Jan 5, 2011 By Steve Ferris 2 min read

CUMBERLAND TWP. – Cumberland Township supervisors on Monday swapped last year’s commercial property tax abatement ordinance with a new one and adopted a four-year extension of partial abatements for large employers. Supervisors unanimously voted to rescind a 2010 ordinance that provides a five-year abatement of real estate taxes for businesses that build or renovate and adopted a new ordinance that provides the same tax breaks beginning this year.

The supervisors then adopted an ordinance that creates partial abatement for four more years for businesses that have at least 500 employees and undergo at least $500,000 in improvements.

Those businesses would be eligible for a 20 percent discount on their property taxes in year six, a 40 percent break in year seven, a 60 percent break in year eight and an 80 percent break in year nine.

The Carmichaels Area School Board must adopt the same ordinances in order for the tax breaks to take effect, William Groves, chairman of the board of supervisors, said, adding that the township also has a three-year residential tax abatement program.

In other business, the supervisors:

n Amended the budget to add $100,000 in assets, which was inadvertently omitted from the budget adopted in December, to the state liquid fuels fund.

n Hired John Beckus as a full-time police officer at a salary of $12.25 an hour and hired Andrew Greene as a part-time officer at $11.50 an hour.

n Accepted the resignations of full-time police officer Brian Korey and part-time officer Shawn McMinn.

n Increased employees’ mileage reimbursement rate to 51 cents a mile from 50 cents a mile.

n Advised residents living in or near flood plains to contact their insurance companies for information about the 4.6-foot elevation increase in the flood plain.

n Approved a $3,300 contribution to the non-uniform employees pension plan.

n Agreed to pay up to $9,596 for a 72-inch cutting head for the tractor.

n Set a winter schedule of 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. for road workers.