Tag Archives: Harrisburg City Council

Harrisburg council tweaks proposed police advisory committee, schedules final vote for next month

A screen grab from Harrisburg City Council’s legislative session

Harrisburg City Council has made several more changes to a proposed police advisory body and delayed a final vote on the bill until next month.

At a virtual legislative session on Tuesday, council voted unanimously to tweak several elements of proposed Bill 8, which would create a Citizen’s Law Enforcement Advisory Committee.

The changes include:

  • Giving council the ability to appoint five board members, up from four, while reducing mayoral appointments from three to two, for the initial committee members.
  • Mandating that the committee meet at least quarterly, as opposed to at least annually, each year.
  • Staggering initial terms so that two of the original members serve four-year terms, two members serve three-year terms and three members serve two-year terms.

Council members Ausha Green and Danielle Bowers said that some of these changes were made in response to comments received from community members.

“Listening to the comments is really power to the people,” Bowers said.

Council is expected to take a final vote on Bill 8 at its Nov. 10 meeting.

At the beginning of Tuesday’s session, council read aloud comments from community members, some of whom continue to be disappointed with the limitations of the proposed committee.

Bill 8 already has been amended to give the committee administrative subpoena power and to change or remove several parts of the original bill.

However, some residents remain unsatisfied. They believe that the body should be able to exercise greater oversight over the police bureau and want to change the name of the body from an “advisory committee” to a “review board.”

According to city Solicitor Neil Grover, Harrisburg lacks the authority to create a review board, prompting some residents to advocate for a home rule charter, which may give the city greater flexibility in setting its own rules beyond what’s allowed currently in the state code.

“I do think the talk of home rule has been important and is something we should pursue,” said one resident during the legislative session.

In addition, several residents urged council to make their online meetings more accessible, including advertising meetings more broadly on social media platforms and allowing residents to make comments in real time during the virtual meeting’s live-stream.

“Over the last few months during COVID, residents have pleaded with the city to make the council meetings more accessible,” said Kimeka Campbell, co-founder of Harrisburg Young Professionals of Color, in a written comment. “Nevertheless, the city has kept comments off their YouTube videos, not allowed more than two opportunities for call-ins for public comment, only taken public comment via email and truncated public comments that seem too similar.”

At the end of the meeting, member Ben Allatt said that council should consider expanding ways of interacting with the public virtually. But he also urged residents to reach out beyond just virtual council meetings, such as emailing or calling individual council members or even arranging meetings with them.

“These (virtual) meetings aren’t held in a vacuum and aren’t the only ways to interact with us in City Council,” he said. “There is a willingness to be able to meet with the community in many different fashions.”

In other action on Tuesday, council:

  • Approved an agreement to pay $725,000 to MEB Partners and Brenner Motors to settle outstanding rent, tax and repair issues arising from a three-year lease of the Public Works Department site on Paxton Street.
  • Approved a land development plan for a 200-space parking lot at 1501 N. 7th St. The property owner wants to turn an empty lot into a surface parking lot, primarily to serve the needs of the new federal courthouse due for completion in summer 2022.
  • Approved a resolution appointing resident Kali Tennis to a seat on the Harrisburg Architectural Review Board (HARB).

Lastly, council President Wanda Williams said that the city’s “Grab and Go” trick-or-treat night has been rescheduled due to predicted inclement weather for Thursday. It now will take place on Saturday, Oct. 31, from 5 to 7 p.m. at the city’s three firehouses—Uptown at 1820 N. 6th St., and the two on Allison Hill at 140 N. 16th St. and 9 S. 13th St.

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The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

Students from the Nativity School of Harrisburg at Thursday’s ribbon-cutting for their new school.

The local news scene continued its busy autumn this past week, as we tackled government, business and cultural stories. In case you missed any of our coverage, we have it all listed and linked below in our weekly summary.

COVID-19 cases continued to climb in Pennsylvania since hitting a low early last month, according to the commonwealth. We have the latest facts and figures in our weekly update.

Dauphin County distributed some $17 million in CARES Act grants to local governments, businesses and nonprofits last week. Our online story has additional details and a link to all grant recipients.

