PA Dept. of State reminds businesses of new report requirement
Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt is reminding businesses operating in Pennsylvania of a new annual report requirement that has gone into effect. Failure to file an annual report will result in the administrative dissolution, termination or cancellation of the business registration, starting in 2027. Types of domestic and foreign businesses that must now file annual reports with the Pennsylvania Department of State include: business corporations, nonprofit corporations, limited liability companies, limited partnerships, limited liability general partnerships, professional associations and business trusts. Find out more here.
Source: Central Penn Business Journal; 1/6/2025

Report: PA’s largest cyber charter spent hundreds of thousands on entertainment
According to a new report from public education advocacy group Education Voters PA, Pennsylvania’s largest cyber charter school spent nearly $600,000 at car dealerships and car washes in one year, and $400,000 on entertainment expenses. The advocacy group obtained check registers through right-to-know requests from Commonwealth Charter Academy (CCA). Check registers from July 2022 through June 2023 also found the charter paid $116,000 in dining expenses, including to bars and vineyards. “Every dollar that CCA spends on DoorDash or luxury vehicles, or at brew pubs or vineyards or exclusive clubs, is a dollar that was paid by a Pennsylvania taxpayer,” Education Voters said in the report. CCA spokesperson Timothy Eller did not comment on the report’s specific findings but said in a statement that “every dollar that CCA receives is used for the benefit of all enrolled students,” stating that the expenditures were “cherry-picked.” Public education advocates say Pennsylvania’s cyber charters drain school district budgets and operate with little transparency. The report calls for the state to audit cyber charter schools to verify whether their reporting and expenditures comply with state law and calls for the enactment of a flat $9,500 tuition rate from school districts to cyber charters. Currently, regular education tuition rates range from $7,659 to $28,959 per student, depending on the student’s sending district. Read more in the Inquirer.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 1/27/2025

President Trump suggests overhauling — or terminating — FEMA
President Donald Trump said that his administration plans on “fundamentally changing,” “overhauling” or even “terminating” the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), in favor of sending funding to states to run disaster response alone. “FEMA has been a very big disappointment,” Trump said. “They cost a tremendous amount of money. It’s very bureaucratic, and it’s very slow.” The president issued an executive order creating a council to perform a year-long review of the agency’s recent disaster responses, comparing its responses to those of states and the private sector. His press secretary clarified to reporters the president would need approval from Congress to abolish the agency. More than 270,000 households and property owners in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey hold flood insurance policies through FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program, with a total coverage amount of over $71 billion, according to FEMA data. In the past 10 years, FEMA has distributed a total of over $6 billion to Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware for financial assistance for families, funding for state and local governments to clean up and rebuild infrastructure, and to improve resilience. The agency’s assistance has flowed unequally along race and class lines, according to an NPR investigation in 2019. Read more at WHYY.
Source: WHYY; 1/29/2025

Real Estate Caucus relaunches in new Congress
In a sign that support for housing policy is building on Capitol Hill, the bipartisan Congressional Real Estate Caucus, which is tasked with developing legislation to address home supply and affordability, relaunched as part of the 119th Congress. The caucus formed last year with just four members and grew to more than 50 members. The National Association of Realtors (NAR), along with the National Association of Home Builders, National Apartment Association and other industry trade groups, supports the caucus and says the issue of housing has no political party. “Homeownership is a bipartisan issue, and we applaud these members of Congress for forming a caucus to work across the aisle to make housing more accessible,” NAR’s chief advocacy officer Shannon McGahn said. NAR has several key legislative priorities this congressional term, including updating America’s tax law and increasing access to homeownership, ensuring equal access to professional representation, supporting fair housing and promoting NAR research products to help inform policymaking.
Source: Realtor Magazine; 1/27/2025

NAR, PA leaders respond to confusing federal funding freeze memo
Pennsylvania state and local officials were sent scrambling after President Donald Trump’s administration ordered a temporary pause on federal financial assistance, a halt that could affect trillions of dollars and disrupt hundreds of programs. Federal funding makes up approximately 40% of Pennsylvania’s annual spending, totaling nearly $49 billion in the current fiscal year. The funds are often used by state governments or passed through to local governments to pay for essential services, such as highway repairs, food programs, public education and more. Nonprofit organizations, colleges and universities also rely on federal funding for everything from cancer research to providing community welfare services. A federal judge temporarily blocked part of the Trump administration’s pause on federal grants and loans, just hours before it was set to take effect. The National Association of Realtors has provided updates on the Advocacy News section of its website, saying the memo “caused confusion within housing and lending industries about which programs were exempt.”
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 1/28/2025 and NAR; 1/29/2025

