Wyomissing Borough Council met Tuesday September 10th.

Among other business, Wyomissing Borough Council approved a policy from the Borough Manager’s report regulating the use of recording equipment during meetings. The use of recording equipment is protected by the Sunshine Act which enforces government transparency.

• Wyomissing Regulates Recording of Meetings

• Wyomissing Borough Council Updates

Wyomissing Regulates Recording of Meetings

Wyomissing Borough Council approved a policy included in the Borough Manager’s report regulating the use of recording equipment during meetings.

Wyomissing Borough Council did not discuss the policy in the meeting before voting. Ronald Stanko was the only council member to vote against the policy. Council president William Jenckes and council members Stephen Brunner, Frederick Mogel, Jana Barnett, Jennifer Reimer, and Richard Weinhoffer voted in favor of the policy.

The newly adopted Wyomissing Borough Council policy on recording equipment states:

• recording equipment must be set up before the meeting

• recording equipment must not interfere with meeting and movement of people within the meeting

• person operating recording equipment must remain in the meeting room at all times - the Borough can remove the equipment if the person leaves the room and is not liable for loss or damage

• recording equipment may only be used during time that the meeting is open to the public

  • recording before and after meeting only allowed with the permission of everyone in the room

• recording equipment may not make distracting sounds

• no camera lights

• person operating recording equipment must stay in a single location during the meeting and cannot move to capture audio or video recordings during the meeting

• no concealed recording

• recording devices may not be plugged into municipal outlets

• devices operated in violation of the policy may not be operated for the duration of the meeting

For more details:

• Sunshine Act explainer: Wyomissing-West Reading Wire

• Tues. Sept. 10th Borough Council Meeting Documents - policy listed on pages 115-116

Wyomissing Borough Council Updates

Other business discussed by the Wyomissing Borough Council included:

• new Public Works garage/building: begin moving in at end of September/beginning of October

• police updates

  • theft of personal items from vehicles, primarily from unlocked vehicles

  • some catalytic converters stolen - police are working on stopping these thefts

  • porch thefts can be reported to police

• approved advertising ordinances regulating “cats at large,” including indoor/outdoor pet cats and the caregiving of feral cats, and regulating animal defecation

• approved drafting ordinance allowing food truck operations in the borough

• approved a policy limiting use of borough hall spaces to official borough meetings and business

• approved expanding the part-time rec director role to a full-time Recreation & Marketing Director role, effective January 2025

• approved accepting a new police surveillance vehicle, free of charge, from the county

  • noted that the DA shared that the police surveillance vehicle was a result of drug forfeiture, and that Berks County has the highest level of drug forfeiture proceeds of all Pennsylvania counties

• approved prohibiting peddling and soliciting in Wyomissing borough

  • exceptions for youth fundraisers, nonprofits, religious organizations, and doorhangers

• approved stop signs on Hill Avenue

• tabled changing the Refuse and Recycling Committee to an Environmental Advisory Council

For more details:

• Tues. Sept. 10th Wyomissing Borough Council Agenda

• Tues. Sept. 10th Wyomissing Borough Council Meeting Documents

• Video: Sept. 10th Wyomissing Borough Council Meeting via Real Wyomissing Boro

• Free-ranging cats explainer: Wyomissing-West Reading Wire