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Souderton council adopts school-zone and updated recycling ordinances after public hearing
Summary
After a joint public hearing, the council adopted Ordinance 24-8-09-11 establishing a school zone (15 mph during posted hours) on South Front Street and added a charter school location; the council also adopted Ordinance 24-8-10-12 updating municipal waste/recycling rules and grant-calculation language tied to the Northern Montgomery County Recycling Commission.
Souderton Borough Council held a joint public hearing Oct. 7 and adopted two ordinances: Ordinance 24-8-09-11, which establishes a new school zone that includes South Front Street between Noble and East Broad and adds a charter-school location in the borough’s school-zone map, and Ordinance 24-8-10-12, which updates the municipal waste and recycling ordinance to align how grants are calculated for participating municipalities.
Council described the school-zone measure as adding signage that will display a 15 mph speed limit during posted times recommended by the school (8:00–8:40 a.m. and 3:00–3:40 p.m.) and end-of-zone signs at either terminus. Resident Charlie Brown asked whether the change would be signage only or would include a reduced speed limit during certain hours; council confirmed it will include posted 15 mph limits with specified times.
The recycling ordinance update reflects a change requested by the Northern Montgomery County Recycling Commission. Council explained the new language changes how grant distributions are calculated — moving from a per-capita calculation to one based on participation metrics — and aligns the borough’s ordinance with an updated intermunicipal approach used by Hatfield, Franconia and neighboring municipalities. Resident Michael Pape recommended the borough notify residents on upcoming trash or sewer bills about the change in grant calculation so homeowners understand how recycling participation affects the borough’s allocation.
Both ordinances were advertised in advance and were the subject of public comment during the Oct. 7 hearing; council adopted Ordinance 24-8-09-11 and Ordinance 24-8-10-12 by voice vote. Council recorded that public comments related to the ordinances would be entered into the record and that the borough would follow up on certain communication and implementation questions raised during comment.
Next steps noted at the meeting included implementation of signage for the school zone and follow-up communications to residents about the recycling/grant change; no further immediate council action was recorded on Oct. 7.
