Harrisburg City Council Legislative Session - 1/13/2026

Okay, good evening everyone. The time is

6:00 p.m. I would like to officially

call our legislative session to order.

Mr. Truesdale, could you please call the

roll?

Ms. Davis? Present. Ms. Green?

Present.

Mr. Jones? Here.

Mr. Lawson?

Here.

Ms. Rose?

Present. Mr. Rodriguez? Present. Ms.

Hill?

Present. Thank you. The invocation this

evening will be led by Councilman

Lawson.

Thank you, President Hill.

I would like for us to take a moment

just to uh

to think of individuals right now that

may be feeling a little uneasy with

what's been happening um in our in our

nation, especially those of our

immigrant um communities, um

whether they be documented or or

undocumented.

Right now, a lot of people are feeling a

lot of unease, and we we want to just

give them a moment of solidarity.

Thank you.

Thank you, Councilman Lawson. Would

everyone please rise for the pledge of

allegiance?

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

United States of America, and to the

republic for which it stands, one nation

under God, indivisible, with liberty and

justice for all.

Thank you. For communications this

evening, we have a a presentation

on the upcoming MLK Day of Service.

Ms. Kirsten Keys or Ms. Shelly, whomever

would like to begin.

I'm okay.

Yeah.

Good evening. My name Shelly Lipscomb

Echevarria. This year I am chair of the

2026 Martin Luther King Day of Service

here in the Central Pennsylvania area.

I've been working with

planning committee for about 7 years

now.

And we're, you know, excited to have it

right here in Harrisburg this year.

We're going to We're calling it Rock the

Block in Uptown. We're having projects

at Goodwin Memorial Baptist Church and

St. Paul's Episcopal Church. That That's

city block right there.

And um

I would like to thank everyone on the

planning committee that's at home

watching. It's a labor of love. And uh

as Mr. Lawson was saying, these times

can be trying for many in our community.

There's a lot of uncertainty going on

and

um you know, some people might not feel

safe, secure, or even loved by their

community. So,

this is a great day to come out, serve

your neighbors, volunteer for projects.

You know, I tell my kids I might not

have much influence on what's going on

out there in the world. There's so much

that I can do, but one thing I can do is

I can ask people for donations.

And I can use that money to buy a hat

for someone who's cold,

food for someone who's hungry,

and have programs and do some work that

can give some hope to my neighbors. You

know, Dr. King talked about his beloved

community. So, it's a great day for us

to do that. I hope that everyone in the

Central PA community comes out. Um they

can go to our website www.mlk-365.org.

You can find out more about the programs

that we're having on our Uptown block.

There's also a lot of projects going on

throughout the community where you can

volunteer. Um and that's from the West

Shore all the way to Lebanon and we have

projects that you can register for and

help your neighbors. And then we have a

variety of projects right there at our

signature site. Um we're going to start

with our opening ceremony at 9:00 a.m.

Like our kickoff and you're all invited.

Everyone's invited. And then um after

that we are going to have some service

projects right there between the two

churches. In the lower levels we'll be

assembling care kits and making no-sew

blankets.

Um

we're also going to have different craft

type projects for the younger kids. You

can make Valentines for senior citizens.

Um cards for Caitlin's Smiles, other

types of craft craft projects like that.

And uh we're having two

uh blood donation drives. There's going

to be one right there at Goodwin with um

the Central PA

or the the

the blood bank.

Am I saying that right? There's two. The

blood bank and then also the Red Cross

is going to be over at the Alexander

Grass Campus. So we know that there's a

critical need for blood in this region

right now. So we'll have two blood

drives.

And then we're also going to have a

panel discussion on fostering and

adoption.

So um we always try to have some type of

a a program that helps to highlight a

need and that's another very important

need in our community. So with that I'm

going to turn it over to one of my very

very astute committee members that's

done so much for us, Kirsten Keys.

Good evening.

Madam President Hill, Vice President

Jones, and all of our honorable

Harrisburg City Council men and women, I

do bring you greetings

from the MLK Central Pennsylvania MLK

Planning Committee. And many of you know

that I am also employed by the

Harrisburg School District, who I do

represent on this committee as well.

So, as Ms. Lipscomb Etcheverria shared,

the Central Pennsylvania MLK 365

Planning Committee is absolutely

thrilled to kick off the new year with a

special announcement of the region's

17th annual MLK National Day of Service.

An observance of this long-standing

tradition right here in the capital

city, hundreds of volunteers from across

Central Pennsylvania will participate in

the National Day of Service, which

honors the life and the legacy of the

late great Reverend Dr. Martin Luther

King, Jr.

This year's theme is illuminating voices

of courage and hope.

And these days call for tremendous

courage and hope.

As you all know, Central Pennsylvania's

MLK National Day of Service is a

powerful, unifying event that is open to

all. And when I say all, I mean anybody

and everybody with an interest, a

passion, and or a commitment to serve

our beloved community.

This year's observance will begin on

Thursday, January 15th with the Dr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative

Dinner at the Hershey Lodge and

Convention Center. The guest speaker,

the keynote for the evening,

features Marc Morial, the president and

CEO of the National Urban League. And I

regret to inform everyone that this

event is sold out.

And we continue on Sunday, January 18th

with Joyce Davis and the World Affairs

Council of Harrisburg as they host the

2026 MLK poetry event at Harrisburg Area

Community College.

