Easton City Council seats three new members, defeats senior rebate proposal 4-3

Borough Council · Meeting of January 2, 2026

Easton City Council seated three new members and rejected a senior property tax rebate proposal tied to hybrid police-vehicle savings. The regular session voted 4-3 against a resolution that would have redirected anticipated fleet fuel savings, estimated at roughly $734 per vehicle annually with about 40 cars in the fleet, toward property tax relief for senior homeowners beginning in 2027; Councilman Brown, Mrs. Rose, and Mr.

Pinabone voted no, citing a projected $2.6 million budget deficit and a per-senior benefit of under $12. The council approved Michael Vargo as assistant city solicitor at $62,500 annually, with an expected promotion to city solicitor at $80,000 after three months, and appointed Brian Losser as a second assistant solicitor, both moves prompted by the departure of outgoing Second Assistant Jeremy Clark to a Court of Common Pleas judgeship. Shane Raymond, a Stevens Institute of Technology engineering graduate, was approved 5-2 for the Planning Commission despite dissent over a familial tie to an existing member.

In the reorganization meeting, Frank Graziano, Susan Hartraff-Bittinger, and Julie Zando Dennis were sworn in, and Councilman Pinabone was elected vice mayor.

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Source: the Borough Council meeting of January 2, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.