Skip to main content

Chester County Press

Franklin Township Board of Supervisors reorganizes for 2017

01/10/2017 09:02AM ● By J. Chambless

By John Chambless
Staff Writer

The Franklin Township Board of Supervisors reorganized for the new year on Jan. 3, with a unanimous vote to retain John Auerbach as board chairman for 2017. Auerbach thanked the board members for their confidence in him and their compliments on his leadership.

The board also voted unanimously to elect board member Penelope Schenk as vice-chairman of the board.

The following were unanimously appointed as officials, engineers and consultants for the township: Joan McVaugh as township manager and treasurer; Sharon Norris as township secretary; Lamb McErlane as township solicitor; LTL Consultants as township general and traffic engineer, township building inspector/zoning officer and code enforcement officer; and AECOM as township sanitary engineer.

Brent Van Lith was appointed to a four-year term on the Planning Commission, Harold Walls was reappointed to a one-year term as the Emergency Management Coordinator, Lou Mandich was reappointed to a five-year term on the Historical Commission, Paul Lagasse and Lou Mandich were reappointed to five-year terms on the Historical Architectural Review Board, Bill Finch was appointed to another three-year term on the Zoning Hearing Board, and Resolution 2017-01 was approved, setting the fees and salaries of township engineers and consultants.

Resolution 2017-04, outlining the costs involved in doing business within the township, was also adopted. The board discussed reviewing the fees at a later date, because the zoning officer has pointed out some areas where the township is not charging the full cost of processing the permit and performing the inspections.

The 2017 meeting schedule was adopted. Board of Supervisors meetings will be held on the third Wednesday of every month beginning at 7 p.m. Planning Commission meetings will be held on the first Thursday of each month beginning at 7 p.m. Historical Commission meetings will be held the first Wednesday of each month beginning at 7 p.m., as needed. Historical Architectural Review Board meetings will be held the first Wednesday of each month immediately following the Historical Commission meeting, as needed. Emergency Management meetings will be held the first Monday of every month beginning at 7 p.m., as needed.

Auerbach made a motion that one of any of the five supervisors be the voting delegate at the PSATS Annual Convention in April in Hershey, and that at least two supervisors should attend.

Auerbach also discussed Act 172, which allows townships to provide tax relief for volunteer fire and emergency service personnel. London Grove enacted this relief at their last Board of Supervisors meeting. Board members were in favor of the idea, and Auerbach said he will continue to research what is involved, and how much relief the volunteers are offered, and the process going forward.

For updated information about the township, visit www.franklintownship.us.

To contact Staff Writer John Chambless, email [email protected].