Regular Meeting November 14, 2018 The Regular Meeting of the Washington Township Board of Supervisors was held on November 14 2018 at 7:00 pm in the Municipal Meeting Room. CALL TO ORDER: Chairman Smith called the meeting to order at7:00 pm. Vice Chairman Hess was also in attendance. Supervisor Diehl was absent. Also present: Secretary/Treasurer Gail Putvinski, Solicitor David Ceraul and Township Engineer Jeffrey Ott. There were nine (9) people in the audience. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Recited. EXECUTIVE SESSION Chairman Smith reported that an Executive Session was held this evening from 6:30 pm to 7:00 pm to discuss a personnel issue and the attendees included Chairman Smith, Vice Chairman Hess, and Solicitor Ceraul. Chairman Smith asked that it be noted that this is the 5 th consecutive Regular Board of Supervisors meeting not attended by Supervisor Diehl. APPROVAL OF BILLS: General Fund # 16571-16638 $ 97,566.44 Garbage Fund # 1178 $ 34,352.49 Recreation Fund # 1609-1610 $ 62.75 Chairman Smith moved to approve the General Fund bills in the amount of $97,566.44 and Vice Chairman Hess seconded the motion. Chairman Smith moved to approve the Garbage Fund bills in the amount of $34,352.49 and the Recreation Fund bills in the amount of $62.75 and Vice Chairman Hess seconded the motion. Public Comment: None Vote 2 0 All bills are on file in the Administration Building and can be viewed during regular business hours. TAX DUPLICATE CHANGES: Interim Additions, Garbage Additions 1) There were four (4) real estate interim additions for October 2018 in the amount of $646.62 and one (1) garbage addition at 66 Greentree Drive. Chairman Smith moved to approve four (4) 2018 interim real estate additions in the amount of $646.62 for the month of October and one (1) garbage addition at 66 Greentree Drive and Vice Chairman Hess seconded the motion. Public Comment: None Vote 2 0 TREASURER S REPORT: Gail Putvinski 1) Account Balance Review Treasurer Gail Putvinski reviewed the account balances as of October 31, 2018. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 1) Regular Meeting of October 10, 2018 Chairman Smith moved to approve the minutes of the regular meeting held on October 10, 2018 and Vice Chairman Hess seconded the motion.
2) Special Budget Meeting of October 17, 2018 Chairman Smith moved to approve the minutes of the special budget meeting held on October 17, 2018 and Vice Chairman Hess seconded the motion. 3) Special Meeting of November 7, 2018 Chairman Smith moved to approve the minutes of the special budget meeting held on November 7, 2018 and Vice Chairman Hess seconded the motion. CORRESPONDENCE: 1) County of Northampton, Invitation to Join NC Blight Reversal and Remediation Plan Task Force 2) PA Land Trust Association, Communication Regarding Act 98 Reduces Threat of Litigation When Opening Land to the Public Reduces liability for municipalities when opening land to the public. 3) Slate Belt Chamber of Commerce Newsletter, November 2018 4) Slate Belt COG, October 24, 2018 Meeting Minutes 5) ACELA Engineering Co, Municipal Professional Engineer Services 6) PA DEP, Changes to Chapter 109-Safe Drinking Water Regulations Engineer Jeff Ott commented on the letter from DEP and recommended the Board review the letter. 7) PA DEP, NPDES Notice for Bangor Borough Authority Engineer Jeff Ott noted that a violation letter was sent to the Bangor Borough Authority. 8) Northampton County Conservation District, NPDES Site Inspection Northampton County Bridge 191 E. Factoryville Road Engineer Jeff Ott noted that the inspection of the East Factoryville Road Bridge resulted in some violations. Lee Messinger asked if the property owners shared in the responsibility for correction. Mr. Ott did not have an answer to that question but noted the property owners were listed in the notice. 9) Northampton County Conservation District, NPDES Permit Inspection Valley Industrial Properties Engineer Ott noted that this communication states that the previous violations have been remedied for Valley Industrial Properties. 10) County of Northampton, Announcement of 2019 Northampton County Festival The Festival will take place on May 25, 2018. 11) Northampton County Emergency Management Services, Notification of Flood Mitigation Assistance Grants and 2018 FFY Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grants Notification of grant opportunities. 12) PSATS Township Legal Defense Partnership, Fall 2018 13) PennDOT Municipal Advisory Committee, 2018-2019 Community and Local Government Assistance Brochure for Transportation Document details support opportunities. Lee Messinger and Gail Putvinski recently met with Jeff Roback from PennDOT who shared that there were minimal grant opportunities for road work from PennDOT. 14) PMRS, 2018 Excess Interest Award $6,553.00
