Board of Commissioners
5-24-2021 Minutes
MINUTES
| BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS | LOWER ALLEN TOWNSHIP |
| REGULAR MEETING | MAY 24, 2021 |
| The following were in ATTENDANCE: | |
| BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS | TOWNSHIP PERSONNEL |
| Dean W. Villone, President | Thomas G. Vernau, Jr., Township Manager |
| H. Edward Black, Vice President | Erin G. Trone, Assistant Township Manager |
| Richard F. Schin | Richard A. Grove, Finance Director |
| Carolyn Holtzman | David Holl, Public Safety Director |
| Thomas H. Kutz | Brad McCullough, Public Works DirectorSteven Miner, Township SolicitorLeon Crone, Police Captain |
| Tony Deaven, EMS Captain | |
| Rebecca Davis, Stormwater Program Manager | |
| Michelle Kilgore, Recording Secretary | |
President Villone called the May 24, 2021, Regular Meeting of the Board of Commissioners to order at 6:00 pm. He announced that Proof of Publication for this meeting was available for review. This was followed by a prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
MEETING MINUTES
Commissioner SCHIN moved to approve the minutes from the May 10, 2021, Regular Meeting, provided an amendment be made to a section on page four under Readvertising of Construction Code Official. The last sentence of the last paragraph should read, “It was agreed that any further discussion, if needed, would take place after Executive Session, where a related personnel matter would first be addressed.” Commissioner HOLTZMAN seconded the motion. The motion carried 5-0.
Presentation: Police Citations and Commendations
Unit Citation: Captain Crone began his presentation with the recognition of three LAT officers; Bryan Rennie, Kevin Cramer, and Robert Fitzkee. (Officer Cramer was unable to attend). He commended the officers for being instrumental in coordinating the apprehension of six subjects that were involved in the violent robbery of a retail store on the Carlisle Pike in January 2021. Awards were then presented to Officers Rennie and Fitzkee. Commissioner Schin then expressed his gratitude to Officer Fitzkee for the personal approach he took involving assisting a friend of his that was scammed out of over $10,000.
Life Saving Award: Captain Crone then called Officers Torrie Shiley and Nicole Boldosser to the floor. He said that last April, the officers responded to a call for a welfare check of someone that had sent texts to a friend containing suicidal ideations. After finding the subject hanging semi-conscious in the closet, they quickly pulled him down, treated him and called on further assistance. Awards were then presented to Officers Shiley and Boldosser.
Exceptional Service Awards: Captain Crone then called Officer Alex Milletics to the floor. He began with an apology for this award taking so long to present, that the pandemic had delayed his being recognized for something that warranted a live audience. He stated that in December of 2019, Officer Milletics pursued and apprehended a suspicious person of interest scouting out AmeriChoice FCU, ultimately preventing a bank robbery from occurring. Captain Crone then presented Officer Milletics an award.
For the final award, Captain Crone explained that Detective Don Coffey’s quick thinking and savvy actions led to the apprehension of a subject in a hotel room on Front Street in Wormleysburg who was in possession of illegal drugs and handguns. Detective Coffey was not able to attend to receive the award.
Captain Crone introduced Public Safety Officer Justin Lenker as their sixth PSO on the force as of 8:00 am that morning. The Board welcomed PSO Lenker.
AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: Any item on the agenda.
President Villone advised the audience that if there were any item on that evening’s agenda that they wish to comment on, to please come to the podium. There were none.
CONSENT AGENDA
President Villone advised that if there were any Commissioners, staff members, or anyone in attendance who would like to have an item on the Consent Agenda removed for further discussion, to please speak up. There was none.
President Villone asked for a motion to approve the Department Reports for the Month of April for Community Development, Fleet Maintenance, Facility Maintenance, Township Engineer, Public Works, and Public Safety, and to include in that motion the Tax Collector’s April Monthly Report. Commissioner KUTZ made a motion to approve the reports. Commissioner SCHIN seconded. The motion carried 5-0.
