AVALON – Avalon Borough Council received a series of positive updates at its Sept. 14 work session.
Under the gun for submission of its annual Community Rating System review, council heard that the submission would occur before the deadline.
The borough had to switch to a consultant working with Avalon’s engineering firm, Mott MacDonald, this year when the individual who had handled the process for the last several years retired.
The CRS directly relates to the discount level homeowners can experience on flood insurance. Avalon was the first community in the county to achieve a Level 5 rating which equates to a 25 percent discount level. The borough fully expects to maintain that rating level for 2017.
Business Administrator Scott Wahl also informed council that the borough was completing work to standardize references to flood maps in its ordinances.
That would create a single point of reference to the most recent working maps from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Wahl also walked council through highlights of the revised Personnel Policy Manual.
It is the borough’s policy to review the manual every two years. Revisions, this time, include explicit references to other manuals an employee might access such as the beach patrol manual.
Updates to policies on employee dating, continuous coverage of borough offices throughout business hours, and disability policies are among the other changes.
Council also heard that the newly approved stipend program being installed to improve volunteer firefighter coverage at the fire house during off hours is moving closer to completion.
Control of funds from the borough to the department will come through a memorandum of understanding with adequate controls to maintain proper oversight on the use of funds.
With current contracts for its electric vehicle charging station and annual Independence Day fireworks display expiring, council approved a new bid process for 2017 and beyond.
Since the current charging station was installed five years ago, Wahl pointed out that a new bid process would be able to take advantage of newer, faster technology.
At the business meeting following the work session, council approved, on first reading, an ordinance allowing the recall of $7.25 million in water utility and general obligation bonds and the issuance of refunding bonds in the same amount.
The process allows the borough to take advantage of more favorable interest rates.
To contact Vince Conti, email vconti@cmcherald.com.
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