LH City Council Meeting Highlights: Local Events, New Ordinance for Vacant Buildings, and LHPD Co-Responder Program Approved
By Emily Wright
LOCK HAVEN— The Lock Haven City Council held its regular bi-weekly meeting Monday night, where it approved requests to use local parks, approved new regulations to enforce property maintenance and registration for vacant and foreclosure properties, and authorized participation in a Co-Responder program that incorporates mental health professionals with city police to assist in crisis situations. City Council also announced public hearings and virtual sessions for the 2024 CDBG program this month and voted to begin soliciting bids for 2024 garbage and sludge removal agreements.
With no comments from Lock Haven residents, the meeting opened with requests that were made to use city-owned properties to host events.
Downtown Lock Haven Inc. and The Apothecary requested to use Triangle Park, the Main Street parking lot, Fallon Alley, and Sarah’s Alley for a “Moonlight Market on Main” event on October 5 from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. The event will offer local vendors and food trucks at Triangle Park. On a motion made by council member Conklin, seconded by council member Brannan, and carried unanimously, the request was approved.
The next request came from Venture Crew 007 of the Susquehanna Council of Boy Scouts of America, who requested to use Peddie Park May 15-18, 2025, to host a camporee for all scouting units in the Bald Eagle district of Susquehanna Council, which includes all of Clinton and Lycoming counties. Venture Crew 007 plans to have a law enforcement and public safety event at the camporee and seeks to include as many Clinton and Lycoming County law enforcement officers as possible for the event. The event will kick off with a mock DUI crash that will involve law enforcement, EMS personnel, and fire crews, who will demonstrate the dangers and the aftermath of drunk driving. Upon roll call vote, the city council approved the request for the event unanimously.
Moving on to unfinished business, the city council considered an ordinance that would amend and replace Chapter 376 of the Lock Haven City Code, “Registration of Vacant Buildings.” The new ordinance enables better enforcement by property maintenance officers through the use of the Bureau of Property Registry. It defines the evidence of vacancy that would be used to determine whether or not a property is vacant, such as overgrown weeds and disconnected utilities, for example. The goal of the ordinance is to incentivize property owners to maintain or sell their vacant properties by imposing an annual registration fee.
The ordinance standardizes the language so that it is consistent with how other municipalities in Pennsylvania handle vacant properties. It adds a foreclosure element, where the registry would be filed with the bank rather than the property owner. Owners and mortgage lenders must register properties that are in foreclosure or have been vacant for over 30 days, update this registration every six months, and pay a fee. The registry will help to build a database for the city so that it is easier to identify and contact the managers and owners of vacant properties.
City Manager Greg Wilson noted that the evidence of vacancy will be available on the City of Lock Haven website this week, which can be viewed at https://lockhavenpa.gov/.
“We’re not talking about a rental unit that is vacant for three months while someone’s looking to get a new tenant into the location. It really is when a reasonable person looks at that property and sees that it has overgrown weeds, has utility notices posted on it, disconnected utilities, accumulation of junk, trash, and debris of vehicles and auto parts, the absence of furnishings and personal items, and no one ever physically being seen coming in and out,” Wilson explained. Council member Barbara Masorti added to Wilson’s statements to clarify that the ordinance does not apply to properties that are being actively renovated. “I just want it to be clear for property owners in the city to understand that we’re not talking about a vacant rental unit that you’re working on renovating or waiting for a new tenant. We’re talking about truly vacant properties,” she said. On a motion made by council member Conklin, seconded by council member Masorti, and carried unanimously, the ordinance was approved.
The next portion of unfinished business was the authorization for participation in the Police Department Co-Responder Program. The Co-Responder program is an initiative of the Police Mental Health Collaborative, supported by the Center for Community Resources (CCR). The Co-Responder is a mental health professional who will assist officers during crisis calls by providing crisis intervention, de-escalating situations, referring people to treatment, diverting them from incarceration, and reducing the risks of gun violence when responding to calls with the Lock Haven City Police. The program will be funded by a grant that will pay for the Co-Responder’s position through 2026, and the goal is to improve outcomes and reduce repeat offenses by having a mental health professional available to assist the police in responding to crisis calls.
