Board of Supervisors Agenda

MINUTES
Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors
Regular Meeting
Monday, January 19, 2009 - 6:00 p.m.
Township Municipal Building

Members Present:
Miro A. Gutzmirtl, Chairman
Stephen C. Wagner, Vice Chairman
John E. Gilda, Jr.
Joyce V. White

Participating Via Speakerphone:
Joseph M. Horvath
                                   
Staff Attending:
Thomas F. Beil, Township Manager
Robert E. Kassel, Jr., Asst. Township Manager
Sharyn Heater, Director of Community Development
Jeffrey Dimmich, Township Solicitor
Dennis Harman, P.E., Township Engineer

CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Gutzmirtl called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Public Meeting Room of the Upper Saucon Township Municipal Building, 5500 Camp Meeting Road, Upper Saucon Township, Lehigh County, PA.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Chairman Gutzmirtl asked all in attendance to stand and recite the “Pledge of Allegiance.”

PUBLIC COMMENT
None

CHAIRMAN’S REMARKS
Chairman Gutzmirtl began by commending Daniel Stahlnecker, Superintendent of Water and Wastewater, for his handling of the drinking water issue that arose just days before Christmas. Many residents were experiencing air-filled lines and heavily chlorinated water, when Mr. Stahlnecker came in to repair it. Because of him, residents did not see an interruption in service and were able to go about their holiday celebrations as planned. Chairman Gutzmirtl also mentioned some of the changes to come in the Township and that the budget passed with no layoffs, despite tough economic times.

RECOGNITION OF ANTHONY C. BUCHA FOR ATTAINING THE RANK OF EAGLE SCOUT – RESOLUTION NO. 2009-12
Chairman Gutzmirtl said he met Anthony Bucha 10 years ago and was proud of his accomplishments. Chairman Gutzmirtl said Anthony is active in his community and has worked very hard to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. He asked Anthony to speak about his Eagle Scout project.

Anthony summarized his project which included restoring, modifying, and landscaping the Blessed Mother’s outdoor shrine at the Carmelite Monastery in Coopersburg. The project took 165 hours to complete.

Chairman Gutzmirtl said the project demonstrated not only initiative, but leadership and asked Anthony what was his favorite badge and least favorite badge.

Anthony responded the metalworking badge was his favorite, while the personal management badge was his least favorite.

Mr. Beil then read Resolution No. 2009-12 in full.

A motion was made by Mrs. White and seconded by Mr. Wagner to adopt Resolution No. 2009-12 recognizing Anthony C. Bucha for the tremendous honor he has brought to his family, Boy Scout Troop, and community by attaining the rank of Eagle Scout.

Before the vote Mr. Horvath offered his congratulations to Anthony for his wonderful accomplishment.

The vote was taken by roll call, and the results were as follows:

Chairman Gutzmirtl: Yes
Mr. Wagner: Yes
Mr. Gilda: Yes
Mr. Horvath: Yes
Mrs. White: Yes

The motion carried by a vote of 5 to 0.

BRIEF RECESS
The Board took a brief recess before moving on to the rest of the agenda.

PUBLIC HEARINGS
None

SUBDIVISIONS AND LAND DEVELOPMENTS
A motion was made by Mr. Wagner and seconded by Mrs. White to adopt Resolution No. 2009-11 conditionally approving the Final Land Development Plan of Trefoil Properties to construct an office complex and related improvements on the properties located at 3889 and 4000 West Drive in the Stabler Corporate Center.

The vote was taken by roll call, and the results were as follows:

Chairman Gutzmirtl: Yes
Mr. Wagner: Yes
Mr. Gilda: Yes
Mr. Horvath: Yes
Mrs. White: Yes

The motion carried by a vote of 5 to 0.

MINUTES
Special Meeting of November 29, 2008
A motion was made by Mr. Gilda and seconded by Mr. Wagner to approve the minutes of the November 29, 2008 special meeting of the Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors.

The motion carried by a vote of 5 to 0.

Regular Meeting of December 8, 2008
A motion was made by Mrs. White and seconded by Mr. Horvath to approve the minutes of the December 8, 2008 regular meeting of the Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors.

The vote was taken by roll call, and the results were as follows:

Chairman Gutzmirtl: Yes
Mr. Wagner: Yes
Mr. Gilda: Yes
Mr. Horvath: Yes
Mrs. White: Yes

The motion carried by a vote of 5 to 0.

Regular Meeting of December 23, 2008
A motion was made by Mr. Wagner and seconded by Mrs. White to approve the minutes of the December 23, 2008 regular meeting of the Upper Saucon Township Board of Supervisors.