On Monday, January 19th, as my colleague

Shelly already shared, we will be

pleased to host the 17th annual Central

Pennsylvania Day of Service. And it

covers one full city block with two

wonderful, faithful congregations coming

together uh to host service projects and

special events at three separate

locations. The Goodwin Memorial Baptist

Church, located at 2447 Green Street,

St. Paul's Episcopal Church at 248

Seneca Street, and the Goodwin Memorial

Family Life Center located at 2430 North

3rd Street.

And if I can, I'd like to kind of run

down a little bit more in detail some of

those events for that day. As Shelly

mentioned, we're going to kick it off at

9:00 a.m. So, we're encouraging everyone

to probably be there by 8:45. You don't

want to get there right at 9:00, but if

you come a little bit early, you won't

regret that you did. We're going to kick

off our MLK ceremony and our Drum Major

Awards. And these awards will recognize

adults and youth from the city of

Harrisburg and surrounding areas. At

10:00 a.m., as Shelly shared, we're

going to continue with a highly

informative and timely panel discussion

highlighting the critical need for

kinship care and foster care with

Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas

Judge, the Honorable Royce L. Morris,

Ms. Tenessa Moulton from Dauphin County,

Pennsylvania Higher Education

Administrator and adjunct faculty member

Dr. Felicia Haywood Brown,

Dr. Felicia Brown Haywood, and the

senior pastor of the Goodwin Memorial

Baptist Church, the Reverend Jameson K.

McLaughlin. And that happens in the

sanctuary of the Goodwin Hope Baptist

Church. At 10:00 a.m., we're going to

continue with the community resource

fair with a specific focus on health,

wellness, and food security. And that is

being coordinated by Dauphin County's

one and only Ms. Helen Spence.

That's going to be held in the Family

Life Center. We continue at 10:00 a.m.

with multiple service projects in

collaboration with the United Way of the

Capital Region, Tears for Tarina,

Caitlin's Smiles, and so many other

organizations. And we want to mention

once again the critical critical need

for blood donations. You might not think

of that as a way to serve, but I'm here

to tell you ladies and ladies and

gentlemen, if you just roll up that

sleeve, right? Put your arm out, roll up

that sleeve, it's probably about a

15-gauge needle, but the reward on the

other side, you're going to be touching

and saving countless lives. I worked in

healthcare for 29 years prior to coming

to the school district. And so when we

think about blood, right? It is the

thing that gives life. And there's so

many products that can be used by blood.

It's not just the the whole blood, but

we can break that down into platelets,

we can break it down into plasma. So so

so many uses. So I want to encourage you

to donate to the Central Penn Blood Bank

or the American Red Cross, which will be

uh housed at the Alex Grass Campus right

up on North Second Street. And then as I

come to a close,

um

my brother Joe Robinson is going to

share a little bit more about the MLK

LDI, uh which is the Martin Luther King

Leadership Development Institute. And I

would be remiss if I did not share um

Merrick Brown wanted me to share with

all of you that on April 4th,

the celebration of Dr. King's life and

legacy it continues with the

Interdenominational Ministers Conference

of Greater Harrisburg hosting their

annual breakfast, which will be held at

the Best Western Premier Hotel uh on

East Park Drive in Harrisburg. And

brother Joe, if you don't mind before

you go, I'd like to acknowledge this

year's sponsors because without their

support, Madam President, this event,

these things would not be possible for

our community. So, we like to

acknowledge Giant Food Store, Capital

Blue Cross, Highmark Whole Care,

Wegmans, Deloitte Consulting, Lamar

Advertising, Members 1st Federal Credit

Union, the MLK Leadership Development

Institute, the Harrisburg School

District, and how GRFX.

That's our graphic designer. And Merrick

wants you to know one last thing, that

anchoring our community in the legacy of

Dr. King at the start of every year with

these special events builds a community

that believes in and is living the

legacy of Dr. King.

It is truly more than just a day of

service.

It is a week that we want to grow into

activities that happen 365.

Next year, the day of service is on the

20th of January, and we would love to

partner with Harrisburg City Council to

curate a weekend celebration of the

legacy of Dr. King. On behalf of all of

the planning committee members, on

behalf of our chairperson, we want to

say thank you for giving us the

opportunity to share tonight. Thank you

so very much, and I turn it over to Mr.

Joseph Robinson Jr. Thank you.

Good evening, everyone.

It's a pleasure to be here. I just want

to follow up on what was shared with you

already. Truly, you can see a common

thread here as we've tried to make this

a blanket of activities

for the King celebration. And uh I just

want to

mention that

we talked about the day of service.

Sometime during that day, in support of

what we're doing for the day of service?

The Susquehanna Art Museum is giving

free admission that day. Uh

so that those who want to step step up

there between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

to see the presentation by Mr. Gumby,

his if her street could talk

presentation. Um that's an opportunity

for you. Also, I should note uh Kirsten,

you you're quite an advocate because

I've already signed up for blood. I am

giving blood that day. So, I am I've

already registered and I even have a

time uh

to give my blood that day. Uh so, that's

good. But, I wanted to also talk about

the fact that uh

what else is going on this week during

this King season is that on the on the

23rd of January, the Martin Luther King

Leadership Development Institute uh uh

launches its uh 14th cohort of uh what

we call MLK scholars, two of which uh

serve in the leadership role here with

our city council, Counselor Lady Hill

and Councilman Jones, who are graduates

of the institute. Uh I heard through the

grapevine Kirsten might be coming

through this year. I know her sister

already has. And so, we're here tonight.

I just want to very quickly tell you

about the institute, very quickly.

