Montrose borough tables planning appointments

BY STACI WILSON

After meeting in executive session, Montrose Council tabled the appointment of members to the borough planning commission at the Monday, April 2 meeting.

Council president Tom LaMont also said he needed to discuss litigation in the closed door session. Following the executive session, borough solicitor Marion O’Malley said she would be following up with Attorney Boland regarding pending litigation.

When questioned on the need for an executive session for planning appointments, Councilman Sean Granahan said that with the new rules in place, questions could only be asked at the end of the meeting.

However, as soon as discussion of the final agenda item ended, council adjourned the meeting without opening the meeting for public comment and took no questions from the audience.

The rules adopted by council Feb. 14 make no mention of public comment only being allowed at the conclusion of the meeting.

Restrictions adopted by council included limiting those who can speak at meetings to borough residents and taxpayers and limited speaking time to three minutes.

The adopted rules also call for those wishing to make agenda requests fill out a request form prior to3 p.m.the business day prior to the meeting.

However, the council president has discretion over who will be allowed to address council on the agenda, according to the rules.

In the present form, council’s rules do not place limits on questions regarding agenda items opened for discussion.

Council’s attorney stipulated in court that several of the restrictions adopted regarding the recording of meetings would be dropped or amended after being served with an injunction.

The borough amended the rules regarding audio and video recording of meetings at the March meeting.

After the executive session, Craig Stevens, ofSilverLakeTwp., attempted to ask council about a Feb. 6-7 email exchange between council members in which Stevens and a water hydrant onJessup St.was mentioned.

But O’Malley, LaMont and Granahan all said they would not be taking his comments at the meeting.

In other business, the borough adopted resolutions to add LaMont signature to borough banking accounts and remove Councilman Todd Chamberlain as signatory from those accounts. LaMont replaced Chamberlain as borough president in January.

Mayor John Wilson was appointed to serve on the County Communications Committee.

Tax collector David Colwell will be reimbursed $1098.40 for a series of payments made to DCED.

The borough voted to pay $150 to the Endless Mountains Visitors Bureau.

Clearing operations have started in connection with the Rt. 706 project from Tiffany Corners through the borough.

An informational meeting about the project may be scheduled.

Councilman Tony Pickett said tractor trailers and sand trucks are parking in the south municipal lot. Pickett said he was concerned with how the trucks were getting into the lot.

LaMont said his biggest concern was the weight limit coming in and out as well as the parking lot itself. He said the south lot is “nothing but a drain.”