Do you need to update your voter registration?
Pennsylvania’s general election is Tuesday, Nov. 8. It takes only a few minutes to confirm you’re registered to vote, and all your information is correct, at PA Voter Services. You can also visit the state’s Voter Registration page to register to vote and change your name or address. The deadline to register or make updates to your registration is Oct. 24, in order for them to take effect by the Nov. 8 election.

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.

Borrowers are warned of loan forgiveness scams
The Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency is cautioning borrowers to be aware of scams that try to take advantage of confusion surrounding the Biden administration’s debt relief plan to forgive up to $20,000 in federal student loans. “There has been a great deal of uncertainty since the announcement of the administration’s student loan forgiveness plan as details continue to emerge,” state Rep. Mike Peifer, who also is the agency’s board chairman, said in a release. “This creates ideal conditions for unscrupulous scammers to capitalize on the most vulnerable — those who can least afford to be the financial victims as they are already struggling to manage their student loan debt.” The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has received complaints from borrowers about companies promising to deliver student loan services in exchange for fees. Borrowers often believed they were talking to their loan servicer or a company that was acting on behalf of the U.S. Department of Education, officials said. Scammers use various modes of communication, including social media, text messages, emails or phone calls, to reach victims. They are also skilled at posing as government representatives and may have look-alike government websites and logos to trick unsuspecting victims. Borrowers are encouraged to visit the U.S. Department of Education’s Federal Student Aid website to check on the status of the loan forgiveness program.
Source: Daily Times; 10/7/2022

Hulmeville residents pack meeting to discuss proposed development
Concerned Hulmeville residents packed a recent borough meeting to express concern over the potential development of the borough’s landmark hill. Superior Holdings LLC will come before the borough’s zoning hearing board later this month to ask for three variances to build up to 84 single-family homes on the hill property. The tract originally dates to 1720, and the old stone house on the property would remain. Council President Tom Wheeler allowed residents to address the development, even though it was not on the agenda, saying, “This is a small community and we do care how you feel.” Residents voiced concern over water runoff and increased flooding in an area that has been the site of flooding in the past. Others asked if Neshaminy School District was prepared for more children, and most are concerned the development could change the quaint town forever. According to the 2020 census, Hulmeville has 982 residents in 351 households. The land is zoned for housing development. Hulmeville Borough Zoning Board meets Wednesday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. at William Penn Fire Co. Hall, 123 Main St.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 10/10/2022

Buckingham supervisors consider 41-home project
Buckingham Township supervisors were updated on elements of a proposed 41-home project on 80 acres at Route 413, Lower Mountain Road and Creek Road. Springfield-based developer The McKee Group has planned a development that is a mix of three different housing types, with 12 single-family detached dwellings, 17 townhomes and 12 twin homes. Discussed at the Sept. 28 work session were plant buffers, on-site sewage treatment and stormwater management. The developer hopes to get preliminary land development approval from the supervisors in November, final approval sometime next year and construction beginning in about a year.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 10/6/2022

Doylestown Borough posts survey to help guide comprehensive plan update
Doylestown Borough is updating its comprehensive plan, which was last updated in 1997. A comprehensive plan is an official document that serves as a guide to land use decision-making. It is a statement of the community’s vision for the future to be used by residents, the planning commission, the borough council, private and public stakeholders, and governmental agencies. The Doylestown Borough Comprehensive Plan will focus on the quality-of-life issues that are most important to borough residents, reaching consensus on a direction forward, and building local capacity to effect real change. Community members are encouraged to complete a survey by Nov. 8 to ensure that their views are considered. All responses will be anonymous.
Source: Doylestown Borough; 10/2022

State grant will help Fonthill Castle develop master plan for woodlands area
In August, Mercer Museum and Fonthill Castle received a $200,000 state grant, secured with the help of state Sen. Steve Santarsiero (D-10), to develop a master plan for managing the 69-acre property. The primary focus will be the woodlands behind the castle, rather than the buildings themselves. Kyle McCoy, CEO of the Bucks County Historical Society, which operates the castle and nearby Mercer Museum, said the plan will focus on both functional and aesthetic aspects of the land Fonthill sits on, including a management plan for the woodlands, improved trails and redesigned parking areas. McKoy hopes to design a new, permanent educational center to host talks on nature, archaeology and history, as well as private events. Fonthill joins the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works and the Mercer Museum in a trio of iconic concrete structures built by Henry Mercer in Doylestown.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 10/10/2022

Newtown Rotary Club seeks old bikes and sewing machines
The Newtown Rotary Club is hosting a bicycle and sewing machine drive on Saturday, Oct. 29. Adult and children's bicycles and sewing machines can be dropped off between 9 a.m. and noon at the parking lot across from Olde Church of St. Andrew, 135 S. Sycamore St. A $20 donation per item is requested to help cover rehabilitation costs. Bikes should be free of rust. Children's tricycles, "bikes for parts" or disassembled bikes will not be accepted, but bikes with flat tires or in need of some repair can be donated. Portable sewing machines should be in working condition. Sewing notions can be donated, but not fabric. Donations will benefit the nonprofit Pedals for Progress and Sewing Peace.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 10/7/2022

