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Township previews public hearings on Verizon franchise renewal and updated recycling ordinance tied to Act 902 grant eligibility
Summary
Staff told council the upcoming business meeting will include required public hearings for a Verizon cable franchise renewal (cable-only; Cohen Law Group to handle technical questions) and an update to the recycling ordinance to meet Act 902 grant requirements; staff emphasized that the franchise fee base has eroded with cord-cutting and that the recycling ordinance change is necessary to pursue significant grant funds.
Staff briefed the council on two required public hearings listed for the upcoming business meeting: a Verizon franchise-agreement renewal and a recycling-ordinance update related to Act 902 grant eligibility.
On the Verizon franchise, staff said Pennsylvania law requires municipalities to hold a public hearing when renewing cable-franchise agreements. The contract covers cable-television services (not Internet) and staff said the county's outside counsel, Cohen Law Group, will handle technical resident questions. Staff warned council that franchise-fee revenue has declined with the reduction in cable-box subscriptions and that councils should expect a smaller fee base than in prior contracts.
The second public hearing concerns a recycling-ordinance update required to pursue Act 902 grant funding for recycling equipment and programs. Staff said the Act 902 grants commonly use a 90/10 split and provided an example equipment grant in the memo; they noted that adding community-activity recycling requirements (for events with 200+ attendees) is now part of the updated ordinance. Council discussed how event recycling will be demonstrated for compliance and staff said initial compliance could be as simple as providing visible recycling canisters at large events while reporting mechanisms will be clarified as the ordinance proceeds.
Staff said both items will be advertised and that Cohen Law Group will collect resident questions for the Verizon franchise and respond after the hearing; the recycling ordinance will be the subject of a public hearing and then brought back for council consideration of adoption.