Those of you don't know, the Martin

Luther King Leadership Development

Institute was started back in 2008,

2009.

And it's an opportunity for us to train

people in the tenants and principles of

Dr. King. So, not only do you learn the

principles and tenants of Dr. King, but

you learn how to mobilize a community.

You learn how to

how public policy works and how to make

it work for you. And it's an opportunity

to come together with folks from all

walks of life. It doesn't matter your

race. Uh it doesn't even matter your

religion, whether you're Baptist,

atheist, uh uh you know, Muslim, it does

not matter. If you have a GED or a PhD,

it does not matter. We want everybody in

the room together. All we care about is

that you have a desire to make your

community better. Because we do it

virtually, we attract students as far

away as Los Angeles, California and one

student from India

because we now offer it virtually. And

so we're opening up it's open to anyone

who would who would seek admission. If

those are values you believe in, we want

you to consider the institute. I hope

that the city council and the city would

also consider sending some

representatives to the institute. The

class starts on the 23rd, so there's

still time

to get somebody in if you want to

nominate someone for the class this

year. But as was said already, it's so

important now given the climate that we

live in. It's so important that we

remember and commemorate Dr. King and

what he stood for

cuz truly we we we're we're having some

some some trying times. But I'm reminded

I close with a

a quote that Dr. King made once in a

group he said he said he said although

we may have arrived here

on different ships, we're in the same

boat now.

So thank you so much for your time.

Thank [applause] you.

Excuse me, thank you all for your

participation this evening.

It's a day on, right? Not a day off. So

thank you very much.

We will move forward with our meeting

agenda. Next we have courtesy of the

floor. Just a few housekeeping notes

before we begin. If you're interested in

offering public comment, please state

your name and your address for the

meeting record. If you don't feel

comfortable sharing your address, please

share the vicinity in which you live

within the city.

You will have 4 minutes to share your

comments. Mr. Truesdale is adding a

timer to the screen for your reference.

And I will begin to my right. Is there

anyone that would like to offer public

comment?

Good evening.

Council President and Council members.

Robert Williams of the Keystone

Accountability Project.

Um I'm here to make I already made a

complaint against the city solicitor

and I want to make it publicly during

this meeting.

Um I feel as though

that the city solicitor has caused the

taxpayers hundreds of thousands of

dollars

by his poor legal advice

and several ethics violations that I

want to bring up.

This

I feel as though this started in 2022

when he didn't give

Nate Spriggs proper protection as a

whistleblower.

He should have protected Mr. Spriggs.

Instead, he spoke with the mayor which

caused the federal lawsuit that we are

now currently in for 3 years that we

have spent over $100,000

due to that lawsuit and ethical

complaints.

And under and from my understanding of

the law,

which I think is a third city class code

11602,

that you, City Council, has the power to

pay for outside lawyers and I want to

understand the process if that process

was followed because I looked through

the city minutes, I watched most of the

City Council meetings, and I didn't see

you appropriate over $100,000 for the

mayor's personal lawyer. And I want to

know where that money came from. I want

it audited. I want to know if it came

from the solicitor's budget. I want to

know where this money came from if it

was properly processed through you guys

because

I've seen this our mayor get three

different lawyers in the past couple

years and I'm like, "Where is this money

coming from?"

It's not pro- it's not properly

appropriated.

Another thing,

hold on.

Uh this is not anything new for Mr.

Grover. In 2020 In 2014, he was already

he already has disciplinary actions by

the State Supreme Court.

So, I don't know what his vetting

process was when he got this job. I

don't know. But, it's

a ongoing thing. Like he I've watched

him numerous times get direct questions

on what you guys should do as far as

eliminating officials that are in office

past their statutory limit. And I've

heard him explain that there's no case

law. And if there's no case law, that

doesn't mean you get to disregard a

statutory

law. So, if there's no case law and it's

the law is unambiguous, you should

follow the statute. And he had a duty

to let you guys know what you should do

to get those people out of office.

Instead, he chose the word interim,

which under the functionality of

municipal law, it doesn't matter.

Interim, pro tem, none of that matters.

All it matters is the functionality of

the position and what they were doing,

which they were the acting heads beyond

the statutory limits. He knew this. He

should have recommended to y'all the quo

warranto

process to go to the DA. He could have

recommended to y'all to defund the

lawyers that you've been that we're all

paying for. He could have recommended

y'all many things, but instead, he

recommended us to spend more money to

fight a cause that he know they have no

win. He knows you

you he knows that you guys did

everything by the law. He knows there's

a separation of powers. He knows more

than everyone in here.

He's the He has more education, more

experience than everyone in here. And I

believe there's more accountability than

him in here. I believe that. But, I'm

starting with him because he's the most

educated. He has the most responsibility

He has a fiduciary responsibility to the

city. He doesn't represent just the city

or the mayor. He represents the

municipality and he hasn't done that.

He's just represented personally the

mayor and he hasn't represented us as

taxpayers.

Thanks for allowing me to speak.

Thank you.

>> [snorts]

>> Hello, my name is Tameka Moore. Um I

reside on the Hill area of Harrisburg,

Pennsylvania.

Good evening, Council President and

members of the council.

Again, my name is Tameka Moore. I am a

former employee of the Harris of

Harrisburg City and I am here tonight

because I have been trying without

success for more than a year to do one

simple thing and that is to file a

police report for an assault that

occurred while I was performing my

assigned duties during business hours.