PRESIDENT VILLONE
Check Register
Vice President BLACK moved to approve the check register of May 21, 2021, in the amount of $306,693.74. Commissioner HOLTZMAN seconded the motion. The motion carried 5-0.
Resolution 2021-R-22, Recognizing the Proclamation of the week containing May 15th, 2021 as National Police Week
Commissioner KUTZ moved to adopt Resolution 2021-R-22. Commissioner SCHIN seconded the motion. The motion carried 5-0.
ANY BUSINESS PERTINENT TO THE TOWNSHIP:
President Villone noted that if anyone wished to speak at that time, there would be 15 minutes allotted per person to speak at the podium. There were no items for discussion.
TOWNSHIP ENGINEER
Release of Improvement Security SLD Docket No. 2011-06, Meridian
Mr. McCullough summarized the memorandum received by the Board explaining the reason behind the request for release and asked for a motion to approve the request. President Villone asked if there were any questions from the Board. There were none. Commissioner KUTZ moved to approve the release. Commissioner SCHIN seconded. The motion carried 5-0.
Proposed Amendment to Hampden Township’s Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map
Mr. McCullough summarized the memorandum received by the Board which outlines Hampden Township’s plans to change the future land use map located at 10 Oak Ave, Camp Hill (next to Sierra Madre restaurant). He explained that all contiguous municipalities have 45 days to comment after receipt of their letter of intent, and that it is customary to offer this type of notification. He went on to say that the topic was discussed in the May 19th Planning Commission meeting, and there were no comments by the Commission. He then asked if there were any comments by the LAT Commissioners that he would need to report back to Hampden Township. There were none.
STORMWATER PROGRAM MANAGER
PADEP Growing Greener Plus Grant Program Funding Approval
Ms. Davis advised she is looking to apply for a grant through the PADEP Growing Greener Plus program to fund two basin retrofit projects; The United Methodist Home for Children, and the Bethany Village basin project, collectively projected to cost $914,000. She stated that the LATSA Board unanimously approved to support a 30% match from the Stormwater fund, and she is asking the BOC to consider writing a letter of commitment for the match once transferred to the General Fund. This would solidify the Township’s support of matching funds for the projects. She added that regardless of approval of the grant money, the projects are required and already budgeted.
Commissioner SCHIN moved to support the application of the grant, which includes the Township offering a 30% match of the grant amount. Commissioner BLACK seconded. The motion carried 5-0.
Resolution 2021-R-23
Ms. Davis asked for a motion to adopt Resolution 2021-R-23 authorizing the Township to submit proposals to the PADEP Growing Greener Plus Grants Program for stormwater management projects.
Commissioner SCHIN moved to adopt the resolution. Commissioner BLACK seconded. The motion carried 5-0.
PUBLIC SAFETY
Approval of Senior CSO Job Description, Rate of Pay, and Permission to Hire
Director Holl referred to a recent memorandum sent to the BOC introducing a Senior Community Service Officer position, working part time at 30 hours per week. He stated that over the past year, he had advertised for CSOs to supplement some of the tasks police officers perform, freeing up their time for law enforcement duties. He has struggled to fill those positions. He felt the Senior CSO position would allow for a promotion of a current CSO, with added duties including scheduling, detail coordination, assisting with core major functions, vehicle maintenance, and to act as primary trainer for CSOs, allowing for reduction of overtime in some areas. He figured the Township would realize an approximate $3,000 in savings of positions that could not be filled so far this year, and that even with the pay increase, there would be no impact to the budget’s 2021 line item. He stated he has been in discussion with a current prospective CSO that is qualified and willing to take on the added responsibilities.
President Villone asked if this move would allow the Township to develop the CSO program in a way that would further reduce the strain on the LAT police officers. Director Holl believes this to be the case. He added that the CSO position salaries are competitive between municipalities, and that adding this career progression component would better allow LAT to stay competitive. Commissioner Schin asked if the Senior CSO would be a supervisor to the CSOs. Director Holl replied no. Commissioner Kutz inquired as to whether the position would be published and posted. Director Holl advised he polled CSO department and discovered one interested internal candidate that would accommodate the increased hours and schedule. He added that he intends to treat this as a promotion verses a hiring.
