City of Scranton Council Responses | February 3, 2026

• Council President Tom Schuster asked the following regarding snow removal and snowplows in the city:
  • Mr. Schuster inquired regarding the number of snowplows for the city, are all functional and how many are in need of repair?
    • Scranton has 18 plows in its fleet.
  • Regarding the next snowstorm predicted for the upcoming weekend and beyond, Mr. Schuster asked how many plows will be on the road:
    • We have 13 plows ready for use. Five are awaiting repairs, one of which should be back this week.
  • Will the City have enough salt on hand for the next storm?
    • The City has adequate resources to continue to address future storms.
  • Has the City been making the same salt purchases capacity wise for the last several years; purchasing the same amount or has the amount gone down?
    • The City increased its contract purchases amount this year over last year.
  • May the City please provide the salt purchase amounts for the last six (6) years?

• Regarding the OpenGov contract, Mr. Schuster asked that the City kindly provide:
  • The total cost of the platform for the last five (5) years?
    • $2,038,699.32
  • A total cost of the platform for the next five (5) years?
    • Given the staggered nature of the contract, our automatic renewal is staggered to account for delays in the original onboarding (no charge extension was applied) and the ability to have a window if we choose to move to a new system. Our next 3 year term is $1,235,167.24 total over 3 years.
  • When will the contract come before City Council for approval?
    • The City has received the automatic renewal for this software contract. A copy has been provided with these answers.
• Mr. Schuster asked for a status on building a retention pond for Keyser Valley, possibly built on land in Newton?
  • The Keyser Valley Stormwater project is in the permit review process. Please note the proposed basin will be constructed on land within Scranton City limits.
• Mr. Schuster indicated that the city was updating the city website and asked when the site will be updated with all collective bargaining agreements, historical and current?
  • The HR Department has provided additional documents that have been published to the website.
• Mr. Schuster asked if we officially have a new SRA director. If so, what is the start date for the new director and will legislation come before Council?
  • Yes, Andrew Cutillo is the new Executive Director of the SRA as of January 2026. The SRA board appoints the Executive Director.
• Regarding Item 5B on the evening agenda, Mr. Schuster asked if the residents living in the four (4) properties have been notified?
  • The city is working with property owners in the project area.
• Regarding Item 7B on the evening agenda, Mr. Schuster asked if the topic of data centers has been discussed with the other municipalities that are part of SAPA?
  • The SAPA process is in its early stages, but the subject of data centers will be covered.

