Council Agenda for February 3rd

Before I get into the agenda, let me remind you that this is the day Norristown's own Nora the Groundhog will make her long-range weather prediction about the rest of the winter. I'm betting (and hoping) she doesn't see her shadow.

This week's council meeting is Tuesday at 7:30 pm at Municipal Hall. Believe it or not, the agenda is up on the Norristown.org website today. You can read it at this link.

The meeting tomorrow night will include a presentation by Expressive Path, a non-profit in Montgomery County that helps adolescents, who may otherwise not have the opportunity, to participate in the arts. Their instructors provide lessons, workshops, art lectures, and career guidance at local recreation centers, schools, alternative programs, youth shelters, and churches.

There will also be a public hearing on the new zoning amendment for the OR District, the block taken up currently by Montgomery Hospital and the medical building and parking garage across from it. After the hearing, council will vote on the amendment, so if you have something to say, this is your chance. It would help if the Municipality had put the proposed code online somewhere so people could read it before the meeting.

The next item merely says "Grant Application – PLCB  Reducing Underage and Dangerous Drinking Program." PLCB is the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, and this is their grant program. The agenda doesn't say who exactly is applying for the grant--I assume the municipality--or what it would be used for.

Next item: "Motion to approve Resolution 15-108 – destruction of specific obsolete records." Without knowing exactly what or how many records are involved, I don't see how anyone is supposed to make an intelligent comment during the Public Comment period, which as always, comes BEFORE the business part of the meeting. Most of you know I'm a historian, so the destruction of records concerns me, even if they seem to be of no use to the current administration. I agree that we shouldn't be keeping mounds of old papers around, but in these days of easy scanning and digitalizing, there ought to be a way to keep at least a sampling of the records. I also think the public should know the nature of the records before the vote is taken.

Under Finance, there's a "Motion to approve Resolution 15-109 --consolidated fee resolution." No explanation. Again, no way to make an educated Public Comment beforehand.
The few other items on the agenda are for things like a trailer that Montgomery County wants to donate to the borough and HARB certificates.

Happy Groundhog's Day.