Township will receive funding due to excess in the MMO for the non-uniform pension plan. 15) Crime Victims Council of the Lehigh Valley, Plant Sale Notice 16) H.A. Thomson, Bond Quote Option 17) Andrew Kleiner, Director of Redevelopment and External Affairs LVED, Requesting meeting with Chairman The notice was shared with Chairman Smith in order for him to set up a meeting. 18) Steve Sanders, Areland Drive, Requesting Board of Supervisors Formally Oppose Synagro/Slate Belt Heat Recovery Center The Board of Supervisors agreed to consider the request from Steve Sanders regarding request to oppose the Heat Recovery Center. 19) PennDOT, Moving Forward News PUBLIC COMMENT: 1) Justin Huratiak, OW Road Mr. Huratiak stated that he also attended the recent meeting regarding the State Belt Heat Recovery Center. Like Mr. Sanders, he also requested the support of the Board of Supervisors to formally oppose the project. Mr. Huratiak shared that he attended the Citizen Advisory Council meeting in Harrisburg. He noted that there are several environmental issues impacting Washington Township that need attention. In addition to the Heat Recovery Center other issues include water problems, truck traffic, and the increasing smell of the dump. 2) Vito Trigiani, PA American Water Mr. Trigiani addressed the Board and the attendees. He apologized for the condition of the roads and the delay in project completion. A series of issues, including weather, have delayed progress. Mr. Trigiani stated he has been in regular contact with the contractor who is behind schedule. Mr. Trigiani provided an overview of the plan to complete the water line project on OW Road. The contractor will need to hook-up the service to the homes, and then do the final tie-in. The water will need to be turned off for one day to do the tie-in. Once that is complete there will be basic grading. This is planned for completion before the end of the year. A full paving on the impacted area will take place in the Spring. Engineer Jeff Ott asked that someone from the Township be involved in the paving project. Mr. Trigiani agreed to involve the Township with the paving. He also agreed to take calls from residents regarding the project. Mr. Trigiani was asked to discuss the process to add more hydrants to OW Road and one on Blue Valley Drive, as requested by the Fire Department. Mr. Trigiani stated that there will be no installation charges for the new hydrants. The Township will be responsible for the monthly fees. Currently the Township has 58 hydrants. The Township should submit a letter stating approval to add the hydrants. RECREATION: Robert Smith 1) Recreation Complex Phase 2 Grant Update No new updates available. 2) Recreation Complex Phase 2 Plans No current updates. 3) L&I Complaint Update The Township received a response from L&I requesting additional documents for the permit applications. Engineer Jeff Ott and Justin Huratiak provided the requested documents. The extension for the pavilion and scoreboard were granted through December 31, 2018.
Depending on the date of the response from L&I, another extension may be required. The Board expressed their appreciation to Justin Huratiak for all of his help on the project. 4) Plan for Rental of Farm Fields A formal notice was sent to Robert Kroboth stating that parts of the farming area may be under construction next season. Justin Huratiak and Mr. Kroboth identified a plan for next season. POLICE CHIEF REPORT: Chief Miller 1) Incident Report There were 184 documented calls for service in October. 2) Police Vehicle Mileage Total mileage for the police vehicles for the month of October was 4,910. ZONING REPORT: 1) Activity Report Tina Serfass of Keller Zoning & Inspection Services, the Acting Zoning Officer for Washington Township, was not in attendance but submitted an Activity Report for review by the Board of Supervisors. ENGINEER S REPORT: Jeff Ott 1) Messinger Street Culvert Grate Replacement No update at this time. 2) Update PA American Water Project on OW Road PA American Water Project was addressed under public comment. 3) Ability to Build on Lot F10-2-1A-1C Owned by LTS Homes Mr. Larry Simone of LTS Homes submitted a letter to the Township requesting approval to build on lot F10-2-1A-1C. This lot was recently acquired by LTS Homes and is part of an older subdivision, the Thomas Taylor subdivision on Hester Road. Mr. Ott and Solicitor Ceraul reviewed the request and the plan and determined that it is not a buildable lot. The recorded subdivision plan does not show this as a building lot. Mr. Ott informed Mr. Simone of the findings. 4) Request for Sewer Hook-up at 13 Blue Valley Drive Mr. Kresge is the executor of 13 Blue Valley Drive and is requesting to connect to the sewer line. Engineer Jeffrey Ott stated that the SEO spoke with Mr. Kresge and explained that he will need to hire an engineer to pursue the hook-up. This lot is not part of Washington Township Act 537; therefore, a letter will need to be sent to the Township requesting an update to the Act 537 plan to allow the service. A planning module and permit from Bangor Borough Authority will also be required along with an advertisement and formal hearing. All fees with be the responsibility of Mr. Kresge. Mr. Ott stated the process takes time and Mr. Kresge stated he needs to complete the process by March. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: Robert Smith 1) Review and Tentative Adoption of 2019 General Fund Budget Gail Putvinski provided an overview of the budget activities. The first budget meeting was held on October 17, 2018 and the second meeting was on November 7, 2018. As a reminder, the Board of Supervisors proposed a 1 mill real estate tax increase for 2019. The following are the changes that were made to the 2019 General Fund Budget View 3 after the November 7, 2018 meeting: Expense line 410.238 Police Dept. Uniforms was increased from $4,500 to $6,000 and Expense line 410.300 Police Other Services was decreased from $16,000 to $14,500 to
