By MICHAEL HIRSCH

Special to The Press

North Whitehall supervisors, at their May 2 meeting, approved an ordinance regarding emergency access lockboxes to allow access to buildings in case of an emergency.

Chairman Al Geosits clarified a question that the lockbox ordinance only pertains to commercial buildings.

Geosits said the next item on the agenda - supervisor compensation increase - only pertains to new supervisors. He explained that according to the Second Class Township Code, since there was an increase in population by 50,000 there could be an increase in compensation. This ordinance was approved.

Next was a request for proposals for professional services.

Solicitor Lisa Young explained that a motion to authorize the township manager to solicit proposals from qualified consultants to provide professional services for the township solicitor is outlined in the draft request for proposal document.

Top candidates will be interviewed before the June 6 meeting.

“I encourage you to follow through with this request for proposals, because the best thing that could come out of it is that assuming Attorney Young is willing to submit a proposal and hers is selected as superior because then matters of performance evaluations and fiscal responsibility for the township are all washed away,” Planning Commission Chairman Brian Horwith said.

Brenda Norder added her comment.

“In the corporate world, it is not unusual for positions to be reevaluated on an annual or biannual basis and so-many-year basis and it’s not unusual for the person currently holding that position to also have to reapply for that position,” Norder said.

There were two yes votes, and Supervisor Ron Heintzelman voted no. The vote carried.

Geosits later mentioned that the township manager was leaving.

“June 24 is his last day,” Geosits said. “We’re going to move forward and see if we can get any candidates.

“We’d like to be able to hire his successor and have at least a week overlap before he leaves.”

Finally, Debbie Kleglow, a resident who had spoken at the last few meetings said the squatters living next door have moved out.

“I’m just here to say thank you particularly to Dennis [Klusaritz] because you heard our pleas, and you were the first one to try to push people to get this done and to Jeff [Mouer] and to Chris [Garges], thank you very much for working together and getting this situation taken care of.”