John Mack - Newtown Supervisor

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8 June 2022 BOS Meeting Summary

Joint Zoning Council meeting report (Comprehensive Plan, Wood-Burning Outdoor Furnaces, Billboards, etc.), Lower Dolington Rd Trail Update, Bird Town Resolution, Newtown Township/Borough Fires Services Agreement, 5G Wireless Ordinance Update, May 2022 Police report, June 3, 2022, Public Works Report, More…

This is my personal summary of the June 8, 2022, meeting of Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS). This is not a complete nor an official summary. See my Meeting Notes (PDF) for a more complete summary. Detailed notes for every 2022 BOS meeting to date can be found in the 2022 BOS Chronicle.

Access the 2022 BOS Voting Record (UNOFFICIAL).

Agenda Items

Joint Zoning Council Meeting, June 2, 2022

Supervisor Mack summarized the discussions/decisions made at the June 2, 2022, Joint Zoning Council (JZC) meeting. LINK to online version with details: https://johnmacknewtown.info/jzc2jun22.html

  • DAS (Wireless Communications) Ordinance has been tabled in Newtown Township (NT) for further review. UMT has not yet made a recommendation. 
  • Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Station Ordinance. A draft has been prepared and is in legal review.  The ordinance is expected to be circulated to the members later this month.
  • Billboard Use – After a brief discussion, Schenkman was authorized to prepare a draft ordinance for discussion. The idea was to provide a use for non-electronic billboards limited to route 413 in Wrightstown.
  • Stoff and Wolff (Bucks County Planner Commission members) presented a summary of suggested changes to the Comprehensive Plan previously provided by the members. 

Outdoor Wood-Burning Furnaces – A suggestion was made that perhaps an ordinance is necessary prohibiting outdoor wood-burning furnaces, which due to high gas and oil prices may become more popular for home heating. It also was suggested that such a use would have a negative impact on the climate.

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Fire Services Agreement with Newtown Borough

LINK: https://bit.ly/NT-FireAgree-FINAL

HIGHLIGHTS

  1. The Compensation for calendar year 2022 shall be $154,365.00, $147,155 of which is base Compensation and $7,210 of which is related to capital expense of purchasing a command vehicle.
  2. Beginning on January 1 of each year after 2022, the base Compensation of $147,155 shall increase by a factor of five percent (5%)
  3. This Agreement shall terminate on December 31, 2024.  The parties agree to conduct a one-year review one year after this Agreement begins.

Supervisor Calabro had concerns about this agreement (see video segment). The motion to approve the solicitor to draft a resolution approving the agreement passed 4-1 with Calabro voting “no.”

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Consideration to Approve 5G Wireless JMZO Ordinance

Background: Recall that this motion was previously tabled. See Notes From the May 25, 2022, BOS Meeting. LINK: https://bit.ly/25May22BOSnotes and page 51 of the 2022 BOS Chronicle.

On May 23, 2022, representatives of Pennsylvanians for Safe Technology hosted a Zoom meeting with Andrew Campanelli, Esq., who is a national expert in telecommunications law. Mr. Campanelli reviewed the current version of the JMZO Wireless/5G Antenna Ordinance and summarized several problems including:

  • A “fatal gap” that renders the entirety of the ordinance moot
  • Lack of section dealing with Small 5G Antennas/Towers & Overexposure to Radiation
  • Lack of enforcement details regarding FCC Compliance with Radiation Limits
  • Insufficient Notice Requirements
  • More… Read the Interactive Transcript and listen to Mr. Campanelli’s comments; LINK: https://sonix.ai/r/RnYp17VYFrhX4RebKEQCZjmE/share

The motion failed to get a second and this issue remains tabled.

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American Rescue Plan Fund Summary

For details, see Meeting Notes and page 50 of the 2022 BOS Chronicle.

Total Allocation: $2,049,842

Expenditures to date:

  1. $550,000 Lower Dolington Trail
  2. $215,000 (3) Police Vehicles
  3. $188,524 6-Wheel Dump Truck

Total Expenditures = $953,524

Remaining Balance: $1,096,318

Township staff is continuing to work on projects related to workstation replacements, the AV system, HVAC boilers, and the Finance Software.

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Video Highlights

View the official video of the meeting on Youtube for more details (includes an interactive transcript that allows you to jump to specific sections of the video related to entries in the transcript).

Jump to specific highlights of the video using the following links:

  • Resident William DiSalvo complains about unsafe condition of Durham Rd and the additional traffic that will be caused by the Toll Bros. Start video at this point…
  • Supervisor Calabro suggested that the 45 Toll Bros homes will have limited impact on traffic. Although he said he’s “not here to debate you,” that’s precisely what he ended up doing for 9 minutes…LOL! Start video at this point…
  • Bird Town Resolution discussion, including comments from Jan Filios of the Environment Advisory Council. Start video at this point…
  • Resolution Approving Intergovernmental Agreement with Newtown Borough for Fire Services Start video at this point…
  • May 2022 Police Report. Start video at this point…
  • Why Supervisors Phil Calabro opposes paying the Newtown bills. Start video at this point…
  • Resident Ann Longon distributes list of 5G Wireless Ordinance Changes. Start video at this point…
  • Supervisor Calabro schools us on “Why Newtown is Newtown.” He presented a history of the Jointure explaining why Newtown gets all the development and Wrightstown gets the rock quarry. Mr. Calabro, however, quipped “I’m at a loss for what Upper Makefield brings to the table … maybe it’s the bucolic hills of Bucks County.” Start video at this point…

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Meeting Notes

Embedded below are my Meeting Notes (PDF) from the meeting, which includes details, Q&A's and links to background information.

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