SRA to host election-preview webinar with John Micek
The Suburban Realtors Alliance (SRA) will host a webinar previewing the November general election on Tuesday, Oct. 25, at 1 p.m. John Micek, editor-in-chief of the Pennsylvania Capital-Star, will join SRA president/CEO Jamie Ridge for a discussion of races connected to the Philadelphia suburbs, including the state House and Senate, the U.S. House and Senate, as well as statewide races like the Pennsylvania governorship. The webinar is open to members of the Bucks County Association of Realtors and Tri-County Suburban Realtors. For more information and to register, click here.

Prepare for the November election
The 2022 Pennsylvania general election is on Tuesday, Nov. 8. Along with the opportunity to cast a vote in statewide races like governor and U.S. Senate, voters will also choose state House and Senate members. In the General Assembly, there are 49 open seats and 91 incumbent legislators who have general election challengers. There are also races for U.S. Congress, including two open seats. The Pennsylvania Department of State has polling place information and a list of candidates at its election website. The endorsements of the Pennsylvania Realtors PAC (RPAC) Trustees can be found in the 2022 General Election Voter Guide released by the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors. The endorsements are based on candidates’ commitment to real estate through their legislative voting records, as well as candidate interviews and recommendations from local Realtor associations.
Source: PA Realtors; 9/2022

How to apply for a Pennsylvania property tax rebate or rent rebate
Pennsylvania’s rent and property tax rebate program — which helps older and disabled residents offset the rising cost of housing — got a major, one-time boost this year as part of the state budget. Fewer and fewer people receive rent and property tax rebates each year, largely because state lawmakers haven’t increased the income limits to qualify in more than 15 years. Still, many people who could benefit are missing out because they don’t know about the program. State officials estimate that about one-third of eligible Pennsylvanians don’t apply each year. Spotlight PA pulled together some common questions about how the rent and property tax rebate program works, who is eligible, and how this year’s bonuses will work. Read more here.
Source: Spotlight PA; 9/28/2022

Bill would erase dead voters, boost ballot security
The Republican-controlled Pennsylvania House gave its approval this week to bills requiring state election officials to remove people who have died from voter rolls and require county election officials to follow additional procedures to secure ballots being transported to and from polling places. Both bills passed the House unanimously and have been referred to the Senate State Government Committee. House Bill 143, sponsored by Rep. Russ Diamond (R-102), requires the Department of State to cross-reference its statewide voter database with death record information from local registrars at least once a month. If a voter’s first and last names, date of birth, and the last four digits of their Social Security number appear on a death record, the voter will be removed from the Statewide Uniform Registry of Voters. The bill would:

• Require county election commissions to mail notification to people determined dead of their removal from voter rolls. It bars the removal of voters within 90 days of an election.
• Require county election commissions to investigate and update voter-registration records when they receive notification from PennDOT that a person has changed the address for their driver’s license.
• Require people or organizations circulating absentee or mail-in ballot applications to request and use up-to-date voter registration information from the Department of State.
• Add a new provision to permit voters who move to another state and who are not registered in their new state to vote once at their old polling place. In that case, a voter must file a signed declaration of their new address with the judge of elections.
• Expand the sources of information permissible to remove a person who has died from voter registration rolls.

Source: PA Capitol Star; 9/23/2022

Beware of scam calls of PECO shut-offs
PECO reminds residents that its representatives will never call for bill payment in cash or a prepaid credit card. There have been reports of residents receiving calls from people claiming to be from PECO telling them electricity will be shut off unless they pay money via Zelle or another method. PECO confirmed there have been increased reports of scammers calling customers and falsely claiming their electric or gas service will be disconnected unless payment is made immediately. The scammers can manipulate caller ID to look like a PECO phone number. If a call or caller seems suspicious, hang up and call PECO directly at 1-800-494-4000 to speak with a PECO representative, the utility said.
Source: Daily Times; 9/22/2022

Construction begins on luxury apartments at Oxford Valley Mall in Middletown
Work to develop the first of two apartment buildings planned at Oxford Valley Mall began in September and will continue for the next two and a half years. The plan calls for some 600-plus luxury apartments at the former Boscov's site at the mall complex in Middletown off Route 1, between Woodbourne and Oxford Valley roads. The mall management released a statement to mall tenants Thursday outlining the project and urging them and their customers and workers to be careful around the construction work. Cornerstone Tracy is developing the project that will include two apartment buildings at the 20-acre site. Cornerstone Tracy and the mall developer, Simon, first proposed the project in fall 2019 before the pandemic. The first apartment building is expected to contain 391 apartments, and the second would have 223, according to the developer's website. The buildings are expected to be four stories. A spokesperson for Cornerstone Tracy said previously that the developer expected the apartments to attract young professionals or older adults, not many families with school-age children. The developer anticipated they would generate about $95,000 in additional tax revenue for the township and $1 million for the Neshaminy School District.
Source: Courier Times; 9/15/2022