Gamut Theatre Group continues its run this weekend of “The Zoo Story,” a two-person show. In our magazine story, find out how Gamut staged a fall season, despite pandemic-related restrictions.

Harrisburg is on the verge of settling a longstanding lawsuit over the site of the city’s public works facility. The opposing sides have agreed to a negotiated settlement that should resolve claims over a lease agreement, according to our news story.

Harrisburg City Council received an extensive briefing last week on the city’s draft comprehensive plan. Residents are now free to comment on the plan, says our online story.

Midtown Harrisburg may soon be home to two small apartment buildings. Our online story summarizes the sudden flurry of development proposals around the Reily Street corridor.

Murals are back following a pandemic-induced hiatus earlier in the year. This fall, Harrisburg streets have gotten five new big, public works of art, detailed in our online story.

Nativity School of Harrisburg started a new chapter this past week, cutting the ribbon on its Uptown facility. It’s a dream come true for staff, board members and students, states our news story.

Sara Bozich is fully committed to seasonal activities in her weekly list of things to do around Harrisburg. Check out all the fall fun up her sweater sleeve.

Steve Reed was Harrisburg’s mayor for 28 years and a lifelong collector of art and memorabilia. His estate will now go to auction next month, with many of his collectibles up for bid, says our online news story.

Vivi on Verbeke stole our art blogger’s heart after he stopped in during October’s 3rd in the Burg. Read what Bob had to say about the art and the inhabitants.

Waldo’s & Co. is a bastion of creative spirit in the heart of Gettysburg. Read the unlikely story of how it came to be and how it got its catchy name in our magazine feature.


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Developer unveils plans for 2 Midtown apartment buildings, additional construction planned

A rendering of the apartment building that Seven Bridges Development plans to build at N. 4th and Calder streets.

A Harrisburg-based developer today unveiled a plan to build two small apartment buildings in a suddenly hot development area in the city.

Seven Bridges Property Development held a public event at the site of one of the proposed development parcels at Calder and N. 4th streets, where it wants to construct a nine-unit building.

The company also has plans to construct a 12-unit building a block away at Calder and Marion streets, said Ian Wewer, director of development and operations for Seven Bridges. Both buildings would contain one-bedroom apartments ranging from 700 to 900 square feet.

Wewer said that Seven Bridges plans to begin the land development approval process in November, with an appearance before the city Planning Commission. The project’s land development plan also must be OK’d by City Council.

Seven Bridges hopes to break ground in the spring and anticipates a three-to-five month construction timeframe for the 4th Street building, followed by a similar timeframe for the other building, Wewer said. He projects monthly rents in the $800 to $1,000 range, with two “workforce” units that would rent for about 80 percent of the market rate.

The grassy lot where Seven Bridges Development hopes to build at N. 4th and Calder streets.

The Harrisburg Redevelopment Authority currently owns the land, but has granted Seven Bridges “potential developer” status for 60 parcels throughout the MarketPlace neighborhood, a 14-block area just north of the Broad Street Market.

Wewer said that his company considers these two buildings to be the first of many, as they would like to build on other empty lots in the neighborhood.

Earlier this year, another developer, Midtown Development LLP, believed that it had secured the rights to build on these lots. However, the HRA later asserted that Seven Bridges continued to have potential development rights through the end of the year.

The HRA did give Midtown Development “potential developer status” for 106 parcels in Capitol Heights, a neighborhood north of Reily Street that has experienced little development in over a decade after the original builder, Baltimore-based Struever Rouse Homes, abandoned the project in 2009.

Chris Bryce, a Midtown Development principal, said that his Harrisburg-based company plans to begin building single-family town homes soon on the lots.

The Reily Street corridor has become a development hotspot now that the new federal courthouse is rising at the corner of N. 6th and Reily streets. The 243,000-square-foot building is slated for completion in summer 2022.

At a meeting on Tuesday, the HRA approved “potential developer” status to another group that wishes to build in the immediate area.

A partnership called KevGar Holdco LLC wants to build the “Judicial Office Center at Midtown” on 40 lots, 25 of which are currently owned by the HRA, between Reily, Boyd, Fulton and N. 5th streets. The project would consist of a five-story, 75,000-square-foot office and retail building, along with a five-story parking garage with 420 parking spaces.