While I was working for the city, I was

physically assaulted by a department

head.

The conduct was not authorized, not

justified, and not lawful. My supervisor

has the right to put their hands

No supervisor, excuse me, has the right

to put their hands on an employee ever,

especially while that employee is doing

their job.

What followed has been worse. When I

attempted to report what happened, I was

fired.

When I was interviewed by Mr. Neil

Grover, he brought up my health, he

brought up my past criminal history, in

which I don't have a criminal history.

Right now, it's Everything's final, but

he brought that up and never once even

uh acknowledged the assault.

Um when I attempted to report what

happened, I was fired. Since then, I

have been stonewalled at nearly every

turn. I reached out to internal internal

affairs, I reached out to police police

commissioners, I reached out to district

attorney's office. Each time, I was

redirected, delayed, or ignored. Despite

repeated attempts, I was not permitted

to file a police report.

Because nothing moved, I was forced to

file a private criminal complaint. Only

after doing that, did the District

Attorney's office have a detective take

a statement from me. After that

statement, I received written

communication from the District

Attorney's office advising me that based

on the additional evidence I provided, I

should take all my evidence to the

Harrisburg Police Department and request

that I report a report be filed because

law enforcement is best suited to serve

as the origin point of claim. I agreed

to that assessment, but here's the

problem. I have already tried to file a

police report with the Harrisburg Police

Department multiple times. Multiple

times, and I was turned away. So, I'm

now attempting again, and I want it on

public record that I'm doing so.

If I am unable to obtain a police report

by the end of this month, I will return

to the District Attorney's office and

formally request further in

intervention because the Harrisburg

Police Bureau has not cooperated in

allowing me to file a report.

How does a person allege an on-the-job

assault, provide witnesses, which my

witnesses were um

they were told not to speak, um

witnesses and evidence, and still not

have a police report taken more than a

year later? What has happened inside our

system that it takes this much effort to

be heard?

I'm not asking for a verdict, I'm asking

for a process.

I'm asking City Council to please apply

pressure where a pressure is is

appropriate.

Ask how many times I ask them how many

times I contacted law enforcement. Ask

[snorts] why my report was not taken

when I requested it. Ask why my

witnesses were discouraged

from coming forward.

Ask them why

this matter has been allowed to linger

in silence.

While my name

>> [laughter]

>> and my reputation has been publicly

damaged. This woman is going around

telling people

>> [gasps]

>> I'm a liar. She's telling people I held

up grant money. I had no control over

that.

And I ask these questions to be asked in

open and on the record and in front of

the public. I am not requesting an

executive session.

I am requesting daylight. What has been

done to me has already happened in broad

daylight. I have witnesses.

Accountability should happen the same

way.

I will not be silenced and I'm not

walking away. And I will continue to

pursue justice until the most basic step

allowing me to file a police report

and and that is completed. All I'm

asking for tonight is [clears throat]

your support in ensuring that the system

works the way it's supposed to. This is

my truth and this happened to me. Thank

you.

>> [applause]

>> Thank you.

You guys hear me? Good? Yes.

Good evening Council President, members

of City Council, and residents of

Harrisburg. My name is Jonathan Luff.

I'm a resident of this city, a licensed

attorney until December 26th of 2025. I

served as the Assistant City Solicitor

for the City of Harrisburg. To be clear,

I am not here tonight to litigate my

case in public. I am here to place facts

on the record and to request lawful

oversight. On December 10th, 2025, I was

placed on what I was explicitly told was

administrative leave. I was assured that

this was not discipline, punishment, nor

a reflection of my performance. On

December 19th, 2025, while on that

leave, I filed a formal disciplinary

complaint with the Pennsylvania Supreme

Court Disciplinary Board concerning

conduct within the law bureau.

That complaint is a matter of record. On

December 26th, 2025, I was terminated.

On December 29th, 2025, without my

presence, I believe an executive session

was held. I believe statements were made

during that session about my character,

my professionalism, or my conduct, and

or my conduct. I have not been given an

opportunity to hear them or respond to

them, and I am requesting that

opportunity now.

Under Title 11, City Council has the

authority to investigate departments,

request hearings, and demand information

necessary to perform its legislative and

oversight functions. Council also has a

limited 20-day window to initiate such

an inquiry following the termination of

the municipal employee, which I was.

That window is closing.

I am requesting that Council schedule an

executive session, not to debate policy

or argue politics, but to allow me to

address the circumstances of my

termination and the concerns that I

raised privately and professionally.

I also believe it is relevant for the

public to know that the individual who

terminated me has himself been publicly

disciplined in the past by the Supreme

Court of Pennsylvania.

I raise this not to attack him

personally, but because my character has

been placed at issue, and credibility

matters when evaluating retaliation

claims. Since my termination, there has

been public reporting about litigation

between the mayor and City Council. What

concerns me is not disagreement, it is

process.

>> [clears throat]

>> Neither side appears to have a specific

appropriation for this litigation. There

was no public discussion, no public

vote, and no transparent process for the

selection of outside counsel.

Title 11 is clear. Public funds cannot

be spent without a Council authorization

and official action cannot occur outside

of public meetings except in narrow

lawful circumstances.

During the month of December 2025, I

advised Council members after hours on

my own time, not as a paid lawyer, but

as a resident who believed in this

institution. I informed you then what

you had the authority to establish a

fair public process to hire independent

counsel. I said then what I'm saying

now, follow the process and you will

protect yourselves.

