Dec 3, 2004 By Angie Santello 4 min read

MENALLEN TWP. – The township supervisors responded to a petition from a group of township residents concerning their desire to preserve open land in the township. At the regular meeting Thursday night, Supervisor Joe Petrucci read the letter attached to the petition that was signed by a group of residents from the Waltersburg, Smock and Keisterville areas.

The residents, he said, are against the zoning, parceling and redevelopment of open land, including farmland, in the township.

“We live in this township for this reason and we believe we should have a voice in changing it,” the letter read.

Petrucci said the residents have nothing to fear.

“I think it’s our decision to have more of a bedroom community and it’s not in our interest to commercialize,” he said. “We’re going to grow with housing and subdivisions, but it’s not our desire to grow into a commercial area.”

Petrucci said the supervisors made a lot of changes to the county’s zoning map and changed areas zoned heavy industrial to residential. One area changed to residential zoning was a former strip mine.

Petrucci said the township is progressing to the point where the supervisors can do their own zoning.

He invited concerned residents to the next supervisor’s meeting to be held on Jan. 6 so they can further voice their concern.

In other business, the township supervisors passed the 2005 budget Thursday night, noting that residents of the township will face no additional tax increase.

The current millage rate is .965, which means taxpayers will pay $9.65 for every $10,000 in assessed property value.

Total revenue in the 2005 budget equals $719,000, while expenditures for 2005 are predicted to cost $636,132. The state allocates about $100,000 to the township.

Expenditures include $361,090 for highways, roads and streets, $11,747 for culture and recreation and $26,000 for debt service.

As listed in the budget, the total amount of three funds is $138,957. The amount is derived from $11,613 in fire protection, $12,385 in street lighting and $114,960 in the general fund.

The supervisors collect a total of $207,021 in taxes: $4,677 in golf tax, $1,000 in amusement tax, $1,379 in occupational privilege tax, $164,764 in earned income tax and $11,203 in real estate tax.

“Real estate and earned income are pretty much the same as in prior years,” Yantko said.

The only increase, Yantko noted, is in wages since Secretary Linda Burke was added to the payroll. Burke was hired in October as the township and sewage authority’s clerk/receptionist at $10 per hour.

The supervisors said that in 2004, they accomplished almost every project that they set out to do, although Petrucci noted that roadwork on Fan Hollow Road was pushed aside until next spring.

“That and a little piece on Denny Road is our worse,” he added.

The supervisors also conducted the following business:

– Entered into executive session for legal matters concerning the amusement tax at the two golf courses in the township.

– Explained that an open house for the new township building might take place in March. Yantko said many people are to credit for the construction of the new building. The building could serve as a polling place for the first precinct in Keisterville, the supervisors said.

“It would be ideal for some of the older people who can’t get up those steps in Keisterville,” Petrucci said.

– Noted in-house billing for the township’s sewage authority will be done the first of the year and reminded residents to call or visit the township building if they have a problem with their billing.

“We’ve been trying to get everybody’s name on the list of who should be getting a bill,” Yantko said. “If you’re not receiving a sewage bill and you think you should, please call us or stop down.”

Petrucci reminded residents to pay their sewage tap-in fees in order to receive a bill.

– Said J.C. Sanitation, the township’s garbage hauler, will begin enforcing measures to ensure people pay their garbage bills.

If a resident’s garbage is being picked up, but they are not paying their bills, the owner of the garbage company has “the right to go after them.”

under the current ordinance, the supervisors said.