6/14/04 township meeting highlights

[davidk]

These are some of the highlights  of the June meeting. It wasn't an exciting as some of those involving the garbage contract but important all the same. We didn't get out of there till after 10:30.
I encourage as many residents to attend these meetings as often as possible.
There are some topics I didn't cover here as they are not of importance to the general population, i.e. subdivision approvals, etc.

The bids were opened and the old Ford dump truck was sold to Buranich for a little over $16,000. This was the highest bid by far.
This is the same truck that used to plow snow, do road work and haul the newspapers from recycling. It has since been replaced with a larger model.

The Abington Lions Club Carnival is returning to Newton. Members were in to get their permit approved for the mass gathering and ask that the fee be waived. Approval is granted based on their renewing the insurance and obtaining proper security via Chief Reese. This is standard operating proceedure for this event.
It will be held at the school grounds August 10-14.

There was discussion about obtaining reports on the recyclables picked up via the new contract. The secretary is going to attempt to get a monthly report so everyone knows how much is being recycled and what the increases are. Also how much we can expect in money from the state.
They also are looking into getting updated info for everyone in the Township about what is acceptable for recycling.
As for new containers. Apparently we just missed the latest deadline for a grant to buy them. There are plans to make the next deadline.

There are plans to look at paving and patching several roads in the township. The specs haven't been completed. Roads on the list include Bald Mountain, Orchard, Upper Maple, and Columbus Circle.
Again, this is all pending the specs and bids.

Also in road news; There are reflectors palced on Beaver Pond Road where the guiderails are going to be installed. This is pending the
intallation. Due to the base cost of having a crew the supervisors are looking to have rail installed on other roads which need them also. The cost to have just the four rails on BPR would be astronomical based on the crew minimum.

The work has started on the grounds at the Rec Center.
Also Dave Bulzoni has resigned from the comm. and has been replaced by Steve Young who will fill out the reaminder of the term which ends in 06.

The police contract with SA is moving forward. The board made some minor changes to the proposal and are forwarding them to SA for final approval.
It is expected that coverage will start immedietly upon approval of the contract.
Some details of the contract are;
SA follows their own policies while in Newton.
They relinquish a call/situation to Chief Reese at their option.
All complaints go to SA.
They will supply reports of all activities in Newton.
The initial coverage will be 10 hours per week. It will include random patrols and calls for emergencies. No barking dogs, etc.
The rate is $42.47 per hour.
The contract is terminated with 30 days notice by either party.
If SA is unavailable to respond while Chief Reese is off duty then the PSP are to respond as is the case now.

[Sal]

Thank you Dave for sharing the information with us.

The talks regarding the police have been going on for many years.  Last week I spoke with Chief Reese about hiring part-time police from outside the Township and he brought up some interesting points.  He suggested that I obtain a copy of a study that was available at the Township building that clearly showed subcontracting police was not cost effective.  The Chief told me that we could hire part-time police officers employed by the Township for around $10.00 per hour and that it was the going rate for a part-time police officer.  I asked about other costs such as police car, insurance and so on.  The Chief explained that when the police car is not being used, we still have to pay for it.  We already pay for liability insurance and there are no benefits for part-time workers so while there are some additional costs it is not very much.

I questioned the supervisors about the report but none of them were aware it.  I recall that there was a report back when we had three police officers and maybe that is what the Chief was referencing.  None of the current supervisors were in office then.  Another thing that is odd, if the supervisors do not have a report comparing the cost of hiring a part-time police officer employed by the Township verses contracting out work, shouldn’t that be done before sending our money to another municipality?  There is something else; quite a few people told me that they do not want Southing Abington police in Newton Township

Regardless of the report, if you added a few dollars per hour for workers comp, matching taxes and incidentals you would still be at a third of the cost of outsourcing the labor.  Therefore, we could have three part-time police officers or three times the amount of police coverage hours for the same amount of money.

Perhaps I am missing something.  I did ask at a Township meeting but no one was able to give me an answer to something that comes down to basic arithmetic.  So, can anyone tell me why we should pay $43.00 per hour when we can get the same service for less than $14.00 per hour?

[JoeP]

Sal, you bring up excellent points that I, am I am sure many others, were not even aware of (the study, costs part-time vs. out sourcing).  This is something the Supervisors MUST answer.  In any successful business. management does not blindly spend money without doing a cost benefit analysis of all the options.  The supervisors should have done this basic homework before committing $$ to another municipality.

As for the SA police, given a choice I too would prefer they stay out of Newton.  The few experiences this family had with them over the years were far less than positive.  

On the other hand, we always have had a great and professional support from Chief Reese and Officer Cali when he  worked in the township.  I can say the same for the state police when they came out to Newton to assist my son when he had an accident one cold and late October night.

Great post Sal -
Joe

[Sal]

Hey Dave,

I heard you and others talk about how much it costs us in legal fees to put together the contract with South Abington but I never heard the dollar amount.   Would you mind sharing with us how much it cost and is that just for the contract or for all the back and forth that has been going on for a year.