MINUTES OF MEETING

MONTGOMERY TOWNSHIP BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

MARCH 9, 2020

 

            At 6:30 p.m., Chairman Tanya C. Bamford called to order the Executive Session at the Montgomery Township Municipal Building, 1001 Stump Road, Montgomeryville PA.  In attendance were Vice Chairman Matthew W. Quigg and Supervisors Annette M. Long and Beth A. Staab. Also in attendance was Township Manager Carolyn McCreary.

            At 7:00 p.m., Chairman Tanya C. Bamford called to order the Action meeting at the Montgomery Township Municipal Building, 1001 Stump Road, Montgomeryville PA.  In attendance were Vice Chairman Matthew W. Quigg and Supervisors Annette M. Long and Beth A. Staab. Also in attendance was Township Manager Carolyn McCreary, Township Solicitor Robert J. Iannozzi, Esquire, Police Chief Scott Bendig, Director of Finance Brian S. Shapiro, Director of Fire Services William F. Wiegman III, Director of Administration and Human Resources Ann Shade, Assistant to the Township Manager Stacy Crandell, Director of Planning and Zoning Bruce Shoupe, Director of Public Works Kevin Costello, Director of Recreation and Community Center Floyd Shaffer, Recording Secretary Deborah A. Rivas and Director of Information Technology Richard Grier.   

            Following the Pledge of Allegiance, Chairman Tanya C. Bamford called for public comment from the audience. Under public comment, Ben Hartranft of 105 Bellows Way stated that he would like to collaborate with the Township to provide information and awareness of autism sensory issues. Ben suggested that first responders might benefit from learning about things that make life easier for people living with autism. Ben said that he is the spokesperson for the Eagles Autism Challenge and that he is working together with the community to help educate people about autism. The Board of Supervisors thanked Ben for being a leader in this community and stated that he provided some great ideas. It was suggested that if Ben had any events in the area with the Eagles Autism Challenge to let the Township know so that we can help get the word out.  

           Township Manager Carolyn McCreary announced that the Board had met in an executive session prior to this meeting at 6:30 p.m. to discuss three personnel matters. Ms. McCreary stated that these matters are all legitimate subjects of executive session pursuant to Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Law.

           Chairman Tanya C. Bamford made a motion to approve the minutes of the February 24, 2020 Board of Supervisors meeting and Vice Chairman Matthew W. Quigg seconded the motion.  The minutes of the meeting were unanimously approved as submitted.

            Chairman Tanya C. Bamford stated that Township resident Maliq Harris is the owner of Kings Corner, a boxing training facility. The NAACP Ambler Branch Economic Development Committee has recently created a monthly spotlight award where they will recognize a business owner each month, for not only their success as a business, but for what they do in the community to make a difference. The first award recipient is one of our Township residents, Mr. Maliq Harris. Chairman Bamford stated that the Board of Supervisors would like to recognize Mr. Harris for receiving this special award from the NAACP Ambler Branch. Also in attendance was the Chairman of the Economic Development Committee, Donald Lyons. The Board of Supervisors congratulated Mr. Harris on this accomplishment and presented him with a certificate.

            Chief of Police J. Scott Bendig reported that Municipal and State Police are statutorily authorized to protect the public primarily through the enforcement of the Crimes Code and Motor Vehicle code through the use of a variety of law enforcement tools. One valuable tool utilized by the PA State Police that is statutorily prohibited for use by municipal police is radar. At this time, Pennsylvania is the only state in the nation that prohibits municipal police from using radar. Currently, Senate Bill 607 is in front of the House of Representatives that would allow the use of radar by municipal police. Local municipalities are being encouraged to adopt resolutions in support of legislation to permit the use of radar by their police departments. Discussion followed regarding restrictions posed in the use of radar, limits to revenues collected, etc. Chief Bendig stated that the Montgomery Township police force would use this tool primarily in the residential neighborhoods where speeding has been an ongoing problem. Resolution #20-65 made by Chairman Tanya C. Bamford, seconded by Supervisor Annette M. Long and adopted unanimously, approved the resolution in support of state legislation to authorize the use of radar by municipal police departments.

            Director of Public Works Kevin Costello reported that the department is proposing to purchase, under the PA COSTARS Purchasing Program, the following equipment as provided for in the approved 2020 Final Budget: (1) Hunter Tire Changing Machine to be provided by Hunter Engineering Company for a total cost of $12,687.95 under COSTARS Contract #4400017609; (1) 2020 J.D. Alamo Grass King rough cut mower to be provided by Robert E. Little Inc. for a total cost of $23,781.60 under COSTARS Contract #400020044; and (1) 2020 XMARK ZTR mower to be provided by Pipersville Garden Center Inc. for a total cost of $22,532.30 under COSTARS Contract #4400020097. Resolution #20-66 made by Vice Chairman Matthew W. Quigg, seconded by Supervisor Beth A. Staab and adopted unanimously, authorized the purchase of Public Works capital equipment.

