My survey asked residents to tell me who I should vote for as a Newtown Township representative on the Sewer Authority Board. For background, read ""#NewtownPA BOS Discuss Sewer Authority Board Appointment".

That vote, however, has been tabled to be dealt with at a future BOS meeting – probably in July 2025.

See the detailed results, including comments from respondents about the applicants....

The Newtown Sewer Authority presented details of its plan to build a Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) on Lower Silver Lake Rd at the December 11, 2024, Newtown Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting where several local area residents spoke up against the plan.

I was interested in what other residents had to say about this plan. So, I created a Sewage Treatment Plant Survey. I asked respondents what, if any, were their concerns and questions. To date (1/3/25) 171 responses have been collected.

I summarize the results, including comments, in this Patch article...

This Zoom meeting focused on environmental impact of proposed sewage treatment plant, Newtown-Yardley Road sidewalk proposal, gas leaf blower survey results. more..

At the 13 November 2024 Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) public meeting, Friends Village residents Tom Cadwallader and Kip Cherry as well as Terry Christiansen requested that the township pass an ordinance to ban gas-powered leaf blowers. Read more about that...

Newtown Township residents think such a Gas Leaf Blower Ban would be "Ridiculous" & "Overreaching" - Newtown, PA - Over 300 Newtown Township residents responded to my Gas Leaf Blower Ban Survey. Many were not in favor. Read what they had to say: https://rebrand.ly/BlowerSvyResultsArticle

To meet the increasing financial needs of fire and ambulance services, on 11 July 2024 the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed Regular Session 2023-2024 House Bill 2310, which authorized increased millage rates for annual taxes levied by Townships of the Second Class for Fire Protection and Emergency Services from 3 mills to 10 mills (read "Millage Rate Limits Raised for Dedicated Fire & EMS Taxes").

The Newtown Board of Supervisors can enact an ordinance authorizing the levy of up to 10 mills of fire tax annually and up to 5 mills of emergency services tax annually without specifying the actual tax rate. The actual tax rate, however, for each given year would be decided by the Board during its year-end budgeting process.

NOTE: For the average Newtown Township homeowner, a 1 mill yearly real estate tax amounts to about $40.00.

What do you think? Should Newtown Township authorize this new limit in Fire and EMS Services Tax? And if it does, should it actually increase these taxes? 

TAKE MY SURVEY: https://rebrand.ly/FireEms_Tax_Survey

Sixteen (16) #NewtownPA Twp residents and one Middletown resident attended this Zoom meeting, which focused on a Review of Borscht Belt Neon Sign Zoning Hearing, Revitalization of the Human Relations Commission, Multi-Story Apartment Buildings Coming to the Li/OLI District, Residential Trash Pickup, Pedestrian Bridges Survey Update, and more...

• Opening Presentation
• Pedestrian Bridge Discussion
• Residential Trash Pickup Discussion
• Borscht Belt Deli Neon Sign Discussion
• Links to Important Information
• Detailed Meeting Notes

Welcome to “#NewtownPA Year 2023 in Images.” There were many unique and interesting issues that I and other Newtown Township supervisors confronted in 2023.

This is a selection of images that document what I consider the most interesting news items and issues.

Many of these were highlighted in my News of Interest to Newtown Area Residents email newsletter, Twitter account, Facebook page, or website.

There are the two proposed Newtown Creek pedestrian bridges - one at Frost Lane and one at the opposite end of town as part of the Steeple View project - really necessary? Will there be enough money from grants and sources other than strapped municipal funds to cover the expense? Who will benefit the most – the Borough or the Township?

Considering these questions, I recently invited Newtown area residents to take a short survey and answer a simple question: “In general, how much are you in favor of or opposed to these proposed bridges?”

This video presents the results of that survey as of December 14, 2023. Find the latest results here...

Haven't taken the survey yet? It is still open for your views: https://forms.gle/ovVyPMocFrSh4okR8 

[This image shows site of proposed Steeple View bridge from the Carl Sedia Park vantage point. The township would have do work (i.e.,. SPEND MONEY) on this side of the creek to hold up the bridge and also supply a path to the bridge with adequate lighting. Just a couple of reason for opposing this bridge,]

On Tuesday night, after three hours of discussion, the Newtown Borough Council voted 5 to 1 to approve revised final plans for the mixed-use Traditional Neighborhood Development that will change the face of the borough.

The updated project will redevelop a nine-acre swath of land stretching from Centre Avenue behind the Starbucks south to the former Stockburger property with seven new buildings - four residential and three mixed-use - bringing between 75 and 88 new apartments to the borough and roughly 12,000 square feet of new retail and restaurant space.

The project will also include several public amenities including a public piazza designed as a gathering place for town events; a pedestrian bridge at the southern end of the property linking the borough and the township at Carl Sedia Park; and a formalized greenway/walkway along the Newtown Creek from Centre Avenue south to the proposed pedestrian bridge.

The pedestrian bridge has been deferred to the later stages of the project.

In the meantime, Smith and his team of professionals will be seeking the approval of the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors to move forward with the bridge project. They'll also be working to secure the proper permitting from the state.

