Mayor recaps 2024, outlines plans for 2025 at State of the City luncheon

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

Lebanon city’s past, present, and future figured prominently in Mayor Sherry Capello’s after-lunch remarks at this year’s State of the City address, held Wednesday at Hebron Banquet Hall.

Capello gave her 15th State of the City address in what has become an annual springtime luncheon sponsored by the Community of Lebanon Association and Buzgon Davis Law Offices.

Speaking to about 150 public officials, business people, city and county officials, and community leaders, Capello, who has been the city’s chief executive since 2010, covered a wide range of topics affecting city businesses and residents.

As in years past, crime and public safety, housing, and city finances figured prominently in the 45-minute presentation which was supplemented throughout with charts and graphs.

Crime

Serious crimes against persons (such as homicide, rape, robbery, and assault) were down 7.3 percent over 2023 numbers, but were still above 2020 and 2021 rates, according to the mayor. Crimes against property (burglary, theft, motor vehicle theft, and arson) dropped 14 percent year over year.

There was one homicide in 2024, down from six in 2023.

Read More: 24-year-old Lebanon man fatally shot Wednesday night in city residence

There were 46 domestic violence-related assaults in 2024, a 3 percent jump. Capello characterized the increase as “notable,” but said that “drawing firm conclusions is challenging without observing a longer-term trend.”

“Looking back over the last 15 years, domestic violence has significantly decreased. We remain committed to closely monitoring this type of crime and will continue to support DVI of Lebanon County and other organizations dedicated to assisting victims of violence,” she said.

The news wasn’t all positive. “Part II” crimes (forgery, embezzlement, vandalism,
criminal mischief, sex offenses, DUI, drug abuse, disorderly conduct, and similar offenses) were up 27 percent, or 219 incidents, in 2024, “mainly due to increased arrests for drug abuse, DUI and drunkenness.”

But, as with other categories, Capello said that Part II crimes “have greatly decreased from 20 years ago.”

Total crime in 2024, Capello said, dropped 12 percent. Capello noted that the city’s 2024 serious crime rate was 63 percent lower than 20 years ago. This is generally consistent with FBI nationwide crime statistics through 2023.

Read More: Lebanon County crime rates continue to drop, reflect state and nationwide trends

The city has been tracking gun incidents – street crimes and random gunfire – since 2010. The mayor said that “in 2024, there were four street crimes and nine random gunfire incidents. While random shots spiked in 2012 and street crimes increased in 2023, incidents have been relatively stable overall.”

Capello promised that “despite lower gun violence compared to other cities, the issue remains a significant public health concern and will continue to be prioritized.”

Capello concluded her crime report by noting that an $816,000 law enforcement grant was used in 2024 to fund software, evidence handling, officer retention, and new technology. Training and recruitment of police officers will be a key 2025 goal.

Fire department

City firefighters responded to 88 fires in 2024, four less than 2023. Only 30 were structure fires. Cooking fires are routine in the city, and last year saw 17 compared to 11 in 2023.

“Sadly,” the mayor observed, “fire injuries for the year were one civilian death and five civilian injuries. Tragically, the structure fire that caused the civilian death and four injuries had no working smoke detectors in the home.”

Lebanon city is the only combined career/volunteer department in the county. It provides mutual aid to other county municipalities. “We have career fire fighters on duty 24/7. Responses outside the city decreased by 27 percent in 2024, after experiencing a dramatic increase in 2021 due to a dispatching change.”

2024, according to the mayor, “marks the first year that the city provided contracted fire protection services to two response zones within North Cornwall Township for an annual fee of $25,000.”

Going forward, Fire Station #1 at 8th and Orange streets, is slated for modernization in 2025, including the addition of facilities for the city’s women firefighters. The project will be funded by a $500,000 grant.

Capello finished her review of the fire service by noting that “2025 goals are to increase our knowledge of our new reporting software, maintain a sustainable training program for career and volunteer fire fighters, enhance community involvement and adopt an amendment to the Fire and Property Maintenance Codes.”

Food safety and property maintenance

There were 15 out-of-compliance business food safety inspections in 2024, double the number from 2023, and 13 food safety investigations initiated as a result of complaints.

