The meeting also paid tribute to Susan Lyy, a longtime Emerson resident and coach, who was honored for her 800th career win as the coach of the Academy of the Holy Angels varsity basketball team. The council read a proclamation for Women’s History Month and celebrated the borough’s first female mayor and majority female governing body. Additionally, the council approved the appointment of Kelly Waters to the Emerson Board of Health and addressed the Spatial Data Program, which aims to enhance efficiency across departments.

The council engaged in a detailed examination of the budgetary needs for the Department of Public Works, debating the potential impact of reallocating funds from tree removal and pruning to purchase a new ride-on mower. Moreover, they considered various public works projects, such as repairing the railing at the ball and exploring grants for paving the borough parking lot. The need for beautification was discussed, including the increase in the budget for flowers and the potential contribution of an Eagle Scout project to the town’s aesthetic efforts.

The police department’s budget was another topic, with discussions on the need to upgrade computers due to the end of Windows 10 support and the implementation of E-tickets to streamline ticketing processes. The council considered purchasing license plate readers and radios for the police reserves, as well as the digitization of borough records to address space constraints.

Furthermore, the council addressed the increasing number of OPRA requests and the need for a part-time floater to manage the workload. The upcoming introduction of the budget brought up discussions on solid waste recycling and vegetative waste services, with the council expressing interest in shared services with other towns to optimize waste pickup.

The meeting also touched upon community engagement, with announcements about the Easter egg hunt, the Mayor’s Wellness campaign addressing opioid misuse among teens, and the acceptance of applications for affordable rental apartments. Additionally, the council discussed the sponsorship of a welcome sign to beautify the town and the acceptance of applications for the 2024 Emerson community garden.

During the public comment portion, resident Kelsey Wilson raised safety concerns about a hazardous intersection, prompting a discussion on the potential installation of a crosswalk and flashing pedestrian signs. The issue was referred to the town engineer for further evaluation.