The West Vincent Township Board of Supervisors held their regular meeting on the above date at the Township Building. Vice Chairman Zoë Perkins called the meeting to order at 7:40 p.m.; also in attendance were Supervisor Karl Brachwitz, Township Manager Allen Heist, and Township Solicitor Allan Greenwood.

Minutes:

• Unanimous approval was granted for minutes of October 4, 11, 18, and 25 with a motion from Mr. Brachwitz and second from Mrs. Perkins.

Reports:

• Treasurer's Report - Mike Burnley reported the following October account balances: General Fund, $84,505.80; State Fund, $59,472.41; Kimberton Sewer Fund, $12,447.04; Road Repair Loan Account, $15,261.99; St. Stephens Greene Water Fund, $16,969.73; St. Stephens Greene Sewer Fund, $30,402.33; and Township Building Construction Fund, $742,765.77.
• Tax Collector's Report - Received from Berkheimer Associates: Delinquent Real Estate Tax, $5,391.14; Debt Service - Road Repair Loan, $1,778.64; and Earned Income Tax, $19,953.73. Received from Chester County: Real Estate Transfer Tax, $20,793.81.
• Police Report - The Police Department responded to 70 calls in October. A criminal arrest was made for multiple thefts from Pearl's produce on Route 100; several individuals (all non-residents of the Township) were cited for trespassing at Camphill Village; the Department is investigating several thefts of stereos from vehicles; and Township residents and business owners are reminded to have their alarm systems serviced after experiencing a false alarm.
• Solicitor's Report - Solicitor Greenwood reported the two delinquent property owners in the Kimberton Sewer Extension Project have been notified of a change in the principal amount owed; no current payments have been received.

Correspondence:

• Correspondence was received from Kate and Thoma Johnson, 2358 Flowing Springs Road, regarding the proposed bridge improvements to the Flowing Springs Road Bridge over Birch Run and enforcement of the 25 M.P.H. posted speed limit. Undermining of the stone abutments of the bridge took place as a result of Hurricane Floyd; proposed repairs to the foundation area are similar to those for the Davis Lane project and should not affect the rural village atmosphere. Mr. Brachwitz had previously discussed speed enforcement on Flowing Springs Road with the Police Department and was told there are no effective places to sit with enough distance to use a timing device (Pennsylvania does not allow Township Police to use radar). Officer Jones will review the speed enforcement issue.
• Mr. Brachwitz read the following letter from Pamela Shillingford-Brown, Chairman of The West Vincent Land Trust, Inc. into the record:

  "On behalf of the Board of Directors of the West Vincent Land Trust, I would like to express our sincere gratitude for the November 2, 1999 distribution of $10,000 towards our preservation efforts. These funds are even more valuable to us now, in light of the defeat of the Open Space Referendum. We are obviously forced to seek alternative funding sources. Fortunately, we have established excellent relationships at the county level and plan to pursue previous grant offers. It is also hoped that voluntary donations to the land trust will continue to send the message that the protection of open space truly is a priority in this township.

  We look forward to your continued, and perhaps increased, support as we endeavor to provide planning assistance to preservation minded West Vincent residents.

  Thank you for your faith and confidence in our organization."

Subdivision/Land Development/Zoning:

• An agreement for subdivision review extension to January 31, 2000 for the Griffith Tract (Owen J. Roberts School District) was acknowledged with a motion from Mr. Brachwitz and second from Mrs. Perkins; the motion carried unanimously.
• The EAC and West Vincent Land Trust requested clarification on the status of the Chester County Agricultural Land Preservation Board's offer to purchase development rights from Camphill Village on approximately 200 acres and the offers influence on the TDR Receiving Zone Overlay map, of which this parcel is included. Manager Heist indicated the PRD Overlay designation for the Camphill Village tract is a more critical concern. No additional information has been received since the County's notification of the offer.
• Mr. Jeff Butler, Director of Planning and Zoning of Mannheim Township, will conduct an educational forum on Transfer of Development Rights as a viable alternative to conservation easements, including an overview of Mannheim Township's successful TDR banking program, during the Land Trust meeting to be held Tuesday, December 7^th at 4 p.m.

Old Business:

• Chairman Miller arrived at 7:52 p.m. and continued with the next agenda item, the Open Space Referendum. Board, EAC, and Land Trust members are perplexed at the failure of the referendum in light of township residents' support for preserving open space and opposition to over-development. The following is a summary of public comments heard from opposing voters and discussion:
  • Consistently a "pocketbook" issue.
  • Suggested to retire the road repair tax prior to allocating millage for land preservation.
  • Base the tax on earned income; however, as Mr. Brachwitz pointed out, there are many property owners within the Township who do not pay earned income tax.
  • The silent majority has spoken; the active participants in local government are a minority speaking for the community.
  • Residents owning up to 9 acres aren't eligible for property tax breaks, i.e. Act 319.
  • Current real estate tax rates are high.
  • The Township Newsletter offered information regarding the referendum but took a neutral position on the issue ... lack of understanding, lack of information, failure to educate, justification for the referendum, and the potential for more cost further down the road were mentioned.
  • Residents didn't want "the government" involved in open space or selection of the Open Space Review Board.
  • Lack of definition in terms of dollar amounts involved.
  • Reconsider open space referendum issue in two years.

New Business:

• The West Vincent Police Department has requested a speed study on S. Chester Springs Road, between Conestoga Road and Horseshoe Trail; a letter will be sent to PennDOT.

Business from the Floor:

• Township resident, Lenore Richards, voiced her objection to Monday morning administration meetings (held the 1^st, 3^rd, and 5^th Monday of each month at 8 a.m.) stating that she felt it was not in the best interest of the township to hold meetings when the general public is at work and specifically opposes any action taken at the meetings, such as bid openings or awards. Wheeler Aman added his support for Mrs. Richards viewpoint mentioning most townships do not meet four times per month and the difficulty for residents to keep up with Township business. The administrative meetings are open to the public, scheuduled early in the morning, and are held as a result of residents' concerns that the Board take care of business on a regular basis and monitor office activities to effectively manage the Township. It was also noted that minutes of the administration meetings are available.
• Bruce Saunders indicated that restoration has begun on the Coroniti property, Hollow Road; a copy of the restoration plan will be sent to Mr. Saunders. The Township Zoning Officer is meeting daily with Mr. Coroniti to supervise the project.
• Bob Ellis asked Solicitor Greenwood the status of ordaining and vacating Cooks Glen Road. Neighboring property owner, Mr. Reiff, is raising right-of-way issues to a landlocked wooded lot; Mr. Greenwood is waiting to hear from the attorneys involved.

Bills List:

• Mrs. Perkins made a motion to pay the bills on the Bills List dated November 8, 1999; it was seconded by Mr. Brachwitz and carried unanimously.

There being no further business, Mrs. Perkins moved the meeting be adjourned; the motion was seconded by Mr. Brachwitz and the meeting adjourned at 9:05 p.m. An executive session was held regarding personnel/potential litigation matters.

Respectfully Submitted,