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Residents split at Upper Allen hearing as board enacts land-preservation referendum
Summary
At a packed meeting, residents and outside experts gave contrasting views: some urged immediate ballot action to preserve farmland; others objected to lack of outreach and details. Speakers included land trusts and longtime residents.
Public comment at the Aug. 3 Upper Allen meeting ranged from strong support for a preservation referendum to sharp criticism about process and outreach.
Opponents, including Jake Fogarty, told commissioners he could not support the tax proposal "in its current form" because it lacked detail about which properties would be targeted, whether landowners had been engaged and how funds would be spent. Paul Brennaman and others countered that the referendum is meant to authorize financing and that implementation, including selection criteria and advisory committees, occurs only after voter approval.
Outside experts and local advocates also spoke. Laura Brown, Silver Spring Township's preservation coordinator, described her township's experience and fund history and offered to help Upper Allen if voters grant the authority. Cameron Weiser of the Central Pennsylvania Conservancy described his group as an accredited local land trust that could partner on projects that fall outside county program priorities.
The mix of testimony — concerns about transparency and process on one hand, urgency and partnership possibilities on the other — framed the board's eventual decision to place the question on the Nov. 3 ballot.
