Regular Meeting – immediately following COW

CITY COUNCIL

Meeting Agenda

REGULAR MEETING                             MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022

    VIRTUAL MEETING                       at the conclusion of the COW Meeting

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The Regular Meetings of City Council are filmed and can be viewed LIVE while the meeting is taking place via the attached Zoom link and dial-in phone number, on Facebook and on BCTV MAC Channel 99 or at your convenience at https://www.readingpa.gov/content/city-council-video. 

Due to COVID-19, the public is prohibited from physically attending the meeting. To attend the meeting via our virtual app, please log-in using the link or the dial-in phone number below.  Please see the Public Comment Instructions on Page 2.

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RULES FOR PUBLIC PARTICIPATION AT COUNCIL MEETINGS

The Administrative Code, Section § 5-209 defines public participation at Council meetings. 

1. Citizens attending Council meetings are expected to conduct themselves in a responsible and respectful manner that does not disrupt the meeting. 
2. Those wishing to have conversations should do so in the hall outside Council Chambers in a low speaking voice.
3. Public comment will occur only during the Public Comment period listed on the agenda at the podium and must be directed to Council as a body and not to any individual Council member or public or elected official in attendance. Clapping, calling out, and/or cheering when a speaker finishes his comments is not permitted.
4. Citizens may not approach the Council tables at any time during the meeting.
5. Any person making threats of any type, personally offensive or impertinent remarks or any person becoming unruly while addressing Council may be called to order by the Presiding Officer and may be barred from speaking, removed from Council Chambers and/or cited.
6. Failure to abide by these regulations could result in your removal from Council Chambers and/or a citation. These regulations are meant to avoid disruptions at the meeting and they are not meant to interfere with public participation.

1. OPENING MATTERS

A. CALL TO ORDER

B.  INVOCATION: Nilda Nieves, Feet on the Street Ministry

C.  PLEDGE TO THE FLAG

D. ROLL CALL

E.  EXECUTIVE SESSIONS:

2. PROCLAMATIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

Commendation – celebrating day-of-racial-healing-paint-solidarity

3. PUBLIC COMMENT – AGENDA MATTERS:

Due to COVID-19 the public speaking requirements have been modified.  Comments posted in Zoom Chat and on Facebook are not considered public comment and a response may not occur.

Public Comment Instructions:

• To comment at a Regular Business Meeting, citizens can register by calling or emailing the City Clerk's Office by noon on the day of the regular meeting. Instructions to access the virtual meeting app or dial-in will be provided upon registration. Call 610-655-6205 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Public comment for Regular Business meetings will also be accepted in writing by 4pm on the day of the meeting through an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The message must clearly be marked as Public Comment. The comment received in writing will be read into the record at the Regular Meeting.
• Those wishing to provide in-person comment at a Regular Meeting in the Penn Room must register with the City Clerk no later than 4 pm on the day of the meeting by calling 610-655-6204 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..  The procedure to register to comment by signing a registration sheet before the start of the regular meeting will be suspended until the meetings are fully opened with everyone gathering in Council Chambers.
• Public speaking rules adopted by Council allow those speaking on agenda matters to speak for 5 minutes and 3 minutes for non-agenda matters.

All remarks must be directed to Council as a body and not to any individual Council member or public or elected official in attendance. Any comment that is personally offensive or impertinent will not be read into the record. Comments on agenda matters are limited to 5 minutes in length and comments on non-agenda matters are limited to 3 minutes in length.

4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA & MINUTES

A. AGENDA:  Meeting of January 242022

B. MINUTES:  January 10, 2021 Regular Meeting and approving the summation of discussion from the January 10 and 18, 2021 COW and the January 18^th Nominations Committtee meeting

5. Consent Agenda Legislation

The Consent Agenda is designed to provide efficient approval of non-controversial legislation that does not require discussion/debate by giving approval via acclimation when the meeting agenda is approved.  The President of Council will call Council’s attention to the list of Consent Agenda legislation at the meeting before action is taken, which allows Council to remove a piece of legislation for separate consideration. 

A. Resolution – ratification of the Council Policy & Operations Handbook

B. Resolution – ratification of the policy agreement with BCTV

C. Resolution – appointing Kyle Zeiber to RATS (Reading Area Transportation Study)

6. ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT

7. REPORT FROM OFFICE OF THE AUDITOR

8. REPORT FROM DEPT. DIRECTORS, BOARDS, AUTHORITIES, & COMMISSIONS

9. ORDINANCES FOR FINAL PASSAGE

A. Bill No. 106-2021 – amending the City Code Chapter 23 Part 1201 Downtown Revitalization Public Private Partnership Introduced at the December 13 regular meeting; tabled at the December 27 and January 10 regular meetings

B. Bill No. 5-2022 – amending the 2022 Position Ordinance as per the Mayor to reflect a change to the title of the position of Executive Assistant in the Mayor’s Office to Special Assistant and to reflect an increase in the base salary of the Special Assistant position from $53,000 to $63,652.50 per annum Introduced at the December 27 regular meeting; tabled at the January 10 regular meetings

C. Bill No. 7-2022 – amending City Code Chapter 576 Snow and Ice Emergency Introduced at the January 10 regular meeting

D. Bill No. 8-2022 – authorizing the administration to write off the net unreimbursed cost allocations recorded between the General Fund and the City’s Water Fund where the City’s Water Fund was to reimburse the General Fund a net amount of $157,636.48 will both be adjusted to zero Introduced at the January 10 regular meeting

E. Bill No. 9-2022 – amending City Code Chapter 5, Part 202 General Provisions by adding the Third Class City Code requirement for council members to be sworn into office within 14 days of the organization meeting Introduced at the January 10 regular meeting

F. Bill No. 10-2022 – – directing the Berks County Board of Elections to place a referendum question before city voters on the 2022 Primary Election Ballot which would amend the City of Reading Home Rule Charter by eliminating the requirement for the City’s Public Works Director to be a civil engineer Introduced at the January 10 regular meeting

10. INTRODUCTION OF NEW ORDINANCES

A. Bill No.  - amending City Code Chapter 180 Entitled “Construction Codes”, Part 8 entitled “International Building Code”, Section 802 entitled “Amendments”, Letter J. entitled” International Building/Fire Prevention Code Board Of Appeals” Article 2 entitled “Membership”, Sections 2.3 entitled “Members” And 2.4 entitled “Qualifications” by allowing the participation of HVAC, Electrical Examining Board and Plumbing Board of Examiners to also serve on the International Building/Fire Board of Appeals

B. Bill - amending Chapter 70 Personnel, Part 5 Leave, Vacations and Holidays, Section 70-502 Holidays, Letter A by adding Juneteenth, as attached

11. RESOLUTIONS

A.  Resolution – appointing Johanny Cepeda-Freytiz as Council Vice President

B.  Resolution – appointing Linda Kelleher as City Clerk

C. Resolution – reappointing Craig Breneiser to the Fire Civil Service Board

D. Resolution – appointing Sarah Crothers to the Environmental Advisory Council

E. Resolution – reappointing Robert Conklin to the Planning Commission

12. PUBLIC COMMENT – GENERAL MATTERS

Please see public speaking rules on second page

13. COUNCIL BUSINESS/COMMENTS

14. COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE

Monday, January 24

Committee of the Whole – 5 pm

Regular Meeting – immediately following

Monday, February 7

Nominations & Appointments Committee – 4 pm

Committee of the Whole - Ethics/Charter Training – 5 pm

Monday, February 14

Committee of the Whole – 5 pm

Regular Meeting – immediately following

15. ADJOURN