Residents press for ballot drop box and fixes from Foxlane Homes; board approves ordinance advertisement and fee change

Residents used public comment to urge the supervisors to press the county for a ballot drop box and to press Foxlane Homes to finish outstanding corrections on new subdivisions; the board also authorized an ordinance advertisement and approved a fee revision.

A public commenter told the board that Williams Township lacks a post office or local mailbox for residents to deposit mail-in ballots and urged supervisors to make a formal written request to the election board and county executive to place a drop box in the township lobby, monitored for security. The transcript records the commenter’s claim that county placement of drop boxes has favored municipalities with post offices and that rural communities like Williams Township have been left without in‑town drop boxes; this comment was made during the public-comment period and was not a staff report.

Several residents raised concerns about Foxlane Homes properties and the timing of final certificates of occupancy. Residents said multiple plan corrections remained outstanding and that grass/stabilization on lots was not fully established. The township engineer, Ron, and staff stressed that the developer is responsible for completing the listed items and that the DEP standard for stabilization is 70% uniform coverage measured by a random sampling method (the “hula hoop” test). Ron and staff said they would revisit incomplete items and work to schedule inspections; supervisors committed to arranging a public meeting with Foxlane Homes and affected residents before Nov. 1 to seek a resolution.

On agenda business, the zoning officer asked the board to authorize advertisement of a proposed amendment to the township code regarding house numbers so the draft ordinance can go to public hearing. The board moved, seconded and recorded ayes to authorize advertisement.

Staff also asked to amend the agenda to include approval of an updated fee schedule. The board approved Resolution 2024-15 to add a holding-tank fee intended to cover the escrow and sewage-enforcement-officer review and recording costs for holding-tank agreements (fees are set by resolution; the exact fee amount is set in the approved resolution). The zoning officer explained that holding-tank agreements apply when a septic system cannot be installed due to property limitations or where a public sewer is planned for the area.

The meeting closed with supervisors thanking community volunteers and planning follow-up meetings to address resident concerns.