• Councilman Sean McAndrew asked the following:
  • Mr. McAndrew thanked the administration for answers to his queries regarding the Fidelity Bank building. He asked if the city is going to have a more comprehensive inspection done on the building before the due diligence period expires, advising the document received was five (5) pages when similar documents are many pages long.
    • Yes.
  • Relative to the city financial five-year forecast presently in process by PEL, Mr. McAndrew asks in the interim for the previous five-year forecast?
    • The previous PEL forecasting is attached.
  • Councilman McAndrew also thanked the city for their response regarding ARPA. He advised the information was in approximately five (5) documents and he was looking for a single excel type report referencing who received funds, how much was paid out, if any parties cancelled, etc.
    • Please see the attached ARPA business spreadsheet and comprehensive quarterly report.
  • Mr. McAndrew asked that our City Licensing & Permits and Zoning management review and advise regarding the recent violation issued to the Lace Works Development property. Mr. McAndrew advised he is of the understanding that the entire property was rezoned in 2019 to an I-L mixed use with adaptive reuse approval as part of the whole project. May the departments please confirm the rezoning parcel configurations are accurate?
    • The Lace Works Land Development plan was approved in May of 2019 under File of Council #59 of 2011 (attached), an amendment to File of Council #74, 1993 (the Zoning Ordinance), that allowed for the adaptive reuse of commercial and industrial buildings. As the land development approval was obtained and the project had begun under the previous ordinance, we have continued to issue permits in light of the new Zoning Ordinance (File of Council #54, 2023. Effective, 12/202/2023).
      With regards to the Notice of Violation sent regarding Short Term Rentals at the development, the 1993 Ordinance, as amended by FOC 59, 201 allowed the use of Bed and Breakfast in the zone, but by definition was restricted to Single Family Detached dwellings or their accessory buildings. The current ordinance does not allow short term rentals (Use class 22 Table of Uses, attached). As such, neither the previous or current ordinance allowed or allows Short Term Rentals at that location.
  • Regarding the city DPW negotiations, Mr. McAndrew thanked the administration for the information received, and asked how much money is set aside for the contract?
    • The city operating budget accounts for contract negotiations. Once a tentative agreement is reached, Council will be apprised of the financial impact relative to the same. 
  • Councilman McAndrew requested that our city DPW Director and City Administration advise what was the plan for this past snowstorm? What did the city learn from the storm and will a post storm report be issued advising what did we did well, what didn’t we do well, and what do we now plan for?
    • DPW Director will do an after-action review of the past snowstorm.
• Councilman Mark McAndrew asked the following:
  • Mr. McAndrew thanked the administration for the response regarding the HUP test in the attached January 27^th response, He asked if the administration may expand on the inquiry. Who are the parties that did not respond to the first mailing? What are they doing to follow up on those that continue with no response?
    • The City, its appointed counsel, and the Assessment Office reviewed a draft letter this week to entities that did not respond to the Assessment Office’s May 2025 letter. The Assessment Office is targeting a mailing of the second letter early next week. The letter includes a submission deadline of April 1, 2026.
• Council Vice President Patrick Flynn asked the following questions:
  • Mr. Flynn thanks the workers of the city DPW for their incredible work during the snowstorm and each day of the year. He indicated, however, that City Council does need answers from the city administration.
    • How many plow trucks were on the road? What areas were the trucks sent to?
      • We had up to 16 plow trucks on the road, given the manpower available. Trucks were sent throughout the City.
    • How many trucks are dedicated to each neighborhood?
      • 2 in East Mountain, 1 in the Hill Section w/ assistance from East Mountain Crew & East Scranton, 3 in South Side, 1 in Downtown & Minooka, 2 in Greenridge, 2 in North Scranton, 3 in West Scranton, and 2 in West Mountain.
    • Were there any routes not covered?
      • No.
    • What were the routes not covered?
      • All routes were covered.
    • Did the city pretreat the roads with salt?
      • Yes, with brine.
    • How many private contractors were used and what were the routes they were given?
      • There were 5 outside contractors brought in to support the department and were deployed at the direction of the director.
    • What time did the plowing operations begin in each specific area of the city?
      • The City ran continuous overtime shifts beginning at 4 a.m. Sunday morning.
    • What is the priority order for the routes?
      • Operational decisions are made by the DPW Director based on weather conditions.
    • How many trucks were operational during the storm?
      • Please see the above response to Scranton’s plow fleet.
  • Councilman Flynn referenced the ongoing and disruptive PAWC project in the Green Ridge section of the city. The entire project area has experienced daily issues with work being done all at once on Electric Street, Wyoming Avenue, Delaware Street, Penn Avenue, Capouse Avenue, and Muncy Avenue. Realizing that permitting was fully implemented in 2025 and submitted via OpenGov with spatial information, automatic mapping, extensive GIS tools to plot and compare projects, submit permit locations and track ongoing projects, he asked: How did the city oversight allow this to happen? And if not, what do we do as a city to make sure this doesn’t happen?
    • Utility Oversight
      • The City does not have the legal authority to dictate PUC regulated utilities’ schedules.
    • Inspections
      • Green Ridge projects were inspected routinely during active work.
      • Following Fall complaints, inspectors returned to sites and coordinated repairs with utilities on a case-by-case basis.
      • Inspectors now perform weekly drive-throughs to flag failing sections.
    • Communication
      • Monthly utility meetings have been increased to twice monthly to manage the volume of issues.
      • Meetings are also held at the same frequency between the City and third-party inspectors.
      • In total, the City is now holding at a minimum 6 meetings a month since these issues in Green Ridge rose to the City’s attention that are purely focused on utility excavation and restoration.
    • Future Preparations & System Updates
      • One-Call Mapping
        • The City is working on mapping One-Call tickets automatically to identify project areas before permits are filed. This has been manually done on a case-by-case basis in the past due to the volume of tickets and challenges of mapping en masse.
      • Permit system updates will include:
        • An optional flag in the permit where inspectors or City officials can flag non-compliant cuts and assign them to specific individuals with automatic email notifications.
          • This will create a new workflow step in which the inspectors, City, and utility are notified of a cut out of compliance.
          • The system will also provide a concrete time stamp of notification if future violations are required.
        • A checkbox to flag projects involving extended trenching like that in Green Ridge.
          • This allows the City to filter large projects, maintain an updated conflict map, and track curb-to-curb paving requirements once asphalt plants open.
  • In reference to Mr. Flynn’s query last week regarding the Code Blue shelters and additional resources, he asked why the city must wait for the next Unsheltered Task Force meeting when our city representative may just reach out to pertinent parties and ask to start a conversation on this timely issue?
    • The City primarily assists by providing the shelter location and by supporting conversations with stakeholders through the Unsheltered Task Force. Intake for all shelter guests is conducted by Catholic Social Services (CSS) staff. While in the shelter, guests receive case management from CSS, including support from a master’s-level intern who also works in mental health homeless and re-entry programs. Guests may also schedule follow-up sessions as needed. Community Intervention Center (CIC) and CSS have implemented surveys at both shelters to assess guests’ needs. The data collected will help identify service gaps and improve coordination.

City of Scranton Council Responses – February 3, 2026 | PDF

Last modified: February 3, 2026