Annville board honors Joseph Viozzi with Carol Stewart Award, re-organizes for ’26

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Rex Moore was re-elected president of the Annville Township Board of Commissioners and Henri Lively was elected vice president by unanimous voice vote, after two members were sworn in to new board terms.

First-term board member Scott Daubert and incumbent Nevin Hoover were sworn in for four-year terms by Magisterial District Judge John Ditzler just ahead of Monday’s regular board meeting.

Daubert nominated Lively to become board president and suggested Moore might want a break from the post’s duties. Attending via remote video feed, Moore said he did not want a break and subsequently was elected to another term by unanimous voice vote.

When Daubert asked how long Moore has served as the board’s president, Moore replied, “about 18 years.”

As he has at some meetings last year, Annville Township laundromat owner Dean Wolfe questioned the board’s new sewage fee rate structure, which was raised by $3 per quarter to $186 per equivalent dwelling unit (EDU) for 2026, for a maximum 7,500 gallons, reduced from 10,000 gallons. Residents pay $19 for each 1,000 gallons on top of the minimum.

The township’s sewer engineers, GFT (formerly Gannett Fleming), this year is studying commercial, industrial, and institutional users as part of the township’s five-year plan that will include a potential two-tier rate structure to charge commercial, industrial and institutional users a different rate and allow lower rates for senior citizens on fixed incomes.

Wolfe, who also owns four rental units in the township, said he would have to pay the higher rates to run his laundromat.

“My sewer bills down there are between $3,000 and $4,000 a quarter,” Wolfe told commissioners. “So, people that think if you have a laundromat, you’re making a ton of money, it’s not true.”

This was an issue that Daubert said helped him win his board seat.

“When I ran and [won], they increased the sewer rates and the taxes went up,” Daubert said. “Those people that supported me are offended by that. … The sewer rates seemed to offend them more than anything. You don’t see any of those people here, though.

“You’re not the only one,” he continued, referring to Wolfe. “It’s just they’re not here. And if they want to make a difference, they’re going to have to show up” to board meetings.

(Though the January meeting is held the first Monday after New Year’s, they are scheduled for the first Tuesday of each month for the rest of the year, except for the Nov. 4 meeting, held the Wednesday after Election Day.)

Daubert suggested the township hold an open house at its sewage facility.

Department of Public Works supervisor Les Powell said he believes the township should hold an annual open house of the facility, though open houses have been held in the past and no one showed up. Lively tabled the issue for another meeting.

Also Monday evening, the Annville board handed its ninth annual Carol Stewart Award to the township’s Department of Public Works chief operator, Joseph Viozzi, described as the “go-to IT guy” at the township.

Stewart was a longtime township secretary who died of cancer. Nominees for the Carol Stewart Award must have a strong work ethic, love for Annville Township, and humility in service to others, Lively said. They often work behind the scenes in many “unglamorous ways to make things happen here in Annville,” he said, and find ways to promote the township and serve its people.

The board also approved the following standing committee chair appointments:

• Public Works: Rex Moore
• Public Safety: Henri Lively
• Property: Nevin Hoover
• Parks & Recreation: Anthony Perrotto
• Finance: Nevin Hoover
• Annville Activities: Scott Daubert

The board approved these special committee appointments:

• Planning Commission: Anthony Perrotto
• Historic Architectural Review Board: Scott Daubert
• Wage & Salary: Henri Lively and Rex Moore
• Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System: Nevin Hoover
• Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority: Scott Daubert
• Fire Department: Henri Lively
• Western Lebanon County Regional Police Commission: Rex Moore and Henri Lively
• Executive sessions have no designated commissioner, though each monthly meeting will include an executive session discussion.

Other items:

• After long delays, new front and rear doors for the township hall finally have arrived and are installed, Hoover said. Next up is a redesign of the hall’s ramp and back porch to make them more Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant, township administrator Candie Johnson said, to be paid for by an $180,000 Local Shares Account gambling funds grant.

• The board voted to proceed with a sheriff’s sale of property at 459 E. Main St. for delinquent sewer/trash fees of $14,313.61. Johnson said the township has “tried everything to get [the property owner] to pay his sewer bills.”