Lower Allen Web Log

Up before the sun this morning, and I have brunch with my wife and in-laws in my immediate future, so I have a few minutes to dive through the papers piled on my desk.

In no particular order, here are a few notes from recent meetings, etc.:

• I posted earlier about the January LAT permit fees being far off the budget mark and what we saw last year, but I then neglected to update you re February's results. We didn't beat 2008's figures, but we came far closer than the first month of the year: $9,586.19 to $11,333.60. Hopefully this is the start of a trend and not a blip.
• In a previous post, I shared my opinion of a proposal being considered by the BOC to increase some staff salary pay bands. I was the sole no vote on the matter - Resolution 2009-R-05 - at the March 23 meeting because staff indicated, both in an earlier meeting and in a memo to the BOC, that there is no actual need to increase the maximum rates at this time, and because no staff member would have been impacted until 2013, after the next salary survey.
• At the March 23 meeting, I asked staff for some background research into the costs of EPA approved Phase 1 and Phase 2 hydronic heaters in conjunction with Ordinance 2009-04. The ordinance, approved Feb. 23, permits certain hydronic heaters - commonly known as wood heaters or outdoor wood boilers - in LAT with some restrictions. I believe that, given our air quality issues in Cumberland County, we should only allow EPA-approved Phase 2 heaters which reduce particulate emissions by 90%. That's why I voted against the ordinance, and have requested the further study.
• While technically correct, in a March 20 article in The Patriot-News, writer Rick Selzer missed the mark when he wrote about West Pennsboro Township considering a hydronic heater ordinance, and went on to say: "Dickinson Twp. supervisors are reviewing a similar measure. North Middleton, Middlesex and South Middleton townships recently adopted their own regulations." Again, LAT fell below The Patriot's radar. You need to know there's more going on at LAT than what you read in the best local newspaper. Stay informed. Read the agendas. Ask questions. Engage.