PA Property Tax, Rent Rebate program applications open
Pennsylvanians can begin applying for Property Tax and Rent Rebates for the 2024 tax year. The rebate program benefits eligible Pennsylvanians who are 65 and older, widows and widowers who are 50 and older, and people with disabilities who are 18 and older. In 2023, the Pennsylvania General Assembly approved a historic expansion of the Property Tax and Rent Rebate program. Under the expansion, the maximum standard rebate increased from $650 to $1,000. Meanwhile, the income limits for renters and homeowners both increased to $45,000 — the first time since 2006 that the income limits have been raised. Applications are due by June 30. Applications can be submitted online via the myPATH website or by contacting a state representative or senator’s office. Read more in the Pottstown Mercury.
Source: Pottstown Mercury; 2/5/2025

CFPB suspends all work activity
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Acting Director Russell Vought ordered agency employees to suspend all work activity, including supervision and enforcement actions, as well as all outreach and correspondence with regulated entities. Vought also posted on Twitter/X that the CFPB would receive no further funding from the Federal Reserve. The halt on all agency activities raises serious questions about the laws that CFPB is legally mandated by Congress to oversee and enforce, including mortgage lending laws, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act, oversight of credit bureaus and credit reports, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (RESPA), lender supervision, and other fair lending laws. Critics have argued that uncertainty in regulation and oversight could lead to lenders each playing by a different set of rules, creating chaos for consumers and the financial markets, and potentially creating weakness in the housing economy. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) continues to monitor the situation to receive clarity about the status of important rules and oversight of the financial markets. Read more at the NAR Washington Report.
Source: NAR; 2/11/2025

NAR comments on state appraiser and appraisal management company regulatory programs
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) issued a comment letter to the Appraisal Subcommittee (ASC) of the Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council, a federal government interagency body, in response to a proposed rule on the "ASC Enforcement Authority Regarding the Effectiveness of State Appraiser and Appraisal Management Company (AMC) Regulatory Programs." According to an NAR statement accompanying the comment letter: “NAR policy supports independent valuations of real property performed by state credentialed appraisers in adherence with the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice (USPAP); therefore, it is crucial that effective oversight of both appraisers and the appraisal management companies is in place and exercised. While the proposed rule codifies ways the states should oversee appraisers, it omits specific language on AMC monitoring and ways to report AMC violations. This comment letter suggests additional monitoring, adding whistleblower protection, promoting consistency in regulation and investigation, monitoring adequacy of jurisdictions’ funding, and measurement of how effectively new rules and oversight affect compliance.”
Source: NAR; 2/6/2025 

Jet fuel leak taints wells in Upper Makefield
About 75 residents crowded into the Upper Makefield Township supervisors meeting in early February after a jet fuel leak was discovered from a pipeline under Washington Crossing. The meeting was attended by residents and representatives of the township, state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, and Sunoco. Residents first began reporting an odor on Jan. 9., and Sunoco discovered the leak Jan. 31, however many residents say the leak has been ongoing since September 2023. The company said it did not know how much petroleum product had leaked from the 14-inch line that was carrying jet fuel. A late January test at another nearby well showed levels far above the legal limit for benzene, xylenes and other chemicals, according to the Bucks County Courier Times. DEP representative Lisa Strobridge reported the results of a late January water test revealed 15 inches of kerosene in one well's water. Yvette Taylor, chair of the Upper Makefield Township supervisors, sent a letter to Energy Transfer calling for the pipeline to be shut down. Additionally, state Sen. Steven J. Santarsiero (D-10) and State Rep. Perry S. Warren (D-31) have asked federal authorities to suspend operations of “the Sunoco Twin Oak-Newark Pipeline operated by Energy Transfer crossing through Bucks County until a full investigation is completed and a clear cause for all leaks are identified and repaired.” The legislators note that some residents have been complaining about petroleum odors in their water for about 14 months, even though Sunoco “continued to claim there were no discharges.” Sunoco said the company would pay for well testing for people living within a section of the Mount Eyre neighborhood. JoMarie Jenkins, a senior right of way specialist at Sunoco Logistics, said the company would also pay for port of entry treatment (POET) filtration systems, which cost about $5,000, as well as monitoring, but did not say how many homes would qualify for POET systems. Sunoco has set up an email, uppermakefieldresponse@energytransfer.com, and a hotline number at 877-397-3383 for residents to report issues and sign up for testing.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 2/5/2025; Bucks County Herald; 2/10/2025; & Philadelphia Inquirer; 2/11/2025

Waste Management works to correct customer ID error in Middletown
Waste Management began its new once-per-week waste collection contract with Middletown Township last month. Residents received letters recently with customer IDs to set up online profiles for their trash and recycling service. However, Waste Management said a printing error led to some residents receiving incorrect numbers. The company is now providing residents with new, corrected IDs and asked residents not to contact the township or Waste Management’s customer service line about the incorrect IDs.
Source: LevittownNow; 2/10/2025

