South Annville Township adopts 2026 budget with no tax increases

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

During the Dec. 10 meeting, the South Annville Township Board of Supervisors unanimously moved to adopt the 2026 budget, which features no tax increases.

Looking ahead to next year, the township has advertised the 2026 meeting dates for supervisors, the planning commission, and the sewer Authority. In addition to these meetings, there will be an organization meeting on Monday, Jan. 5, at 7 p.m.

Read More: South Annville considers proposed 2026 budget before vote in December

Supervisors unanimously moved to authorize township manager Jeanette Henning to present a proposed zoning ordinance to the Lebanon County Planning Department and the South Annville Township Planning Commission and to advertise it for the supervisors’ February meeting.

Township solicitor Josele Cleary also represents Cornwall Borough and is in the process of updating the borough’s zoning ordinance, with a focus on the section on uses not already accounted for. While working on the borough’s zoning ordinance, she found the township’s zoning ordinance similarly to be in need of updating.

The proposed ordinance adds standards and criteria to Section 306: Proposed Uses Not Covered. Once the planning department and planning commission receive the proposed zoning ordinance from Henning, they will have 45 days to act.

Read More: Cornwall Borough advances zoning amendment for non-considered uses

Supervisors unanimously approved the release of an 18-month bond in the amount of $245,434.93 for DHL’s work on Killinger Road. Henning told supervisors that “this should be the last” bond for DHL.

Engineer Allison Garner drove Killinger Road, “didn’t see anything alarming,” and told DHL that nothing else needed to be done. DHL asked supervisors to release the bond.

In other news, supervisors unanimously moved to:

• Approve the secretary’s, treasurer’s, and engineer’s reports, the latter of which included:
  • The start of ADA inspections in Candler’s Pointe, which Garner said went “really well,” with the crew present at the inspections receptive to feedback.
  • The start of assessments of the roads in Olde South Crossing and Meadows at Bachman Run for crack sealing, which will be ready for a vote on the board’s January meeting, and if approved, will be put out to bid sometime next year.
• Approve the police report and the payment of township bills, the former of which included:
  • 157 incidents and 288 hours for South Annville Township and 37 incidents and 43 hours for Western Lebanon County Regional.
  • Seven warnings given out in the late afternoon of the first snowfall since the township passed Snow Sign Ordinance #061125, after the plow trucks went through. Chief Ben Sutcliffe said that there were fewer cars parked than during previous snowfalls. “I think the signs really made a difference,” he told supervisors.

Read More: South Annville Twp. approves snow sign ordinance, appoints new solicitor

In the updates portion of the meeting, assistant township manager Heather Mesko told supervisors that in the past two months, the township submitted two grant applications: one for two new vests for the township’s police department and one for around $266,000 for the township’s portion of Bachman Road. The township expects to hear whether it received the grant funds around March of next year.

The Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority is once again offering its Christmas tree recycling program free to Lebanon County residents. Residents can bring bare Christmas trees to GLRA or contact their trash haulers to see if they can have them picked up. GLRA is accepting Christmas trees until mid-February.

South Annville Township supervisors meet at 7 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. Meetings are held in the township building at 1042 Horseshoe Pike, which features an ADA-accessible ramp and an on-site parking lot with ADA-accessible spaces, and are open to the public. Next month’s meeting will be held on Wednesday, Jan. 14.