DECLARATION OF DISASTER EMERGENCY

WHEREAS, on or about December 16 & 17, 2020, Winter Storm Gail will cause or threaten to cause injury, damage, and suffering to the persons and property of the Borough of Selinsgrove; and

WHEREAS, the disaster has endangered the health, safety and welfare of a substantial number of persons residing in the Borough, and threatens to create problems greater in scope than the Borough, may be able to resolve; and

WHEREAS, emergency management measures are required to reduce the severity of this disaster and to protect the health, safety and welfare of affected residents in the Borough;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, the undersigned Mayor of the Borough of Selinsgrove, pursuant to the provisions of Section 7501 of the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Services Code, (35 PA C.S., Section 7501), as amended, do hereby declare the existence of a disaster emergency in the Borough of Selinsgrove;

FURTHER, I direct the Borough Emergency Management Coordinator to coordinate the activities of the emergency response, to take all appropriate action needed to alleviate the effects of this disaster, to aid in the restoration of essential public services, and to take any other emergency response actions deemed necessary to respond to this emergency.

STILL FURTHER, I authorize officials of the Borough of Selinsgrove to act as necessary to meet the current exigencies of this emergency, namely: by the employment of temporary workers, by the rental of equipment, by the purchase of supplies and materials, and by entering into such contracts and agreements for the performance of public work as may be required to meet the emergency, all without regard to those time-consuming procedures and formalities normally prescribed by law, mandatory constitutional requirements excepted.

This Declaration shall take effect immediately.

The Borough of Selinsgrove is currently looking for someone to fill a vacant Council seat. If interested, please read the duties of Council (provided below), send a letter of interest, and provide a current resume to the attention of the Borough Manager/Secretary, Lauren Martz, by the end of December. The information can be emailed directly to Mgr. Martz at lmartz@selinsgrove.org, placed in the water bill drop box on the Union Alley side of the building, or handed to a staff member at the 1 N. High Street door during business hours. A decision will be made at the Borough Council Meeting on January 4, 2021.
Council’s Duties:
Council’s major duties include the enactment of legislation, the raising and spending of public money, land use regulation, and the provision of public services. Within Selinsgrove Borough, these public services include sanitary sewer and public water services.
By law, Council must meet at least once a month to conduct its business. Pennsylvania’s “Sunshine Act” requires that Council take all official actions in public at such a meeting and that the public be notified and provided an opportunity to comment at these meetings.
This “Sunshine Act” also applies to the various subcommittees of Council. These committees each deal with a substantial area of Borough Government and also hold public meetings to deliberate about issues within their respective areas and to make recommendations for action to the full Council.
All of Council’s powers are prescribed by Pennsylvania statutes, particularly the Pennsylvania Borough Code. In general, Council is empowered to adopt ordinances and regulations in the interest of the health, safety and general welfare of the residents. In Selinsgrove Borough, the members of Council receive no compensation.

Come join us to make the downtown sparkle!

Downtown Decorating for the holidays will take place on Sunday, November 15th. If you would like to help deck the halls (or the downtown equivalent), join us at the Commons at 9:00 a.m. Although we’ll be working outside, we want to keep everyone safe and so will be wearing facemasks. If you’d like to volunteer, please contact Janie Coyne (janecoyne@verizon.net) so we’ll have an idea of how many helpers to expect. 

Virtual Council Meetings

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Governor’s Stay-At-Home Order, Selinsgrove Borough Council will continue to practice safe social distancing and wear face masks during their regularly scheduled Council meetings at the Borough Offices located at One North High Street Selinsgrove, PA 17870 until further notice. To find the date for each Council meeting please check out the Borough Event Calendar on the Borough website at:  https://selinsgrove.org/calendar/. The agenda for each Council meeting will be posted on the Borough’s website at: https://selinsgrove.org/government/borough-council-agendas-minutes/.

 

The building will be physically limited to staff and Council, but the public may participate in this meeting and future meetings virtually. Any interested members of the public who want to participate via phone will need to call the Borough Office at 570-374-2311 or email the Borough at borough@selinsgrove.org to pre-register for the meeting and receive a call-in code or link for the virtual Council meeting. Individuals interested in participating in this meeting should notify the Borough as soon as possible and by no later than 4:00 PM on the day of the scheduled Council meeting.

 

Additionally, interested individuals may also provide comments and/or questions prior to each meeting either by calling the Borough Office at 570-374-2311, dropping written questions in the “Water Bill” mail slot on the front of the Borough Building or by emailing comments and/or questions to the email address listed above. Comments and/or questions received will be read aloud and responded to during the Council meeting. Please continue to monitor our website, www.selinsgrove.org, for alerts affecting Selinsgrove Borough residents.

 

Lauren Martz

Borough Manager/Secretary

There is currently a Drought Warning for Snyder County and many other counties in the State of Pennsylvania which is due to “low stream flows, declining groundwater levels, and below-normal precipitation primarily across counties in the central and western portions of Pennsylvania.”

You will notice the Drought Phases listed on each water/sewer/recycling bill sent out to residents of the Borough.

The Drought Phases:

Drought Watch – Voluntary reduction of water use by 5%

Drought Warning – Voluntary reduction of water use by 10%

Drought Emergency – Mandatory water restrictions and implementation of water rationing.