0 ® Qin approved a ®: to residents. ‘The fees are as follows: ~' tion; $420 application fee for re- Vl'pairs, modifications or alter- © ations to an existing sewage dis- ncposal system; $200 application hc fee for repairs, modification or al- - ternations to an existing sewage . disposal system; $150 fee for eval- ~ system’s components; $150 appli- ~ cation fee for a tank; $125 fee for '“major subdivision module; $100 © fee for inspection of an existing ir system on a vacant lot that has i1.not been used for one year before any replacement dwelling can be Sunday, January 2, 2011 THE DALLAS POST PAGE 3 Budget for 2011 holds line on taxes By EILEEN GODIN Dallas Post Correspondent Jackson Township taxes will not in- crease in 2011 and paving projects will continue under the budget approved by the board of supervisors. During a special meeting last week, supervisors unanimously approved the $1,014,385 fiscal plan that will keep the millagerate at 1.32. A mill is $1 per every $1,000 assessed property value. Supervisor Al Fox said the budget’s goal was to hold the line on taxes while continuing to provide residents with ser- vices such as drop-off recycling, a yard waste collection site, recreational facil- ities, a citizens group for SCI-Dallas, round-the-clock police, fire and ambu- lance protection and maintenance of township roads. NEXT MEETING The Jackson Township board of supervisors will hold a reorganization meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Jan. 3 in the municipal building. “This 2011 budget reflects the Jackson Township supervisors’ commitment to public safety and welfare of all citizens of Jackson Township,” Fox said. The 2011 budget will continue to fund the comprehensive paving project that began in 2010. “In 2011, we have plans to finish all roads in Meadow Crest Manor, which are Oak, Cherry, and Meadow Crest,” Fox said. “Other roads in the plans for this year are Gates and Sutton Hill as money and time allow.” Fox said that in 2010, the township fin- ished road paving to Fieldcrest, Chase Manor, Briarwood, Pine Tree, Marilyn Drive, and Evans Road. In other news, supervisors approved a new recycling ordinance that outlines the current program and addresses vio- lations of illegal dumping and littering fines to keep the township in compliance with Department of Environmental Pro- tection’s regulations. An updated parking ordinance was ac- cepted by supervisors. The new ordi- nance will replace the 1988 version and redefines. parking penalties associated with newly established no parking zones. Township Attorney Jeffery Malak stated the new parking ordinance will be effective within five days. It will be the responsibility of the police offices to in- form the public of the new ordinance, Malak said. “They usually issue warnings first,” he said. Supervisors adopted the EMA region- al agency and intergovernmental agree- ment. The agreement with Dallas Bor- ough and Lehman Township will allow the three municipalities to pool emer- gency management resources and pro- vided increase opportunities for grant funding. Also, Supervisor John “Jay” Wilkes an- nounced the township received notifica- tion from the county that FEMA funding came through for the Hillside Road bridge replacement project. Jackson Township will be responsible for remov- ing a portion of a sewer line that runs un- der the bridge. Wilkes said the township will be reimbursed 50 percent of the cost of the removal. The bridge work will be- gin in the spring or summer. No tax Increases In Ross Twp. { By EILEEN GODIN Times Leader Correspondent + $499,080 budget for 2011 without raising taxes during a year-end ' meeting held Tuesday night. | The new budget will keep the | mill rate the same at .23. A mill | rate is $1 for every $1,000 in as- | sessed tax value. Chairman Stan | Davis said the earned income tax | rate will remain at one half of 1 percent. The 2011 budget is $100,630 more than the 2010 budget of $398,450. The difference is UP NEXT re from an antici- Supervisors will pated Commu- meet at 7 p.m. nity Develop- on Monday, ment grant for Jan. 3 in the $100,000. Da- WNICIDE! DUI. oe sei the Ts | oC ing for their {eipali annual re- > pa aDik i organizational - plied for” the meeting. grant but is not sure if they will be approved. If the township does receive ap- proval for the grant, plans are to use the funds for road projects. The board also passed a resolu- tion to carry over the current sewage disposal systems fees in- to 2011. Last year the township approved a motion to pass along the total cost of permits and fees for the sewer enforcement offi- $420 for application for a sew- age disposal system including a percolation test, two soil probes, review of design and final inspec- uation of existing systems requir- ing a dye test or inspection of the ~CY TT Continued from Page 1 burned out,” said Lisa. “He has pa- tience. He sat and figured