Members discuss ways to develop budget

Members of the Back Mountain Community Partnership (BMCP) discussed ways to develop a budget on Oct. 15 at Misericordia University.

The BMCP is an inter-municipal group composed of Dallas, Franklin, Jackson, Kingston and Lehman townships and Dallas Borough.

BMCP President Al Fox said he would like to see the group develop better zoning and planning together in the Back Mountain, as well as a uniform police department. Fox asked other municipalities for input.

The Pennsylvania Council of Governments suggests groups such as the BMCP implement a $1 per capita fee in each participating municipality. BMCP President Al Fox, of Jackson Township; Ray Iwanowski, of Lehman Township; and Dallas Borough Mayor Tim Carroll supported the idea.

Phil Walter, of Dallas Township, said the $1 per capita would be costly to the township because it has about 8,000 residents. Jeffrey Box, of Kingston Township, said the township has 7,200 residents and such a fee would likely not pass among the supervisors. Box also said he does not feel the township is interested in a regional comprehensive plan.

Joseph Chacke, of NEPA-Alliance, and BMCP solicitor Jeffrey Malak put together a draft for an 18-month to two-year budget for $35,000 based on money they hope to receive by applying for a Shared Municipal Services Plan Grant through the state. They agreed to revisit the budget.

State Sen. Lisa Baker (R- Lehman Township) and State Rep. Karen Boback (R- Harveys Lake), who were at the meeting, offered to assist them.

New membership

BMCP secretary Tracey Carr reported that Harveys Lake Borough Councilman Clarence Hogan wrote a letter of interest about the borough joining the group. Lake-Lehman School District Superintendent James McGovern also wrote a similar letter on behalf of the district.

The BMCP voted to send Harveys Lake Borough officials a letter, informing them that the next step they must take is to pass a resolution in favor of joining the partnership. Thee BMCP will also send Lake-Lehman officials a letter to notify them that a school district does not fit into the BMCP’s articles of agreement, but that partnership members are looking into revising those articles.

According to Malak, all municipalities, school districts and even private universities in the Dallas and Lake-Lehman school districts are eligible to join the BMCP according to the Intergovernmental Cooperation Law. However, the BMCP’s articles of agreement refer only to municipalities, so a revision must occur before other entities can join.

Malak said he also did research on non-voting memberships. An associate membership would not allow a governmental body any voting power, but would allow it to participate in programs. An honorary membership would not allow voting power or program participation.

Grant award status

Chacke reported that the BMCP has not yet been notified if it will receive any funding it applied for from the Department of Environmental Protection Energy Conservation Grant. Kingston and Jackson townships and Dallas Borough applied for money for solar panels while Kingston and Lehman townships and Dallas Borough applied for funding for energy efficiency upgrades.

Chacke said the BMCP should know by the end of October if it is to receive any money.

Gaming money

The BMCP is concerned that smaller municipalities don’t get as much of a share as larger municipalities do in the distribution of state gaming funds. BMCP members asked Baker and Boback about the possibility of revising legislation to address the issue.

Boback said right now, the contiguous municipalities of the casino are supposed to get first priority in gaming money.

“We can work to try to advance an amendment that would make it more equitable....,” Baker said. “I would agree with you that it should be more equitable.”

Back Mountain sign

Boback said the Back Mountain Economic Development Council has come up with an idea to put a “Welcome to the Back Mountain” sign just beyond Carverton Road. The council would like Kingston Township to waive any fees required for the sign.

Box said the township does have a sign ordinance that will have to be followed. He said he will take the matter back to the other supervisors.

Funding support

Janet Sweeney, of the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC), sent correspondence to the BMCP asking for its support in the PEC’s application of funding for a trail and greenway feasibility master plan for the Harvey’s Creek and Toby Creek watershed. The PEC applied for funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and plans to apply for matching funds from Luzerne County.

Fox suggested each municipality send its own letter of support to the PEC if it desires because the deadline for the PEC’s grant application to the county will occur before the next BMCP meeting.

DARE proposal

Officer Frank Ziegler, of the Kingston Township Police Department, gave a brief presentation on the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program. Ziegler teaches the DARE program to fifth and eighth-graders in the Dallas School District and at Gate of Heaven School.

The program is no longer being funded by the state and Kingston Township agreed to take on the cost of about $10,428.89 for the present school year. The township proposed to share the cost of the program, based on population, for the 2010-2011 school year as follows: 25 percent each from Dallas School District, Dallas Township and Kingston Township; 15 percent from Dallas Borough; and 5 percent each from Franklin Township and Gate of Heaven School.

Representatives from the municipalities involved agreed to discuss the matter among their supervisors or council.