To the public, if you have been

silenced, sidelined, or intimidated,

know that you are not alone. To my

future employer who may be watching

tonight, I want you to understand

exactly who I am. I am a lawyer who will

stand up when it matters. I will not

stay quiet to protect a paycheck. I will

not look away when the system is wrong.

That is not reckless. That is integrity.

For those who have approached me quietly

with their stories, now is the time.

Find me. I will be here. I will continue

to show up. And to those who once called

me friend, but now avoid me out of fear,

I hold no bitterness. I understand the

environment you are in. I hope that one

day you are free of the shackles of

oppression.

Council members, I respectfully ask you

to do your jobs. Investigate, ask

questions, follow your heart, and the

law won't be too far from there. Thank

you for your time.

>> [applause]

>> Hold on.

Thank you. Is there anyone else to my

right that would like to offer public

comment?

Is there anyone else?

Okay. Is there anyone in the middle

section that would like to offer public

comment?

>> All right.

Well, honorable council members,

uh my name is Cella. I reside in the

Steelton Borough. Um so

I've thought several times about how I'm

going to come up here today and what I'm

going to say.

But

to everybody in the room, everybody in

this beautiful city of ours,

I'm certain there's one word on

everybody's mind, and that is ICE.

And I've come here today

to ask what safeguards

the council, the mayor, any

of our elected representatives intend to

take

to ensure protection for the people of

our city

as we've been getting reports among the

people

of activity from the DHS and ICE at the

Farm Show Complex along Liberty Street,

at the Hampton Inn in Hummelstown. I

know it's a separate jurisdiction, but

still,

and even

uh at the Holiday Inn

on Eisenhower Boulevard.

And we've been receiving these reports,

and we know we've seen in Portland, we

have seen in Minneapolis, we've seen in

Baltimore, in New York

that they're going door-to-door, that

they're taking people off the streets,

that you know,

we've all seen in this past week alone,

we've all seen the reports about Renee

Good,

how she was murdered.

She was shot multiple times.

And it's becoming clearer and clearer

that they don't care about the likes of

the law.

They don't care about repercussions

because they have been free from them

regardless of their actions so far.

And I've come here tonight to ask,

or rather maybe state,

what it is that city intends to do

to help keep folks regardless of

documentation status, regardless of

identity, regardless of skin color.

What they intend to do to keep the

people safe

from

alleged government agents who are

seemingly above the law itself.

Thank you. That's my time.

Thank you. Is there anyone else in the

middle section that would like to offer

public comment?

My name is Russell Bluest. I'm from the

Hill area. I'm here

for my last time. I've been here

numerous times about some trash issues

on my trash bills.

Ms. Green is the only one who's been

here before. All the rest of you are new

to this. I'm I'm informing everybody. I

got a message

uh uh finally got an email response

today

from Neil Grover. Neil Grover is in

violation of federal law on my trash

bill and has been [snorts]

since 2015.

In 2017,

uh December 26th, 27th, and 28th, I was

with Rosemary over in the the billing

department explaining to her how

they had to separate anything that came

from a bankruptcy that was put in for

confirmation

on

they never happened. All the payments

from the trustee got applied to

penalties and interest that were applied

as of a the uh

2018 January 1st, they started doing

penalties and interest. The penalties

and interest that they were charging me

on plan money was way more than what my

monthly bill was. And you know I've been

here. This My name is Russell Bluest. Do

you see me? This is my seventh time here

about this. Neil Grover is a bully. He

needs to be removed from the city. We

need to band together, all of us need to

band together. I have a federal case

that he's riding off of. They denied

money to Capital Region Water because

Capital Region Water has no municipal

authority at all. That was determined by

the federal judge. They removed the

money and his idiot they they pulled the

money, they stole the money that was

earmarked for Capital Region denied by

the federal judge.

They stole the money. I've not gotten a

receipt or anything. They've refused to

rectify the bill. When I talked to Neil

Grover in September of 2018, right to

his face, he said, "They the city is not

does not have to abide by federal

bankruptcy law."

He should not even be in office. He

should not even be a lawyer. Let alone

he's abusing his license

against the people and causing bullying

and everything else. If you're not in

the friends and family program with him

and Wanda Williams, you might as well

forget about getting anywhere in this

city. This is ridiculous. This has been

going on for too long, way too long. And

I'm going to tell you I'm here as a

courtesy because I've been to the DA. I

was told by the DA that

Commissioner Carter, the city of

Harrisburg's off limits because he's

been

friends with Tom Carter for 28 years.

Then I ended up being thrown out of

there because I refused to tell him what

I was going to say because of just the

circumstances. After that, I went back

into the DA, talked to the DA Chardo,

and he told me the exact same thing, the

city's off limits.

Nobody will take your complaint, not the

AG's office. This is

This is absolute racketeering. This is

organized crime at the highest level

under

elected officials. It is official

oppression. You want me to read all the

articles that were violated or can I

just We just go ahead. This is getting

ridiculous. There's no sense in me even

doing it. This is absolutely official

oppression. That man needs to be put in

prison for everything he's done to every

single person here. You know how many

landlords are afraid to even come to the

city with anything because of the horse

that goes on with this knucklehead

and the way he bullies people. He thinks

he's some kind of a

superpower.

And I I take it he's the one you guys

are trying to defund?

Oh, he's not. I thought he was the

business manager from what I was told.

