Lower Frederick supervisors approve routine bills, software migration and appointments; waive fire company zoning fee

Lower Frederick Township’s Board of Supervisors dealt with routine finance and staff business at its June meeting, approving multiple procurement items and two appointments while postponing one contested road-repair decision.

The board approved the monthly bills — authorizing General Fund, Sewer Fund (excluding two Saxon Sons invoices), Liquid Fuels, Open Space and ARPA COVID relief payments — then separately voted to pay the two Saxon Sons invoices. Chair noted the initial motion excluded Saxon Sons invoices for recusal reasons; the record shows the first vote as 4–0 with one recusal and one supervisor absent. “So that was my fault… Supervisor Byrd made the motion,” the Chair said while correcting the roll-call procedure before the votes.

The board authorized release No. 4 of escrow for the Arcadia Station/Creekside project, approving a $519,471.57 reduction that will leave approximately $399,966.65 in escrow while remaining items such as sidewalk repairs and a maintenance bond are completed. Carol Schuler, township engineer, said the project is "substantially complete" and staff will verify tree replacements ahead of any dedication.

In technology and operations votes, the board approved a $5,750 setup to move the township’s Harris FlexiBill sewer-billing system to cloud hosting and authorized adding a second user license, with staff estimating ongoing annual costs at approximately $3,870 once set up. The motion to proceed was moved and seconded and passed unanimously. The board also approved two capital laptops for the treasurer and public works ($2,907.47) and a $2,350 electrical repair at the Public Works building to address emergency power supply issues.

The board appointed Seth A. Carey to the Environmental Advisory Council (term through Dec. 31, 2026) and unanimously named Police Officer Edward Bacon as Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator after the manager reported chief Cass’s approval.

On a policy item raised by the local fire company, the board voted to waive the $800 zoning-hearing-board application fee for the fire company’s request to install a dimmable, schedulable digital message board. A fire company representative described vendor options for scheduling and dimming the sign; the board approved the waiver unanimously.

Items the board tabled or deferred included a contested bid award for the Zieglerville Road base-repair project, which supervisors decided to delay to the next general meeting so all five supervisors could participate and more information on drainage and alternative treatments could be prepared. A staff-requested refund calculation for the Mannings (EDU/refund issue) was also tabled pending recalculation.

Votes at a glance: - Payment of monthly bills (general funds, sewer fund minus Saxon Sons invoices): approved (vote recorded as 4–0, 1 recusal, 1 absent) - Saxon Sons invoices (two separate small invoices): approved (same voting pattern) - Waive $800 zoning board application fee for Lower Frederick Fire Company (digital message board): approved unanimously - Authorize chair to sign development documents for Prestige Farm Bureau Estate/related conveyances: approved (3 votes, 1 recusal) - Arcadia Station escrow release #4 ($519,471.57): approved unanimously - Sewer billing cloud migration/setup ($5,750 setup; ongoing ~$3,870/yr): approved unanimously - Purchase of two laptops ($2,907.47): approved unanimously - Public Works building electrical repair ($2,350): approved unanimously - Appoint Seth A. Carey to EAC (term to 12/31/2026): approved unanimously - Appoint Police Officer Edward Bacon as Deputy EMC: approved unanimously - Authorize fire police assistance for neighboring events (Upper Salford, Limerick): approved unanimously

The board’s minutes show frequent requests for additional detail on larger capital decisions. Chair closed the meeting after the public-comment period.