Heidelberg supervisors debated state police fees proposed by Gov. Tom Wolf in his state budget during their February meeting.

According to Chairman Steve Bachman, the previous budget had a $52 state police fee per resident of any township that did not have its own police force providing at least a certain amount of coverage.

There was an increase to $104 and then $152 per resident in subsequent years.

“That proposal did not go over well last year the way it was written,” Bachman said. “This year’s proposal has dropped the fee down to $25 with no defined escalation notice, which means it’s not locked in for any amount of time.

“That would come out to roughly $85,000 that would come out of our budget.

“The only way we can raise taxes right now is property tax, so it would be property tax not Earned Income Tax.”

Administrator Janice Meyers interjected.

“That’s the whole thing with the law, the proposal doesn’t really say how you can do it,” Meyers said. “Can you mid year put a property tax in or how can you collect it?”

Bachman said the city Philadelphia has 52 state police specifically assigned to that region even though they have a large police force.

“In my opinion, this is nothing but passing on costs to the townships,” Bachman said. “It is my opinion, this is a completely crazy, unfunded mandate. Please contact your legislators.”

Bachman noted that right now the state police fees are just a proposal.

“Right now it’s just a proposal,” he stated. “A lot of people are saying that $25 is not that bad or feel this is a deal, because if we had to open a police force to fund and start one up it’s a million dollar venture.

“But, it’s not a deal for us. We already pay 3 percent EIT, in my view we are already paying for the state police to be here.

“Additionally, you would get no service increase, we will get the exact same service we have now.”

The board again encouraged residents to contact their legislators with their opinion.

Engineer Chris Noll gave a report noting planning continues on Northwest Road crosswalk placement.

Noll then addressed the board regarding progress with MS4 requirements.

“The mapping for MS4 is pretty much done,” Noll said.

Public outreach will be coordinated with Brian Carl, administrator for Weisenberg and Lowhill townships, by the EAC and also through joint efforts with other townships to share costs.

“We don’t discharge into Cedar Creek, so we don’t have an impaired stream, so the big 2018 requirement of a pollution reduction plan, we won’t fall under that,” Noll said.

Education and plans moving forward will all be logged and records kept.

At the January meeting, the board approved the financing of a new truck purchase through New Tripoli Bank in the amount of $200,000 for a term of 84 months.

Payments for the truck had already been factored in the recently-approved budget.

However, there is a maximum amount for small borrowing of $125,000 for a term of five years.

When securing a larger loan, the board needs to advertise once before the enactment and then once immediately after the enactment.

Then the entire package needs to be submitted to Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for that agency to sign off before the bond can be legally binding.

Bachman made a motion to get a loan request written and advertised before the March meeting and then immediately after the next meeting.

“That way everything is in line and we can push it through as fast as possible,” he said.

In new business, the board made a resolution to revert to the previous duplicate tax fees.

In January, a resolution was passed to increase the fee from $3 to $5.

However, this was done in error as the effective date is not until Jan. 1 of next year.

“We shouldn’t have increased it,” Meyers said. “It has to wait until January 2018.”

In other business, Tax Collector Phyllis Breininger discussed a resolution passed at the January meeting establishing the tax collector compensation rate from Jan. 1, 2018, through Dec. 31, 2021.

Compensation for the collection of local real estate taxes and street light taxes was set at 2.2 percent of taxes garnered by the tax collector.

This is a commission decrease from the current 5 percent.

Breininger had multiple questions and comments for the board, after which she concluded, “I’m just noting we have saved the township a lot of money.

“I’m just proud to be the tax collector and I thank the residents for all the memories.”

Bachman thanked Breininger citing the great job she has done all these years.

Her husband, Carl Breininger, commented as well on the decrease in pay for the tax collector, which was $8,612 in 2011 and will be $8,302 in 2018 based upon the resolution.

“That’s $300 less in six years for doing the same amount of work,” he said. “You didn’t even have the courtesy to take her over there and have an executive session.”

“That would be an illegal executive session,” countered Bachman.

“There are only certain exemptions under the Sunshine Act for discussion in an executive session and setting the tax collectors rate does not fall under those exemptions,” commented Solicitor Keith Strohl.

The topic of the 3 percent increase for the township’s salaried employees in relation to the taxpayer compensation was questioned.

“The tax collector is earning $18,000 this year [previous compensation schedule],” Bachman said. “So let’s do a plotting of how much money was earned.

“This year’s salary would more than make up for any increase from 2011. If you go all the way out there of $13,000 last year and $18,000 this year, etc. ... you more than catch up to 3 percent.”

Carl Breininger then noted the reason the taxpayer compensation has increased is because taxes keep going up in the township.

Bachman defended the cost to live in Heidelberg.

“Look at your assessed value, you can compare how much extra you’re paying to live in Heidelberg and compare how much you’re saving by living in Heidelberg ...is approximately $140 worth the cost to live here?”

“We are right on par for what our taxes are with other townships,” Bachman said, but acknowledged Heidelberg is slightly more expensive than the other four [surrounding] townships.

“But look around, we have things you can’t get back,” Bachman said. “Once it’s gone it’s gone. The whole county is clamoring for farmland protection.

“We don’t have to fight against it. We’re fighting to keep it. This is the best place in Lehigh County to live.”