it all out.” His parents said that if given the chance, Michael Jr. would completely cover the house with lights, just like the Griswold home. “He loves Christmas. He loves the whole process,” said Lisa. “He loves counting down the days and he loves giving gifts. I'm proud that he sees Christmas not for the toys but for what it really is.” Robert Hivish Jr., assistant township manager and member of the recreation board in Kingston Township, said the holiday house contest is about bring- ing a more festive atmosphere to the township. The contest has been a holi- day tradition for more than a decade in the township that spans Shavertown, Trucksville and a part of Wyoming. “It raises the Christmas spirit, and it’s just fun to drive around the town- ship and look at all the lights,” he said. Hivish and his wife, Erica, who is al- so a member of the recreation board, drove to each of the six nominated houses on Dec. 19 and took pictures of the holiday décor. He then e-mailed the photos to the other three members of the recreation board for judging pur- ] . A [oR ade VA CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK PHOTOS/FOR THE DALLAS POST Michael Golden and his mother Lisa stand on the porch of their house on Tamanini Drive in Shavertown. The home was nomonated as a finalist in the Holiday Houses light contest. vi OC) $i i 3 PE i i INH EE Mike and Joan Dzanko's home on Harris Hill Road in Shavertown was also nominated. poses. He said that in the past, attempts to congregate all the recreation board members for an in-person peek at the houses were futile, and sometimes on- ly two people were responsible for picking the winners. Fe : 3 > ad SEN = Fo “Every single person agreed this year that (e-mailing photos) was (fair- er),” he said. There is really only one contest rule — houses cannot win two years in a row. Hivish said six houses were nominated this year, and the township usually gets six to 10 nominations every year. Four gift certificates to Lowe’s hard- ware store will be awarded at the board of supervisors meeting on Jan. 12. First place receives $60, second place re- ceives $55, third gets $45, and fourth place is awarded $40. Homeowners and contest nominees Mike and Joan Dzanko of Harris Hill Michael Golden adjusts a reindeer that has been blown loose. Road don’t really need the incentive to buy extra lights — Mike estimates there are between 5,000 to 7,000 lights strung along the gutters, windows and trees on his property. His festive features do have an edge on the competition — his woodworking hobby turned into a signature style of decorum during the holiday season. After 10 years of woodworking, he has all the standard shapes sitting in See HOLIDAY, Page 8 .~ placed on the vacant lot; $80 fee - for site verification of prior test- ing; $50 fee for holding tank in- spection; $75 fee for minor sub- division module; $35 for each ad- “~' ditional probe, and; $35 per hour fee in addition to mileage, deter- mined by the IRS rate, for miscel- go laneous expenses such as water testing, additional inspections : and evaluations. ¢ Kingston Twp. residents can save on insurance By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Kingston Township resi- dents may have a chance to get their homeowners insur- ance rates lowered as a result of water main and fire hydrant replacements. Residents can call the town- ship to see if a new hydrant has been placed within 1,000 feet of their residence over the last five years. Brian Corbett, of Corbett In- surance in Shavertown, said different areas have different ISO (Insurance Services Of- fice Limited) ratings depend- ing on structures’ access to fire hydrants and other pre- ventative fire services. The scale ranges from 1 to 10. For example, Corbett said New York City would be alon the scale because many build- ings are equipped with pre- ventative measures to extin- guish fires. A rural area would be rated a 10. He said the in- surance companies charge dif- ferent rates depending on a dwelling’s proximity to the ar- ea’s fire department and fire hydrants. Corbett also said the re- placement or increased num- ber of fire hydrants can make a big difference in ratings. Re- placed or installed hydrants must be within 1,000 feet of one’s home to qualify for a change in ISO ratings. Corbett checked three dif- ferent insurance companies to see the difference in price for insurance is between a 9 and a 6 ISO rating in Kingston Township. He said the differ- ence could be anywhere from 10 to 18 percent in savings, and as calculated on the average cost of a house in the town- ship, it could result in savings of up to $100 to $180 per pay- ment. Corbett said some suburban areas may already have a high- er ISO rating due to the ability of the fire department, despite whether hydrant placement has changed. Township Zoning Officer Bill Eck said the average change in Kingston Township with the