LH City Council Reorganizes; Council Pay Hike Kicks In

by John Lipez

LOCK HAVEN – Three Lock Haven city council members, re-elected without opposition in November, were administered the oath of office by Mayor Rick Vilello at council’s reorganizational meeting Monday night.

Sworn in for new 4-year terms were Rick Conklin, Ted Forbes and Steve Stevenson. Stevenson was later re-elected council vice-president in a unanimous vote.

The three will be the first city council members to benefit from a pay hike council approved early last year.

Council members elected and returning to office this year and those elected in the future will be paid $3,600 a year, compared to the previous $1,200 a year.

Compensation for mayor also was increased last year, from the current $1,800 a year to $4,800 for the next mayor to be elected in 2015. Vilello, as the incumbent mayor, is not eligible for the hike in his final two years in office; he has already announced he will not seek a fifth term as mayor next year.

Council gave its approval for use of the city watershed as part of the Bald Eagle Megatransect scheduled for Oct. 4 this year.

Vilello said registration for this year’s event is already closed, 1,073 participants signing up over a 24-hour period earlier this month.

The mayor said entrants come from virtually every state east of the Mississippi River; Pennsylvania leads with 641, then New York with 74 and Florida with 56.