Aug 6, 2009 3 min read

PERRY TWP. – Perry Township supervisors are urging residents to attend an upcoming Neighborhood Watch meeting at the municipal building. During Tuesday’s meeting, supervisors A.J. Boni and Janet Galla announced that state police Trooper Brian Burden will hold a Neighborhood Watch meeting at 6 p.m. Aug. 13. Boni said residents interested in learning how they can protect their township and their personal property should attend the meeting.

The municipal building is located at 1 Township Drive in Star Junction.

In somewhat related business, supervisors heard from Clarence “Clu” Johnson, who won the Democratic nomination for supervisor in the May primary and will run unopposed in the November general election.

Johnson asked supervisors if they would be willing to post written rules at the township’s parks in an effort to help deter vandalism.

Johnson said steps have been taken to improve the parks and that he believes it would be beneficial for written rules to be posted.

Both Boni and Galla agreed with Johnson and said they would look into the matter.

Galla asked township solicitor Don McCue if the township could post signs offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of people caught vandalizing the parks.

McCue said it is allowable and that the signs would just need to be worded correctly stating that the person seeking the reward must be willing to testify in court if needed in order to receive the reward money.

Boni said the township also may consider having security cameras installed at the parks.

In other matters, supervisors voted to appeal the Internal Revenue Service’s recent decision to deny an offer-in-compromise with the township.

The township owes the IRS back taxes, plus interest, as a result of two former supervisors who were charged and found guilty of stealing money from the township. The former supervisors failed to pay taxes on their wages while in office in the late 1990s.

Neither Galla nor Boni was in office at the time.

Galla said the township is responsible to pay the back taxes, which amount to about $20,000, because it was the employer’s responsibility to withhold the taxes and the employer was the township.

Supervisors said they don’t have a problem paying the back taxes, but are asking for a compromise with the IRS so that the township doesn’t have to pay an additional $60,000 in penalty fees.

Supervisors voted to appeal the IRS’s decision and ask for a hearing.

“I think we should state our case in person. At this point, we have nothing to lose,” Galla said.

In other business, residents were reminded that the 14th annual Whitsett Community Day will be held Saturday at Weiss Memorial Park.

Festivities will begin at 10 a.m. and last into the evening. Residents and former residents are invited, as are all their family members, friends and others living in the township.

Food will be sold, with all proceeds benefiting community events and projects.