The bus stops here.

In Salisbury Township, motorists had better heed that or be subject to traffic citations.

“We had 236 citations for passing school buses,” Salisbury Township Chief of Police Donald Sabo said in his report to commissioners at the Jan. 12 township meeting.

The citations for noncompliance at school bus stops were issued in an approximately two-month period, Nov. 1, 2022 through Jan. 12.

“We’re lucky no one’s been hurt,” township board of commissioners President Deb Brinton said, adding, “Obviously, the cameras are working.”

Township commissioners had approved a memorandum with Salisbury Township School District for the township police department to review video surveillance obtained from school bus-mounted cameras provided by BusPatrol America LLC.

If a violation is determined, the owner-driver of the vehicle is cited with a civil notice.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation website, a motorist convicted of violating the state School Bus Stopping Law receives all of the following penalties:

• 60-day driver’s license suspension

• Five points on the driving record

• $250 fine

The bus-stopping law states:

• When a school bus is stopped with red signal lights flashing and stop-arm extended, a motorist must stop.

• When a motorist approaches an intersection where a school bus is stopped with red signal lights flashing and stop-arm extended, the motorist must stop whether on the same street or the cross street.

• The motorist must stop the vehicle at least 10 feet from the school bus.

• The motorist must wait until the red lights have stopped flashing and the stop-arm has been withdrawn before proceeding.

• The motorist is to not move the vehicle until students have reached a place of safety.

Former Gov. Tom Wolf signed Bill 364, introduced by former Sen. Pat Browne (R-16th) and state Sen. Camera Bartolotta (R-46th) on July 1, 2020, permitting school districts to have stop-arm enforcement programs.

In other business, Lehigh County Executive Phillips Armstrong visited the Jan. 12 township meeting and spoke to commissioners and officials.

“We have a new position in community liaison,” Armstrong said.

The county’s Office of the Community Liaison, headed by Yorman De La Rosa, collaborates with municipal governments and community groups.

“He works with the administration to help get grants,” Armstrong said.

Armstrong spoke about retention of the IronPigs Philadelphia Phillies baseball franchise at Coca-Cola Park. “You’re not going to get another Triple A team in there. We have the bond payments,” Armstrong said, adding, “When Allentown pulled out, it was a hurt.”

Browne and the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce stepped up to the plate with funding to play ball. The IronPigs signed a contract to use the stadium to 2052.

“I didn’t want to lose it. I didn’t want to have an empty stadium,” Armstrong said.

“We did a balanced budget and we’re in a really good position,” Armstrong said of Lehigh County.

“I think people have to realize that things get done here at the local level. These are the people who get things done,” Armstrong said of county and municipal governments.

Armstrong annually visits Lehigh County municipal meetings.

In agenda items, township commissioners voted 5-0 in separate votes to approve motions:

•Approving the 2021 Audited Financials by Frey & Company, CPA, after a presentation by its representative Melanie Walsh. “It’s a clear opinion with the exception of the pension fund. We qualified our opinion with respect to the nonuniformed pension plan. The state information is late. Hopefully, some day they will catch up,” Walsh said before the vote.

•Ratifying Non-Uniformed Defined Contribution Pension Plan Funding of $68,922.34 for the year-ending 2022. Board of commissioners Vice President Rodney Conn made the motion, seconded by Commissioner Alex Karol. “It’s similar, 8 percent of earnings,” Salisbury Township Manager Cathy Bonaskiewich said before the vote.

•Accepting time extension to April 25, 2023, for the Land Development at 1525 E. Susquehanna St. Commissioner Heather Lipkin made the motion, seconded by Conn.

•Rejecting all bids for the township sanitary sewer system dig repairs and installation of backwater valves project. Commissioner Alok Patnaik made the motion, seconded by Karol. “We budgeted an amount and the bids that came in were exorbitant,” Bonaskiewich said before the vote.

During the workshop, the updated township 2023 fee schedule was reviewed.

“We weren’t bringing in enough to meet our expenses,” Salisbury Township Assistant Manager-Director Community Development Sandy Nicolo said.

The Salisbury Township Board of Commissioners next meets 7 p.m. Jan. 26 in the meeting room of the municipal building, 2900 S. Pike Ave.

The Salisbury Township Planning Commission next meets 7 p.m. Jan. 25 in the meeting room of the municipal building.