Town reflects why people don’t trust government
What happened in Upper Mount Bethel Township recently is a good example of why many people believe they aren’t treated fairly by their government.
Township supervisors took a surprise vote on a matter involving the biggest issue in the community, the River Pointe Commerce Park development.
The vote was on a minor point. But the public still deserved advance notice about it. And they didn’t get that notice, despite a state law requiring it.
Municipalities must publish agendas for public board meetings at least 24 hours in advance.
At their meeting Oct. 10,
Upper Mount Bethel supervisors amended their published agenda to vote on an indemnification agreement with River Pointe’s developer.
The agreement allowed a portion of the project, the grading of land along Demi Road, to move forward.
Opponents of the River Pointe development criticized the supervisors for holding a sudden vote that they were not aware would occur, The Morning Call’s Evan Jones reported.
Upper Mount Bethel solicitor Ronald Karasek, who asked that the vote be added to the agenda, defended it. He said the agenda was amended at the beginning of the meeting so everyone in attendance would know what would be voted on later.
“Then the commenters can respond accordingly,” he told
The Morning Call.
That misses the point.
There might have been a lot of township residents who would have liked to offer their thoughts on the indemnification agreement. But they may not have attended the meeting because that item was not on the agenda on the township’s website.
State law allows municipalities to amend published agendas under some circumstances. Boards can vote on items added to an agenda if they are considered to be minor or don’t authorize spending money or entering into a contract or agreement.
While the grading along Demi Road may be considered a minor part of the massive River Pointe, the development of that 804-acre industrial park near Portland is a huge deal for many township residents.
The last-minute approval given last week was not needed to address an emergency situation. The item didn’t make it on the agenda in time because the township solicitor was busy with other duties and didn’t submit it until after the agenda had been published, township Manager Ed Nelson told The Morning Call.
The Pennsylvania Legislature enacted a law last year to prevent the public from being surprised like they were in Upper Mount Bethel. That law requires agendas to be posted at meeting locations and on websites at least a day before a meeting.
Before last year, municipalities, planning commissions, zoning boards and other government bodies were not required to publish an agenda.
That allowed situations to occur like one I wrote about in 2016, when Lower Milford Township disbanded its police force. The agenda for that meeting was posted on the township website only hours before the vote.
Upper Mount Bethel’s surprise vote violated the spirit of the new law and was not in the public’s best interest.
I hope other governments will learn from this controversy and work harder to be open and accountable.
I also hope governments take note of how another Lehigh Valley government went the extra mile to make sure the public has access to important information.
Last week, Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk presented his budget proposal for 2023. I’ve read plenty of municipal budgets, but haven’t seen anything like what Tuerk offered.
In addition to the standard charts loaded with numbers, Tuerk released a 316-page “budget narrative.” It explains why each expense is needed.
For example, an additional ambulance is recommended because call volume has been increasing for the last three years; no new staff have been added; and an advanced life support crew must arrive at an emergency within eight minutes 90% of the time to meet the national standard.
The budget narrative explains how adding another ambulance may not be a big cost for taxpayers. Ambulances generate revenue for Allentown through fees charged for transporting patients. Those fees cover about 92% of Emergency Medical Services operations.
That context helps taxpayers understand not only where their money is being spent, but why. I doubt many residents will bother to review that budget information, but it’s there for those who want to. You can find it at allentownpa.gov/Government.
I hope other municipalities adopt that format.
Tuerk also proposes the city spend about $60,000 a year to hire an official to handle public records requests made through the state Right-to-Know Law.
State law requires municipalities to designate an employee to respond to those requests. In 2020, the city hired someone to perform that role. When that person was promoted to another job, the position was not filled.
An assistant city solicitor took on those duties, and that work has consumed nearly all of her time. So Tuerk is proposing to hire another person to perform that task and allow the attorney to work on other matters.
Having a dedicated official to handle requests for public records will improve the city’s responsiveness, according to Tuerk’s proposed budget.
There are costs for government to be transparent and accountable to the public. It’s refreshing to see Tuerk recognize that and want to make that investment.