Hanover Township Manager Sandra Pudliner reported the township has issued demolition permits for the former Davis Business Machines building at the Airport Center Mall.

The building is being demolished to make way for additional stores.

About six months ago, the property owner approached the township to submit a land development plan. The new retail section lies along the access road off Airport Center Road between existing retail stores and the Knight's Inn.

Stores in the new section have good visibility from Airport Road. The owners of the property decided the highest and best use of the land parcel was for retail stores.

Pudliner did not announce which retailers would be located in the portion to be constructed.

Solicitor Jackson Eaton asked council to accept a cash escrow.

"We usually require a surety bond, but the developer is setting up a cash escrow account," he said. "Funds will be released by the township as the development proceeds."

Surety bonds and, in this case, cash escrow accounts are set up to ensure that the developer completes the project as proposed.

In other business, Eaton also asked the council to approve wording changes in the township's Home Rule Charter. The charter cites "penal code" to identify circumstances that would require a member of council to step down from his elected office. The state changed the phrase "penal code to "criminal code."

A Home Rule Charter revision must be approved by voters.

A second ordinance made the same change in the township's administrative code. It does not require voter approval.

Councilman Randall Atkinson asked Eaton to word the changes in a manner that would preclude the expense of holding a referendum vote for an arbitrary word change.

Along the same discussion topic, Eaton also added that references to the reasons an elected official can be removed from office should be removed entirely.

"The state constitution sets the reasons for removal," he said. "They are confusing and often misunderstood. It may be less confusing to remove all references to removal from office."

The final changes will be voted on at council's next meeting.