water mane and hy- drant replacements could be from a 9 to a 6 rating, which could add up to a hefty dis- count for residents. Eck advises residents to al- so call their insurance agent to check their ISO rating and whether they have changed. KINGSTON TOWNSHIP HYDRANT REPLACEMENTS Below is a list of streets that have had hydrants replaced within the last five years. If you live on any of these roads, contact your insurance provider to see if you qualify for a reduc- tion in your insurance rates. ® Spring Garden Street, Shaver- town * Terrace Avenue, Shavertown ¢ Highland Avenue, Shavertown - ® Meadowcrest Drive, Shaver- town * Dug Road, Shavertown e Manor Drive, Shavertown ¢ All developments off of Ma- nor Drive, Shavertown * Howell Road, Shavertown ® Greenpond Road, Shavertown * Shadetree Road, Shavertown e Parts of Sunrise Estates, Shavertown ® Parts of Harris Hill Road, Shavertown e Bramblewood Drive, Shaver- town Address changes take effect In Monroe By SARAH HITE shite@mydallaspost.com Residents in Dallas, Harveys Lake, Noxen and Tunkhannock who live within Monroe Township's borders are starting to see some changes on roads and streets. Starting in October, 73 streets were renamed and those whose addresses included Dallas, Harveys Lake, Noxen and Tunkhannock have changed to Monroe Township. Residents were given one year to make all the neces- sary address changes with utility com- panies, drivers’ license centers and other ser- vice providers. Post offices will link the old addresses to new addresses for one year to ensure mail de- livery. Zip codes will stay the same despite the municipality switch. For example, a resident whose address once read 5555 John Doe Road, Harveys Lake, PA 18618, will now read 5555 John Doe Road, Monroe Township, PA 18618, if the road isn’t renamed in the switch, as well. The project was approved by Wyoming County Commissioners and will help emergency service pro- viders to find house locations in the event of an emergency. The county worked with a consult- ant, L. Robert Kimball & Associates, Inc., to aid in the 911 addressing and mapping services. Wyoming County was one of 28 counties selected to par- ticipate in the state PAMAP program in 2005, which provided aerial digital photography databases for counties. Wyoming County will now use this photography to map locations for emergency: service workers, aiding safe and swift-travels to residences. “Within two-years for sure, all the fire trucks and ambulances will have GPS (global positioning systems),” said Monroe Township Supervisor Walter Derhammer. “When they get a call, it’ll show your house.” The township will now be able to claim more citizens in its borders. Be- fore, the population within the town- ship was lower because some resi- dents whose addresses reflected Dal- las or Harveys Lake may have been counted as living in Dallas Township or Harveys Lake Borough. “In terms of going for grants, if we have more population we have more of a chance to receive money,” said Derhammer. “Liquid fuels funds also work that way — it depends on popula- tion and miles of road.” : Derhammer noted that some resi- dents began to receive notices to serve jury duty in Luzerne County, or reminders to complete an emissions inspection — a requirement in Luzerne County but not in Wyoming County. Some residents are having trouble adjusting to the change. Derhammer said he gets complaints often and tries to address them as they are received. Shirley Patton of Harveys Lake said she has missed some newspaper deliv- eries and mail since the change was re- quired in October. “It’s very confusing,” she said. “It’s supposed to make things better but I don’t see it.” Kim Shepherd of the Harveys Lake Post Office said she receives calls from customers trying to better un- derstand the postal switch. “There has been some concern that customers have problems under- standing the four different zip codes,” she said. “It’s confusion with Monroe Township — (customers) think it should be one zip code.” Addresses were also changed to re- flect “street style” addresses instead of rural routes and post office boxes. The street names were approved by Monroe Township supervisors and the numbers on houses reflect their distance from the beginning of the road. This change will also help emer- gency service providers to find resi- dents in need of assistance. The address changes have also af- fected the following municipalities in Wyoming County: Tunkhannock Township, Tunkhannock Borough, Washington Township, Meshoppen Borough, Meshoppen Township, Me- hoopany Township, Windham Town- ship, Braintrim Township, Laceyville Borough, Noxen Township, Forkston Township, and North Branch Town- ship. HAVE QUESTIONS? For more informa- tion about the Monroe Township address changes, residents may call, toll free, 1-877-806- 6816. EE i — id BA CEC ee
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