Whitehall Township Mayor Michael Harakal Jr. announced Dec. 6 the township was awarded an additional $500,000 through a second Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program grant.

The news came from state Rep. Jeanne McNeill, D-133rd, who also announced the township’s $1 million RACP grant award back in August 2019. Harakal shared the information with the township board of commissioners during its workshop meeting.

The RACP grant comes from the state and is overseen by the governor’s office. The funds aim to assist with the community’s economic growth.

Whitehall Township used the funds to help build the new municipal building and police station, which is nearing completion.

The sole motion of the Dec. 6 meeting was to approve the temporary transfer of $1 million from the township’s Lafarge fund to the capital reserve fund to bridge the time period until the RACP funds come through. Deputy Mayor Jack Meyers said the RACP funds are expected around March 2022, at which time the money would be returned to the Lafarge fund.

In other business, the board discussed several end-of-year items. Bill 32 will fix the real estate tax rate for 2022, and Bill 33 will establish a fee schedule for waste collection by the township for 2022. Bill 34 will also adopt the 2022 annual township budget. There were no additional comments made by the commissioners.

Resolution 3180 is looking to adopt Whitehall Township’s Capital Improvement Program, which will run 2022-26 but specifically for the fiscal year of 2022.

Resolution 3181 will allow the board to reaffirm the realty transfer tax, the earned income tax, the per capita tax, the local services tax and the business privilege tax.

There were no additional comments from the board on either item.

In other business, Commissioner Vice President Joseph Marx raised a question about the township’s COVID-19 protocols. Harakal said masks are required within the township building and that township employees are following social-distancing protocol more closely now to avoid future problems.

Commissioner Charles Fisher began some discussion about the new meeting room and when the board can expect to return to in-person meetings. Harakal explained construction of the room only started in the middle of November, but progress is moving forward. There is a delay involving the room’s audio-visual technology, so the return to in-person meetings may be delayed until March 2022.

The board will be making arrangements to have all elected board members officially sworn in, with plans to meet in person. The item will be discussed during the township’s reorganization meeting Jan. 3, 2022.

The board will meet again Dec. 13 for the last public meeting of the year. For viewing instructions, visit whitehalltownship.org and find the virtual link under Whitehall News.