Board of Supervisors
Monday, March 22 2010
Pg. 7654 HILLTOWN TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS REGULARLY SCHEDULED MEETING Monday, March 22, 2010 7:00PM
The regularly scheduled meeting of the Hilltown Township Board of Supervisors was called to order by Chairman John B. McIlhinney at 7:06PM and opened with the Pledge of Allegiance.
Also present were:Barbara A. Salvadore, Vice-Chairperson James C. Groff, Supervisor Christopher S. Christman, Township Manager Christopher E. Engelhart, Chief of Police Francis X. Grabowski, Township Solicitor C. Robert Wynn, Township Engineer Lynda S. Seimes, Township Secretary
A.ANNOUNCEMENTS:
1.The Board met in Executive Session prior to this meeting to discuss personnel, and will meet again in Executive Session immediately following this meeting to discuss legal matters.
2.The Hilltown Township Annual Easter Egg Hunt will be held on Saturday, April 3, 2010 at 10AM at the Hilltown Civic Park.
3.A volunteer tree planting will be held to commemorate Arbor Day/Earth Day on Saturday, April 24, 2010 at 10AM at the Forest Road Park.
4.There are two vacancies on the Hilltown Township Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Citizen’s Advisory Committee.Interested residents are invited to submit applications for those vacancies.
5.A vacancy on the Board of Auditors remains as well.Interested residents are encouraged to submit a letter of interest.Additional details are listed on the Township’s website at www.hilltown.org.
B.PUBLIC COMMENT ON AGENDA ITEMS ONLY:None.
C.CONSENT CALENDAR: -Minutes of the March 8, 2010 Supervisor’s Meeting. -Bills List dated March 9, 2010. -Financial Report for Month of February 2010. -Manager’s Report. -Solicitor’s Report.
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Motion was made by Supervisor Salvadore, seconded by Supervisor Groff, and carried unanimously to approve and accept the Consent Calendar items as listed above.There was no public comment.
D.PLANNING – Mr. C. Robert Wynn, Township Engineer –
1.Weisbecker Subdivision – Action on this plan is required by April 18, 2010.The Hilltown Planning Commission recommended denial of the Weisbecker Subdivision unless an extension is received in writing by April 18, 2010.
Motion was made by Supervisor Salvadore, seconded by Supervisor Groff, and carried unanimously to deny the Weisbecker Subdivision based on non-compliance with the outstanding items as contained within the C. Robert Wynn Associates review dated January 25, 2010, and the Bucks County Planning Commission review dated February 25, 2010, unless an extension is received by April 18, 2010.There was no public comment.
E.ENGINEERING – Mr. C. Robert Wynn, Township Engineer –
1.Gane Subdivision – Request for an Extension – The Gane Subdivision is a two-lot subdivision located on Callowhill Road.Mr. and Mrs. Klohe, the purchaser of Lot #2, requested an extension in the timeframe to complete improvements required pursuant to the subdivision plan.Those improvements include driveway access (the PennDot permit has been obtained), erosion and sedimentation control measures, and a stormwater management seepage pit.The dwelling is currently under construction.
Motion was made by Supervisor Salvadore, seconded by Supervisor Groff, and carried unanimously to approve a 12-month extension until March 23, 2011 to complete improvements required pursuant to the Gane Subdivision plan.There was no public comment.
F.UNFINISHED BUSINESS:
1.Discussion regarding Zoning Officer/Code Enforcement Officer Position – Motion was made by Supervisor Salvadore, and seconded by Mr. Groff to direct the Manager to conduct reference checks on the qualified applicants and then provide his recommendation to the Board of Supervisors for interviews.Prior to a vote, public comment was heard.
Public Comment:
1.Mr. Joe Marino of Redwing Road questioned the need for a full-time Zoning/Code Enforcement Officer in this economy when the building is almost non-existent, and both the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors have found it necessary to cancel meetings due to lack of business.He wondered what the job description would consist of, and what the Page 3Pg. 7656 Board of Supervisors March 22, 2010
anticipated salary would be including the cost of benefits, etc. versus the contracted service Hilltown is currently utilizing on an as-needed basis.Chairman McIlhinney assured Mr. Marino that the Township will be investigating its financial options in today’s market with respect to contracted services versus full-time employment.
There was no further public comment.
Motion carried unanimously.There was no public comment.
G.ZONING HEARING BOARD ADVISORIES:
1.Hawkeyes Country Tavern – Applicant requests variance for parking requirement for addition of outdoor seating for restaurant.Located at 1100 Rt. 113, on the corner of Telegraph Road and Rt. 113.
The Board agreed to discuss this legal matter further in Executive Session as to whether or not they wish to provide opposition to the proposal.
