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Township moves ahead with land-preservation purchases and prepares referendum language
Summary
Supervisors approved purchase steps for three conservation easements and discussed authorizing the solicitor to prepare November referendum language for a 0.25 tax increase to fund the Land Preservation Board; board members also agreed to host educational workshops to explain the program.
Supervisor (speaker 1) led the board through multiple land-preservation items on the March 12 agenda, moving to approve individualized purchase agreements for three conservation easements and asking the solicitor to draft referendum language that would place a 0.25 tax increase on the November ballot to fund the Land Preservation Board.
The board authorized staff to proceed with agreements for specific properties, including parcels at 2155 Morgan Hill Road and 1075 Moore Mill Road, and discussed the likely reliance on grant dollars versus township set-aside funds to complete purchases. "We don't know if [grants] are going to help you through. Either if the grants do come through, we're gonna use grant money to purchase those. If the grants don't come through, then we're gonna just use the money that we have set aside for the land," a preservation-board representative (speaker 8) told supervisors.
Supervisor (speaker 1) moved that the township solicitor prepare a referendum for a 0.25 tax increase to appear on the November ballot; members debated whether the rate and timing would secure voter approval, noting the lengthy processing time for property conservation. "These properties don't go through sometimes for three years," Manager (speaker 2) said, urging the board to account for multi-year revenue and project timelines.
Ken Gadalla, chair of the Land Preservation Board, urged the board to plan outreach. "We were concerned about how to advertise, how to campaign for referendum," Gadalla said, suggesting Heritage (a technical partner) run workshops to educate landowners and the public about the program and its benefits.
Supervisor (speaker 1) also moved and the board authorized use of the Williams Township municipal building for a referendum workshop and outreach events. Board members discussed next steps for advertising and outreach and whether the referendum's language and rate should be adjusted to increase the chance of passage.
The board recorded at least one dissent during the authorization vote; the manager (speaker 2) voiced opposition during the roll call. The record in the transcript does not include a full roll-call tally of yes and no votes for the solicitor authorization, so the exact final vote count is not specified in the meeting record provided.
The preservation items also included approvals to proceed with the paperwork and agreements for the named parcels; the board directed staff to continue applying for grants and to use reserve funds if grant awards do not materialize.
Next steps: the solicitor was directed to draft referendum language (motion made), staff will schedule outreach workshops in the township building if appropriate, and conservation easement agreements will proceed subject to available funding and grant outcomes.
