Butler Twp. commissioners set final BASA date
BUTLER TWP — Township commissioners approved Oct. 29 as the closing date for the sale of the Butler Area Sewage Authority at their Monday, Oct. 21 meeting.
The new closure date immediately follows the conclusion of the current active appeal period, which ends Oct 28.
The only change made related to the sale Monday was an amendment to the wind-down agreement’s date of execution. Previous delays were due to appeals being filed by Summit and Center townships, which were denied recently by the Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania.
“This closing agreement essentially addresses the fact that we’re closing potentially over an appeal period, or that we’re moving forward in light of the fact that the appeal period has not yet expired and provides scenarios in the event that an appeal would be filed or in the event that the decision of the Commonwealth Court would be overturned, etc.,” township solicitor Rebecca Black said.
Commissioners also scheduled a hearing date to discuss requested updates and changes to zoning ordinances and the approval of bids for unused equipment. One of the zoning amendments addresses the possibility of solar power fields.
“Presently, our zoning ordinance doesn’t account for what I would call large-scale solar functions, where you see large fields becoming solar farms,” zoning officer Jesse Hines said. “Our ordinance doesn’t account for it in the way that it should, because it’s a newer use.”
Among locations to be discussed is the property of General Butler Vagabond Center, commissioners said.
Other zoning updates to be discussed include limits to the amount of residents allowed in “transitional dwellings,” better known as rentals units, and density guidelines for cluster housing plans.
A public hearing on the zoning changes will be held at 7 p.m. on Dec. 16 at the township municipal building.
■ Items that were sold after accepting public bids were a 1974 International vehicle, a 2012 pickup and a 2015 Ford Interceptor. The three items sold for a total of $18,107.
■ A $6,000 check was presented to Troop D’s Camp Cadet, an organization for youth between the ages of 12 and 15 interested in law enforcement or military careers or in building a strong moral character.
■ An awards ceremony was held for a fire prevention poster contest. In addition to the individual winners of the contest, that had the theme “Smoke Detectors — Make Them Work for You,” an award also was awarded to McQuiston Elementary School after it submitted 18 posters in the contest.
■ The board’s next meeting will be Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at the township municipal building.
