Heidelberg Township Board of Supervisors discussed the township’s auditor vacancy position at their meeting, Jan. 15.

Jonathan Jakum, chairman of the board said the township is still seeking an auditor.

“Training is available. It takes about 40 hours to complete the audit from mid-February through the end of March, and pay is $18 an hour,” Jakum said. “The appointed auditor will serve a term until the next municipal election results, which is two years. They must be a resident of the township for at least one year and cannot be in any other appointed or elected position.”

Dawn Didra, township administrator said she added the auditor vacancy position on her personal Facebook page to try and help generate some interests.

“If the board does not have a candidate within 30 days, we have to enact the vacancy board and then the vacancy board has 15 days so to Feb. 15 to fill the position,” Didra said. “After that we are required to petition the Lehigh County Court of Common Pleas to fill the vacancy. So hopefully we can get somebody to volunteer to do that.”

Jakum than asked Didra if the vacancy board doesn’t find somebody, do the courts appoint someone to us.

“I’m not sure how that works if they don’t but that’s the process that we have to follow regardless if there’s somebody to volunteer and not,” Didra said.

Jakum, who is the director of office operations, said during his monthly report that the T-Mobile Hometown grant application was submitted in coordination with the Recreation Commission for $50,000 to pave the recreation fields parking lot.

“The grant award decisions will be sent out to all applicants by late February,” he said.

Geoff Dean, an engineer with Keystone Consulting Engineers and the township engineer, said during his monthly report he had a handful of updates to discuss with the board at the meeting.

“The first is the MS4 program. Department of Environmental Protection is coming out to do their periodic inspection at 10 a.m. next Wednesday, Jan. 21,” he said.

Dean added a representative from Keystone will be there to make sure the meeting goes well and they don’t have any concerns that can’t be addressed on the spot.

“We’ve also identified the location of a potential project which would be significantly cheaper and easier to implement,” Dean said. “It is in Heidelberg Heights, and the good news is it’s a drainage swale that the township already has an easement over, so it would be significantly easier to achieve. So between now and next month’s meeting we will collect enough survey information so that we can confirm viability of that project.”

He said he also sent a request to the Lehigh County Conservation District in regard to the Rex Road Bridge to figure out if this is a potential project that would be eligible for their funding.

Dean said the Pennsylvania Dirt and Gravel Road Pollution Prevention program through the Lehigh County Conservation District has funding available but there are certain requirements that would have to be meet.

“They probably won’t do their assessment until the weather warms up like in springtime because it takes a number of months, so I figured we’d get in line to have them do their survey,” Dean said.

Jakum said during his monthly Environmental Advisory Council report, the EAC is planning an educational event on the buffer area for 10 a.m. May 16. The rain date is May 30.

Priscilla Brennan’s working to develop her presentation, he said.

“They’re not planning to do a road litter clean up this year and they’re not planning an environmental scholarship,” Jakum said. “I guess they need the budgeted funds to help pay for work on the buffer.”

Under unfinished business, the board discussed the redevelopment of the 6302 Route 309 for the Dunkin’ Donuts traffic signal maintenance agreement, PennDOT documents, escrow, and developers’ agreement.

“I did talk to PennDOT as David Fink, (vice chairman of the board), had requested and they said no they are not going to take it (traffic light),” Didra said. “It’s our responsibility. So, I’m asking for the board to approve that I can sign the necessary documentation.”

Didra said she will work with Keith Strohl, township solicitor and Dean, township engineer, to make sure everything’s the way it should be.

After further discussion, the board approved Didra’s request.

The board also approved Resolution 2026-12, the township fee schedule.

Under correspondence, Didra said Congressman Ryan McKenzie’s office contacted the township and said they would like to have office hours here again.

“That would be like once a month and it would only be if they have an appointment scheduled. They would use the meeting room for meeting with constituents in this area,” she said.

Fink said he would like to put a time that they could use the room.

Didra responded, “We discussed it with them and the fourth Thursday is when they have constituent appointments. It would be during the day during business hours. I believe morning is when she said.”

Fink said he would like to set a time up until 1 p.m. and Didra agreed.