BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 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.<\/p>\n
Councilmember Bryan Callahan proposed fundraising options \u2014 including taxing nonprofits and nonresidents who utilize city services \u2014 to add four more firefighters to the city\u2019s payroll.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want people who are using our services. If you\u2019re outside of city limits or a nonprofit, and you\u2019re using, on a regular basis, our city services and paying zero, that\u2019s got to be researched and looked at,\u201d Callahan said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Reynolds said the $52 tax paid by those working or self-employed within a municipality hasn\u2019t been raised in 20 years and is being considered at the state level.<\/p>\n
The city collects about $1.9 million annually from the tax.<\/p>\n
He called the tax \u201ca potential source of raising funds\u201d and \u201cone of the priorities we\u2019re working on.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe only have so many revenue options,\u201d Reynolds said.<\/p>\n
Callahan and past Councilmember Grace Crampsie Smith voted down the city\u2019s 2026 budget, saying they could not support a budget that does not fund additional firefighters, which they said the city is seriously lacking.<\/p>\n
Crampsie Smith previously submitted budget amendments offering alternatives that would fund additional firefighters, but those proposals were voted down during earlier budget hearings.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Bethlehem IAFF Local 735 President Lou Jimenez said understaffing is a public safety issue and pointed to IAFF standards.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Snow emergency<\/p>\n
Reynolds also addressed the potential of a snow emergency within the city, given the current calls for large amounts of snow this weekend.<\/p>\n
He said the city is slow to pull the trigger on requiring cars to evacuate the city\u2019s snow emergency route.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a balancing act\u2026it\u2019s a conversation we\u2019ll have as soon as we have clarity,\u201d Reynolds said.<\/p>\n
Steel Stacks lighting<\/p>\n
In other news, council discussed the absence of lights at the city\u2019s iconic Steel Stacks, remnants of the goliath Bethlehem Steel Corp. that dominated the city\u2019s South Side for more than 100 years.<\/p>\n
Keith Dow, a Lehigh University employee, said the stacks represent the city\u2019s \u201crich cultural heritage.\u201d He urged the city to encourage action on the lights \u201cby carrot or by stick.\u201d<\/p>\n
Further, he said the lights represent a celebration of that cultural heritage.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe all agree not having them on is a negative,\u201d Reynolds said.<\/p>\n
Legally, the city cannot force the landowner, Wind Creek, to take further action on the lights, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are so many carrots and sticks,\u201d Reynolds said.<\/p>\n
Wind Creek has noted that the light system is deteriorated, and it\u2019s working on a permanent fix to get them all back on.<\/p>\n
Reynolds said that the lights were \u201cabsolutely something we talk about on a regular basis.\u201d<\/p>\n
Wastewater rate study<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Sewer rates rose in 2024, and Director of Water and Sewer Services Edward Boscola said the rate study doesn\u2019t 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\u2019t been performed for several years, Boscola said.<\/p>\n
The study\u2019s scope will include revenue and expense projections, including capital, for the next five years, according to council documents.<\/p>\n
Public comment<\/p>\n
Lastly, Council President Rachel Leon said she\u2019ll 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BETHLEHEM, Pa. \u2014 A recurring theme of funding more firefighter positions in Bethlehem was again among the major…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":92378,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[119,121,120,164,45486,17227,45485,2928,45484,13764,13765,171],"class_list":{"0":"post-92377","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-allentown","8":"tag-allentown","9":"tag-allentown-headlines","10":"tag-allentown-news","11":"tag-bethlehem-city-council","12":"tag-bethlehem-steel-corp","13":"tag-bryan-callahan","14":"tag-gannett-fleming","15":"tag-j-william-reynolds","16":"tag-keith-dow","17":"tag-lou-jimenez","18":"tag-matthew-griffin","19":"tag-rachel-leon"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92377"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92377\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}