Businesses in Foster Township will again be able to take advantage of tax abatements.

During Monday’s meeting, township officials approved continuing the Local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance program.

“It’s been enacted for five years,” Supervisor Chairman George Hocker said. “The small mom-and-pop businesses, that are locally owned, are the only ones that took advantage of it. The big corporations chose not to.”

In the first year, the business is taxed at zero percent of the value of the property, then the business gets taxed at 80 percent in year five.

In all, Hocker said he figures only three businesses have participated in the program. He expects the number of participants to remain the same with the renewal of the program.
“Because I look at it as a big company coming in here, if they’re building, they’re looking for a write-off,” Hocker said.

Also at the meeting, Supervisor Gus Crissman announced that the annual road inspection is tentatively scheduled to get underway today.

“This year we’re going to photograph the blight as we go,” Crissman said, indicating that this method will provide officials with evidence against owners whose properties are eyesores.

“We’re probably going to cite some of these people,” he said. “We have blight in our township that we have to address.”

Officials also announced that the annual spring cleanup is scheduled from 8 to 10 a.m. May 13 along Tuna Cross Road. Tires, electronics, grass clippings, leaves and household garbage are not being accepted.

The township supervisors accepted the resignation of Daniel Kline, effective May 12, and then approved advertising, interviewing and hiring for a road department employee.

In his report, Police Chief Tom Munn reported that the department handled 226 complaints, of which 10 involved motor vehicles for April. He also reported that officers issued 11 citations and conducted 17 criminal investigations last month.