Three Nesquehoning borough sanitation workers are moving departments, officials report.

On Wednesday, borough council voted to offer its sanitation employees an agreement that will keep them employed. The sanitation department, which collects the borough's trash, is now being contracted through Tamaqua Transfer, effective Oct. 1.Council President David Hawk said that council has met with the affected employees and their union representative over the past few weeks to discuss what is happening and figure out an agreement to avoid layoffs.Under the terms of the offer, which will be effective Monday, Sal Digilio will be transferred to the streets department as a full-time driver, Andrew Staehle will be transferred to the streets department as a full-time laborer, and Leonard Michlousky will be placed on a swing position between the sanitation, streets and sewer departments.Snowplowing is required by the streets department and further discussion with the employees would be taking place.In addition, Hawk said, the seniority of the employees will be determined during the negotiations of a new contract; the three employees would also remain members of Teamsters Local union.The employees will now have the opportunity to review the offer and either accept or reject it.Hawk said that if the offer is rejected, the alternative is layoffs.In other business, the borough adopted an amended snow emergency ordinance regarding restricting parking along borough streets between Nov. 15 and March 31 during snow events, as well as added a new section in the ordinance that prohibits private snowplow operators from plowing borough streets.In the past, council said private plowers pushed snow into piles in the middle of blocks, creating headaches for borough crews and costing extra time and money to remove the piles.In addition, council also approved the $134,295 payment for its 2015 minimum municipal obligation into the uniformed and nonuniformed personnel pension fund.A special budget meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 22, immediately before borough council's next regular meeting, to allow residents to ask questions about any spending in the budget.