Berlin Township adopts 2015 budget

Linda Drollinger
Posted 8/21/12

BEACH LAKE, PA — In a December 16 meeting that lasted only 40 minutes, the Berlin Township Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted its proposed 2015 budget, without comment from the board or …

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Berlin Township adopts 2015 budget

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BEACH LAKE, PA — In a December 16 meeting that lasted only 40 minutes, the Berlin Township Board of Supervisors unanimously adopted its proposed 2015 budget, without comment from the board or questions from the public. It also adopted a new ordinance electing township participation in the Pennsylvania State Association of Townships (PSATS) Unemployment Compensation Trust, which will allow the township to pay lower unemployment insurance premiums. And it passed a resolution to advertise public review of a proposed nuisance ordinance.

But before it took any of those actions, the board threw the floor open for public comment, which drew the question, “Does the township have a dog poop ordinance?” Chairman Paul Henry answered, “It does not. But if public health is at risk, action can be taken.” Producing photographic evidence to support the claim that several dogs in a multi-dwelling complex were consistently littering the yard outside his unit and that their owners had repeatedly failed to remove pet deposits despite numerous requests to do so, the resident asked, “Is this enough for you to do something about it?” When the board had viewed the photos, Henry said, “We’ll take care of it.”

The proposed nuisance ordinance, available for public viewing at the Berlin Township Community Center on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. through 2 p.m. and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. through 1 p.m. until January 20, seeks to address blighted properties, defined as those which “contain amounts of debris, junk, garbage, abandoned vehicles and tires and overgrown vegetation that substantially and adversely affect property values, public health, safety, welfare, as well as hamper commerce and adversely affect the quality of life that the community and its residents enjoy.”

A subsequent paragraph includes a noise provision stating in part: “…a public nuisance shall be deemed to exist whenever excessive noise is generated upon various properties, which is transmitted to neighboring properties and the public streets… “

The ordinance goes on to state, “It is the intent of this Ordinance to enact legislation that specifically addresses the causes of blighting and deteriorating conditions… and to implement a policy to reverse said impact by establishing enforcement provisions as set forth herein.” Failure to correct within 10 days those conditions cited in the notice of violation warning would be punishable by fine ($300 to $1,000) or imprisonment (up to six months).

Updating the township’s ongoing dispute of the $4,016 Delaware River Basin Commission (DRBC) fine levied against its municipal sewer authority, Cathy Hunt noted that the township’s formal appeal (via hearing to show cause), originally scheduled for December 9, has been rescheduled to March 10, 2015. Although the DRBC has rejected the township’s claim that it derived no economic benefit from its failures to monitor for certain pollutants, it has agreed to let the township pay its fines in four quarterly installments.

The board of supervisors’ 2015 reorganization meeting will be held January 5, 2015 at 7 p.m. The board of auditors’ reorganization meeting is scheduled for January 6 at 7 p.m. The public hearing for review of the proposed nuisance ordinance is scheduled for January 20 at 7:15 p.m.

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