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Lower Saucon Council sworn in, approves two outside studies on landfill’s fiscal and community impacts
Summary
At its 2026 reorganizational meeting, the Lower Saucon Township Council swore in two new supervisors, elected officers and unanimously authorized two outside studies — a financial impact analysis and a community assessment — to evaluate options tied to the Bethlehem landfill.
Hunter Grass and Chad Heinbecker were sworn in as Lower Saucon Township supervisors during the council’s reorganizational meeting, after which the council elected Victoria Optov Cordderero as council president and Priscilla Deleó as vice president by unanimous roll-call votes.
The newly constituted council moved quickly into policy and planning actions. Council authorized the acting township manager to execute an agreement with the Minor Center for the Study of State and Local Government to perform a financial impact analysis and an organizational assessment to examine township finances and staffing, particularly in scenarios involving the Bethlehem landfill. The council approved the contract by roll call; members noted Phase 1 (financial impact analysis) is expected between February and June 2026 and an organizational phase in the fall.
Council also approved an agreement with the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission (LVPC) to perform a Lower Saucon community assessment that will analyze economic, environmental and property-tax impacts. The LVPC work was described as phased, with stakeholder outreach, property and infrastructure analysis and a final deliverable expected in September 2026. Council members said the two studies are intended to provide independent information to guide decisions about the township’s fiscal future.
Public comment before the votes focused on the landfill. Maryanne Garber, identifying herself as representing the Bethlehem Landfill, asked that Council President Optov Cordderero recuse herself from landfill-related discussions because of separate litigation; other residents urged the council to hire both LVPC and an additional independent consultant to provide diverse perspectives. The solicitor and staff presented timelines and scope summaries to the council before the roll-call approvals.
The council framed the studies as planning steps to explore options "with or without the landfill" and to assess how potential changes could affect township revenue, services and land use. Both agreements were approved by roll-call votes of 5-0.
The council also handled routine reorganizational business during the meeting — including omnibus adoption of agenda resolutions during the reorganization — and scheduled further public engagement on landfill issues, including a landfill committee meeting with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection on January 15, 2026.
