New leadership is taking the reins on Palmerton Area School District’s board of directors in 2020.

During the district’s annual reorganization meeting Tuesday night, Kathy Fallow and board newcomer Audrey Larvey were unanimously voted as president and vice president respectively.

Fallow takes over for Kate Baumgardt, who spent one year in the president’s chair, and Larvey follows Tammy Recker.

Larvey, Doris Zellers and Brandon Mazepa were sworn in as new board members during the meeting. Recker and Sherry Haas, both incumbents, also begin their new term.

The remaining board members, all with two years left in their terms, are Baumgardt, Fallow, Earl Paules and Barry Scherer.

With Fallow becoming president, Zellers was appointed to fill her seat as board liaison to the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.

Paules will take the place of former board member Josh Smale as Palmerton’s alternate on the Carbon Career and Technical Institute joint operating committee.

In other business Tuesday, Palmerton Area School District’s board of directors took the following action:

• Adopted the 2020-21 Act 1 Resolution stating that it will not increase taxes by more than its adjusted index of 3.5%, as determined by the Pennsylvania Department of Education.

Business Administrator Ryan Kish said a 3.5% increase, should the board choose to go to that level, would bring in just under an additional $600,000 in revenue. Palmerton, Kish added, has a little over $8 million in its fund balance, all of it assigned.

The motion passed 7-1, with Scherer casting the negative vote.

• Approved the second reading of Policy 709.1, “Use of Metal Detectors at School Facilities.”

• Authorized the interim superintendent and business manager to make and release payments for the remaining December accounts payable.

• Approved the 2020-21 fee agreement with Sweet, Stevens, Katz, and Williams. The hourly rate for nonroutine matters will remain at $195 per hour and the hourly rate for routine or general advice will remain at $160 per hour.