At the HRA meeting on Tuesday, company principal Kevin Baird, a Philadelphia-area businessman, said that a portion of the garage likely would be reserved for courthouse users, though most would be available for other parking customers. His partner in KevGar is Gary Nalbandian, a founder of both Lemoyne-based NAI CIR realty brokerage and Mechanicsburg-based Metro Bank.

To help finance the project, KevGar has put in an application for $3.7 million state Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant. The commonwealth is expected to announce 2020 RACP grant recipients soon.

Following the HRA meeting on Tuesday, Baird declined further comment except to say that the project is still early in the development process.

“It’s all a big ‘if’ right now,” he said. “A lot of things need to come together.”

Last year, the state awarded a $2 million RACP grant to another proposed project in the immediate area. GreenWorks Development wants to construct a 135,000-square-foot, 135-unit apartment building, along with street-level retail, at 320 Reily St., which is currently a parking lot.

The project has not yet gone through the city’s land development approval process.

The Seven Bridges event on Wednesday was well attended, including by people who live in the neighborhood.

“I want property values to go up, and I know that new construction will do that,” said resident Pat Edwards. “There needs to be a happy medium for making the city better.”

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Harrisburg opens window to receive comments for draft comprehensive plan

The clock has begun to tick on the final stage of Harrisburg’s proposed comprehensive plan, with residents encouraged to review the plan and make comments.

During a virtual work session on Tuesday night, city planning Director Geoffrey Knight offered an extensive presentation of the plan to City Council, an event that kicked off a 45-day public comment period.

The city, Knight said, has set up an email address specifically to receive public comments on the plan. That address is [email protected].

“I want to thank everyone for all their hard work on this document. We’re eager to get it approved,” said council member Dave Madsen. “But we have to do our due diligence and take a hard look at it and get that feedback from the community.”

The city’s current comprehensive plan dates back to 1974, though it’s supposed to be thoroughly reviewed and rewritten about once every 20 years.

In 2014, the city began the process of creating a new plan, but met numerous delays, including a protracted dispute with the consultant hired to draft the plan. Last month, the city Planning Commission unanimously passed the plan, sending it to council for final approval.

According to Knight, the city already has received numerous public comments and questions on the 246-page document, even though the official public input window just opened. The 45-day comment period expires on Dec. 4, unless council decides to extend it.

After the comment period expires, council would need to hold at least one public hearing before voting on the plan.

City Solicitor Neil Grover said that council has the authority to make changes to the plan before voting, including the possible inclusion of some or all of the public comments.

“You can accept it as is. You can amend it. You can accept part of it. You can reject the whole thing,” he said. “So, you’re really starting the next phase of this process.”

On Tuesday night, Knight summarized the plan on a chapter-by-chapter basis, which includes such topics as land use, housing, mobility, parks, energy and cultural resources.

“Updating this plan will be important in helping to guide land use decisions,” Knight said. “Hopefully this plan . . . will help guide projects that come through the land development plan process, will help us establish policies going forward and will help us go out for grants in the future.”

Knight stressed that, even after the plan is approved, the city can make updates to it over the years.

“It really should be seen as a living document,” he said.

Council member Westburn Majors inquired about a federal lawsuit filed in June by the Harrisburg-based Office for Planning and Architecture and its majority owner, architect Bret Peters, who the city hired in 2015 to draft the comprehensive plan.

In 2017, Peters and the city had a falling out over payment and the release of several chapters of the draft plan to the city.

In his lawsuit, Peters alleges that the city owes him $109,754 for his work and that the city therefore is violating his copyright by using his work product. The lawsuit further seeks to stop the city and its current consultant, Maryland-based Wallace Montgomery & Associates, from using this work product.

On Tuesday, Grover said that he couldn’t comment publicly on specifics of the ongoing litigation, but said that the lawsuit shouldn’t stop the process of completing the comprehensive plan.

“From our view, unless a judge says otherwise, it doesn’t affect what you’re doing,” Grover told council. “It’s a public document paid for with public money, and it’s what’s best for the city.”

Several council members emphasized the importance of fresh public comment, since the comprehensive planning process dates back six years. Majors, for instance, said that many people who live in the city today may not have been in Harrisburg when the original public meetings were held years ago.