Property tax rates are being updated in SRA Municipal Database
The Suburban Realtors Alliance staff is updating municipal tax rates in the Municipal Database. The database is an online resource for Realtors that includes local property resale requirements, rental regulations, tax rates and other information relevant to real estate. Municipal governments approved their 2025 budgets and property tax millage rates at the end of 2024, and those numbers are being updated in the database as they are confirmed. In recent years, SRA staff has seen a decline in local news reporting and instead relies on state-mandated data that typically becomes available at the end of January. Note that some municipalities — namely Upper Darby Township and Langhorne Borough — have taken steps to amend their budgets in early 2025. 

Chalfont to consider sewer inspections at point-of-sale and regulate on-lot systems
Chalfont Borough Council is considering a proposed ordinance that will amend the borough code in response to new regulations required by Chalfont-New Britain Township Joint Sewage Authority. The proposed ordinance will create new Parts 1-8 of Chapter 327, concerning: definitions, prohibited discharge standards, sewer connections, prohibition of encroachment on sewer easements, the inspection of all properties prior to transfer of title for compliance, regulation of the disposal of fats, oil and greases by food service establishments and other nonresidential establishments and grinder pumps; and violation and penalty provisions. It will also create new Parts 1 and 2 of new Chapter 328 regarding the regulation of on-lot septic systems. The full text of the proposed ordinance can be examined at Chalfont Borough Hall, 40 N. Main St. The Jan. 14 council meeting agenda packet includes a draft of the proposed ordinance beginning on Page 41. Borough council will hold a public hearing on the draft ordinance on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall.
Source: Borough of Chalfont; 1/2025

Ambitious Roosevelt Boulevard transformation could impact Bucks County
Roosevelt Boulevard, which is part of Route 1, stretches from Bensalem Township through Philadelphia and has been a problematic route for commuters to and from Bucks County for decades. An ambitious plan from PennDOT, SEPTA and the City of Philadelphia could mean changes for Bucks County. A joint study dubbed “Route for Change: The Boulevard Reimagined” aims to overhaul the corridor with new roadway designs and enhanced SEPTA transit services, including potentially extending the Broad Street Line subway or introducing a light rail system that runs into Bensalem Township. According to PennDOT, the project’s objectives focus on improving safety, accessibility and reliability for all users, including pedestrians, and promoting economic opportunities through improved connectivity to local communities. Read more at LevittownNow.
Source: LevittownNow; 1/27/2025

Langhorne Borough to revise 2025 budget
Langhorne Borough officials have announced that a revised 2025 budget is available for public inspection at Borough Hall, 114 E. Maple Ave., Monday through Thursday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Langhorne Borough Council will consider adoption of the revised 2025 budget proposal at its meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 12, at 7 p.m.
Source: Langhorne Borough

Bensalem Township School District weighs options for new middle school
The Bensalem Township School Board is considering multiple options for building a new middle school for grades six through 8. One potential location is the former site of Neil A. Armstrong Middle School — a property sold by the district in 2020 for $7.3 million to Jignesh “Jay” Pandya, owner of the Boston Market fast food chain. Originally Bensalem High School from 1953 to 1969, the former middle school had been shuttered and largely unused since 2011. It was demolished to make way for a massive, mixed-use project called “The Hub,” but those plans fell through when Pandya filed for bankruptcy and the land went up for sheriff’s sale. Property records show the land has yet to be sold. The district’s architect, Schrader Group, has been asked to look into the feasibility of having two or three physically separate new buildings that share larger spaces, such as the cafeteria, gym and auditorium, in more of a campus layout — either on the land in front of the existing Robert K. Shafer Middle School on Hulmeville Road or on the former Armstrong site across the street. The district would need to regain ownership of the Armstrong parcel and get it rezoned for a school. The zoning had been changed to mixed-use to make way for “The Hub.” The architect will further discuss the two plans before the school board in February.
Source: Bucks County Courier Times; 1/24/2025

