The Lower Milford Township Board of Supervisors convened for its regular meeting Feb. 15. Supervisors are Ellen Koplin, chair; Lowell Linde, vice chair and newly elected Supervisor Timothy Cougle.

Members of the public were invited to voice their comments and concerns. However, there were none.

An announcement was made regarding executive sessions held Feb. 1 and 15, addressing personnel matters and litigation.

State Rep, Milou Mackenzie, R-131st, was in attendance, offering insights into issues about Lower Milford Township, particularly the speeding and road condition issues revolving around Limeport Pike. Mackenzie said petitions and letters are welcome and give her the knowledge she needs to know what to address.

Next, two township residents with an attorney attended the meeting to request to table the adoption of Ordinance No. 141, which pertained to vacating Township Road T-432 and declaring Janes Lane as a private road. The attorney argued there are issues with the ordinance, as the couple owns a home with access from Janes Lane. By not being able to use Janes Lane, they must use a Pennsylvania Department of Transportation road to get to their property, which may cause issues legally for the couple. It was decided a decision on the ordinance would be delayed until the March meeting.

The minutes from the Jan. 2 organization meeting and regular meeting were approved. The treasurer’s report for both Dec. 31, 2023 and Jan. 31 were approved. Authorization was also granted for the payment of February 2024 bills.

The administrator, zoning, public works and administrative assistant reports provided updates on ongoing projects. Of note, roadwork and winter storm maintenance were highlighted in the public works report.

The Macungie Ambulance Corps, Lower Milford Fire Company and Southern Lehigh Library reports were also presented. The Macungie Ambulance report showcased annual call volume for the last 25 years, with the number of calls rising from 1,056 in 1999 to 5,165 in 2023.

In subdivision and land development, Solicitor Mark Cappuccio provided an update on the Limeport Commons Land Development Plan. The township engineer spotted some issues with the plan needing to be addressed. The solicitor believes the plan is almost finished and will be ready for approval soon.

In old business, appointments were made for an alternate representative to the Lehigh County Tax Collection Committee – Jessica Skibicki as alternate 1 and Emily Fucci as alternate 2. Discussions ensued regarding the increased treasurer’s bond and an update was approved to the open records policy, including alternate open records officer Elizabeth Lembach.

Additionally, authorization was given to advertise a bid for the replacement of the township office building roof. The last item was the approval of William Roy to the historic commission for a 3-year term.

In new business, the first item was a recommendation from the township treasurer to transfer $200,000 in funds into the newly established Pennsylvania Local Government Investment Trust Prime Account. This account provides for a better interest rate. Cougle asked Fucci if the township could transfer more money. She said the PLGIT account is more of a private account and not a checking account immediately accessed. The recommendation was approved and Fucci said she would ask the treasurer if more money could be transferred.

A request was approved for the planning commission to review the zoning ordinance for amendments to research if there are any updates needed. Next, two appeals for special exception were announced; the requests were to grade or regrade topsoil in a floodplain and for roof-mounted solar.

The last item was the acknowledgment of a conditional use application for a bed and breakfast at 2912 Church View Road, which will be heard March 7.

Correspondence items included the Social Security newsletters, a “Fight the Bite” newsletter from Vector Management and an annual fundraising appeal from Sanctuary at Haafsville. However, the appeal was denied.

Nearing its conclusion, the meeting was opened to public comments.

The president of a local homeowner’s association stepped to the microphone to ask why Lower Milford Township did not execute their proposed commitment to resolving the issues with the contractor for their development and to express his concern about being denied inclusion onto the board of supervisor’s regular meeting agenda on the issue. A petition was put together to demand the remaining construction be completed after eight years.

Cappuccio responded a March meeting is being held on this issue and representatives from the developer will be in attendance. He encouraged the HOA representatives to be there and provide evidence supporting their claims. The township was under the assumption all parties left the previous meeting on this issue in agreement that things were moving forward. The township wants to get this problem resolved.

Next, members from the Lower Milford Zoning Hearing Board were in attendance to protest the recent removal of an appreciated zoning hearing board member. They accused the supervisors of removing the former member and inserting former Supervisor Donna Wright without a proper meeting and without the opportunity for other zoning members to give an opinion on the matter, as the zoning hearing board would have voted for the renewal of the removed member.

Koplin responded the newly appointed zoning board member, Wright had more experience and education than the non-renewed member and that was the reason for the decision. A member of the zoning hearing board expressed they felt this decision was made in secrecy and without consideration of the zoning hearing board.

A second representative stepped up to then ask for the removal of Wright. The representative from the zoning hearing board presented a litany of accusations against Wright, which the board heard without disruption. However, no decision was made and the complaint from the zoning hearing board was quickly dismissed.

Following this, the meeting was adjourned. The next meeting will be held 6:30 p.m. March 21 at the township building at 7607 Chestnut Hill Church Road.