The Foster Township Supervisors announced at Monday night’s
regular meeting there will be no tax increase for township
residents in 2006.

The supervisors approved a budget for next year with expenses
totaling $2,594,712, and revenue available for appropriation at
$2,925,754.

Supervisor Chairman Robert Slike said the supervisors were proud
of the 2006 budget, noting the township will pay out $16,800 for
ambulance service – an unforeseen expense that first came to their
attention in August -ðand is still able to operate without raising
taxes.

Supervisor Chris Wolcott went over some highlights of the 2006
budget, including a decrease in real estate tax from last year.
While the township will be paying out more in wages to township
employees, he said, the cost of benefits to those employees will
decrease. Specifically, Wolcott said, the township will save
$15,000 in health care coverage costs by changing insurance
coverage.

Wolcott also pointed out smaller increases in areas like utility
costs, fuel costs and the cost of replacing the township’s street
signs, adding the supervisors are also “slowly saving money” to
eventually replace the boiler in the Foster Township municipal
building. He said he expected the boiler would be a “major expense”
at some point in the near future.

There will be no increase in the sewer rate, township secretary
Jennifer Gorrell noted.

In other money matters, the supervisors approved a resolution to
increase the sewage enforcement officer fees paid to Todd
Fantaskey. The fees, which are paid by the individual employing
Fantaskey’s services and not by the township, have not increased
since 1995, Slike said.

Fantaskey, a certified sewage enforcement officer with Northwest
Soil Services, raised most of his fees -ðwhich ran from $25 to $350
in 2005, depending on the permit to be issued or inspection to be
completed – by about $25.

Also at the meeting, the supervisors appointed Wolcott as the
delegate to represent Foster Township at the Tuna Valley Council of
Governments meetings in 2006; Slike as his alternate.

Early on in the meeting, at least two Olean Road residents
appealed to the supervisors for help concerning problems they are
having with a neighboring business, Universal Well Service.

The “camp” or branch operation on Olean Road is allegedly
discharging silica sand into the air around it, causing major
health concerns, according to Slike. He said after the meeting an
Olean Road resident, John Johnson, brought the issue to the
supervisors’ attention in the last month.

In addition to the potential health hazard from the silica sand,
residents near the site also complained about loud noise coming
from the employees and their vehicles during all hours of the day
and night – a clear violation of the township’s noise ordinance,
they said. One man called the company’s employees’ behavior
“atrocious,” saying they can be heard swearing loudly and have even
been seen urinating outside in plain view from neighboring
homes.

He went on to say no gravel has been put down on a new parking
lot built at the Universal location, making for “a mile of mud in
either direction.” He added he was also concerned about the trucks
that come in and out and use the parking lot, saying there are
several small children that live nearby, and there is no fence or
division between the yard and the parking lot.

Olean Road resident Bruce Cauvel gave the supervisors several
photographs he said he had taken over the last few months,
documenting the problems at Universal.

“We’ll get on it and see what we can find out,” Slike told the
Olean Road residents at the meeting Monday night.

There was nobody in attendance at the meeting representing
Universal.

In keeping with the time and weather, road superintendent Joe
Sweet asked area residents to be cooperative and considerate when
parking along the streets where snow is being removed. Also,
residents are reminded not to shovel or blow snow off their
properties or sidewalks and onto the township roads or streets
where plows are circulating.