Pennsylvania's Second Class Township Code requires all townships of this category to meet on the first Monday of January to organize.

Chairman, vice chairman, secretary and treasurer are appointed for the year and all other necessary appointments are made.

North Whitehall supervisors met Jan. 5 and the gavel was given to Solicitor Lisa Young until a chairman was selected.

Ronald Heintzelman was selected for that position and Steve Pany was given vice chairman honors.

Other appointments were as follows: Secretary/Treasurer Brenda Norder; Township Manager Jeff Bartlett; Community Services Director and Facility and Recreation Director, Community Information Team Leader Heintzelman; Assistant Public Works director (non-paid) Pany; delegates to the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors convention – all supervisors, secretary/treasurer and township administrator, with Heintzelman as voting delegate, and Richard Celmer as alternate.

Township engineer will again be Keystone Consulting Engineers, Wescosville, with Benchmark Engineering Services for special engineering services.

The solicitor for the board and the planning commission will be Young. Keystone Engineers will be the acting zoning officer and sewage enforcement officer in the absence of the regular officer.

Barry Isett and Associates will be the building codes enforcement officer.

The treasurer's bond limit was set at $6 million and Neffs National Bank and First Northern Trust, Palmerton, were selected as the township's financial repositories. The township treasurer will pay the bills.

The monthly meeting date was set as 7:30 p.m. on the first Monday of each month, except for the September meeting, which will be the second Monday.

Eugene Wolfgang was appointed to the zoning hearing board with Eric Neubauer named as the alternate. Their terms will run through 2017.

Qualified Stenographic Services was appointed for supervisors and the zoning hearing board as needed.

Scott Bieber was re-appointed sewage enforcement officer and Ron Sell was given a position on the building code appeals board. Planning Commission members appointed were Jeff Johnson and Brian Horwith.

Celmer will be supervisors representative to the planning commission. Donna Kumermitsky was appointed to the recreation board with Heintzelman as supervisors representative.

Bruce Stettler and Ray Deutsch were appointed to the Rails to Trails Committee, with alternate representatives Paul Mantz and Richard Townsend.

Chairman of the vacancy Board will be Charles Horwith.

Don Jacobs will be fire marshal and assistant state police fire marshal, with Jim Stewart serving as alternate.

Nelson Fogel will be emergency management director and Jacobs will be assistant.

Holidays will be Presidents Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving and the day after, Christmas and the day before and New Year's Day.

Halloween Trick-or Treat Day will be celebrated Oct. 30.

After all appointments were made, supervisors settled into the regular meeting routine.

Richard Getz voiced his objection to the street light tax formula and to the type of street lights.

He opined the older lights (high pressure sodium) should be replaced with LED lights. LED lights give better light and cost less by using less electricity.

He also discussed the burning ordinance as it relates to a neighbor. He said his neighbor had active overnight fires, which should have been extinguished.

Pany will check it out and if it happens again, Getz is to notify him and he will investigate the situation at the time.

Steve and Julie Hoffman addressed the board with their concerns about the lot they purchased.

Due to litigation, they are unable to obtain permits. Supervisors were sympathetic to their plight but could not help them.

Resident Randy Fry asked whether a sewer line is in the offing for houses along Route 329 and Crest Street.

Pany will talk to the township manager and the engineer to discuss the matter.