properly allocate the expenses associated with the hiring and equipping of two new parttime officers. The category total did not change. Expense Line 486.351 Township Insurance was decreased from $30,500 to $25,500 based on input from John Lafferty, our broker with Thomas Insurance. Expense Line 492.207 Transfer to Sinking Small Dump Truck was decreased from $25,000 to $19,600 based on the quote obtained by Lee Messinger. Total expense was reduced from $2,563,363 on the last view to $2,552,963 on this view (View 4). Total deficit is $369,958 which is shown in the Fund Balance Forward line item. If tentatively approved by the Board, the Tentative Budget will be available for inspection. The Board is scheduled to adopt the budget at the December 12, 2018 meeting. The Draft Budget Message was provided to the Board. The sub-budgets, with the exception of recreation, were reviewed at a high level: Capital Reserve - $ 10,018.00 Detention Pond - $ 500.00 Garbage - $420,370.00 This amount includes the estimate for yard waste pick-up, twice a year to be discussed later in the agenda. Road Improvement - $ 1.00 State Liquid Fuels - $231,525.00 Sink Fund $282,044.00 2) Authorize Advertisement of Tentative 2019 General Fund Budget Chairman Smith moved to tentatively approve the 2019 General Fund Budget in the amount of $2,552,963.00 with a one (1) mill real estate tax increase, and authorize advertisement of the budget at eight (8) mills, and Vice Chairman Hess seconded the motion. 3) Authorize Advertisement of Plan to Appoint CPA to Audit 2018 Township Financials Chairman Smith moved to authorize the Secretary/Treasurer to advertise plans to appoint a CPA at the re-organization meeting to audit the 2018 financial records of the Township and Vice Chairman Hess seconded the motion. 4) Review Proposed 2019 Meeting Schedule and Plan for Future Advertisement of January 7, 2019 Re-organization Meeting (time TBD), January 8, 2019 Auditor Meeting (time TBD) and 2019 Meeting Schedule The Draft schedules were distributed to the Board of Supervisors for review. This will be on the agenda in December. 5) Approval to Transfer $10,000.00 From General Fund (Tax Account) to Capital Reserve Fund, Per Budget Chairman Smith moved to approve the transfer of $10,000.00 from General Fund (Tax Account) to Capital Reverse Fund, per the budget, and Vice Chairman Hess seconded the motion.
6) Additional Use(s) for Northampton County Gaming Authority Grant Funds Several approved items for the Police Department and Road Department have been ordered and some have been received. Additional funds are available for allocation. An estimated $3,000.00 was allocated for the installation of three fire hydrants. Those funds are now available since PA American Water has stated that there will be no charge for installation. Additional use of the funds will be considered and discussed at a later meeting. 7) Plan for Repairs in Township Administration Building Including Door Alignment, Correction of Stress Cracks The list has been compiled and the next step is to advertise for a contractor. 8) Options for Yard Waste Disposal The Board continued discussion regarding curb side yard waste pick-up. In a follow-up conversation Tom Stang of Waste Management stated that the pick-up would need to be done on a weekday, not Saturday. The materials would need to be placed in open containers. Mr. Stang asked that the Board confirm their interest and then he will provide dates. Solicitor Ceraul stated that a sub-agreement would be sufficient for the one year trial. Chairman Smith made a motion to authorize the establishment of a curb-side yard waste pick-up plan that would consist of one day in the Spring and one in the Fall of 2019 at the estimated cost, with a preference that the pick-up is not Wednesday, the standard recycling and trash pick-up and Vice Chairman Hess seconded the motion. 9) LVPC, Slate Belt Multimunicipal Comprehensive Plan Update Chairman Smith stated that Washington Township was represented by himself, Chief Miller, Lee Messinger and Gail Putvinski. The facilitator had the group identify key strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats for the Slate Belt. High volume of discussion centered around truck traffic, bridges, and stormwater. 