The committee shall serve as the liaison from these departments to the Borough.

The Planning, Historic Preservation and Code Committee will consist of three Council members, one who represents the planning board, one who represents HPC, and one who serves as the liaison to the Code Office. The Planning Board liaison shall serve as the committee chairman. The committee shall serve as a clearinghouse for any issues effecting planning, HPC, and/or the Code/Construction officer. The committee shall, after review of existing policies and procedures, make recommendations to Planning Board, HPC and the code office for consistent and effective policy. The committee shall meet at least quarterly or at the request of the Mayor or any committee member.

The events committee shall meet as needed to coordinate and facilitate events planned by the Memorial Day Committee, Recreation Commission, or Historical Preservation Committee. The committee shall report to Mayor and Council as needed and maintain communication with the Citizens Information Committee on an ongoing basis. This may be accomplished by the specific Council liaison for each event. The committee shall ensure, with the assistance of the Borough Financial Officer that funds from these events are accounted for through use of Borough accounts. 

For more information regarding Borough Committees and programs please visit their website.