MINUTES OF MEETING
MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
MAY 27, 2014
Chairman Joseph Walsh called the action meeting to order at 8:00 p.m. In attendance were Supervisors Robert Birch, Candyce Fluehr Chimera, Michael Fox and Jeffrey McDonnell. Also in attendance were Robert Iannozzi, Esquire, Lawrence Gregan, Chief J. Scott Bendig, Shannon Drosnock, Ann Shade, Stacy Crandell, Kevin Costello, Bruce Shoupe, Richard Grier, Kelsey McMeans, Sharon Tucker and Deb Rivas.
Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Chairman Joseph Walsh called for public comment from the audience and there was none.
Chairman Joseph Walsh made a motion and Supervisor Michael Fox seconded the motion to approve the minutes of the May 12, 2014 Board meeting. The minutes of the meeting were unanimously approved as submitted.
Assistant to the Township Manager Stacy Crandell reported that on May 17, 2014, the General Hancock 5K Run was held in honor of Montgomery Township's 300th Anniversary Celebration. The event generated $3,200 in proceeds to be donated to the Wounded Warrior Project®. This donation will help fund programs and services for injured service members throughout the country. Chairman Joseph Walsh thanked everyone who participated or volunteered on that day as well as the sponsors of the event. The Gold Sponsor was NSM Insurance and other sponsors included Abington Memorial Hospital – Lansdale, Bee Bergvall & Co., Deb Grasso – Re/Max Action Realty, Doylestown Hospital, Walsh Pancio, LLC, Barnes and Noble, Fulton Bank, Hand and Stone Massage & Facial Spa, Kenneth Amey, AICP, Planet Fitness Montgomeryville, Wawa, and Wegmans. In-Kind donations were received from Costco, State Representative Todd Stephens, State Senator Stewart Greenleaf, Trader Joe's and Univest Bank.
Chairman Joseph Walsh reported that a Citation Award was presented by the Board of Supervisors to the Village of Neshaminy Falls Veterans Group on Memorial Day, May 26, 2014. The Citation Award was presented in appreciation of the group's participation in the Township's Commemoration Day Activities which were held on Saturday, May 17, 2014. Resolution #1 made by Supervisor Michael Fox, seconded by Supervisor Robert Birch and adopted unanimously, ratified the Citation Award presented to the Village of Neshaminy Falls Veterans Group on Memorial Day, May 26, 2014.
Stanley Sarnocinski and members of the Washington Camp #523, of the Patriotic Order Sons of America, presented the donation of a handmade Flag Retirement Box to be housed in the lobby of the Montgomery Township building. The Patriotic Order Sons of America are the oldest patriotic organization in the United States, founded on December 10, 1847 by Dr. Reynell Coates of Philadelphia. The Order helped the Continental and Memorial Association of Valley Forge to save Washington Headquarters for the American people, to save the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia and to start Washington Crossing Park. The order had a bill passed in 1949, signed by President Harry S. Truman, to establish Flag Day on June 14th of every year. Five years ago, the Schwenksville Camp #387 started a project, after many requests, to build Flag Retirement Boxes to provide a place where the public could properly dispose of their worn American Flags. Currently, eight Flag Retirement Boxes have been created and donated by Washington Camp #523 to various locations throughout the region. All flags placed in the retirement boxes will be collected and burned in a respectful Flag Retirement Ceremony. Resolution #2 made by Supervisor Michael Fox, seconded by Supervisor Candyce Fluehr Chimera and adopted unanimously, acknowledged receipt of the donation of the Flag Retirement Box from the Patriotic Sons of America – Washington Camp #523 and extended the Township's appreciation for the generous donation.
Director of Finance Shannon Drosnock reported that the Township's current legacy software system, which was purchased in 2005, is dated and requires a significant amount of manual intervention to handle the sophisticated nature of the Township's current working environment. In addition to serving as the backbone of the Finance Department operations, the software also includes modules for supporting other departments including Payroll, Purchasing, Permits, Code Enforcement and Licensing. The Finance and IT staff have worked with members of each Township Department over the past several months to create a Request for Proposal (RFP) for acquiring and implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning software solution intended to minimize manual processing, reduce support costs, increase data processing capabilities and provide a business intelligent format allowing department heads to analyze trends and create more efficient workflows. Staff is requesting authorization to release the RFP, to solicit proposals from software vendors in an effort to update the current system. The Board previously authorized funds for this project in the 2014 budget. Resolution #3, made by Supervisor Michael Fox, seconded by Supervisor Candyce Fluehr Chimera and adopted unanimously, authorized staff to solicit proposals for an Enterprise Resource Planning software system for the Township's operations.
Director of Finance Shannon Drosnock reported that Township staff has been working towards the implementation of online registration for recreation programs with the ability to pay by credit card. Staff has researched the options, and with the approval of the Board of Supervisors in March, 2014, executed a merchant services agreement with Elavon. In house testing to implement the online registration with credit card payment has been successfully completed and staff has prepared a public information campaign to announce the new service to residents. Participants will be able to register for a recreation program by visiting the Township's website and clicking on the link for Online Registration for Recreation Programs. At the section for payment, registrants will be notified that there is a 2.25% convenience fee in addition to the program fee that will be charged to the credit card. Resolution #4 made by Chairman Joseph Walsh, seconded by Supervisor Candyce Fluehr Chimera and adopted unanimously, authorized Township staff to proceed with online registrations and acceptance of credit card payments as presented.
Human Resources Specialist Sharon Tucker requested the Board's consideration to approve the amendments to the Park and Recreation Refund Policy regarding online registrations and credit cards. The amendments included a change to the General Refund Policy with regard to registration withdrawals prior to the start of a program by changing the reference of “one week” to “10 business days” for the time frame allowed for cancellations from the program with a refund. A section was also added for “Credit Card Refunds”. Resolution #5 made by Supervisor Michael Fox, seconded by Chairman Joseph Walsh and adopted unanimously, adopted the revised Recreation Refund Policy dated May 27, 2014.
Chairman Joseph Walsh made a motion to approve the waiver of permit fee for a special event for Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Catholic Church Parish Festival, and Supervisor Michael Fox seconded the motion. Resolution #6, adopted unanimously, approved the waiver of the permit fee.
Chairman Joseph Walsh made a motion to approve the payment of bills. Supervisor Robert Birch seconded the motion. The payment of bills was unanimously approved as submitted.
There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m.