BETHLEHEM, Pa. — A recurring theme of funding more firefighter positions in Bethlehem was again among the major topics of conversation at the Bethlehem City Council meeting on Tuesday.

Councilmember Bryan Callahan proposed fundraising options — including taxing nonprofits and nonresidents who utilize city services — to add four more firefighters to the city’s payroll.

“I want people who are using our services. If you’re outside of city limits or a nonprofit, and you’re using, on a regular basis, our city services and paying zero, that’s got to be researched and looked at,” Callahan said.

Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds said the city raises funds through the local services tax, or LST, which is paid by individuals working within the city.

Reynolds said the $52 tax paid by those working or self-employed within a municipality hasn’t been raised in 20 years and is being considered at the state level.

The city collects about $1.9 million annually from the tax.

He called the tax “a potential source of raising funds” and “one of the priorities we’re working on.”

“We only have so many revenue options,” Reynolds said.

Callahan and past Councilmember Grace Crampsie Smith voted down the city’s 2026 budget, saying they could not support a budget that does not fund additional firefighters, which they said the city is seriously lacking.

Crampsie Smith previously submitted budget amendments offering alternatives that would fund additional firefighters, but those proposals were voted down during earlier budget hearings.

Fire Chief Matthew Griffin has stated that the department is staffed to its budgeted complement of 106 firefighters, but remains concerned about overtime. The city is pursuing a comprehensive study to analyze call volume, staffing and paramedic responses, with officials noting staffing is only one component of that review.

Bethlehem IAFF Local 735 President Lou Jimenez said understaffing is a public safety issue and pointed to IAFF standards.

For instance, fire engines are staffed with three firefighters, while ladder trucks are staffed with two. A higher-ranking officer is currently overseeing three stations, including the Northwest station on Catasauqua Avenue, when there should be one officer assigned to each station, Jimenez said.

According to the proposed 2026 budget, the city spent approximately $1.2 million on firefighter overtime in 2024. Overtime spending for 2025 is projected at $500,000.

Snow emergency

Reynolds also addressed the potential of a snow emergency within the city, given the current calls for large amounts of snow this weekend.

He said the city is slow to pull the trigger on requiring cars to evacuate the city’s snow emergency route.

“It’s a balancing act…it’s a conversation we’ll have as soon as we have clarity,” Reynolds said.

Steel Stacks lighting

In other news, council discussed the absence of lights at the city’s iconic Steel Stacks, remnants of the goliath Bethlehem Steel Corp. that dominated the city’s South Side for more than 100 years.

Keith Dow, a Lehigh University employee, said the stacks represent the city’s “rich cultural heritage.” He urged the city to encourage action on the lights “by carrot or by stick.”

Further, he said the lights represent a celebration of that cultural heritage.

“We all agree not having them on is a negative,” Reynolds said.

Legally, the city cannot force the landowner, Wind Creek, to take further action on the lights, he said.

“There are so many carrots and sticks,” Reynolds said.

Wind Creek has noted that the light system is deteriorated, and it’s working on a permanent fix to get them all back on.

Reynolds said that the lights were “absolutely something we talk about on a regular basis.”

Wastewater rate study

City Council also approved a resolution allowing the city to hire Gannett Fleming Valuation and Rate Consultants for $19,000 to complete a wastewater rate study.

Sewer rates rose in 2024, and Director of Water and Sewer Services Edward Boscola said the rate study doesn’t mean that a rate raise is on the way. He said the study will provide a deeper dive into how rates are set among commercial, residential and industrial classes. Additionally, the study will look at how the city charges tributary municipalities. Such a study hasn’t been performed for several years, Boscola said.

The study’s scope will include revenue and expense projections, including capital, for the next five years, according to council documents.

Public comment

Lastly, Council President Rachel Leon said she’ll be offering a chance for taxpayers who are uncomfortable coming to the podium an opportunity to address the council president from 6-7 p.m. on council meeting nights.