Jackson Township supervisors authorize start of work on data center ordinance

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During its Sept. 2 meeting, the Jackson Township Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a motion to authorize the township engineer and solicitor to start work on a data center ordinance.

Supervisors were not aware of any pending proposals for data centers at the Sept. 2 meeting, but said they wanted to establish guidelines to be referred to in the event that a proposal for a data center is submitted. A draft of the data center ordinance will be posted for public hearing before a vote is taken.

Supervisors also unanimously approved accepting Reading Truck’s $13,093 quote for a painted utility body for township truck #4, rather than higher quotes from Lancaster Truck Bodies and EM Kutz. The quote does not include installation, as the township’s road crew will install it themselves and save about $3,000 in doing so.

On a 2-1 vote, with secretary Thomas Morrissey Jr. dissenting, supervisors denied two properties’ fire hydrant tax exemption requests. The fire hydrant tax is $10 plus a 10 percent late fee. The township is not required to exempt churches, which tend to be older structures with elevated fire risk that can benefit from fire hydrants being located close by. If supervisors approved the tax exemption requests, it might have been leveraged against them with tax exemption requests from other churches in the future.

Supervisors unanimously approved making a $10,000 donation, the board’s typical donation, to the Lebanon County Agricultural Land Preservation Board as part of its annual appeal.

Chairman Thomas Houtz and vice chairman Michael Dunkle approved a motion to authorize the purchase of a refrigerator and a television for the municipal building’s break room for up to $2,500. Morrissey abstained from voting due to providing the supervisors with a quote for a refrigerator from Tom B. Morrissey TV & Appliance, which included a waived delivery fee.

Supervisors unanimously authorized pursuing quotes from outside firms for the removal of two Grumbine buildings slated for sometime early next year. Also in the works is the 2026 minimum municipal obligation for the pension plan, which is $94,945 based on an estimate. This will be deliberated upon at their next meeting.

In other news, supervisors:

• Unanimously approved the Aug. 18 meeting minutes, reports from the recreation board, zoning officer (which included an ongoing issue with a property owner running an Airbnb in a zone that only permits long-term rentals), road foreman, engineer, solicitor, secretary, and treasurer, and payment of township bills.
• Unanimously approved and signed the plans for the Bayer Corp. parking lot and truck access drive.
• Heard updates on the Wintersville Road traffic signal upgrade and the East Main Avenue bridge project, as well as that the start of clearing and grubbing work for Wheatland Woods Lot 107 is slated for Monday, Sept. 8.
• Unanimously approved eight waivers, approved and signed the agreements, and approved Nelson Martin’s land development plan for 48 Mountain View Road, conditioned upon the receipt of the letter of credit.
• Unanimously approved a time extension until Nov. 27 for the Brubaker Properties LLC land development plan and parking expansion.
• Heard that the 60 N. Ramona Road basin modification project is mostly complete, with some seeding and mulching work to be completed after the township parking lot is resurfaced. The resurfacing work was slated to start on Wednesday, Sept. 3, and to be completed on Thursday, Sept. 4, or Friday, Sept. 5, depending on the weather.
• Heard updates on the fuel pump key controller and the Roy and Joan Oberholtzer minor subdivision and land development plan, as well as that the Raymond B. and Esther Mae Zimmerman agricultural security area has been posted for public hearing and is in the 15-day window for public comment.
• Unanimously approved an agreement with Met-Ed to proceed with the Cornerstone Commons street lighting installation project.

The Jackson Township Board of Supervisors will meet next at the Jackson Township Municipal Building at 60 N. Ramona Road, Myerstown, which is slated to have a newly resurfaced parking lot, on Monday, Sept. 15, starting at 7:30 p.m.