The vote was taken by roll call, and the results were as follows:

Chairman Gutzmirtl: Yes
Mr. Wagner: Yes
Mr. Gilda: Yes
Mr. Horvath: Yes
Mrs. White: Yes

The motion carried by a vote of 5 to 0.

COMMITTEE REPORTS
None

ORDINANCES
Ordinance No. 62-J – Amendment to Non-Uniformed Employees’ Pension Plan
This item was removed from the agenda and referred to the Administration and Finance Committee for further review.

RESOLUTIONS
Resolution No. 2009-13 – Amendment to Police Pension Plan
This item was removed from the agenda and referred to the Administration and Finance Committee for further review.

Resolution No. 2009-15 – Subdivision & Land Development Fee Schedule
A motion was made by Mr. Wagner and seconded by Mr. Gilda to adopt Resolution No. 2009-15 establishing a comprehensive fee schedule for the Subdivision & Land Development process and amending the Subdivision & Land Development fees to be paid by developers.

Chairman Gutzmirtl thanked Ms. Heater for her comprehensive examination of the facts and figures related to the fee schedule changes.

The motion carried by a vote of 5 to 0.

Resolution No. 2009-16 – Accepting Kristin Court and Karra Court as Part of Township Road Network
Chairman Gutzmirtl explained the circumstances surrounding the dedication of Kristin and Karra Courts. During a snow storm that occurred around Christmas, the developer failed to maintain the two roads. It came to light that a dedication was never made or offered by the developer. So Mr. Beil contacted the developer and the developer agreed to maintain the roads until they could be dedicated.

A motion was made by Mr. Wagner and seconded by Mrs. White to adopt Resolution No. 2009-16 accepting the deeds of dedication for the rights-of-way of Kristin Court and Karra Court situated within the College Heights Subdivision (a/k/a Landis Mill Farms).

The motion carried by a vote of 5 to 0.

MOTIONS
Request for Payment – Barry J. Hoffman Company, Inc. – Certification No. 5
A motion was made by Mr. Wagner and seconded by Mr. Gilda to authorize payment in the amount of $14,867.40 to Barry J. Hoffman Company, Inc. for electrical work completed on Well No. 2 at the Colonial Crest water supply facility.

The motion carried by a vote of 5 to 0.

Request for Payment – Kuharchik Construction, Inc. – Certification No. 3
A motion was made by Mr. Wagner and seconded by Mrs. White to authorize payment in the amount of $1,123.50 to Kuharchik Construction, Inc. for work completed on the flashing school zone warning signals at Hopewell Elementary School.

Mr. Wagner said the project was a good idea and was nicely done. The schedule for flashing was limited to when necessary and did not interfere with traffic, while keeping children safe.

The motion carried by a vote of 5 to 0.

CORRESPONDENCE AND INFORMATIONAL ITEMS
None

DIRECTION / DISCUSSION ITEMS
Letter from Natural Lands Trust
Chairman Gutzmirtl said he had a letter from Natural Lands Trust that he would like made available to Supervisors, the Solicitor’s office, Ms. Heater, Mr. Beil, and Mr. Kassel.  The letter recommends that the conservation design provisions of the draft Zoning Ordinance be amended. He asked that each person review the letter so a discussion could take place at the next meeting of the Board.

Mr. Wagner felt the issues raised in the letter were not new, but might be worth revisiting. However, he added, it may alter the schedule for adopting the draft Zoning Ordinance.

Chairman Gutzmirtl said adoption of the draft Zoning Ordinance should be scheduled for the first meeting in April so Mr. Horvath could be in attendance.

BILLS, PAYROLLS, AND COMMISSIONS
Prepaid Invoice List #01192009 dated 01/16/2009………$ 98,298.54
Warrant List #01192009 dated 01/16/2009………………$394,690.84

A motion was made by Mr. Gilda and seconded by Mrs. White to authorize payment of the Prepaid Invoice List and Warrant List #01192009 dated 01/16/2009.

Mr. Wagner asked if the Township was monitoring the revenues on a monthly basis to keep a close eye on the finances given the economic situation.

Mr. Beil said the Township staff is closely monitoring revenues and will make a presentation to the Board at a future meeting.

Mr. Gilda asked how the year end close out compared to the projected figures.

Mr. Kassel replied the expenses were closely in line, while the revenues were actually higher then projected.

The motion carried by a vote of 5 to 0.

ADDITIONAL BUSINESS
None

COURTESY OF THE FLOOR
None

EXECUTIVE SESSION
An executive session was held to discussing potential litigation involving the Township.

ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made and seconded to adjourn the meeting.

The motion carried by a vote of 5 to 0.

                                                                       
Secretary