Commissioner SCHIN moved to approve the Senior CSO position with an increased rate of pay, and approval to promote a current CSO. Commissioner KUTZ seconded, and the motion passed 5-0.
Approval of Job Description for Volunteer Data Management and Quality Control
Director Holl stated that George Sanders has been volunteering with LAT for 25 years, assisting with data management and quality control. He expressed what a tremendous asset he has been to LAT. He added that it recently occurred to him that there is no Job Description on record for the tasks that Mr. Sanders performs. He would like the Board to approve the draft of the job description presented.
Commissioner KUTZ made the motion to approve the job description, and Commissioner SCHIN seconded. The motion carried 5-0.
After some discussion, President Villone suggested that Manager Vernau and Director Holl draft a letter of commendation to present to George for his 25 years of service.
MANAGER
Additional Solar Panel Proposals
Mr. Vernau reminded President Villone of an April BOC meeting discussion on this topic. It included a proposal by Solar Renewable Energy to add solar panels to the Public Works building and a field across the street from that building owned by the Development Authority. Since that time, he had gathered two additional proposals and offered them for review. He added that overall, the two new quotes are considerably less savings than the original one. The first one included at least 92% offset of generated electricity, and over 3 million dollars savings over the 40-year life of the panels.
Proposal #2: Includes panels on the Public Works building and the Lower Allen Township building, resulting in 34% offset of generated electricity, $822,000 savings over 40 years.
Proposal #3: Would take quote #3 but add panels on top of a carport (yet to be constructed). He noted some past discussion of the need for a carport to support public safety vehicles. With the addition of the carport, it would result in a 48% offset of generated electricity, $927,000 savings over 40 years. Mr. Vernau added that the cost to construct the carport itself would need to be considered, and that he has contacted several companies that complete that type of work, but no return calls as of the Board meeting.
President Villone asked Mr. Grove how this initiative would affect the budget in the short-term considering it could take 10 – 15 years before realizing a return on investment. Mr. Grove replied that the company would own the panels for a certain number of years, at which time LAT would have an option to buy them. He stated that he and Mr. Vernau will need to go back to the vendor to determine how this would be structured financially. He added that they are in the early stages of the planning, and several variables will need to be considered. Mr. Vernau stated that due to tax benefit purposes, the company would own the panels for five years. Commissioner Schin asked what the process would be for roof repairs once the panels are in place. Mr. Vernau stated the panels are not installed through the roof, rather on top of the roof, however the panels should not be placed if there are upcoming plans for roof replacement. He added that if a repair or replacement is necessary, a roofer will remove the panels and replace them when the roof work is complete. Commissioner Kutz asked if there were other renewable energy companies that have been explored, considering the most fiscally responsible options. Mr. Vernau stated that although the solar energy companies cannot dictate the cost of energy, the factors to consider are the panel costs and installation costs. He added that he received a proposal from a different company five or six years prior, and that the proposal was not nearly as attractive. Additionally, Mr. Vernau stated that other municipalities in the area including Susquehanna Township have gone with Solar Renewable Energy and provided a good reference. Commissioner Holtzman asked who would be responsible for maintaining the panels should there be an issue. Mr. Vernau replied that the company would maintain them for the first five years, after which there would be a fee. Commissioner Kutz asked about the possibility of the company not being in business years down the road. Mr. Vernau replied that there is always a risk for such an occurrence, and then deferred to Mr. Grove to discuss Solar Renewable’s financials. Mr. Grove indicated he did review the panel’s manufacturer and concluded that they are solid, and that the product is guaranteed for five years. He stated he did not review the sales company itself. Commissioner Kutz then asked that if Solar Renewable went out of business, could LAT then lean on the manufacturer of the panels. Mr. Grove agreed that he felt the manufacturer would be in business long-term, and that it seemed like plausible avenue for servicing the panels. President Villone asked who would be responsible once the warranty expires. Mr. Grove advised that he has learned that the panels do not typically need much servicing after the first few years. He added that it is customary for the panels to slowly degrade yearly, creating a slight decrease in energy generation, but that the product’s performance in general has improved significantly over the years.