Three budget sessions scheduled in Warrington
Warrington Township will hold three budget work sessions for the 2023 budget on Sept. 27, Oct. 11 and Oct, 25, all at 6 p.m. at the Warrington Township Building, 852 Easton Road. The first session will focus on departmental personnel requests and the five?year (2023?2027) outlook for general fund revenue, expenditures and fund balance. At session two, a five-year capital improvement plan will be presented, and there will be a request for feedback from the board of supervisors and the public. At session three, both the 2023 operating budget and the five-year capital improvement plan will be presented to the board of supervisors. Community members are invited to attend and learn how their tax dollars will be spent.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 9/22/2022

Bucks Recorder of Deeds holds public events
Bucks County Recorder of Deeds Dan McPhillips will hold meetings on the third Tuesday of the month, from 6 to 7 p.m., at Warminster VFW Post 6493. McPhillips will answer questions about the office, promote the Free Fraud Alert Program and take copies of Veteran Discharge Papers for recording. On the second Saturday of each month, the Recorder of Deeds History Social will be held from 2 to 3 p.m. at the county offices, 55 E. Court St. in Doylestown. The social will explore the history that can be found in the preserved deed books, with the theme changing every month. Visit the Recorder of Deeds website for more information.
Source: Lower Bucks Times; 9/19/2022

Social services hub opening in Lower Bucks
The Bucks County Human Services Hub is expanding its presence to Lower Bucks County to better assist people and families in need of connection to critical social services. The Hub’s resource navigators will be on site every Tuesday at offices in Trevose and Bristol Township. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are encouraged. The Hub serves as an entry point to the wide web of government services like the Area Agency on Aging, the Drug and Alcohol Commission, and Veterans Affairs, and to local nonprofits, such as the YWCA and the Bucks County Opportunity Council. Until now, the Hub’s resource navigators have worked almost entirely out of the Hub’s Doylestown office, except by appointment or during special events. Located on the first floor of the Bucks County Administration Building, 55 E. Court St., the Doylestown location is open to calls and walk-ins weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. To speak with someone at the Hub, call 215-348-6201 or send an email to TheHub@buckscounty.org.
Source: Bucks County; 9/13/2022

Lower Makefield earns national accreditation
Lower Makefield Township earned a top accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) at the 2022 NRPA Annual Conference held on Sept. 8. CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies and is a measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management and service to the community. As part of the accreditation process, Lower Makefield Township had to demonstrate compliance with 154 recognized standards and document all policies and procedures. Often the process helps identify efficiencies and heighten areas of accountability, all of which translate into higher quality service and operation to benefit the community.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 9/15/2022

Chester County to get new state park
Pennsylvania is spending $45 million to add three new state parks to its 121-park system. The additions include an existing nearly 700-acre nature preserve on the Vosburg Neck in Wyoming County, a 1,700-acre tract in southern Chester County, and some 1,100 acres in York County. The expansion was funded in the state budget that passed in July. In Chester County, the new park will include 3.5 miles of Big Elk Creek, which feeds into the Chesapeake Bay at Elk River. Officials say the creek was long used by indigenous people and was an area of considerable activity for the Underground Railroad. “There’s going to be a lot of history, a lot of stories to tell,” said Conservation and Natural Resources Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn. Though the parks are open to the public, they aren’t expected to be operational with full amenities until the end of 2026.
Source: Daily Local; 9/28/2022

West Chester officials discuss climate policies
The West Chester Green Team hosted a panel discussion on current initiatives and plans to advance climate policies and community sustainability. The panel featured representatives from Chester County, West Chester Borough and West Chester University. Rachel Griffith, the county planning commission’s sustainability director, provided background on the climate action plan adopted by the county last October. The plan “emphasizes that the scale of the challenge is much bigger than county government can solve alone, and that if we are to be successful in our bold goal of an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, it’s going to take the buy-in and action from every sector,” she said.
Source: Daily Local; 9/27/2022

New Chester County sustainability eNewsletter
Chester County residents can sign up for a new sustainability newsletter being published by the county planning department here.
Source: Chester County Planning Commission; 9/26/2022

New Garden sees turnover in municipal leaders
New Garden’s township manager, Ramsey Reiner, unexpectedly resigned on Aug. 22. Reiner was hired in April 2020 during the height of the pandemic shutdown. New Garden’s zoning officer, Chris Adamek, is also departing, effective Sept. 30. The zoning officer answers questions and addresses concerns regarding property zoning, code violations and building permits. The resignations come as the township anticipates significant development ahead. In June, the New Garden Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to amend the municipality’s Unified-Development Ordinance. The amended guidelines impact hundreds of acres in undeveloped land and established new allowances and requirements for future development along the Route 7 and Route 41 corridors. At least 100 acres of forest and many acres of wetlands in the Broad Run Watershed will potentially be developed at the corner of Sunny Dell Road and Route 41.
Source: Daily Local; 9/24/2022