New manager on the job
Jeff Bartlett brings 20 years of experience to the township.
As Exeter Township’s new manager, Jeff Bartlett is committed to working with residents and elected officials to address challenges.
“No games are going to be played,” he said in phone interview Tuesday, his second day on the job. “We are going to work together.”
The township is in good shape, Bartlett said, but there is always room for improvement.
A resident of Nazareth Township, Northampton County, Bartlett was approved as Exeter’s new manager during an online meeting of the township supervisors last week.
He started Monday with an annual salary of $120,000.
“They allowed me to come back after my first day,” he said, tongue-incheek. “They didn’t change the locks.
Humor aside, Bartlett, who has 20 years of experience in local government, said he takes his new job very seriously.
The township is facing two major issues involving public property, he said. These are the management of the Reading Country Club and the development of a new municipal complex.
The supervisors voted earlier this year to keep the township-owned country club as green space with a golf course and banquet/ restaurant complex.
The country club could become a successful operation for the township, Bartlett said, but there is work to do.
“We need to take a small step back and look at finding a way to tie the two components together under one operator,” he said. “The key is to develop it as an asset.”
Developing the former Promenade Shopping Plaza as a new municipal center also has challenges, Bartlett said.
The township paid just under $2.4 million for the 16-acre site last year.
Officials plan to relocate the township offices, fire and ambulance services, police and highway departments to the property in the 3900 block of Perkiomen Avenue. The township also floated plans for a community center and sought input from the public.
“The community center concept is not well defined,” Bartlett said. “I am not really sure what the residents want to see there.”
Municipal recreation and community centers are rarely self-supporting, he said, and can become a drain on financial resources.
“That is something we need to take a closer look at,” Bartlett said.
The township has many positives, he said, noting its secure financial footing, convenient location and balance of residential and commercial properties with open space.
“There is some room for growth, which is good,” he said, “and the Zoning Ordinance provides a good handle for controlling and directing that growth.”
Among the other pluses Bartlett noted were Exeter residents’ strong sense of community and positive relationship with the township police department.
“The police department has good rapport with the community,” he said, noting there is mutual respect between residents and law enforcement personnel. “The residents engage and interact with one another and the local government. They really care about their community.”
Although, Bartlett admitted he is still learning the ins and outs of Exeter, he is confident his years of experience will serve the township well.
“There is not a whole lot that is going to surprise me that I have not dealt with elsewhere,” he said.
Bartlett previously served as manager for Bristol, Lehigh and North Whitehall townships. He also served as an assistant manager in Bethlehem Township and most recently as zoning officer for Lower Southampton Township.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Moravian College in Bethlehem and a Master of Education degree from Kutztown University. He spent 14 years in the field of academic administration before moving to a career in township management.
Paul Janssen, director of Albright College’s Center for Excellence in Local Government, assisted in Exeter’s search for a new manager. Bartlett fills the position left vacant after the township supervisors voted in January not to renew former manager John Granger’s contract.
“I am hoping this position will be long term,” Bartlett said of his new appointment. “You won’t get stale in a position like this. I would like to finish out my career here.”