Yeah, he needs to be defunded. He needs

to be locked up and put away for a long

time because he has got a bad attitude

and it's ridiculous. This should have

been taken care of. This is federal law

guiding the way with this. Absolutely

positively this and he said the notice

he sent me today is my bill is 100%

accurate and he they have been

I can't sell my properties. That's a

problem. Because of that, the lingering

bill that's there,

something needs to be done and I'm

telling you this I'm here by advice of

the federal government.

>> thank you for your comment. They told me

that's the last step. So.

Is there anyone else in the middle

section that would like to offer public

comment?

Hello. Thank you, council members. Kerry

Fowler,

Midtown Harrisburg.

I'm here for the same reason the other

gentleman is,

the presence of ICE in our

neighborhoods.

I know that I spotted them all day

Saturday. I followed about six agents

all throughout the city.

So they are here.

Um

So I'm here to ask that you pass a

resolution affirming Harrisburg's

commitment to protecting all residents

regardless of immigration status.

Immigrant families are part of the

fabric of our city.

They work here, raise children here,

worship here, and contribute every day

to the strength of our neighborhoods and

our local community.

Our city functions best when everyone

feels respected, valued, and able to

engage with local services and

institutions.

City resources should be used to serve

Harrisburg residents, not to assist

federal immigration enforcement in ways

that separates families or undermines

due process.

A resolution that limits cooperation

with ICE, requires judicial warrants,

and ensures city agencies do not ask

about immigration status and both

responsible and consistent with our

values.

This is about good governance and

community trust. This is about making

clear that Harrisburg's role is to care

for its residents and uphold dignity,

fairness, and justice.

I urge city council to take steps in

passing a resolution to ensure the

safety of our community. Thank you.

Thank you. Is there anyone else in the

middle section that would like to offer

public comment?

Okay. Seeing hearing no one, anyone to

my left?

Yes, my name is Robert Weldon. I live at

1210 Market Street.

For 7 years I've lived in an apartment.

And my rental agency that I rent from is

now selling my apartment.

But for 7 years I didn't know until back

in November that one of the prospective

buyers came in and

said, "Oh, yeah, that's asbestos."

7 years

and this problem

I've been in construction.

Okay? And I know there is a cellulitic

fiber that looks close and similar to

asbestos. So, I didn't question it until

he said that.

And during that whole time of me going

down there,

I never looked up.

Not once.

Because the last step on the staircase

to the basement is a high step. And if

you don't look where you're walking, the

concrete down there is uneven. You will

trip.

Never once have I ever questioned this.

I The closest I've ever been except till

now

of anything asbestos is in housing

construction. I have done remodeling.

I have hung sheetrock.

Two houses had remediation. The

contractor told us remediation was done.

I don't know if it's out of courtesy,

requirement, or respect.

But this was done.

So, what is going on?

Is people turning a blind eye to this?

This is a serious problem. What if some

child

happens to go into a basement like mine?

That family moves and then that that

child has mesothelioma.

Where did that child get it?

How do they track it?

This has got to be stopped.

Something has to be done about this.

And my rental agency is City Limits

Realty.

Thank you. God bless.

Thank you.

Is there anyone else my left that would

like to offer public comment?

Good evening. My name is Lewis Butts.

Right now I'm in Midtown.

Um

there's a lot of

stuff that's going on

and we still have to come together.

We still have to find out that the

things that we did yesterday are tossed

in the river and we still have to move

forward.

So, how are we going to do this?

We got to get out of ourselves,

feel some capacity um compassion for

others.

Takes a good listening ear.

I come up here to say that we need

to be transparent. And one of the things

that we need to do as a council and as a

school board is make sure the meetings

aren't held at the same time.

It's so important that these

basic necessities, if we have to go call

Patty Kim over to Senate where she's in

the government and make it a a law that

the municipalities have to stagger these

meetings so the residents,

if they have something to say,

can attend the meetings because they

have children also.

Those things that we can place

throughout our legislation can help some

stabilize some of these families

and get some kind of centeredness about

we know what we're doing.

Okay? It's not a

a a male thing. He He's going through a

male thing.

Um the the attorney, it's tough to be a

black dude and be smart.

It's crazy.

Okay? So, we got to take that in the in

the hand.

But we have to live. Harrisburg Dairy

shut down. How are we going to put milk

in our

our the mouths of our babies?

This is those infrastructure things that

we as adults have to equip MLK. That was

the best MLK

um speech that I heard.

Okay?

Look at each other for those things that

we need. Lenwood Sloan just died.

So, who's going to tell these stories

that we need to tell our children?

Okay?

It's a great Harrisburg is a great

story.

And we have to tell it.

Lenwood Sloan's dead. Who's going to

take his place

and tell how we won the Civil War? The

big stuff.

Why do they have the 20th

uh a farm show and we don't have a

anybody from our schools riding a dad

going to a bull

or shearing a sheep?

These are the infrastructure pieces that

we have to look that that help get

ourselves together.

Prosperity is right here. Milk and

honey.

We won all the wars.

I'll tell a story about how we won the

war and how we we have all the flags and

how we what we did for freedom for all.

It's not just no

no group or something. There's a story

that goes on with Harrisburg.

Let's show who we are.

I got a um

a consulting firm.

Let's do it. Lobbying, we can get this

done.

But, we have to work together.

We just do.

We have an EPA issue. We have an

environmental issue that we have to

we there's nobody on the EAC.

There's no members of the um

environmental advisory.

How are we going to do that?

A A bit of housekeeping.

Less shopping.

Less shopping.

Get our kids back.

We got McCormick's Island.

Good farmland.

