JUDITH L. KORDING ASSISTANT MANAGER
A
t the March Board of Commissioners meeting, Judith L. Kording,
Director of Finance and Administration was promoted to Assistant
Manager. Mrs. Kording has been employed with the Township for over
30 years. In addition to being responsible for the fiscal management
and oversight of the Township finances, she will assume additional
duties in personnel administration and assume the managers duties
when Township Manager Tim Rogers is on vacation or out of the office.
Mrs. Kording considers herself fortunate to work for such a great
community. She enjoys meeting with residents and resolving issues
that arise throughout the day. She’s been very instrumental in
organizing the community events that are scheduled for the 2019
program year. Mrs. Kording states that it is very rewarding to see
residents enjoying the Township parks and participating in the many
activities that are available to them for recreational use.
Township Manager Tim Rogers states that “she has performed
excellently for continuity of operations and has been aggressive in
fiscal management of the Township, which has allowed us to control
expenditures and low tax rates for many years.”
In addition to her recent promotion, Kording was recently named
President of Government Finance Officers Association – Pennsylvania
(GFOA-PA). Mrs. Kording’s term of office will be from January 2019
through December 2020. GFOA – PA is a premier organization for
individuals that work in financial positions at all levels of government
throughout Pennsylvania. The focus of GFOA – PA is to enhance
education and development of finance professionals in Pennsylvania’s
governmental entities. It is an organization of over 500 members with
an annual conference in April in State College PA.
TOWNSHIP GRASSCUTTING POLICY
SPRING IS HERE AND GRASS IS GROWING!
I
t’s that time of year when the grass is green and growing.
The Township often receives phone calls from residents
complaining about a neglected property in a residential
neighborhood. Due to the number of complaints received
by the Township, the Board of Commissioners adopted a
policy several years ago to set forth the process in dealing with
neglected properties. Below is a summary of this policy:
1. The Township will not maintain vacant land that is not
owned by the Township. Vacant land that is not owned by the
Township will remain in its’ natural state.
2. If there is an occupied dwelling on the property, the
property owner will be mailed a violation letter. The owner
will be required to follow Chapter 87 of the Township
Code or legal action will be initiated at the District
Magistrate’s office.
3. For properties that have no owner of record or
an absentee owner, the Township MAY direct in-house
personnel to maintain the property with the following
conditions:
a. The property must be in such condition that any
public funds expended to maintain the property can be
recovered via the property lien process.
The Township encourages open communication with your
neighbors regarding lawn maintenance. The value of ones’
home is impacted by the condition of the neighborhood and
cooperation between all homeowners is greatly appreciated.
The above information is not encompassing of the adopted
property maintenance policy. It is just a guideline for
the Township’s position on property maintenance. If
additional information is needed, please contact the
Building/Zoning Department at 412-486-9700 or
http://www.shaler.org/RequestTracker.aspx
MUNICIPAL SEPARATE STORM SEWER – MS4
b. The number of prior liens on the property cannot exceed
the value of the property.
If it is deemed that Township personnel and equipment can be
utilized to maintain the property, the following procedures will be
followed:
1. The Township will only cut grass. There will be no additional
landscaping or trimming done on the property.
2. The Township will not cut fenced in areas. Only areas that
are accessible and open will be maintained.
3. The Township will cut the grass no more than 6 times
throughout the calendar year.
I
n 2018, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) issued a renewed Municipal Separate Storm
Sewer (MS4) Permit to Shaler Township. The renewed permit
introduced a significant new requirement for Shaler: development
and implementation of a Pollutant Reduction Plan (PRP) for each
of our watersheds. PRPs are required for municipalities that
discharge to streams impaired for specific pollutants of concern
– identified by DEP as sediment and nutrients. Shaler must
reduce the discharge of sediment and nutrients by 10% and 5%,
respectively, by March 2023.
To achieve the pollutant reduction goals required by DEP,
Shaler must design and construct Best Management Practices
(BMPs) to treat stormwater runoff that is collected or conveyed
by our MS4. Our PRPs, which were reviewed and approved by
DEP, identified potential BMP types and locations. One project,
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SHALER
stream restoration in Fall Run Park, has already been completed.
With approval of the PRPs in 2018, design and permitting work
is underway for other BMP projects during 2019. Reporting of
PRP progress is required in each year’s Annual MS4 Report due
to DEP on September 30th. Reporting includes confirmation
of continued operation and maintenance of installed BMPs.
Continual progress toward meeting the minimum reduction
by March 2023 must be reported. Accordingly, Shaler’s current
and future budgets must account for the costs associated with
design, construction, and continued operation and maintenance
of PRP BMPs.
*Original article by Lennon, Smith, Souleret Engineering, Inc.,
adapted for Shaler Township