H.SUPERVISOR’S COMMENTS:
1.Supervisor Salvadore noted that at the January 25th meeting, the Board unanimously took action to rename the former “Jack Fox Award” to the “Hilltown Township Community Service Award.” While she supports that action, Supervisor Salvadore suggested that Mr. Fox be recognized in some other way, perhaps a memorial bench at the Civic Park or naming a pavilion after Mr. Fox, which Mr. Hans Sumpf had suggested at a prior meeting.Discussion took place.The Board directed Mr. Wert to provide them with some appropriate options to honor Mr. Fox for consideration at a future meeting.
2.Motion was made by Supervisor Groff, seconded by Supervisor Salvadore, and carried unanimously to authorize the advertisement of the E21 Zoning Ordinance Amendment for Public Hearing at the April 26, 2010 meeting.There was no public comment.
3.Chairman McIlhinney requested that the Planning Commission be directed to once again review and provide their recommendation for the Zoning Ordinance requirement prohibiting permanent development notification signs.Late last year, residents of the Reserve at Hilltown had asked the Board’s consideration to allow their existing development sign to remain once completion of the 18-month maintenance period occurred.Chairman McIlhinney feels the Board should be prepared with their response when the Reserve at Hilltown residents once again makes their request for the development sign to be permanent.Discussion took place.
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Public Comment:
1.Mr. Joe Marino, who is a member of the Planning Commission, advised that the PC has reviewed this sign requirement several times in the recent past, and it was their opinion that the requirement is sound and should remain.
There was no further public comment.
Supervisor Salvadore recalls that last fall, the Board of Supervisors specifically told the homeowners for the Reserve at Hilltown that they were not interested in revisiting the Sign Ordinance requirements, and that the temporary development sign would have to be removed upon completion of the 18-month maintenance period.
Prior to making a decision, Supervisor Groff requested additional information showing the history of the specific sign for the Reserve at Hilltown development.
I.PUBLIC COMMENT:
1.Mr. John Engel of Chal-Brit Regional EMS asked if the service territory map had been established so that they could mail notices to the appropriate Township residents during their upcoming subscription drive.He also asked if the documentation Chairman McIlhinney was able to obtain from the Attorney General’s office regarding their opinion that the squad’s can honor each other’s subscription had been reviewed by counsel for the EMS squads.Mr. Christman advised that the box card map from Bucks County is still forthcoming.Mr. Engel offered to assist with obtaining that information from the County.
Due to liability issues, Solicitor Grabowski has advised the Board that they should not provide a Township-determined coverage map for first response.If a map is established, Solicitor Grabowski recommends that it be designed by Bucks County.Further, since he does not foresee that Bucks County will forward the previously requested box card map to the Township prior to its April 12th meeting, Solicitor Grabowski suggested that Chal-Brit EMS do whatever is necessary to continue with their marketing plan for subscription brochures.
Supervisor Groff questioned Chairman McIlhinney’s documentation/correspondence which Mr. Engel referred to earlier.Mr. Engel explained that Chairman McIlhinney had spoken to the Attorney General’s office and had apparently obtained a letter of determination stating that it was permissible for EMS squads to honor each other’s subscriptions.Chairman McIlhinney clarified that he received a verbal, not written, determination from the Attorney General’s office.His discussion with the Attorney General’s office revolved around subscribers to individual EMS squads not being charged if they used the service of another EMS service in Hilltown to which they were not a member.
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Mr. Engel explained that Chal-Brit EMS had received correspondence from another EMS service outlining a determination permitting three specifically, wholly municipally-funded EMS squads to honor each other’s subscriptions.This concerned Chal-Brit EMS since they are not fully funded by any municipality and they do have an expectation of enumeration unless the patient is a subscribing member. The attorney for the EMS squads had opined that there could be a problem with equity in billing if subscriptions are honored with each separate company.
With respect to distribution of funding, Chairman McIlhinney advised that the Board has made no determination to date, and he feels it would be premature to do so until coverage areas have been established.Supervisor Salvadore commented that all EMS squads know their first response area, and recommended that Chal-Brit EMS move forward with its subscription drive as planned based on its known response area.
Mr. Russ Leets of Chal-Brit EMS noted that they are fully aware of their first response area according to Bucks County, however he wished to note that last year, Chal-Brit EMS lost approximately $20,000.00 in subscriptions and donations in Hilltown Township because the residents were confused as to which EMS squad serviced their location.He requested that the Township make an announcement to its residents as to which EMS squad is presently the first response squad for the area in which they live.While Mr. Christman felt this was a reasonable request, obtaining coverage area maps from the other three EMS squads in question may be difficult.Solicitor Grabowski suggested that Chal-Brit EMS include a map of what they believe is their first response territory in their solicitation brochure being sent to Hilltown residents.
J.PRESS CONFERENCE:No questions were asked by the reporters present.
K.ADJOURNMENT:Upon motion by Supervisor Groff, seconded by Supervisor Salvadore, and carried unanimously, the March 22, 2010 Hilltown Township Board of Supervisors Meeting was adjourned at 7:42PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Lynda Seimes Township Secretary (*These minutes were transcribed from recordings and should not be considered official until approved and accepted by the Board of Supervisors at a Public Meeting).
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