Let's get it popping.

Okay, let's get it moving. We can do

this, but we got to have transparency.

We can work together.

All right?

We can.

God bless you. Happy New Year. We going

to do this. But let's go. Let Let's go.

Thank you.

Good evening, council member. Happy New

Year.

Um

I am so excited on the momentum and the

people coming out and voicing their

truth. It really um is what we need.

I know I mentioned several times you

need to be careful of the ones that

you're taking advices from.

Um many wars has been

called because of bad advice.

The people are wondering

about this ISIS issue.

They are

within

their legal jurisdiction.

When you come into the country legally,

visitor's visa, student visa, such and

such,

those are civil,

not criminal offense

if you overstay. That's a civil offense.

When you come in

otherwise,

that's a criminal offense.

And as American,

whether you're born here or not,

if we stop ignoring the laws, and we

stop ignoring

crimes,

then we are just a party to it one way

or another.

Our taxes are going up.

They just voted in Dolphin County, 9%

increase

on top of the

increase that we just got a few years

ago.

I'm concerned about that.

We should be concerned about that.

I don't like people in my house that's

unwelcome.

Period.

So, if I invite you to come as a student

or to work,

then you're invited. But, if you come

unwelcome, then

yes, ISIS will be removing you.

And not because I'm melanated means that

I do not support my current president's

decision.

I see some people in this room that um

are really good at speaking their truth.

I also see some melanated lawyers over

here that I've observed doing her job

diligently.

Just be considerate

when you are taking advice. Some

individuals do give good advice, while

their supervisor may not be as

genuine to you.

Thank you again, and happy New Years,

Harrisburg.

Please state your name and your address.

You You

We know who you are, but for the meeting

record, if you could please state your

name and your address or the vicinity in

which you live. My name is Libby Profit,

Profit from the Experience Incorporated.

I'm a consultant, and I reside in

Harrisburg on Chestnut between 20th and

21st [clears throat] Street.

Thank you. Thank you.

Is there anyone else who would like to

offer public comment that has not had an

opportunity? I don't want to miss

anyone.

Okay.

Hi, I'm George Kreker from the West

Shore

and you guys can breathe. This is

simple.

Um

a business partner and I have just got a

non-profit status and what we do is hire

the homeless.

Um not just here in the city, but I've

been in Charlotte, North Carolina. We've

had good success down there.

I've been here last couple years. We've

had good success here.

Uh and we just want to scale it up now

that we have the non-profit.

And research shows, data shows that

20 to 30% of the people that are

homeless do want to work.

And we have truly found that out here.

And so we're making

a big effort

um

in that direction. So I just wanted to

introduce

and the name of the non-profit is the

happy lifestyle.

And the website is the it's h a p p e

the h a p p e lifestyle.net.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there anyone else that would like to

offer public comment?

Hello, my name is Carlos Johnson. I

reside in Colonial Park. I do business

there.

Uh

I'm here representing the company that

I'm employed by, Pro Rank Business

Solutions. Uh we are currently uh

looking to employ young uh justice

involved individuals in the Harrisburg

area uh in highway construction. Uh

we're paying these individuals $20 an

hour for a month and of training and

once they're done training, there's a

100% uh employment. We will get them in

a job in the field uh once they're

completed. And so, if um you guys know

anything about Pro Rank or if you guys

would like to uh look us up, I'm just

going to leave these flyers over here.

Um I only just have two, so if you could

just take a photo of it, I would greatly

appreciate it.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Is there anyone else?

Okay, seeing and hearing no one, we will

move forward with our meeting agenda.

Next we have the approval of minutes for

the legislative session that occurred on

December 15th, 2025.

Council members, are there any revisions

to those meeting minutes?

Okay, seeing and hearing none, the

minutes stand approved. The second set

of minutes are for the special

legislative session that occurred on

December 29th, 2025. Council members,

are there any revisions to those meeting

minutes?

Okay, seeing and hearing none, the

minutes stand approved. We do not have

any reports of committees. We do not

have any ordinances for first reading or

ordinances for amendment, and we do not

have any ordinances for final passage.

We will move forward with resolutions.

The first resolution for consideration

this evening is resolution one of 2026.

Mr. Truesdale, could you please read it

into the record?

Resolution one, 2026. A resolution

authorizing the city of Harrisburg to

negotiate and enter into a professional

services agreement with WCA Public

Safety Assessments for the purpose of

providing psychological testing and

assessment for the city's Bureau of

Police.

Thank you. Resolution one of 2026 will

move to the Public Safety Committee.

Next we have resolution two of 2026.

Mr. Truesdale, could you please read it

into the record? Resolution 2 2026, a

resolution authorizing the city of

Harrisburg to negotiate and enter into a

professional services agreement with

Flora Teeter Landscape Architects

Incorporated to provide landscape

architectural services for Vernon Street

Park and playground located at 15th

Street and Vernon

Street.

Thank you. Resolution 2 of 2026 will

move to the Parks, Recreation, and

Enrichment Committee. Next, we have

Resolution 3 of 2026. Mr. Truesdale,

could you please read it into the

record? Resolution 3 2026, a resolution

approving the first proposed 2026 budget

reallocation in order to authorize the

roll forward of certain 2025 budget year

encumbered commitments and to reaffirm

certain 2025 capital project and program

appropriations.

Thank you. Resolution 3 of 2026 will

move to the Budget and Finance

Committee.

Next, we have Resolution 4 of 2026. Mr.

