Palmyra to consider prorating trash bills, approves alley closures for Seltzer event

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

Palmyra Borough Council will add an item to its next agenda to discuss prorating trash bills for residents who move in or out of the borough following a public comment from a new resident during the March 25 meeting. 

Rebecca Zellner told council she moved into the borough in the middle of March, but is still required to pay the trash bill for January, February, and the first half of March, even though she wasn’t using the service.

Borough manager Roger Powl said they haven’t done this for other residents, but they could put it on the agenda for future discussion. He said starting this prorate option sometimes brings extra requests. Some people might request a lower bill if they’re out of town for a few weeks on vacation.

“I think it would be hard for our office to keep track of it,” Powl said. “I think that’s why we haven’t done it in the past — because it can get difficult.”

He said they could make the decision apply only to people moving in or out of the borough.

Council member Jim Teche said it could still bring problems for landlords who might not have a tenant for several weeks or months at a time. Someone would still need to pay the bill even if the resident wasn’t there for the entire billing quarter.

“If somebody moves out in January and the new owner doesn’t move in until the end of March, I can’t see why the old owner would want to pay for trash service,” council member Jane Quairoli added.

Council president Beth Shearer asked for the discussion to be added to the next meeting’s agenda so the council can debate further and possibly vote.

Council also voted to close Federal Alley between West Broad and West High streets and the unnamed east/west alley from Federal Alley to North Railroad Street on Saturday, May 24, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for a Seltzer’s Smokehouse Meats Carnival to honor founder Harvey Seltzer.

Borough manager Roger Powl said they have done events like this to celebrate their founder before, but this is the first carnival that required council to approve alley closures. He said they are looking to make this an annual event.

In other business, Western Lebanon County Regional Police Chief Andrew Winters announced the recently formed police department has received tentative approval for accreditation through the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association. Through the accreditation process, departments create standards and prove they follow them throughout regular policing activity. 

According to the organization’s website, there are currently 184 accredited agencies in the state. Winters said the official accreditation could happen within the next month.

Palmyra Borough Council will meet next at 325 S. Railroad St. on April 8 at 7 p.m. Meetings are also streamed on the Palmyra Borough, Lebanon County Pennsylvania YouTube page.