West Lebanon votes to withdraw from Fire & Emergency Service committee

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

At a lengthy Aug. 3 meeting, the West Lebanon Township Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a motion to reject a payment of up to $5,000 to ROBB Consulting LLC and to withdraw from the Fire and Emergency Service Steering Committee.

Prior to West Lebanon Township’s withdrawal, the committee was comprised of Annville, North Cornwall, West Cornwall, and West Lebanon townships and Cleona and Cornwall boroughs.

President Jeffrey Clarke and commissioner Michelle Testerman, who represented the municipality at meetings, expressed their concerns with the committee, which included certain information and members’ cooperation.

West Lebanon Township is the only municipality within the committee that did not approve the payment, though some municipalities had split votes.

During the old business portion of the meeting, township solicitor Paul C. Bametzreider provided the board with a draft of an updated zoning ordinance regarding data centers and the definition of home occupation.

The drafted zoning ordinance would amend the manufacturing district to allow for data centers by special exception. It would also require a minimum of 300-foot setbacks, vegetative and fencing buffers, safe noise levels, downward-angled lighting, sufficient utilities and infrastructure, an emergency management and safety plan, and a decommissioning plan, among other conditions.

Also during old business, commissioners announced that Melissa White of the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture will handle food safety inspections in the township.

During the new business portion of the meeting, commissioners unanimously approved a motion to authorize treasurer Julie Clouse to lock in the interest rate on the municipality’s Jonestown Bank & Trust Co. loan for five years.

After the board adjourned, commissioners unanimously approved a motion to reopen the meeting. During this session, commissioners unanimously approved the police contract, which features a 4% annual increase from 2027-30.

Commissioners dedicated a moment of silence in memory of Bernice B. Mease, who served as secretary for West Lebanon Township for nearly three decades. Clarke described Mease as John C. Brenner‘s “right hand.”

Vice president Phylis Dryden attended Mease’s memorial services and remembered the impact Mease made on her: “She’s the one that talked me into running for office in 2011. She felt that that was one of her jobs as secretary was to find people who wanted to run for office, or who should run for office.”

During visitors’ address, Clouse engaged in a heated exchange with commissioners regarding the open township manager position. “You’re severing all of the relationships that [Brenner] worked so hard for because we don’t have someone here holding things together,” Clouse said. Several residents agreed with her position, which criticized the board for a lack of transparency.

“If you would like to become a commissioner, you are more than welcome to go ahead and register to become one. Unfortunately, the commissioners sitting at this table have information that you do not have, and decisions are made by this board on those things,” said Testerman.

“Employee issues are sensitive. So, that’s why they occur in executive session. Until the township is ready to go public with it, you’re not going to hear about it. Things are going on behind the scenes that you’re not aware of. The township hopefully will be making a decision soon regarding filling that position,” said Bametzreider.

Also during visitors’ address, residents Linda Snyder, Dawn Arnold, and Denny Horn each shared their concerns around the municipality, including street sweeping parking enforcement, property maintenance code enforcement, evergreen trees planted on property lines that have since overgrown them, and word-of-mouth plans for a dog park and garden.

David Holm of Magnolia Place was scheduled to speak during visitors’ address but was absent from the meeting.

In other news, commissioners unanimously moved to:

• Approve the July 6 meeting minutes, with several minor corrections.
• Approve the treasurer’s report; police report, which included 1,396 calls and an introduction of Cpl. John Houser to commissioners; Speedwell Fire Company report, which included six calls and a request that commissioners make contact with Lebanon city regarding issues with the storm drain at 16th and Cumberland; highway report; water report, which included a significant increase in water usage attributed to an increase in residential development; sewer report; storm sewer report; township buildings report; recreation report; public safety report; green waste report; zoning report; and finance report, which included the payment of the township’s bills.

West Lebanon Township will meet next on Monday, Sept. 8, at 7 p.m., at the municipal building at 322 N. 22nd St., Lebanon. Meetings are streamed on Zoom and can be accessed through a link posted to the website before the meeting.