MOUNT CARMEL - By a 4-1 vote Thursday, Mount Carmel Borough Council granted its employees the ability to make brief personal calls and send texts.
Council members amended the employee policy to allow "incidental" personal use of cell phones or smart phones during work hours.
The policy allows concise replies to personal texts and calls while forbidding Internet surfing, using Facebook and gaming.
Mayor Philip "Bing" Cimino, who is not entitled to vote on council motions, spoke out against the policy.
"We had a problem in the past with it and we're going to have the same problem," he said. He added if someone needed to get in touch with an employee for an emergency, "they have their work phones."
"How are we going to know if they are abusing it?" asked Councilman Leroy "Chico" Moser, who was the sole dissenting vote.
Council President Tony Matulewicz said Borough Manager Edward T. Cuff III will be responsible for ensuring all employees are following the policy. Matulewicz has previously favored transitioning oversight of employees from the council to Cuff.
Councilman Joseph Lapotsky noted that borough employees operate in tight quarters, so Cuff can easily monitor everyone's behavior.
"If they abuse it, we could take it away," Councilman David Fantini said.
Gary Hixson and Clement Plisiewicz were absent from the meeting.
Council also approved by 5-0 votes:
- Advertising an amendment to the landlord ordinance requiring carbon monoxide detectors.
- Advertising an amendment adding curfew hours at recreational facilities. Police Chief Todd Owens said at a meeting Monday that the ordinance would only affect loiterers and not people walking through the park or attending events.
- Accepting the recommendation for SEDA-COG to award KPI Technology a contract paying $4,700 in exchange for pre-demolition engineering of 244 E. Second St.
Borough solicitor William Cole said that although Rutledge Excavating, Tyler Hill, was awarded a $9,700 contract to tear down the house last year, that contract and another for $21,440 to demolish the garage located on Oak and Seventh streets were rescinded after the contractor announced it needed to add charges for things like asbestos abatement that made the projects not "fiscally feasible."
Advertising bid specifications for the demolition of the borough garage was also approved.
- Advertising the sale of the garage purchased from the Mount Carmel Municipal Authority.
Council members said at Monday's work session that the garage was purchased for around $90,000 and is made of steel, but because of the way it is constructed, the price tag to build a foundation is too exorbitant for the borough. It is being stored inside the borough garage.
- Adding $8,000 for vehicle fuel, $4,800 for vehicle repairs, $3,900 for software support and $30,000 for tank cleaning to the Mount Carmel Municipal Authority's budget.
- Fixing the wage rate for a vacant sewer department laborer position at $12.50 per hour.
- Authorizing life insurance benefits for all non-uniformed employees.