Coaldale Council may have better news regarding the leaking roof at the Coaldale Complex, the board learned during a meeting Tuesday.

Councilman Francis Hutta, a contractor, was appointed to fill the seat of Linda Miller, who died Nov. 16. He said he'd checked the roof and "has some ideas" on how to fix it. He asked council for permission to discuss the matter with a representative from the borough's engineering firm, Alfred Benesch & Co., and was given approval to do so.Hutta, who is chairman of the council's Complex Committee, said that the borough should develop contracts and waivers for people who rent the gym at the complex, which is the former Coaldale High School. Most people who rent the gym clean up after themselves, but some do not, he said."The building needs to be in the same shape, and kept clean," Hutta said. "Why should a borough worker have to go in there and clean it up?"On Hutta's suggestion, council directed solicitor Mike Greek to develop a use contract and waiver forms. Hutta also said he's started a log book to keep a written record of the building's use.The news may not be as good regarding a pending sewer repair project to a line under Route 209. During Tuesday's meeting, council members voted to spend $9,600 for Benesch to design a plan and handle the permitting process. As soon as possible, council would like to have a definite estimate on the cost.Council members voted to have a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 21 to discuss the budget and also hiring a part-time borough secretary. To help balance the 2015 budget, council had raised the sewer maintenance fee from $25 to $75, and those monies can be directed to the sewer repair project. During the council's reorganizational meeting Jan. 5, Krapf had suggested that council reopen the budget, and the motion was unanimously approved.President Thomas Keerans apologized for the borough's recent lapses in services to its residents caused by the lack of a secretary. Former secretary/treasurer Andrea Davis resigned in December."Things obviously have been in turmoil without having a borough secretary," Keerans said. "We're trying to get through this the best we can, and want to get this borough back up and running as quickly as possible."