Grant awarded for crucial Chalfont section of Neshaminy Greenway Trail
Chalfont Borough has received a $225,000 state grant to help complete a crucial segment of the Northern Neshaminy Greenway Trail, a 33-mile recreational route that spans Bucks County. The money will help complete a section of the trail in the Lindenfield Townhomes development, located off Route 152/Main Street. The completion of the trail was not without controversy, with residents in the area balking at the trail based on concerns over privacy, flooding, environmental implications and maintenance costs. With construction slated to begin soon, the trail will finally connect the section of Chalfont to the wider regional network. The Neshaminy Creek Greenway Trail, when completed, will stretch from Peace Valley Park near Chalfont to Neshaminy State Park and the East Coast Greenway in Bensalem.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 2/11/2025

Solebury announces e-waste recycling event
Solebury Township supervisors scheduled the annual electronics recycling event for Saturday, May 10, from 9 a.m. to noon at the New Hope-Solebury High School auditorium parking lot. The event will again be run by eForce Recycling and township volunteers. The township will cover eForce’s $3,500 fee and will seek full reimbursement from the Bucks County E-Waste Collection Recycling Grant Program, as it did last year, according to Supervisors Chair Mark Baum Baicker.
Source: Bucks County Herald; 2/9/2025 

East Goshen to amend rental ordinance
East Goshen Township supervisors are considering a draft ordinance replacing Chapter 182, “Rental Property Requirements.” The new ordinance will require an annual report of the names of tenants, a responsible agent for property within a 50-mile radius of the township, and a rental certificate every three years. East Goshen currently requires bi-annual reports and yearly certifications. The ordinance also provides inspection report items and a definition for short-term rentals. The draft ordinance can be found on page 70 of the January supervisors meeting packet. The board of supervisors will consider the ordinance for adoption on Tuesday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m. at 1580 Paoli Pike, West Chester.
Source: Daily Local; 2/11/2025

Oxford Borough Council discusses police study
Oxford Borough Manager Pauline Garcia-Allen told council that she had reached out to Southern Chester County Regional Police Chief Joseph Greenwalt to resume discussions on the feasibility of a merger. “We sent him our new budget and updated staff and call volume information to enable him to ‘rerun the numbers’ and get us a proposed budget with municipal commitments,” Garcia-Allen said. “We will need to meet again once he completes his analysis. We are also working to identify potential consultants who can run a feasibility study for the two different avenues to regionalization.” State Rep. John Lawrence (R-13) is working on setting up a meeting to discuss forming a new regionalized department with the borough and representatives from Lincoln University, Oxford Area School District and Penn Township, in addition to the Oxford Regional Planning Commission member municipalities.
Source: Chester County Press; 2/5/2025

Townhomes, new development proposed for Phoenixville kindergarten site
A new development has been proposed at the site of the Phoenixville Area School District's former kindergarten center, potentially bringing 93 new residential units to the borough, according to the developer and borough documents. The proposal, from Toll Brothers, would develop the school's land at 100 School Lane, as well as the nearby Phoenixville Industrial Complex at 41 S. 2nd Ave. The 93 units would comprise various townhomes and twin residential buildings. The plan calls for building new private roads, addressing stormwater management, landscaping and other related improvements. Two separate parcels, covering about three acres on the connected properties, would be donated to Phoenixville Borough for public open space.
Source: Phoenixville Patch; 2/12/2025

Oxford to receive funds for stormwater management upgrades
The Borough of Oxford was awarded state funding to develop rain garden bump-outs to better manage stormwater runoff, calm traffic and beautify a roadway that is due for repaving. The funding, approved by the Commonwealth Financing Agency, will support the construction of three 45-foot bioretention bumps-outs on the north side of East Mount Vernon Street. The basins will be able to capture a total of approximately 1,627 cubic feet of stormwater — equivalent to the runoff generated from approximately 0.5 inches of rain over the entire one-acre impervious area within the drainage area. The project plans call for a "dig once" strategy that will also include structural repair and repaving of the street, replacement of a water main and any necessary upgrades to public utilities. Read more in the announcement from state Sen. Carolyn Comitta (D-19).
Source: Chester County Press; 2/5/2025

Chesco commissioners name Matthew Edmond to lead planning commission
Chester County commissioners approved the appointment of Matthew Edmond, AICP, as executive director of the Chester County Planning Commission, replacing Brian O’Leary, who retired in November 2024. Edmond has more than 20 years of public planning experience with the Montgomery County Planning Commission, and his move to Chester County follows 10 years as transportation section manager, followed by assistant director of transportation and long-range planning. In his new role, he will oversee Chester County’s comprehensive plan, Landscapes3, the main purpose of which is to balance preservation of the county’s open spaces, natural areas, and historic landscapes with compatible growth of the county’s urban and suburban centers, providing diverse and affordable housing, and expanding public transit, pedestrian and bicycle networks. Read more at the county planning commission website.
Source: Chester County; 2/5/2025