Lansford Borough Council handled the following items at its monthly meeting last week:

• Announced a zoning board meeting will be held Sept. 21 at 6 p.m.

• Appointed Council President Joe Genits as right-to-know officer and Councilwoman Michele Bartek as an alternate. Council will change this after permanent administrative staff positions are determined.

• Authorized Portnoff Law to collect delinquent trash fees and real estate taxes for the borough.

• Waived fees for the Lansford – Coaldale Joint Water Authority for street openings for the West Abbott Street water improvements.

• Acknowledged the fall Town Cleanup dates from Casella Waste Systems as Oct. 24 on the east side of town from Springgarden Street and Oct. 31 on the west side of town from Springgarden Street to Ashton Park.

• Approved a special event form from Friends of Lansford Recreation and Lansford Alive for a Tree Lighting in Kennedy Park from 4-7 p.m. Dec. 1 to 6.

• Set Halloween trick or treat for Oct. 31 from 5-7 p.m.

• Announced council will begin negotiations with the police union to work toward a new contract on Sept. 30 at 4:30 p.m.

• Approved line painting request and appropriate signage for no parking at a commercial driveway at 164 W. Ridge St.

• Authorized the solicitor to review and amend the borough’s towing ordinance to allow police and the borough to tow vehicles for violations.

• Discussed raising fines for ordinance violations from $25 to a minimum of $100. The matter will be reviewed at a future workshop meeting.

• Approved a resolution to allow the Panther Creek Valley Foundation Inc. to award contracts as outlined in accordance with Local Share Account grant guidelines. This is for the No. 9 Mine and Museum.

• Approved establishing a No Parking Zone on the south side of the 700-block of East Patterson Street to conform with the state guideline for a Highway Occupancy Permit for the AutoZone project.

• Approved the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation form M-950AA related to the AutoZone Highway Occupancy Permit.

• Approved monthly bills and expenditures as presented.

• Approved the 2027 Minimum Municipal Obligation for police pension, currently calculated at $74,782. State aid, which will be known later this year, should reduce that by $27,000.

• Increased the bond for Borough Secretary Ashley McLauglhin to $1 million, as she undertakes treasurer duties.

• Advertised for heating oil bids for the borough garage and borough hall due by Oct. 14.

• Approved preparation of bid specifications for hiring contractors for snow removal and will discuss hiring additional plow drivers at a later meeting.

• Announced there were no bids for the Ashton Park concession stand improvement project. Council discussed rebidding and seeking contractors through the borough website and state sites, but no formal action was taken on the grant-funded project. The grant must be used by Dec. 15.

• Announced that meeting on the Parkway Road improvement project was scheduled. Work on this rehabilitation project was unlikely this year, Genits said, but borough crews could repair potholes this year.

• Released $21,340 from the Fire Escrow Funds for 505 E. Ridge St.

• Approved applying to Jim Thorpe National Bank to obtain new borough credit cards, replacing prior arrangements with another store credit card.

• Authorized the solicitor to look into the ownership of the west sidewalk area of the Panther Valley stadium. Council members requested any fees be split with the school district.