West Sadsbury Township is looking to cut open space tax at the ballot
While officials in many municipalities in rural Pennsylvania are increasing taxes to preserve open space, officials in West Sadsbury Township want to get rid of their tax. The township is asking voters whether they favor the continued imposition of the open space earned income tax. A “yes” vote will keep the 0.7% tax rate as it is. A “no” vote will have the tax repealed. “We’re doing away with the tax effectively because we no longer need the income coming in for open space,” Township Supervisor Ed Haas said. The township enacted the tax many years ago as a way to generate funds to protect and preserve open space. “We’ve had the tax for a while. It’s generated enough income. We purchased a large piece of property in the township — the Jim Landis Woodland Preserve — many years ago. And that was what the money was being used for. We now have enough money in the coffers to pay off our debt that we have on that property,” Haas said. “So we’re no longer going to maintain the open space tax because most of the land that can be preserved in the township has been preserved.” The township’s website says that “through the establishment of Agricultural Security Areas and the use of Conservation Easements, large expanses of irreplaceable farmland and open space have been protected from development and preserved for future generations.”
Source: WHYY; 10/5/2022

Tax increase proposed for Kennett Township in 2023
The Kennett Township Board of Supervisors spent a large chunk of their Oct. 5 meeting on a first look at the township’s proposed 2023 budget, which includes a projected half-mill tax increase. The proposed increase would raise $405,000 in revenue and help cover the expense increases to the township’s police, fire and EMS services, and compensate for inflation and large capital projects. The increase would equal a real estate tax increase of $123 for the average household, for a total bill of $740 in 2023. Finance and human resources director Amy Heinrich cited the township’s proposed 24% hike in its police department in 2023, which is set to increase its operating budget to $2.46 million next year. The department’s budget includes a 9% salary increase for officers that will offset benefits changes. Heinrich also discussed a likely 30% increase in the cost of fire and EMS services in the township for next year, a hike that would raise the budget from $746,000 in 2022 to $970,000 in 2023. The budget projects a $6.3 million general fund, plus $3.1 million in revenue from fees, fines, grants and interest, for a total of $9.43 million. On the expense side, the township is projecting $6.85 million in expenditures — a 9% increase from $6.34 million in 2022 – with $4.1 million targeted for salaries and benefits, an 11% projected increase. The township will continue its discussion on next year’s budget at its Oct. 19 meeting, when it will hear all public feedback and finalize its real estate tax millage rate. The township is expected to sign off on final budget approval at its Nov. 19 meeting.
Source: Chester County Press; 10/11/2022

Stormwater management mandates prove costly to municipal budgets
Oxford Borough Council briefly discussed the budget at its most recent meeting, with members saying they are not looking at a tax increase for 2023. However, new stormwater-management mandates from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) are proving costly to municipal budgets. The council discussed how the state’s municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4) program could affect the budget moving forward. Municipalities and other entities, such as universities and prisons, that meet certain standards must obtain National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit coverage for discharges of stormwater from their storm sewer systems. Oxford Borough Manager Pauline Garcia-Allen explained they may be able to reduce some of their costs by working with PennDOT, which has an individual MS4 permit covering stormwater conveyances used for runoff from PennDOT's roads, bridges and related structures. The transportation agency has approached municipalities with an opportunity to participate in their stream bank restoration project, which will allow the borough to meet some of its MS4 requirements.
Source: Chester County Press; 10/4/2022

Chester County awards American Rescue Plan Act funds
Chester County commissioners approved the first round of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant recipients. Seventy-three groups and organizations were selected for ARPA grants in the first round, totaling close to $40 million, out of more than 300 applications received from an array of municipalities, public authorities, small businesses and nonprofit organizations. Funding recommendations were made to the commissioners by a committee of 36 volunteers, half of whom were county staff and the other half residents. Funding for the recommended projects is broken down as follows:

• $7.4 million for housing
• $13 million for behavioral health
• $1.4 million for workforce development
• $1.6 million for community facilities and programs
• $900,000 for childcare
• $1.6 million for food security
• $8.7 million for public health
• $5.2 million for public safety

Source: Chester County Press; 10/4/2022

Mold remediation continues in Kennett
Kennett Township supervisors will continue meeting in an alternate location as mold remediation is done in the township’s meeting room. The Oct. 19 meeting will be held at the New Garden Township building, 299 Starr Road, Landenberg. The meetings are in-person only, with no way to view or participate remotely. At their last meeting, also held at New Garden, the supervisors voted 3-0 to award a $19,500 contract to Tucks Waterproofing of Coatesville to remediate the mold and waterproof the lower level of the township building.
Source: Chadds Ford Live; 10/4/2022