JAMES CITY — The Highland Township Home Rule government study commission will be holding a public hearing at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Highland Township municipal building.
While the commissioners stated in their newsletter they are still in the research phase of deciding whether or not they will draft a Home Rule Charter, they are expected to announce to the community they will be drafting a Charter based on their findings over the last three months through their studies of the Pennsylvania Second Class Township Code.
Whether they will announce whether or not work will commence on drafting the Charter, the commissioners will discuss their findings from their studies over the last three months either way. They will go over what in the Pennsylvania Second Class Township Code they believe works for Highland Township, as well as what they have found about the code that they feel would be better strengthened by a Home Rule Charter.
The commission will not make any actual decisions during the public hearing. According to a notice circulated by the commission, they will be asking the Highland Township residents what they would like to see in the Charter as the commissioners go forth drafting it.
The Highland Township Home Rule government study commission consists of Amy Beers, Bill Edinger, Misty Edinger, John Guras, Lloyd Hulings, Judy Orzetti and Matthew Vaughn. Orzetti was appointed to the commission at the July 21 meeting to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of commissioner-elect Erin Vassallo, who accepted employment outside of the area after her election to the commission in April.
The commission appointed William Geibel at their first meeting in June, but Geibel declined the position due to personal reasons.
Highland Township enacted their community Bill of Rights ordinance in January 2013 in an attempt to save their source of water. However, the township is currently in a federal lawsuit with Seneca Resources of Houston over a wastewater injection well the company wants to place within a half mile of the township’s watershed.
The ordinance was drafted by the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF). While CELDF no longer represents the township in their legal battle with Seneca Resources as of June, they have been retained as legal counsel by the Home Rule government study commission.
Sources indicate the Bill of Rights ordinance is expected to be a cornerstone of Highland Township’s Home Rule Charter.
However, the supervisors may wind up scrapping the Bill of Rights ordinance, a move that may have been expected by some residents. On Friday, the supervisors advertised the repealing of both the Bill of Rights ordinance and the amendment to ordinance, which was adopted in March 2015. The supervisors are expected to vote on it at their next meeting on Aug. 10.
Supervisor chairman Mike Detsch has indicated he is not in favor of keeping the ordinance, and supervisor Glen Hulings expressed his concerns in April about keeping the ordinance shortly after his appointment to the vacancy left by the death of Paul Burton Jr. in December.
The township also secured new legal counsel in Swanson, Bevevino and Gilford, P.C. of Warren in May after declining to appoint David Pontzer of Pontzer and Pontzer, Ridgway.
There will also be a picnic at 11:30 a.m. at the Highland Township park, located next to the municipal building, prior to the hearing. All food has been donated for the picnic, and no township or Home Rule government study commission funding was used for the picnic.
Anyone interested in obtaining the free e-newsletter tracking the Highland Township Home Rule Charter government study commission’s progress towards drafting a charter should email highlandtwphomerule@comcast.net.