            Township Manager Carolyn McCreary reported that the Township had received proposals for a Township Planning Consultant, which included firms’ qualifications, references and fees structure. Staff is recommending that the Board of Supervisors appoint Boucher & James as the Township Planning Consultant. Judith Stern Goldstein was present to answer any questions of the Board. Resolution #20-67 made by Vice Chairman Matthew W. Quigg, seconded by Supervisor Annette M. Long and adopted unanimously, appointed Boucher & James as the Township Planning Consultant.

            Township Manager Carolyn McCreary reported that the Township had received a request from Mrs. Sally Kishel requesting the Township waive the building permit fee for the installation of a handicap ramp at her property by the Veterans Administration. Resolution #20-68 made by Vice Chairman Matthew W. Quigg, seconded by Supervisor Annette M. Long and adopted unanimously, waived the building permit fee in the amount of $229.50 for the installation of a handicap ramp at 100 Winding Brook Run.

            Assistant to the Township Manager Stacy Crandell reported that the Board of Supervisors had previously approved replacing and retrofitting LED bulbs for all of the cobra head lights and decorative four-sided Colonial Style fixtures that are located throughout the residential neighborhoods in the Township. On February 14, 2020, before the installation of the new bulbs, the Township utilized a pilot installation in the area of Mallard Drive just past Camp Drive to gauge the best color temperature (3000k or 4000k) for the LED bulbs that would provide adequate light while creating minimal visual disturbance. This information was provided to residents via the Township’s Facebook page, E-news, and website. The recommendation for the cobra head lights on the roadways remains 4000k, but a decision must be made regarding the four-sided Colonial Style Fixtures at this time. Ms. Crandell stated that she had spoken to several local surrounding municipalities and they reported that they had selected the 4000k LED bulbs for their streetlights and had not received any negative responses from residents. Supervisor Annette M. Long reported that she has a friend who lives in the test area and she was in favor of the 4000k lights because she felt that the light was better for safety and viewing the sidewalk. Supervisor Beth A. Staab reported that as the liaison to the Environmental Advisory Committee (EAC), she and two other members agreed that the 3000k was softer and provided more light than what was previously there. Vice Chairman Matthew W. Quigg stated that he had an overall concern about the brighter white light having negative impact on sleep patterns. Discussion followed with regard to the pros and cons of the two different levels of lighting and the Board reached a consensus. Resolution #20-69 made by Vice Chairman Matthew W. Quigg, seconded by Supervisor Beth A. Staab and adopted by a vote of 3 to 1 (Supervisor Annette M. Long opposing), authorized the execution of the construction agreement with Armour & Sons Electric, Inc. for replacement and retrofitting the 4-sided colonial fixtures with 3000k bulbs and cobra head fixtures with 4000k bulbs.

            Director of Finance Brian S. Shapiro reported that on March 11, 2019 the Board of Supervisors adopted Ordinance #19-310, which provided incentives for qualifying volunteers who served in the fire company or a non-profit emergency medical services agency. Qualifying volunteers are able to receive a Volunteer Service Tax Credit which includes an earned income tax credit of 100% of the earned income tax levied by the Township to a maximum of $500.00 and/or a real property tax credit of 20% of the Township’s real property tax levied to a maximum of $500.00. One of the downsides to these options are, if a volunteer does not own property (rents, lives with parents, etc.) or is not actively employed, they would not be eligible to receive a tax credit. Mr. Shapiro also reported that in May of 2019, the Township issued the Volunteer Service Tax Credit for the first time. Out of the 30 qualified members, only 10 submitted the necessary paperwork to receive the credit. Necessary paperwork was a copy of either a local earned income tax return or a real estate tax bill. The total amount of volunteer credit issued in 2019 was $553.24 for all members who made an application, or an average of $55.32 per volunteer. After the 2019 volunteer credits were issued, the previous Director of Finance issued a memo stating, “I believe that the Board’s intention was to provide a much more significant incentive/reward for our valued volunteers, and would suggest that the Board adopt an updated resolution”. Mr. Shapiro stated that if the Township considered providing a $300 flat credit to each qualified volunteer, the total amount would be $9,000, an increase of $8,446.76 from 2019. This expense is needed from the Real Estate Collections in the General Fund. The recommendation would be to repeal Ordinance #19-310 and adopt a new resolution on how to calculate the Volunteer Service Tax Credit. Mr. Shapiro went on to explain that an added benefit of adopting a flat dollar amount is the volunteer does not have to provide personal financial information to the Township and it provides an increased tax credit to them. Discussion followed and the Board of Supervisors was in favor of repealing the Ordinance and enacting a new resolution. The Board directed the Township staff and Solicitor to move forward with this matter.

            A motion to approve the payment of bills was made by Chairman Tanya C. Bamford, seconded by Vice Chairman Matthew W. Quigg, and adopted unanimously, approving the payment of bills as submitted for March 9, 2020.

            Under other business, Chairman Tanya C. Bamford stated that in light of the recent COVID-19 outbreak, surfaces in and around the Township building are being cleaned and disinfected and reminded everyone to remember to wash your hands.

            There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting adjourned at 7:40 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,

Deborah A. Rivas, Recording Secretary