Doylestown Borough announces Ward 3 council vacancy
The Borough of Doylestown is accepting applications to fill a vacancy on borough council for Ward 3, for a term ending on Dec. 31. The announcement on the borough website includes a ward map, eligibility requirements and instructions on how to apply.
Source: Doylestown Borough 

West Chester Borough is missing permit revenue
West Chester Borough is short a reported $75,000 in rental permit revenue and is looking for a way to recoup. The borough’s Building and Housing Department is tasked with inspecting 4,290 apartment and house rentals. A permit is issued for both new and existing rental units. Borough Manager Sean Metrick said that about 15% of rental units, owned by 175 landlords, have not been inspected for two years in a row. The annual charge for a rental permit is $44. “We are definitely behind on inspecting existing rental units,” Metrick said. “We are following up with property owners who didn’t respond to set up appointments.” The Building and Housing Department recently generated new collection letters for 486 total accounts. At a recent Finance and Revenue Committee meeting, Councilman Brian McGinnis said, “We need a clear, actionable plan to collect those fees and ensure all rental properties are inspected as required.”
Source: Daily Local; 1/26/2025 

Quality Inn in West Goshen razed to make way for self-storage and assisted living
Demolition and site-clearing started about two weeks ago at the Quality Inn near Route 202 in West Goshen. In the place of the hotel will be an assisted living facility with 160 units and 110,000 square feet of climate-controlled self-storage units. The assisted living facility project is expected to be completed in late 2026. Township supervisors had listed safety and traffic concerns as top priorities when the board informally agreed to adjust the zoning ordinances, which led to plans for the assisted living center and the self-storage facility at the site. A consensus of the boards and the builder suggested that the assisted living center and self-storage units were the best use from a traffic perspective. Crime had become a problem at the Quality Inn. Police Chief Michael Carroll said that the police department answered, on average, 311 calls annually at the hotel over the past five years.
Source: Daily Local; 1/29/2025

Crebilly land in Westtown will be passive park
Westtown Township inked a deal in December to buy 208 acres of the 319-acre Crebilly Farm from the Robinson Family for $20 million. Four separate properties will cover the rest of the mostly open space. A master plan formulated by stakeholders will define the layout of a preserve. Westtown supervisor and Westtown-East Goshen Police Commission Chairman Dick Pomerantz said that the land will only be used as a passive recreation public park with walking trails. There will be no organized field sports or farming. Learn more on the township website.
Source: Daily Local; 1/22/2025

Chester County releases Trails Master Plan
Chester County has released its Trails Master Plan, which will be an important planning resource for the county's active transportation network. It establishes a countywide vision for an interconnected, multi-use trail network. A multi-use trail is typically 10 to 15 feet wide and features a paved, accessible surface that facilitates nonmotorized, bi-directional travel by pedestrians, bicyclists and other non-motorized forms of transportation.
Source: Chester County Planning Commission; 1/21/2025

New signs make it easier to park in West Chester
Big “Ps” and arrows are going up in West Chester Borough to make it easier to find parking. New signage will replace visual clutter, enhance wayfinding, encourage return visits and increase parking revenues, according to local design firm MERJE. Parking Committee Chair Sheila Vaccaro pushed hard to hang new parking signs as part of Phase I of the project. To cut confusion, the names of the lots will be changed to reflect the streets they sit on. For example, the lot at Church and Chestnut streets, previously known as Lot 10, will become Chestnut Street Lot.
Source: Daily Local; 1/28/2025

Moskowitz named chair of Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority
The group working toward the restoration of passenger rail service between Reading and Philadelphia has a new leader. Chester County Commissioner Marian Moskowitz was unanimously chosen by the Schuylkill River Passenger Rail Authority during a reorganizational meeting to serve as the new chairwoman. During the meeting, Thomas Frawley, executive director, said the authority has completed the first phase of a federal program that is providing a critical boost to the effort to restore train service and is on the verge of moving onto the second phase. The second phase of the Corridor Identification and Development Program includes the development of a service plan that would examine ridership and revenue forecasts, capital programming and an operational analysis. The service plan is just the beginning of what is likely to be a long process.
Source: Daily Local; 1/28/2025