Cornwall council revisits proposal for restructured P&Z commission

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

A proposal to restructure the Cornwall Borough Planning & Zoning Commission returned to the agenda Monday as borough council member Julie Bowman outlined the plan during the council’s latest meeting.

Bowman first introduced the restructuring concept on Jan. 12.

The proposal would put five residents on the P&Z commission, disallow council members, and create the potential for non-voting alternates and a council liaison, if the applicant pool were to allow. 

Currently, John Karinch and Bruce Conrad sit on both the borough council and the planning commission. 

“We follow the book, the book tells us what to do,” said P&Z chair Ray Fratini, in response to the proposal. “I don’t need seven people reading the same sentence I read – I need common sense and with those five people I have common sense. I don’t need another cook in the kitchen, it’s more confusion and it will just drag out our meetings”

Bowman clarified that she would not be asking council to vote on the changes on Monday, as she wanted to have more conversations with members before a vote.

“None of these proposed changes are a reflection of something being wrong or something being off, they’re designed to make us better,” said Bowman. She said this proposal came from a desire to continue to grow as the needs of the community change. 

No further action was taken on the proposal Monday. Bowman recommended that council consider it further.

Council also conducted a public hearing on a proposed agreement to bring Verizon service to the area. Comcast would continue operating, while Verizon would be added as another provider option for residents.

“I think it’s a great idea, it gives citizens a choice,” said Karinch. 

Council unanimously approved the agreement. 

Also on the agenda was council’s authorization to advertise an ordinance to regulate blasting in the borough; however, edits were made to the ordinance during the P&Z meeting earlier that day and council had not yet seen the changes. They voted to table the item until they are able to review the updated version. 

Council president Bruce Harris noted that he did see Facebook comments from community members about concerns on the issue, but said “there is only so much we can do about blasting.”  

It was noted that the changes the P&Z commission are recommending to the ordinance are much stricter than what is currently in place.

Under the same agenda item was for council to consider authorizing advertisement of ordinances for camping, wind/solar farms and data centers. Since changes had been made to all items that council had yet to see, they tabled this item in its entirety. 

In other news, council:

• Unanimously approved the Cornwall Borough Code of Ethics, which is designed to “promote honesty, transparency, and public trust, and it follows the principles of the Pennsylvania Public Official and Employee Ethics Act and the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act,” as stated in the purpose section of the code.  This code is designed only for internal use of borough council, officials and employees.   
• Approved a sign-in sheet for visitors to the borough building, requiring names and arrival and departure times. A final decision was not made on how the information will be stored.
• Discussed the possibility of purchasing microphones and other equipment with the goal of livestreaming meetings to the public. They reviewed a quote from a local vendor, but tabled the matter as they look into other options. 
• Tabled the matter of advertising an ordinance accepting a portion of Iron Valley Drive and Cobalt Alley until they have additional information. 
• Unanimously appointed Greg Roussey to serve on the planning commission, with the term ending Dec. 31, 2029, and his resignation from the zoning hearing board was accepted. 
• Unanimously appointed Fred Jones to serve on the zoning hearing board. 
• Tabled a request to appoint a representative to the Lebanon County Library Board.
• Approved an agreement with West Cornwall Township, where borough manager Cody Rhoads will be assisting them with management services.  
• Approved solicitation of bids for Snitz Creek Park.  

Council then recessed for an executive session. When they returned, no additional action was taken and the meeting was adjourned. 

The next Cornwall Borough Council meeting will be held Tuesday, March 9, at 6:30 p.m. at the Cornwall Borough building, 44 Rexmont Road, Lebanon. Meetings are open to the public and meeting agendas are posted in advance on the borough website.