“I want to make sure there’s an opportunity for those folks to provide input,” he said. “I look forward to receiving comments from the public and really digging into this plan at another time.”

Click here to view Harrisburg’s draft comprehensive plan.

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The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

Midtown Scholar Bookstore this weekend hosts the annual Harrisburg Book Festival.

This past week, the weather gave us a little bit of this and little bit of that—and so did the local news. If you missed any of our original coverage, we have it all summarized, listed and linked below.

Central PA Food Bank has reported record fundraising, thanks to generous community response to a virtual fundraiser in September. The funds are being used to feed growing numbers of food insecure individuals, our news feature reports.

Fall activities in central PA have been impacted greatly by the pandemic. However, as our magazine story explains, the fun is still on, just in a somewhat different form.

Harrisburg City Council last week took another pass at a proposed police advisory board, approving several key amendments. The final legislation still must be voted on, our online story states.

Home sales and prices in the greater Harrisburg area rose again, continuing a months-long climb. Our monthly update has the facts and figures.

Midtown Scholar Bookstore this weekend hosts its annual Harrisburg Book Festival. There will be an outdoor book sale, but much of the festival will take place online, including an event with one of the world’s most famous novelists.

New COVID-19 cases continued a month-long rise in PA, along with a sharp increase in testing. Our weekly update has a breakdown of the data.

Sara Bozich highlights all-things fall in her weekly list of fun things to do this weekend around Harrisburg. She has all the pumpkin-y details for an autumn outing.

Tyrai Anderson wanted to give back to his community, so he has taken the first steps towards becoming a Harrisburg police officer. Our magazine feature explains his motivations and goals.

UPMC Pinnacle, along with the Peyton Walker Foundation, donated life-saving devices to the Harrisburg Police Bureau last week. Our online story explains the details of this special gift.

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Harrisburg City Council strengthens proposed police advisory committee; some say it’s still not enough

A screenshot from Tuesday’s City Council meeting.

A proposed Harrisburg police advisory committee is inching closer to a final vote, after various amendments to the bill were passed by City Council on Tuesday night.

However, some community members think council is still missing a necessary change in language.

“We want a Harrisburg Community Review Board, not a Citizen’s Law Enforcement Advisory Committee,” one resident said. “Language matters. We demand an accountability structure.”

City Solicitor Neil Grover said that Harrisburg doesn’t have the authority to create a review board under state legislation.

“This not being enumerated anywhere,” he said. “There is no place to go to a state statute to say that this is an expressed authorization.”

Grover said the only written authorization the city could find was for advisory boards like the city’s existing Environmental Advisory Committee or municipal authorities such as Capital Region Water.

It could be called something else, Grover said, but he warned against doing that.

“I think calling it something else and claiming it’s more than an advisory board is unfair to the members that get appointed,” Grover said. “I think it misleads.”

Ultimately, council made no amendment to the name of the committee.

They did, however, vote on and pass several other amendments, including designating administrative subpoena power to the committee. Subpoena power was something that many community members asked for repeatedly at town hall meetings and council meetings.

In addition, the statement of general intent of the bill was amended to better communicate the board’s role in exercising accountability over the Harrisburg Police Bureau rather than serving as a liaison between the police and community.

Council member Ausha Green also proposed removing the police commissioner and the chair of council’s public safety committee as non-voting members of the board. They would be replaced with two voting members from the city at large. The nine committee members would serve three-year terms, she added. Both of these amendments passed.

Council voted in favor of requiring that all board members undergo orientation by the city’s law bureau within six months of their appointment. The bill previously required members to be trained at the city’s police academy and complete a police ride-along.

Among other amendments was one to encourage police compliance with requests from the advisory committee for information. If the police bureau doesn’t provide the information within 14 days of a request for information–or if the response is deemed unsatisfactory–the board can recommend that City Council suspend funding for hiring new officers.

Green said that the proposed bill will be discussed at the next council work session on Oct. 20 and will possibly face a vote on Oct. 27.

