BERLIN TOWNSHIP, PA — Appointing or reappointing town officials, setting meeting dates, stating which businesses will be used by the town—certain minutiae of town governance need to be …
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BERLIN TOWNSHIP, PA — Appointing or reappointing town officials, setting meeting dates, stating which businesses will be used by the town—certain minutiae of town governance need to be readdressed on an annual basis.
The Berlin Township Board of Supervisors held its reorganizational meeting on January 6 to address these annual matters that come with running a municipality.
Tony Franklin was appointed as temporary chairman for the reorganization portion of the meeting. The board quickly went through the required items. Even minor details were on the agenda—for example, the township’s copy fee of $0.25 per page. Roughly three dozen items were covered.
The regular town board meeting followed the reorganization.
The road agreement with Lackawaxen was discussed. The agreement would allow Berlin and Lackawaxen townships to swap maintenance responsibility for a few shared roads. The supervisors agreed that this probably will happen in the spring.
The board discussed the topic of the display of political signs. This is related to an issue raised by Berlin resident James Barth during last month’s meeting. Barth had objected to the display of political signs past the time allotted by the town, as well as to the vulgarities expressed on some of those signs.
Between the December and January meetings, Berlin Township contacted its solicitor Jeff Treat. Treat stated that the U.S. Constitution prevails over township ordinances. In Treat’s view, sign displays are free speech, and even if vulgar, their content cannot be prohibited by the township.
Berlin Township has an ordinance which requires that temporary election signs be removed within seven days of an election. The board did not specifically address the question posed by Franklin at the previous meeting, of whether signs which don’t say “vote for” count as election signs or simply statements of personal regard or preference.
Franklin, who also is Beach Lake Fire Chief, reported that fire calls were 462 fire calls in 2024, with 253 in Berlin Township. The others were mutual aid provided to the surrounding towns.
The Berlin Township Board of Supervisors meets on the third Tuesday of each month. Its next meeting will be on February 18.
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