Capello touted more rigorous inspections to make substandard stores and restaurants even safer. “In 2019, we implemented a new practice of increased inspections if an establishment’s history of compliance was not where the inspector thought it should be. We believe more frequent inspections have improved these facilities’ food safety practices.”

The city received 1,825 property maintenance complaints in 2024, about the same number as in 2023, she said. 47 percent were nuisance issues such as rubbish, garbage, weeds, and dog feces.

Capello said a new initiative launched in 2024 focused on decrepit garages and accessory buildings. Owners received violation notices highlighting the negative impacts of decaying garages, such as property devaluation and the strain on city resources due to vandalism and trespassing.

The city also kept pressure on owners of condemned properties, which have consistently remained at about 100 over the years, or about 1 percent of the city’s building stock. Capello said this amount is low compared to other Pennsylvania cities.

“Last year, we condemned 45 units due to no utilities,” she said. “Reasons for condemnations are usually split evenly between interior conditions and utility shut-offs. Our continued goal is to reduce not only the number of condemned properties in the city, but also the length of time a property is listed as condemned.”

Capello added that strong demand for housing can be an incentive to rehab condemned properties. “Due to the demand for housing and our actions, some owners are finally repairing their dilapidated structures or selling their property to others who are willing to make the necessary investment,” she said. “Many condemnations were lifted and we ended the year at 91.”

As far as new construction and investments to improve city buildings, Capello said that building permits for $17.3 million of construction, $4.7 million of which was for residential work, were issued in 2024.

Streets and public works

The public works department is responsible for engineering, roadways, traffic control, parks and public grounds, and recycling. Its two largest time demands are grass and weed control and street sweeping.

Anyone who regularly drives Walnut and Cumberland streets (Route 422), the city’s main east-west roadways, or 9th and 10th streets (Route 72), its major north-south arteries, should have noticed that that multi-year project to resurface them and upgrade underground utilities was completed in 2024.

The repaving of Cumberland Street east from 5th Avenue to the city line is on tap for 2026, with PennDOT taking the project lead.

Overall, “more than $14 million has been invested in the resurfacing of city streets over the last 17 years,” the mayor announced, and in the last four years “there has been a significant increase in resurfacing due to the 422/72 Project and the use of ARPA funding for paving roadways.”

Looking to the future, the city started using artificial intelligence software in 2024 to help plan road resurfacing and signage, and the technology is giving public works officials a clear idea of the work that needs to be done.

“About 96 percent of the 94 miles of streets have been mapped and rated on their level of condition,” said the mayor.

“The use of this tool needs to be further assessed for accuracy, however, with the most recent data, 55 percent of our streets are in great to moderate condition, 26 percent are moderate to severe and about 15 percent are severe. Approximately 4 percent have not been assessed yet. This hopefully, provides us with better data to focus on for future resurfacing projects.”

Mayor is upbeat

Capello concluded her remarks by reviewing the city’s finances, which saw 2024 end with a budget surplus after 10 years of no tax increases, and running through a number of economic development and recreational projects recently or soon to be completed, including a new splash pad at Southwest Park and the soon-to-open dog park at Coleman Park.

Read More: Dog park, splash pad in the works at city’s Coleman and Southwest parks

She ended on a high note, leaving no doubt that she believes the city is on a sustainable upward path, especially in two areas of strong interest to residents.

“Serious crime has significantly decreased over past decades, with 2024 representing the second lowest serious crime count in statistical history. Our crime numbers are lower than most other cities in our region. Lebanon continues to be safe, but we also continue to acknowledge the need to change the mindset of using guns to resolve problems.”

“During my tenure we have improved our cash management by addressing deficits and increasing our surplus, established a capital reserve fund, improved our bond rating to A-1 stable, have appropriately funded pension plans, kept low taxes, more than $278 million invested in commercial and residential construction projects, received more than $79 million in grants to improve police, fire, public works, enhanced parks, and fostered economic development, increased our capital assets and net financial position … without raising taxes for the past 10 years.

“With that being said, I am pleased to report that the state of the city is strong, resilient, and full of opportunities.”