Truesdale, could you please read it into

the record? Resolution 4 2026, a

resolution approving the

preliminary/final land development plan

for 1332 North 2nd Street submitted by

Adam Breneman of Breneman Properties LLC

to expand the existing non-conforming

multi-family dwelling use on site by

converting space occupied by the former

funeral home and associated site and

access improvements.

Thank you. Resolution 4 of 2026 will

move to the Economic and Devel-

Community and Economic Development

Committee. Our final resolution for

consideration this evening is Resolution

5 of 2026. Mr. Truesdale, could you

please read it into the record?

Resolution 5 2026, a resolution

approving the preliminary/final land

development plan for 2601 North 3rd

Street building one submitted by Gregory

Hallquist of PennMark Harrisburg

Holdings LLC to convert the vacant

hospital building into a mixed-use

building and associated site and access

improvements. Thank you. Resolution 5 of

2026 will move to the Community and

Economic Development Committee.

Is there any old business for

discussion, council members?

Okay, seeing and hearing none, new

business, councilwoman Rawls.

Yes. Good evening, everyone. Um

I know a resident that came up and asked

about ICE. I was also going to ask if

there was any

um safeguards we are able to put in

place, or is there any um

thing to put in place to make sure no

one that works for the city, including

officers, are working with ICE. I know

this is a discussion we had before, but

being as though at that time they

weren't here, and now they um

are, I'm just wondering what is what can

we do.

It is a question really for um the

Police Bureau on what that relationship

is.

There is no formal agreement at all. The

only ones the city had were for uh they

were old. They they expired, and they

had to do with actually customs

enforcement for knockoff stuff that was

being sold. That was the last one that

was in the city. However, I think you

know if if there's an incident in the

city and law enforcement is called, they

respond. And so I I can't tell you if

they were at the same place or not. I I

don't really know whether ICE was here.

I did not see them. I've seen reports in

the public about it. Um I've seen

nothing otherwise, but I think it's

really a question for law enforcement

about what is that status, and maybe

what happens when another agency, ICE or

otherwise, comes into the city, what is

the role of local law enforcement in

that moment.

So, in order to get an answer to that

question,

do we ask them to come down and state

what their role would be? How would

What would be the steps for that, and

you said there what there you said there

was an agreement or there has been in

times past?

Well, they were they were very specific.

It's been a long time, and we we

released these through the right to know

process, but very specific. And the last

one that was there was showing a

question about should they have one, and

it never came to fruition. But the last

one had to do with a program that they

were they were running

a thing for knockoff things being sold

in stores that were that's the customs

part of of their

of that agency. But there are protocols.

I don't know them for when police are

and other law enforcement are in your

area how they interact with each other.

Um and I think and so I think you can

have the public safety chair, and I've

lost track now who's who's got the chair

what chairs now.

Um that to

on behalf of the council to ask for a

meeting to discuss that. But it's a very

real public concern obviously, and

>> Yes, that's what I was asking you what

steps we should take. So you're saying

we should refer to um Councilwoman Green

to see if she could set up a meeting.

That That's just my suggestion. I mean,

she's the public safety chair, talk to

the police, and I don't know if their

protocols are going to be in any detail

or it's a or it's a discussion.

Right? But they But there are protocols

when other when multi-agency events

occur. You know, I mean, there are

those, and I don't I'm unaware of any

with ICE itself. Um but we deal with

capital police all the time. We deal

with state police all the time. We deal

with liquor enforcement folks all the

time. Okay.

>> pretty regularly, and there's a protocol

about you know, basically how they how

that plays itself out each time there's

an interagency event. Um and so I I

don't know where where they come in for

ICE. But um

you know, so I I would start with that.

You can invite someone from the police

down for for this discussion publicly,

which may help at some level have a sort

of public sense of what we're doing.

Okay.

>> Um but and I can certainly recommend to

the mayor that that she she have them

come down.

But, you might want to discuss ahead of

time just sort of frame the discussion

so that it's

an informative event as opposed to sort

of just a cold interview type of of

evening. You know, so And is there

anything council can do? Is there

anything we can put in place other than

having the

uh

public safety chair reach out to them?

You you saying you would ask the mayor

to have someone come down from the

police department. And I just had a

final question, is there anything

council can do? You can do some type of

resolution for support of

safety of people in the city regardless

of their immigration status.

That's something you can do. I cannot

tell you under the current federal

atmosphere

that whether that would have a

repercussion or not. There's been a lot

of very

odd repercussions in the last 12 months

against all kinds of entities, people,

and institutions.

I think everyone's aware of that. I

don't think it's a surprise.

But, you know, that but you can do a

resolution

you know, of of the council's position

about how they feel about people being

safe in the city regardless of their

immigration status.

I don't I don't think that's shocking. I

just I can't tell you what the federal

government will do under its current

management.

Right.

But, it's a conversation I think we need

to have.

It's a conversation probably everybody

needs to have everywhere.

But, we have to start here locally.

So, okay. So, thank you. I guess we'll

start with those steps and see where um

what we can do.

Thank you. That was it for me.

Thank you uh Councilwoman Ross. Um I

just got my assignment this morning. So,

I will be following up. I do have a

couple of things from this meeting that

I'll be following up on. I'll reach out

to the police department. I'll keep you

all informed.

Is there any other new business?

Okay, seeing and hearing none, the time

is 7:01 p.m. I will entertain a motion

to adjourn.

>> So moved. Is there a second?

>> Second. Thank you. We stand adjourned.

Say something.