In other council action, members approved a zoning change for the area of the old Bishop McDevitt School on 2200 and 2300 Market St. The zoning map amendment, submitted by members of development group The Bridge Ecovillage, changes the property from an Institutional zoning designation to Commercial Neighborhood, which allows the developers to proceed with their plans for a mixed-use commercial/residential development.

To view past Harrisburg City Council meetings, visit the city’s YouTube channel.

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The Week that Was: News and features around Harrisburg

The Black Burg, a community group run by college students.

We are in the thick of election season, and many of our stories this week reflect that, including our monthly podcast. First, register to vote, then catch up on this week’s news below.

Art season in Harrisburg looks much different this year, due to the COVID-19 crisis. Our magazine story highlights the way that local theaters, art museums and musical groups are adjusting. The show must go on!

The Black Burg, a community group run by college students, is holding “Ballots for the Burg,” a voter engagement day in Reservoir Park. The event on Oct. 10 will feature voting assistance, free food and a concert by young local artists, our online story reports.

Bob’s Art Blog features “Art of the State” winners from around Pennsylvania. Check out a few of the photographs, paintings and sculptures that were honored this year.

Braver Angels was founded shortly after the 2016 election to help neutralize the negative emotions and attitudes between red and blue Americans. Here’s the backstory on Braver Angels and their work in PA.

TheBurg Podcast dives into the political divide with the organization Braver Angels, to bring you survival tips. What does it mean to be civil, and is it possible during election season? Subscribe to TheBurg Podcast on your favorite podcast platform!

COVID-19 cases in PA are again on the rise, our online story reports. On average, there were more than 1,100 new cases each day over the past week.

Gamut Theatre brings back live shows with “The Zoo Story.” Our review presents an honest opinion of this unsettling story performed by a two-man cast.

Harrisburg City Council discussed more potential amendments to a proposed police advisory board, our online story reports. The suggested amendment would encourage the Police Bureau’s compliance with requests for information.

The Harrisburg Fire Bureau swore in 10 new firefighters last week. According to Chief Brian Enterline, this set a record high for the number of personnel in the bureau in over a decade, our online story reports.

The Harrisburg School District gave student-athletes the “OK” to play fall sports, after previously canceling the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Athletic Director Calvin Everett believes their teams will be behind, but he’s excited they can now participate, our online story reported.

Harrisburg United, an open coalition of Harrisburg region civic, labor, religious and community organizations, issued a statement of support for victims of recent hate behaviors in the city. They encouraged Harrisburg residents to respond by reporting hate activity and supporting those who are targeted.

Our October recipe is centered around the versatile zucchini. Rosemary tells you how to prepare the perfect sausage-stuffed zucchini the Italian way.

Power to the Hill is an organization in Allison Hill focused on increasing civic engagement in the area. Read about the ways that they have helped residents find a voice through exercising their right to vote.

Sara Bozich has a “fall bucket list” for you to check out and plenty of other fun October events. Take a look through her Weekend Roundup, here.

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Harrisburg City Council proposes more changes to police advisory board, adds compliance enforcement

A screenshot from Tuesday’s virtual City Council meeting.

Harrisburg City Council discussed more potential changes to a proposed police advisory board, this time to encourage the Police Bureau’s compliance with requests for information.

At a virtual work session on Tuesday, council member Ausha Green put forth an amendment to the proposed Bill 8 with a focus on compliance.

Under Green’s proposal, any request for information from the board would need to be sent to Mayor Eric Papenfuse, as well as to the police bureau. If the requested information is not provided within 14 days or is deemed unsatisfactory, the board can submit a recommendation to city council and to Papenfuse to freeze funding for hiring new officers, Green said.

Council would then accept or deny the recommendation. If accepted, the bureau would have five days to provide the requested information before the hiring freeze would take effect.

“The thought behind it was to ensure, when the request is made, that the information is actually provided,” Green said. “It doesn’t just give the board complete power, but it brings it back to council.”

At a work session on Sept. 16, Green proposed a series of additional amendments including granting the advisory board with administrative subpoena power. This power was something that some residents repeatedly asked for during council meetings and town hall meetings held in August.

Green also proposed removing the police commissioner and the council’s public safety chair as non-voting members of the board, as was originally proposed, and, instead, inviting them to quarterly meetings. They would be replaced by two members from the city at large, she said.

