South Lebanon Township declines zoning partnership with Cornwall Borough

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

The South Lebanon Township Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted unanimously not to join with Cornwall Borough on joint or multi-municipal zoning.   

The township had received a letter from Cornwall on May 14 to gauge the interest in exploring multi-municipal zoning, but the letter did not discuss any further details of what the partnership would look like.  

Cornwall Borough cited the impetus for this potential partnership as the evolving communities and the pressures they face such as housing demand, infrastructure strain, transportation needs, land-use conflicts and challenges of balancing development with long term sustainability. 

“We like the way we have our land zoned, everything north of Evergreen is pretty much residential and everything south of Evergreen is agriculture and we don’t want to change the agriculture,” said vice chairman Jonathan Beers. He also noted that he does not want to see any of their current agricultural land rezoned into industrial. 

“I’m concerned about what risks it poses to us and our residents if we would do something like this,” said chairman Stephen Krause. 

South Lebanon supervisors did note that they are open to hearing future zoning partnership options with the borough, if there is a specific topic they want to address. 

Earlier this year, South Lebanon Township and Cornwall Borough, along with North Cornwall, North Lebanon and West Cornwall townships, adopted the Cornwall-Lebanon Regional Comprehensive Plan, which provides a vision for the community and economic development over the next 10 years. That plan allows for the implementation of joint or multi-municipal zoning; however, the comprehensive plan does not require it. 

The board then heard public comment from resident Jim Sak, asking whether the township had raised its sewer and water rates. 

Township manager Jamie Yiengst said water rates did not increase, but sewer rates did as a result of the City of Lebanon Authority (CoLA).

“South Lebanon bills you for sewer, (South Lebanon Township) is billed from the City of Lebanon Authority because they own the treatment plant,” said Yiengst. 

The new water rates will include a base charge of $65.95, plus $5.66 for every 1,000 gallons of water used, and a property using 10,000 gallons of water would pay $122.55, which includes the $65.95 base charge and $56.60 in usage fees. 

In other news, the board: 

• Heard an update in regards to First Aid & Safety Patrol as they had transitioned to a new system for being alerted for calls and wanted to ensure that the Schaefferstown EMS personnel are still able to continue to be alerted, which has now been completed.
• Unanimously approved a grant application to assist in covering costs for upgrades to the township’s sewage plant. The current estimate for the upgrades is $65,922, and the grant, if approved through the state, would cover half of the cost. This expense will be worked into the 2027 budget.
• Unanimously approved township police Cpl. Dominic Juliani to enroll in a Patrol Rifle Instructor training course. The cost of the course is $700.

The board’s next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9, at 7 p.m., at 1800 S. 5th Ave., Lebanon. Meetings are open to the public.