Penn Forest approves budget with no taxes

Penn Forest Township is entering the new year with a healthy balance sheet has approved its 2019 budget with no taxes to be levied locally.

The township continues to carry a combination of funds in excess of $7.6 million.

Under the new budget the township expects incoming revenue of $2,075,788 and expenses of $2,117,864.

The bulk of the excess expenses are in the areas of trash and recycling and the township park.

In the past several years the township has worked to keep the costs of the transfer station down and has not raised the price for residents who purchase trash permits. The thought is keeping the price of the permits reasonable would encourage residents to frequent the transfer station.

Unfortunately, Chairman Butch Reiner said the township has been spending a lot of time cleaning local roads on Monday mornings.

“We picked up a full pickup truck of garbage just today,” Reiner said. “And tires, we are finding a lot of tires on the sides of the roads.”

Reiner asked residents to be watchful and report anyone they see dumping trash along the roads to the township immediately.

The plan is also to spend $161,200 on improvements to the park in 2019, which should be the last year to see major improvements at the park.

Other business

The township received comments back from the Carbon County Planning Commission on the revised wind turbine ordinance. A public hearing will be scheduled for mid-January to review the comments. The comments will be posted on the township website for residents who want to read them before the hearing.

The township passed a resolution that allows the township to dispose of personal property. These are items that are the property of the township, such as used office equipment or vehicles. The resolution allows the board to determine what items it wishes to sell, how to value them and how to dispose of them.

The board of supervisors also granted permission to the Carbon Amateur Radio Club to use the park on Wednesdays and at other times to test its temporary emergency radio communications.

The township also approved wording for a permit that will allow the Mount Pocahontas Association to place a trailer on its property while its clubhouse is demolished and replaced with a new structure.

Line painting will not be completed this year as planned. The roads have been wet throughout the time it was planned. The township will reschedule the painting for some time in 2019.