The Slatington Borough Council focused on the future during its last meeting of the year.

New projects and personnel changes were highlighted along with the adoption of the upcoming year's budget.A part-time police officer, Jarrod Buler, was added to the force Monday night."It'll give the officers who've been working these long hours a break," Police Chief David Rachman said.The resignation of animal control officer Linda Steets led to the council eliminating the position in the borough. Councilman Jon Rinker told the board he spoke with an Allentown Human Society board member who agreed that the borough does not need a new officer."The dogs we have to get rid of are no more than 10 or six if we are lucky," he said.Rinker said the organization will only charge $250 per dog brought to the facility."Someone would have to run the dog down there with a letter on borough letterhead so we don't get charged for dogs we didn't catch.""When I was animal control I only ever brought down three dogs," Mayor Wayne Niedermeyer said."They don't kill the dogs down there but we'll keep them for 48 hours at the sewer plant so we're not taking someone's dog," Rinker said. "We don't have to accept this, but if we get a dog in the next few weeks at least we have something."With the motion being passed, the next issue was the animal control car, which according to the board is ready for scrap."The car is falling apart; what do we do with it?" Niedermeyer asked."Why don't we take it to the scrap yard and use the money from it for a dog crate?" council President Gwyneth Jones asked.The board tabled the idea until the details are worked out during the next public safety committee meeting.The board will face two vacancies in the upcoming year with sewer authority Vice Chairwoman Laurie Schnaufer's term ending this year, asking not to be reappointed. Darrell Baus, authority secretary, will retire at the end of the month."After 16 full years of good work, he's retiring," Rinker said.Duane Dellecker, borough office manager, told the board about a beautification project budgeted for 2016."We will replace trees along Main Street, make repairs to borough buildings, replace worn traffic signs, upgrade technology and replace the furnace at the water plant," he said.Other upcoming projects such as the sidewalk project on the east side of Main Street to allow better access to Victory Park and impending street repairs throughout the borough along with a handful of others will mostly be funded through grants, Dellecker said.According to Dellecker, the borough is expecting a surplus of $111,497.