Manor Township Supervisors voted last night to increase lien letter fees and junkyard permit fees, but will not decide until Friday about increase the Local Service Tax from $35 to $52. (L-R: Tag Hecker, Bob Southworth, Donald Palmer, and Secretary Jill Davis)
Supervisors last night increased more fees collected by Manor Township.
When properties sell and a municipal letter indicating whether that property has liens on it is requested, it will now cost $20 instead of $10. It was approved by all supervisors.
However, when it came to increase permits to operate a junkyard, supervisors were divided.
Supervisor Chairman Donald Palmer said there was discussion to increase the fee from $50 per year to $150, but decided to only double it to $100. He said the increase was justified.
“Every year prior to us issuing the permit for junkyards, we have to send a police officer out there to make sure they are in compliance with our ordinance before we issue the permit, and that takes time. It also takes our officers off the street from doing other police work doing those types of inspections. Basically I am looking at the administration costs for us to permit the junkyards.”
Supervisor Bob Southworth disagreed.
“I’m sorry, I just cannot go along with this. There are only six of them. The way the ordinance is written, you are not going to get any other new ones. In raising it, you are going to have people balking at it and you will have more into it than your $100. These people have all been here for years. I’m not for raising it.”
Palmer alluded that property values were impacted by the number of junkyards in the township.
“At least one of the junkyards is probably the worst looking property in our township. And it’s along a main road too!” he said.
Supervisor Tag Hecker shared Palmer’s view.
“If they don’t like it, to lose three or four more junkyards wouldn’t hurt the township. Unless they are out of the way and covered up, they are eye-sores.”
Hecker made the motion to accept the resolution for the increase, and Palmer after taking 30 seconds to think about it, joined him, allowing the increase to pass 2-1.”
When asked prior to the vote if he would consider $75 instead of $100, Southworth said, “Probably not. It’s not like the township is hurting for money, and there are only six (junkyard permits). If you raise this up, you are going to upset them all. Why frustrate these people is my point of view.”
Increase of the Local Service Tax (LST) discussed at the public meeting earlier this month was not on the agenda at last night’s meeting. Palmer said the matter would be decided at an open Budget Meeting planned for this Friday at 9AM.
Supervisors also approved to give Boback Construction another $5,900 to lay 850 square feet of ceramic tile in the old garage that has been converted into office space for the township police. The floor will also be extended to the current police office and holding cell.
Finally, although supervisors approved $1,585 to repair gutters around the municipal building, they withheld the contract from Boback Construction until the work could be considered by township officials.