Summary of 9 October 2024 BOS Meeting
This is my personal summary of the October 9, 2024, meeting of the #NewtownPA Township Board of Supervisors (BOS). This is not a complete nor an official summary.
Access the 2024 BOS Chronicle for detailed summaries of all 2024 BOS meetings to date. Also, access the (UNOFFICIAL) 2024 BOS Voting Record.
Agenda Items, Discussions, Decisions, and More
- 2025 Budget Presentation
- Public Comment
- Reports of Board Members
- Reports of Officials
- Engineer’s Report
- Award Pedestrian Upgrades Project (includes video & public comments)
- Manager’s Report
- Engineer’s Report
- Other Items of Interest
2025 Budget Presentation
Takeaway #1: No Millage Tax increase is proposed. Below is a chart depicting the millage rates, and estimated annual revenues for nearby towns with Newtown Township's 2024 average assessed residential value of $39,117. (*Denotes a real estate tax increase enacted in 2024):
Full Time Staffing
The total staff – including 34 police officers – is 79, which is the same as it was in 2024 (see chart).
View thw video of the presentation below. More details will be presented and discussed at the 21 October 2024 Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting at 7 PM. Register to attend here…
Norm Seeger Comments on Pedestrian Safety
Norm Seeger - a resident of Village of Newtown - commented upon the danger to pedestrians along Upper Silver Lake Road where speeding is an issue. He had three suggestions: (1) create marked pedestrian crosswalks, (2) install solar-powered speed signs warning drivers that they are going faster than the speed limit, and (3) if not either of the above, then perhaps install stop signs as has been done on Lower Dolington Road.
Mack Reviews 3 October 2024 Joint Zoning Council Meeting
I attended the October 3, 2024, Joint Zoning Council meeting, which reviewed the pending ordinances including those regarding Wireless Communication, Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, and Bill Board Use. The amendment to the LI/O-LI Overlay District, which changes “Use by Right” to “Use by Conditional Approval” was also discussed. Hearings set for: Upper Makefield October 15th, Wrightstown October 21st and Newtown October 23rd. Background: “Will Overlay Zoning Lead to Over Development in #NewtownPA?” Newtown will have its hearing on this matter at the October 23, 2024, meeting.
Also discussed was the possible benefit to the JMZO of using images and photos. The specific example was taken from the Glossary of Terms.
See my summary of the meeting...
Award Pedestrian Upgrades Project
For background on this project read “#NewtownPA Yardley Rd & Tara Blvd Crosswalk Improvement Timeline,” “North Sycamore Street Pedestrian Safety Timeline,” and “High and Low: Bids Received for Pedestrian Crosswalks and Sidewalks.”
The township received the following low bid from T. Schiefer Contractors, Inc. for this project:
- Base Bid - $391,915
- Alternate Bid No. 1 (decorative poles) - $117,000
- TOTAL: $508,915
Mack put forward a motion to award the entire project including the Alternate Bid for the decorative poles. It was estimated the the additional cost for this would be as high as of $42,000 or as low as $7,184.
"Something to keep in mind,," noted Township Engineer Dominic Cundari, "a $50,000 allowance is built into the contract [for cost overruns], which may not have to be touched. So, if you take that out of the base bid, it brings that cost down to $341,915.00. So, if you assume that the allowance does not have to be used, the cost of $341,915.00 plus the additional cost for the decorative poles of $42,200.00, brings the total up to $384,115.00. We have $376,931.00 in grant money.”
Supervisors approved by a 4-1 vote the acceptance of BOTH the base bid and the alternate bid. View the following video of the discussion including comments from residents.
September 2024 Police Report
Highlights from the September 2024 Newtown Township Police Department Report:
- 2,388 Total Incidents (versus 2023 monthly average: 1,938 and 1,718 in 2022)
- Average of 80 incidents per day (versus 64 incidents per day in 2023 and 56 in 2022)
- 0 Auto vs Pedestrian incidents (2 YTD versus 4 total in 2023, 7 in 2022, 5 in 2021)
- 169 Traffic Citations, 5 DUI arrests, 12 reportable traffic crashes (132 YTD, 206 total in 2023 and 45 for all of 2022), 2 hit and run incidents (45 YTD versus 48 in 2023)
- 16 Fraud incidents (141 YTD versus 162 total in 2023 and 212 in 2022)
- 4 Retail Theft (42 YTD versus 23 in 2023). These incidents seem to be increasing, mostly involving Ulta Beauty and Lululemon
- 2 Narcotics Possession (32 YTD versus 22 in 2023)
- 0 Non-Fatal Overdose (6 YTD versus 8 in 2023)
- 10 Safe 2 Say (39 YTD)
- 291 School Checks (1,896 YTD versus 1,572 total for 2023 and 1,360 in 2022)
My Detailed Notes
See pages 90-96 of the 2024 BOS Chronicle (PDF) for more detailed notes regarding this meeting.
Official Video
Transcript
Download the time-stamped transcript of this meeting prepared by Youtube from the video: download PDF document.
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