Residents, Supervisors Table Plan Slate Belt Implementation Agreement Amid Rezoning and Ethics Concerns

Upper Mount Bethel Township supervisors on March 10 voted unanimously to table consideration of the Slate Belt Multi‑Municipal Implementation Agreement after an extended public discussion about potential zoning changes and the ethical fitness of Township Steering Committee representatives.

Resident Charles Baltic told the board that "Policy 1.1 of the Plan - POLICY 1.1! - is the rezoning of participating townships to alleviate boroughs' land use issues by allowing intensity and diversity of housing development," and urged the board to scrutinize how the Plan could affect local zoning. Multiple residents called for a referendum or for the Township to craft its own plan rather than cede zoning decisions to a regional agreement. Supervisor Erler said the Board can voluntarily withdraw later, and the motion to table the Implementation Agreement indefinitely carried 5-0.

Township Solicitor Karasek and several Supervisors explained that joining the Implementation Agreement would likely require amending the Township's zoning ordinance, a process that would include review by the Planning Commission and the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission prior to any public hearings. Supervisor Bermingham asked fellow supervisors and the solicitor to review the draft Implementation Agreement before the next meeting.

The public also raised concerns about two members of the Slate Belt Steering Committee who represent Upper Mount Bethel. Baltic and other speakers noted both have been cited and sanctioned by the Pennsylvania State Ethics Commission; Baltic argued those sanctions create a governance vulnerability for the Township in multi‑municipal negotiations. No formal board censure was adopted at the meeting; the board did direct review of the Steering Committee representation and said the Steering Committee status would be revisited on March 24.