The December 2020 regular meeting of the Lower Milford Township board of supervisors began with only two supervisors as John Quigley was absent.

A conditional use hearing was pushed. The application is for SJC Development Group Inc. to build on 6321 Dekrane Drive.

The hearing was partially held, but it was decided a continuation letter was needed for the applicant to continue with their application.

Township solicitor Mark Cappuccio stated since the applicant was not in attendance, supervisors just needed to make a note the conditional use hearing was held. The supervisors allowed for this matter to be continued to the reorganizational meeting scheduled Jan. 4, 2021. The applicants needed to submit an extension letter by Dec. 21, 2020.

A member of the public spoke up at the end of this decision.

The supervisors directed him to submit concerns to the township administrator so his issues with the project will be reflected in the record.

The board was open to the complaints and Cappuccio signed the residents to be parties to this action.

In the administrator’s report, township administrator Emily Fucci spoke about a turnaround needed on Scout Road. The first sketch was not passed by the engineer consulted; it was declined due to the size of the proposed turnaround. The public works department has worked to try and shrink the turnaround for the engineer to approve, but nothing has been successful.

The supervisors did not want to get involved as of yet, as the time of year makes it tough for work like this to be done. This was requested by a property owner. A decision will be heard after further consultation.

During the public works department report, Supervisor Chairperson Donna Wright asked the public for their opinions on the snow removal on township roads. A couple of audience members said they did not have their roads cleared until mid-afternoon. They were not pleased with the time it took for the plows to get to their areas.

In new business, a motion was made and approved for the 2021 assistance for strays six-month contract with The Sanctuary at Haafsville. The fees will be $150 per cat and $110 per dog.

Resolution 2020-10 was the next item on the agenda. The resolution set the general millage tax for 2021 at .67756 mills or .067756 cents on every $100 of assessed real estate evaluation. This is not an increase, Supervisor Ellen Koplin said.

“It has not increased for anyone in 35, 40 years.”

Resolution 2020-11 set the millage at .33878 mills for the special tax for fire services. This again is not an increase from when it was enacted in 2008.

Resolution 2020-12 adopted the annual municipal budget for fiscal year 2021. This budget does not increase the millage.

All resolutions were motioned by Koplin and seconded by Wright, approving the millage rates.

Resolution 2020-13 set the motion to appoint a CPA to audit the fiscal year 2020 at a maximum cost of $5,720.

The last portion of new business was a notice of legal action against Theodor and Lois Zapach.

A zoning hearing was held for the removal of specified items on the Zapach property. They had 30 days to adhere to the zoning decision but failed to act. Cappuccio explained supervisors needed to give their approval for a notice of legal action that will be taken against the property owners.

It was decided this would be an information item. The board feels this is a part of the zoning officer’s jurisdiction. Supervisors agreed they will let their office proceed without hindrance to get this matter resolved. No approvals were given.

Fucci announced a request from two people who contacted the county with the inability to pay their bills due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fucci said township treasurer Wendy Stryker introduced the idea of waiving the late fee for residents who cannot pay their 2020 sewage bills.

Wright said she had no problem waiving the late fees for those who have reached out for help. The two supervisors approved a motion to waive the late fees of all those who reached out.

The Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors pension plan discussion was led by Fucci.

A PSATS representative gave a presentation at a previous discussion, where the supervisors asked for more time to make a decision.

Since that presentation, a meeting occurred between PSATS and the township. It was productive in the eyes of the supervisors present. Nationwide will be the “custodian” of the plan.

Supervisors asked to move forward with setting up an account. The supervisors approved a motion to allow their pension information to be transferred by the current provider to the PSATS account representative.

In other meeting business, a request was made about restrictions for truck traffic on Kings Highway. This is a state road, which means the state needs to be involved. The township can’t enact any regulation on state roads.

“Kings Highway in Upper Milford was a turnback, where PennDOT [Pennsylvania Department of Transportation] gave it back to Upper Milford … We have tried in the past; this is not a new issue,” Koplin said.

Near the end of the meeting, Koplin presented a document titled, “Analysis of 2020 Legal Expenses to Correct a False Accusation.”

The document, presented by Koplin, states “Claims have been made by Supervisor John Quigley that the township’s legal expenses for 2020 are more than $146,000 over the 2019 township legal expenses and it is all due to Supervisors Wright and Koplin. This claim is a blatant fabrication.”

Koplin read a few lines.

“There are two main categories; the first being normal, legal expenses which are incurred by all municipalities and the second category is primarily expenses incurred due to Supervisor Quigley’s refusal to accept the decisions of the board of supervisors majority.”

The document listed several reasons for how Quigley caused the expenses to rise. It claimed Quigley harassed township attorneys on behalf of his nephew and former Lower Milford Township Manager Zachary Cooperman. It also stated Quigley faced a bullying and harassment complaint by a staff member; however, he was not found guilty.

In 2019, the total cost for the township solicitor was $29,644.

In 2020, the total cost for the township solicitor was $142,533.

During public comment, a member of the public asked if the legal investigation is coming to an end.

“A lot of this could have been finalized months ago without someone poking the investigation,” Wright said.

“When questions are asked of the solicitor that they are not permitted to answer (outside of) the meeting, charges are occurring,” Wright continued.