The City of Pottsville is planning to invest more than $16,000 to upgrade security at the front counter of the tax office in City Hall, City Administrator Thomas A. Palamar said Wednesday.
On Dec. 7 and Dec. 8, John Adams Building & Remodeling, Schuylkill Haven, will do the renovation work, which will include the installation of three bullet-resistant teller windows at the office, Palamar said.
The office, which is also the office of the city treasurer, is on the first floor of City Hall, 401 N. Centre St.
The project will offer the tax office employees protection when dealing with the public, Palamar said.
"There's a lot of money back there. And in this day and age, in this environment where you hear more and more about occurrences at municipal buildings, we want to protect our employees from problems that may come from the outside," Palamar said.
On Wednesday, the Greater Pottsville Area Sewer Authority voted to get a quote from Adams for a similar project at its office, which is on the third floor of City Hall.
"Hopefully, we'll have a quote for our next meeting or our January meeting," Timothy R. Yingling, the sewer authority's executive director, said.
Called for comment after the sewer authority meeting Wednesday, Palamar said the city council has been discussing upgrades to the tax office since October.
He said the matter was not mentioned at one of the city council's public meetings since the council did not have to bid the project.
According to a description of the project Palamar presented to the Greater Pottsville Area Sewer Authority on Nov. 14, the project cost is $16,600.
Palamar said he believed that was the entire project cost, but did not have the exact number when contacted at his home Wednesday.
The city would have had to advertise for bids if the project cost more than $18,500, according to the Pennsylvania Third Class City Code, which can be viewed online at westlaw.com.
The city is paying for the project using money from its general fund, Palamar said.
At the sewer authority meeting Wednesday, authority member Beth Ann Shields made the motion to request a quote from Adams: "I make a motion we ask John Adams to give us a proposal for security glass at the office."
"He'll probably have to come in and design something," Robert J. Quinn Jr., the authority's first vice chairman, said.
"Yes. He did it for them downstairs," Yingling said, referring to the city tax office.
"I'll second that," authority Treasurer J. Donald Kerns said.
The motion was carried unanimously with votes from Quinn and authority member Henry J. Minnig Jr.
Ian H. Lipton, authority chairman, was absent from the authority's meeting.