Penn Forest passes budget, no municipal tax levied

Once again Penn Forest Township will enter a new year with no municipal taxes. Penn Forest supervisors passed the 2018 budget at Monday evening’s meeting.

The township’s budget for 2018 shows expected revenues and expenditures of just over $2 million. The township continues to carry a healthy balance of over $7 million into 2018.

The largest expenses budgeted for 2018 include road maintenance and repair. The new concession stand at the park and park maintenance will cost $483,200 in 2018. The concession stand is the last major expense scheduled for the park, which officially opened in 2016.

General operating expenses for the township are expected to cost $817,045 in 2018.

Other business

An issue involving the park was addressed at the meeting.

Since the basketball and tennis courts have been completed, some residents have been seen using the courts to run their dogs off leash.

Chairman Warren Reiner said when a township employee approached a resident and requested they leash their dog and remove the dog from the tennis court, the resident refused.

“There is a sign which says ‘All dogs must be on a leash,’” Reiner said. “We are not going to put signs everywhere. People have to start to obey the rules. Dogs do not belong on the courts.”

Outgoing Vice Chairwoman Christine Fazio was absent from the meeting but sent a statement to be read on her behalf.

Fazio wanted to thank the residents of Penn Forest for their support during her tenure as a supervisor and to wish the new board good luck. Fazio said it had been an honor to serve the township.

There were two issues that arose regarding trash bills. In one case, Mary Enck Realty was requesting that a delinquent garbage bill of $450 be waived since the past two owners of the home had died and the estate was selling the home and it was under contract to close. No one has lived in the home since 2013.

Township solicitor Thomas Nanovic pointed out that under the township ordinance, if the home is livable it is irrelevant that no one is residing there; the garbage bills must be paid.

Supervisor Roger Meckes made a motion that the township deny the request.

“If we waive this bill, then there will be others expecting the same,” Meckes said.

A second request came from Penn Forest Streams.

In that case there are 16 homeowners that are contracted to County Waste for private hauling. The ordinance states that in order to have the garbage fee waived, a resident must show a paid-in-full, one-year contract from the private hauler. The residents of Penn Forest Streams have a six-month contract.

Meckes pointed out that if the township is going to stick to the ordinance for one issue, it should stick to the ordinance for others as well, and the board denied Penn Forest Streams’ request to waive the rules of the ordinance and require a full-year contract to waive garbage fees.

The supervisors also appointed Todd Smith and James Walck to two auditors’ positions that were not filled during the recent elections. Smith and Walck will begin serving in January.

A motion was made by Supervisor Scott Lignore to hire Lisa Shedaker as a full-time administrative assistant at $13 per hour. Shedaker will begin work on Dec. 12.

A community Christmas tree lighting will take place at the park at 5 p.m. Saturday.

The 2018 reorganization meeting will take place at 6 p.m. Jan. 2. A regular supervisors’ meeting will follow at 7 p.m.

The transfer station, which is normally closed on Tuesdays, will be open on Dec. 26, and Jan. 2.