At the Sept. 16 work session, Papenfuse mentioned that he did not have an issue with those drafted amendments.

“It is my strong desire that the final draft of the bill incorporates the feedback gathered from the town halls and public comments submitted to city council,” one resident’s public comments for Tuesday read.

All proposed amendments will be voted on at the next legislative session on Oct. 13. The bill will then be discussed again at a work session on Oct. 20. Green said that it’s possible that council could vote on the final bill on Oct. 27.

To view past Harrisburg City Council meetings, visit the city’s YouTube channel.

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Harrisburg offers free tree removal for those in need, provides guidelines for leaf collection

A fallen tree on Green Street in October 2019.

It’s the time of the year when we notice the trees as they change color, produce apples and drop leaves that crunch beneath our shoes.

But, sometimes, they’re just a headache.

Therefore, Harrisburg is launching a new initiative to help low-income households trim and remove old trees.

“If you can’t take care of these trees, the city will do its best to take care of these trees for you,” said Parks and Facilities Director Dave Baker, appearing on last Friday’s edition of Mayor Eric Papenfuse’s “Community Conversations” on Facebook Live.

For applicants who meet the income requirements, the city will remove and trim dead, dangerous and overgrown trees for free.

Baker explained that all trees along the city sidewalks and streets in front of homes are the homeowners’ responsibility. This program seeks to aid those who can’t afford to maintain them, he said.

“If a program like this weren’t in place, it would probably be an enormous burden on a lot of homeowners,” Papenfuse said.

Last Tuesday, City Council approved a budget reallocation that includes $252,000 for the tree removal project. The money came from unused Department of Parks and Recreation funds.

The funds must be used by the end of the year, Baker said.

Papenfuse said that the maintenance of trees can play a role in improving street lighting and public safety.

“This is an opportunity to reprogram that money and put it into something people really want to see,” he said.

As fall begins, Harrisburg officials also discussed the leaf collection process, which remains the same as in years past.

Yard waste pickup began Sept. 1 and runs through Dec. 1, said Jeff Baltimore, public works operations manager. Residents must put their leaves in biodegradable bags, which can be purchased or picked up from Harrisburg’s Department of Public Works office for free, he said.

Residents should place bags on the curb the night before street sweeping, Baltimore said.

When leaves begin to fall more heavily, the city will utilize their leaf vacuums to collect fallen foliage on the streets, he said.

Speaking of clean streets, street-sweeping will continue this year through the fall and winter months, said Charlotte Katzenmoyer, chief operating officer of Capital Region Water. In the past, CRW often paused street-sweeping once temperatures regularly dropped below freezing.

CRW recently began operating its own street sweepers instead of contracting out for the operation and is now collecting about double the trash as before, Katzenmoyer said.

The new sweepers are also better at collecting larger debris, she said.

“Litter doesn’t stop just because of the seasons,” Katzenmoyer said. “We are going to continue street-sweeping year round.”

To watch past Community Conversations, visit the city’s YouTube channel. For more information on Harrisburg’s tree removal program or to apply, visit https://harrisburgpa.gov/trees/. Information and updates on city services can be found here.

 

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COVID-19 bonuses coming to Harrisburg essential workers

The Harrisburg MLK City Government Center

Essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic will receive a big “thank you” from Harrisburg in the form of $2,500.

On Tuesday, City Council unanimously approved a budget reallocation which included about $800,000 from the city’s 2020 budget going towards this one-time “COVID-19 bonus.”

“We have hundreds of employees at the city across multiple unions and even in management that have come to work every day and had no option for telecommuting or adjusted schedules,” Mayor Eric Papenfuse said. “We feel it’s appropriate […] to show our appreciation for them.”

The bonus will go to any city employee who worked each day without being able to work from home or adjust hours, Papenfuse said.

He said that many American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union members qualify. All Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) and International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) union members will receive the bonus, as will a few management-level positions.

All eligible employees in Harrisburg will receive the same bonus, Papenfuse said.

“Thank you to all of those that were working on the front lines,” council member Danielle Bowers said. “I support this bonus.”

To watch past Harrisburg City Council meetings, visit the city’s YouTube channel.

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