Drilling / Land Use Ordinance

[Sal]

------------------------------------------
HEARING POSTPONED
Second Update 12/5/13

Last night's hearing was postponed because Supervisor, Doug Pallman's Grandmother Leona T. Pallman, 90, passed away and the viewing was last night.

Leona established Pallman's Poultry Farm with her husband Arthur "Dutch" Pallman, who died in 2009.  We wish our deepest sympathy to the Pallman family in the passing of Leona.

End Update.  Registered members were notified.  
If you did not receive an email, login and update your email settings from your User Control Panel.
-------------------------------------------
Hearing Wednesday, Dec 4, 2013, at 6:30 PM

This is the same ordinance that was up for vote in May 2012, and touted as an ordinance to protect people in the township from drillers.  

People on both sides of drilling were against the ordinance last time around.  

Those against drilling felt that it did not do enough to protect them and Landowners felt that the ordinance imposed too many restrictions that had nothing to do with drilling.

After a year and a half and practically unchanged, the ordinance is back again for a vote.  

The ordinance does nothing regarding drilling.  However, it places numerous restrictions and burdens on normal land uses including existing uses within the township.

Click Here For a Copy of the Ordinance

[Sal]

Ray, you are too rational.  Most people in government do not think that way.  

The last time that the ordinance was in front of the supervisors, Keith Eckel expressed that they need to work on the ordinances so that people can do thinks in the township.  Did that happen?  No.

The supervisors have one person advising them as the Chairperson of the Planning Commission and the Code Enforcement Officer.  He holds both positions so that he can tell the supervisors what to do and not have anyone disagree with him.

I advised the supervisors more than once that it is unwise and unfair to them to have one person hold both positions because they are not getting a second opinion.  

It is a comical at meetings.  The supervisors ask for the planning commission’s opinion and he tells them.  Then they ask the code enforcement officer and he tells them the same thing.  

At the last supervisors meeting, the solicitor told the supervisors that they need to read the ordinances before they advertise them to avoid problems.

[Sal]

The hearing was postponed.  A message on the township website stated:

HEARING IS POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER
NOTICE DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES OUTSIDE
THE CONTROL OF THE NEWTON TOWNSHIP
SUPERVISORS

If you did not receive an email notification, login and update your email from your User Control Panel.