President Villone asked Mr. Vernau where the project goes from here. Mr. Vernau stated that if the Development Authority is willing to sell the field back to the Township, that they could move forward with the more fiscally attractive proposal discussed in April. If they decide to keep it, then LAT needs to explore one of the other options. President Villone suggested they get an idea of the 5-10 year budgeting for this project. Mr. Vernau stated that money from the CIP fund may be sufficient to purchase the initial five years. Commissioner Kutz expressed his interest in the financial implications, specifically how it would affect the tax plans moving forward. He stated he is interested in hearing the Development Authority’s plans for the field.
President Villone wrapped up the discussion with action items for Mr. Vernau to further explore the plans by the Development Authority, in addition to continued conversations with Solar Renewable to help get the evenings inquiries addressed.
Extension of the Emergency Declaration
Mr. Vernau stated that, following the recent ballot results, the legislature can end or extend the emergency after 21 days, but the amendment has not yet been certified, therefore it could take 90 days. He added that in December, the BOC extended the Township’s declaration to May 31st. He asked the Board to consider either extending the declaration again to align with the Commonwealth, or to let the declaration expire. President Villone stated he felt letting it expire would place the Township at risk in not receiving potential future relief funds at the Commonwealth or Federal level. Mr. Vernau stated that LAT would be eligible for the current ARPA federal program whether they extend the declaration or not. Commissioner Kutz asked what type of emergency purchases LAT would potentially need to make in the future whereas the declaration would need to be in place. Mr. Vernau knew of none but added that letting the declaration expire could potentially affect their ability to receive funds for any future federal program.
Commissioner SCHIN moved to extend the emergency declaration (see Attachment) until August 31, 2021. Commissioner BLACK seconded. The motion carried 5-0.
COMMISSIONER REPORTS
Captain Crone stated that the body cameras will be installed the week of May 24th and should be live by the end of May, after a brief training to the force on the product’s functionality. He added it will be a gradual roll-out. Commissioner Kutz asked Captain Crone to contact the BOC once the cameras are live. Director Holl said they will present the equipment to the Board at a later meeting and added it would be a great public announcement opportunity.
Ms. Trone reminded the Board of the May 25th Gettysburg Road Corridor session from 2-4pm. Then on the 26th there will be three sessions at various locations.
Commissioner Kutz expressed his delight over a recent online article he read that outlined how LAT’s Public Safety Department is a model in the Commonwealth for other municipalities. He then read a portion of the article and offered congratulations to the department for doing an outstanding job.
President Villone asked Mr. McCullough when a security is issued for a developer’s project where there is a base course for a street, and the developer is required within a certain time frame to finish the project, what is the basic time frame they would have to complete it. Mr. McCullough advised that it depends- that different securities’ timeframes can vary.
RECESS TO EXECUTIVE SESSION
The Regular Meeting of the Board of Commissioners recessed to Executive Session at 7:20 pm.
RETURN TO REGULAR SESSION
Potential Lawsuit regarding Chapter 155, Peddling and Soliciting
Commissioner BLACK moved to authorize the Solicitor to respond to counsel for Aptive Environmental LLC by May 26th and to indicate that the Township Board of Commissioners is ending the moratorium on peddler’s licenses effective Tuesday, May 25th, and reviewing the ordinance sections on curfew and fingerprinting for constitutionality. Commissioner HOLTZMAN seconded. The motion carried 5-0.
ADJOURNMENT
The regular meeting of the Board of Commissioners adjourned at 8:04 pm.