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The West Lebanon Township Board of Commissioners on Tuesday prohibited parking on both sides of 25th Street, discussed pension plans for full-time municipal employees, and revisited policies for hiring township employees.
LebTown reported last month that the township engineer said public safety would increase with a parking ban. Though there was some disagreement back in August, Tuesday’s motion passed unanimously.
Read More: West Lebanon Township to consider parking ban on North 25th Street
Police will now be able to issue tickets to vehicles parked on 25th Street between Union Canal Drive and the tunnel underneath the railroad tracks.
Commissioners also discussed establishing a non-uniform pension plan for full-time municipal employees.
Treasurer Julie Clouse said agreeing to the plan would be permanent and could bring unanticipated costs.
“Just say their rate goes through the roof — it doesn’t matter,” Clouse said. “Whatever their rate is, you have to pay.”
With the yearly rate being dependent on Pennsylvania Municipal Retirement Board actuaries, township solicitor Paul Bametzreider said commissioners wouldn’t know how much they’d be agreeing to match.
Commissioner Michelle Testerman was vocal with her concerns, saying the board needs more information before making a decision.
The board ultimately voted 4-1 to table the discussion for the next meeting. Commissioner Joseph Templin cast the dissenting vote.
“I don’t care how long you table it,” he said. “I don’t agree with the state telling us what to do.”
Testerman brought up a concern of her own before the meeting adjourned — how the township hires.
She said she wasn’t aware there was a new employee until she was approving their timesheet. As a member of the township’s personnel committee, she said she or other committee members should have been involved.
Township manager Antoinette Issis said she is typically the one scheduling interviews and doing background research on possible candidates, and board president John Gurganus is involved in the discussion. Gurganus said he was caught up with other work recently and didn’t pass the information related to the new employee along to the other commissioners.
Going forward, Issis said she will make sure the entire board is included.
“If an interview was going to get set up in the future, I’ll notify not just the president, but all of them,” she said.
Issis said they will be welcome to sit in on the interviews if they have availability.
West Lebanon Township’s Board of Commissioners will meet again at 7 p.m. on Oct. 7 at the township building at 322 N. 22 St.
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