Lock Haven City Chief of Police Matthew Rickard informed City Manager Greg Wilson about the progress of integrating a Co-Responder from the CCR in an email sent in late July. Chief Rickard reported that he had met with Morgan Granlund, CCR’s Program Manager, to designate a workspace for the Co-Responder in Lt. Gregory’s office. “I think this is a good opportunity for LHPD to provide a very valuable connection to those in crisis with the resources they need by a trained mental health professional,” Chief Rickard said. On a motion made by council member Conklin, seconded by council member Brannan, and carried unanimously, the authorization to participate in the Co-Responder program was approved.
Last to be discussed under unfinished business was the 2024 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) schedule. The city recently released a new CDBG schedule, and last Friday, August 2, the first public hearing notice was released. On Thursday, August 8, 2024, at 10:00 a.m., there will be a virtual interested applicant session, and on Monday, August 19, at 6:30 p.m., the first public hearing for the CDBG program will be held. Public hearings will be held in Lock Haven Council Chambers on the first floor of City Hall at 20 East Church Street. All public hearings will be broadcast on the City’s Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Under new business was a notice from Boni, Zack & Snyder, LLC, of filing on the city’s behalf against Express Scripts, Optum Rx, Indivior, Myland, and KVK Tech for opioid remediation. Boni, Zack, & Snyder LLC advised the city to take further legal action against additional companies involved in the opioid crisis.
The city has already filed lawsuits against Walgreens, Walmart, and other entities deemed responsible for the opioid crisis and settled with many of them. Now, based on ongoing federal litigation developments, it is recommended that Lock Haven file a praecipe for a writ of summons against five more companies: Express Scripts, OptumRx, Indivior, Mylan, and KVK Tech. Filing these additional lawsuits aims to hold these companies accountable for their roles in the opioid crisis and potentially secure further settlements or recoveries for Lock Haven.
The city council authorized the solicitation of bids for the 2024 garbage and sludge removal agreements, which will be effective January 1, 2025. Greg Wilson mentioned that this is taking place significantly earlier than normal, as several companies have requested the opportunity to bid but need time to order necessary supplies. The city provided a list of 31 areas where it has trash collection from its facilities and downtown locations. On a motion made by council member Brinker, seconded by council member Masorti, and carried unanimously, authorization to get the bids out was approved.
The last new business discussed was the nomination of a voting delegate for the 2024 Municipal Leadership Summit, which will take place October 10-13, 2024. Greg Wilson explained that the city is to appoint a voting delegate and an alternate voting delegate before preparing nomination sheets and collecting signatures from the council. Council member Masorti motioned to nominate council member Steve Stevenson as the voting delegate and council member Rick Conklin as the alternate. Council member Tami Brannan seconded Masortis’s motion, which was carried unanimously upon roll call vote.
Under FYI and reports of authorities, boards, commissions, and committees was an acknowledgment of Lock Haven’s Chief of Police Matthew Rickard, who was honored with a Patriot Award on July 31, 2024, by the Pennsylvania Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR)– Department of Defense office.
The Patriot Award recognizes exceptional support for employees serving in the National Guard and Reserve. Sgt. Brad Coder of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard nominated Chief Rickard due to his outstanding support of Coder’s military service, even when it impacted duty schedules. William Burkhard, ESGR North-Central Area Chair, presented the award to Rickard, emphasizing the importance of employer support for the readiness of the Guard and Reserve forces.
Rickard, a former Marine, expressed gratitude for the award and underscored the significance of supporting military personnel upon receiving the award, stating, “I am extremely thankful and pleased to receive the Patriot Award. Sgt. Coder is an outstanding individual, and it is important that we support the men and women serving in our active military and those who serve in the National Guard and Reserve forces.”
In addition to the award, Rickard signed a Statement of Support, pledging compliance with employment rights laws for service members and highlighting the value they bring to the workforce. The Lock Haven Police Department joins various prestigious organizations demonstrating support for the military.
The next Lock Haven City Council meeting will be held on Monday, August 19, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall. The meeting can be attended in person or via live stream on the Lock Haven City Facebook page and on YouTube.
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