10) Adoption of Lehigh Valley 2018 Hazard Mitigation Plan and Resolution Sergeant Krome participated as the Washington Township point of contact for the Lehigh Valley 2018 Hazard Mitigation Plan. The plan is complete and each participating municipality is required to adopt the plan by Resolution. Chairman Smith read Resolution 17-2018. Chairman Smith made a motion to adopt Resolution 17-2018, a resolution by the governing body of Washington Township to adopt the Lehigh Valley 2018 Hazard Mitigation Plan as the official Hazard Mitigation Plan of the Township of Washington and Vice Chairman Hess seconded the motion. 11) Washington Township Pension Audit Complete, Department of Auditor General Bureau of Municipal Pension Audits Provided Compliance Audit Reports 12) 2014 Green Light-Go Grant Status The 2014 Green Light-Go grant was awarded in 2014 to upgrade the traffic signals to LED. The project is managed by PennDOT. The upgrade to the signal at American Bangor Road has been completed. The upgrade at Capital Plaza is pending. The Township will be responsible for a portion of the cost upon completion. 13) 2018-2019 Green Light-Go Grant Application Period Open The 2018-2019 Green Light-Go grant application period is open. A copy of the potential project options was shared with Lee Messinger. 14) Kennel License Renewal/Closing Chief Miller informed the Board that he had a meeting with the Chairman of the COG, the Animal Control Officer (ACO), the State Dog Warden, Kathy Andrews and her Supervisor.
Several important issues were identified during the meeting. Specifically, the ACO is unable to handle dog bites or issue summons, animal records must be readily available to the State Dog Warden and are currently not at the Township, and the Township kennel did not pass inspection and requires significant improvements before it can be used. Chief Miller reviewed the problems with the kennel. A significant amount of discussion took place. Chief Miller stated that he did not believe the fees associated with the ACO services were cost effective to the Township. The Township is a member of the Slate Belt COG with membership at $1,400.00 per year and the ACO allocation to Washington Township is approximately $2,650 per year. In addition, the Township is required to obtain a kennel license on an annual basis, in order to hold dogs. Chief Miller stated that exiting from ACO services would result in the responsibility for loose dogs returning to the police department. The Township would need to establish a contract with a licensed kennel to accept unclaimed stray dogs. The Board asked that research be done to determine the requirements for a new kennel that will pass state requirements. The decision to retain or cancel the kennel license will be discussed at the meeting next month. The Board agreed to exit from the Slate Belt COG Animal Control program at this time. Chairman Smith moved to opt-out of the Slate Belt Animal Control program and Vice Chairman Hess seconded the motion. Discussion moved to the value of being a member of the Slate Belt COG. Over the years, the Township has been a regular member, an associate member and a non-member. It was noted that the COG is in the process of developing new Articles of Agreement. A question was raised regarding the exit process from the COG. Solicitor Ceraul offered to research the process. 15) Adopt Section 125 Premium Only Plan for Tax Deferred Premium Payments The Board of Supervisors previously agreed to implement a pre-tax plan for the health benefit premium contribution paid by employees. The Township PCI representative provided a Section 125 Premium Only plan agreement. It was reviewed and approved by Solicitor Ceraul. Chairman Smith moved to adopt the Section 125 Premium Only Plan for the tax deferral of the health premium contributions made by employees and Vice Chairman Hess seconded the motion. 16) Met-Ed to Perform Tree Trimming for Approximately Three Weeks Tree trimming is being coordinated by Met-Ed over the next several weeks. The contractor will be placing door notices on the homes where work will be performed. Some of the roads include Lower South Main, Springfield, and True Blue. ROADMASTERS REPORT: Robert Smith 1) Update Regarding Condition of Roads Paved in 2017 Lee Messinger stated that crack seal has been applied on the three roads; Areland, Hester and Palmer. Additional work is planned for the Spring. 2) Damage to American Bangor Road A second estimate was obtained from Broad Enterprises Inc. for the repair to American Bangor Road in the amount of $4,875.00. Werner Enterprises, the trucking company that caused the damage, agreed to make payment to the Township in the amount of $4,875.00. Chairman Smith moved to accept a settlement in the amount of $4,875.00 from Werner Enterprises for the damage on American Bangor Road and Vice Chairman Hess seconded the motion. Public Comment: None Vote 2 0
SOLICITOR S REPORT: David Ceraul 1) No additional items. ADJOURNMENT: Chairman Smith moved, and Vice Chairman Hess seconded to adjourn the meeting at 8:32 pm. Public Comment: None Vote 2 0 Respectfully submitted, Gail Putvinski Secretary/Treasurer Washington Township Board of Supervisors