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HAZLETON — Major crimes in Hazleton decreased 19 percent in 2018 and are 44 percent lower than 2015 totals, according to Thursday’s State of the City address by Mayor Jeff Cusat.
Cusat also says he will be seeking a second, four-year term in office in 2019.
“I have every intention of running again,” the mayor said after speaking at a Red Carpet Breakfast organized by the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce.
He believes the city is on “a great path” and he wants to be around to continue the work he and his administration started.
As for the police department led by Chief Jerry Speziale, Cusat says the city has a roster of 39 officers with six off due to injury or military leave.
However, Hazleton is in the midst of a hiring process to restore the force to 42 full-timers.
Cusat also explained how tips from the public have led to drug and other arrests in recent months. The department remains focused of citizen interaction with police through a variety of means that include an anonymous texting service and submitting information via the department’s website at www.hazletonpolice.com.
The mayor highlighted several crackdowns throughout the year. That includes a Laurel Street home that was being used illegally as an after-hours nightclub and hosting hundreds of people starting at 3 a.m.
Cusat also referenced a November Times Leader headline, “Battle for Alter Street,” to highlight the police work aimed at improving a troubled five-block stretch of Alter that has become notorious for drugs and other problems.
The mayor believes police are now turning the tide in that neighborhood and others via several methods documented in extensive Times Leader reporting on the city’s crime issues.
“I think we’ve in the past three years taken a much more active approach,” Cusat said after his speech. “The police department has been on the offensive instead of the defensive as seen with the Alter Street (crackdown). Also a big part of being on top of the crimes is getting assistance from the citizens.”
Meanwhile, the fire department just added five new paid firefighters, bringing the total to 23, which is the city’s largest force since 1988.
Act 47, cost control
Cusat acknowledged a rough start to last year, when the city’s boiler was taken out of service on a sub-freezing day, leaving City Hall without heat for a few weeks. The mayor and members of his team showed up to work in layered clothing, relying on small electric heaters to stay warm in the cavernous building.
Cusat also talked about the city’s progress under the state Act 47 program for financially distressed municipalities.
A recovery plan was accepted by council last summer, and it calls for gradually increasing property taxes to maintain services. The plan also gives the city funding to replace its entire computer network.
As far as steps already taken to stabilize finances, the mayor said he has implemented a central purchasing system. He believes that will make it easier to control costs and streamline relationships with vendors.
Cusat also touted the elimination of a running deficit that Hazleton had carried the last few years. He said the city had been using $800,000 to $1 million every year to go back and pay the prior year’s bills.
But right now, Hazleton is “deficit free.”
In addition, the city petitioned the courts for a jump in the earned income tax so it could again start meeting its pension obligations. The money generated will all go toward making Hazleton’s minimum municipal obligation of $6 million annually.
Development, recreation
The mayor pointed to recent economic development, highlighting plans for a new downtown bar-restaurant, a downtown arts center, and Cibao Express establishing a transportation depot at a long-vacant gas station.
That’s in addition to a new fitness center called Elevate on Church Street, a former school on Poplar Street undergoing an extensive transformation into apartments, and the Heights Plaza being filled with tenants.
Lehigh Valley Hospital — Hazleton also just launched an expansion expected to be complete by year’s end.
As for recreation, more than $400,000 in grants went toward badly needed upgrades at Altmiller Park, which now features new basketball and tennis courts, lighting, fencing and landscaping. Cusat said almost all city parks have recently seen repairs.
And even though it’s winter, the road crew is still working on streets, filling the worst potholes with modified stone instead of temporary soft patch to save money.