Catching Up With City Council

Legislation that will provide benefits equal to those of married couples for city employees in a committed same-sex relationship was formally introduced at the Easton City Council meeting Wednesday evening.

, and at the council's next meeting.

When passed, Easton will be only the fifth municipality in Pennsylvania to provide equal partner benefits for city employees.

City officials said the extension of benefits is unlikely to affect the city's bottom line significantly due to it applying to only a small number of employees. The likelihood of fraud is also low, they have said, because, unlike benefits extended to heterosexual married couples, same-sex partner benefits are subject to taxation.
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The distribution amounts of funds from was announced Wednesday evening. Nine events and organizations will receive the following amounts in support of their 2011 activities:

• Arts Community of Easton - $857

(Amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.)

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City officials say they plan to meet with UGI representatives about their concerns of the company's handling of a gas leak in College Hill earlier this week.

Caused when a construction crew nicked an underground line, it took an hour and a half for the gas provider to stop the leak, Mayor Sal Panto said, adding that he had an issue with the company reportedly not wanting to turn the gas main off at the valve because they would have to manually relight everyone's pilot lights.

“You had to be there. You could smell the gas bad and hear the hiss,” he said.

The leak affected residents of the 200 to 400 blocks of Cattell Street and homes about a half a block west, officials said, and closed the street for hours.

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The city council vote approving the lease agreement for was tabled Wednesday evening after members decided the document needed a minor language change before they could give it the okay.

The 5-year agreement will pay for the programming for the city's new smart meters, including the city's first 'gang meter' for the South Third Street parking lot, which will also accept bills and credit and debit cards. The meters will also be able to keep track of payments, enforce time limits and alert parking enforcement officers when a meter has expired.

The matter is expected to be reintroduced and approved at the council's next regular meeting on Wednesday, May 25.

“Parking enforcement is going to be more effective and more fair when we have the smart meters,” said Councilman Jeff Warren.
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Representatives from will give a presentation on the company's services at the next city council workshop meeting on May 24, Mayor Sal Panto said.

The company offers points redeemable for coupons and other rewards based on the amount participating members recycle.