Prior to the vote, Councilor Kris Bauman peppered the developer's attorney on a number of issues, including the design of the parking area and the proposed pedestrian bridge.

Regarding the pedestrian bridge, Bauman voiced concern that if the township says no to the project, the borough will be left with a greenway trail that stops at the end of the property.

"Since they were prepared to build the bridge, would they be prepared to work with us on an alternate open space improvement that would be available to its residents and everybody else in the event the bridge doesn't happen," he asked.

"The short answer is no," replied the developer's attorney Tim Duffy. "This is what we proposed. In our view the borough is getting this piazza for free that will cost millions of dollars to build. The restoration and construction of the greenway is something that would not exist if we were not going to put that in.

As of 12/14/2023, I have collected 215 survey responses regarding the two proposed Newtown Creek bridges - one at Frost Lane in the Borough connected to N Sycamore St in the township and one within the proposed Steeple View Borough project connected to Carl Sedia Park in the Township.

Of the survey responses, 161 (75%) are from Newtown Township residents, and 41 (19%) are from Newtown Borough residents. 109 comments have been submitted to date. (see ALL comments). 

Many respondents were “strongly” or “somewhat” in favor of BOTH bridges! 51% were “very much in favor” of the Frost Lane bridge and 42% were “strongly in favor” of the Steeple bridge. Meanwhile, 22% and 29%, respectively, were “very much opposed” to these two bridges

More details, latest results, including selected comments...

There are currently TWO #NewtownPA Creek pedestrian bridges proposed - one at Frost Lane and Edgeboro Road in the Borough connected to North Sycamore Street in the Township and one at the other end of town connecting the proposed Steeple View development in the Borough to Carl Sedia Park in the Township. 

The Newtown Board of Supervisors already approved the application for a grant to cover the cost of the Frost Lane bridge (read more about that here). The Steeple View bridge is just a concept, but the developer has already asked in confidence for opinions from Newtown BOS members (read more about that here).

What’s Your Opinion?

In general, how much are you in favor of/opposed to these proposed bridges?

How concerned are residents about overdevelopment in Newtown Township? To answer that question, I started a short survey, which has received 170 responses (including 130 responses from Newtown Township residents) plus over 120 comments, as of July 18, 2023.

Over 80% of survey respondents are “Very Concerned” about overdevelopment in Newtown Township. See chart:

Selected Comments

• The supervisors are already allowing too much development.
• Our Planning Commission strives to work with property owners to insure careful development and redevelopment of open properties with an eye toward preservation of our infrastructure, impact on our municipal services and overall appearance of the Township
• Smart development is what Newtown needs and we need Supervisors (thanks John) willing to stand up to developers that want to change the zoning for their financial gain.
• I think most people in our area are concerned about ongoing development, and particularly higher density with ever-increasing traffic. But it’s not sufficient to just say “Stop the development!”  Land/property owners have rights, too. Rather than just railing against developers, my question is why there seem to be so many holes in the township’s zoning laws
• Newtown has lost it charm. It’s just like everyplace else now. Over commercialize. It’s a shame what newtown has become. It’s just going to get worse.
• I get it. People always resist change. But it is inevitable and certain. Nearly all of us live in homes that are on land that was once either green or farmed at one time.
• I love the small town feel of Newtown, but I am fearful we are losing our charm. The developers are sacrificing our town for their greed

View ALL COMMENTS...

What do you think? How concerned are you about overdevelopment in Newtown Township? (1=Not Concerned, 10=Very Concerned)

TAKE MY SURVEY

Little did I understand that Wawa's "Substantive Validity Challenge" to Newtown's zoning (read "Wawa Resurrects Its “Substantive Validity Challenge” to #NewtownPA’s Zoning") would be the beginning of what I call “Newtown Zoning Armageddon™” – an epic series of battles between developers and the township.

You might say it’s a “slippery slope” or a “domino effect,” but I prefer the term “Armageddon” because, for me, it’s a “call-to-arms” for residents who moved to Newtown to escape overdevelopment and crime. It’s not about whether Wawa is a good thing or not. It’s about Wawa weaponizing our zoning law, a tactic now being copied by other developers (read "Are You Ready for Newtown Zoning Armageddon™?").

These battles, I fear, will eventually lead to developers rewriting zoning ordinances (laws) meant to protect the promise of Newtown as “A Great Place to Live, Work, and Worship” as well as enjoy open, undeveloped space.

I'd like to know your opinion. How concerned are you about overdevelopment in Newtown Township?

Please take a few minutes to respond to my survey...

I'm sure there will be a long line of requests for these funds and Newtown Supervisors will have to weigh all the options. Most importantly, in my opinion, are the opinions of township residents.

CONTENTS

• About the American Rescue Plan
• According to Residents, What SHOULD the Money Be Used For?
• Residents' Comments
• My Comments on Proposed ARPA Capital Spending
• How Have the Funds Been Spent So Far?

During a recent Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting, a former Newtown Supervisor asked “Should Newtown Township contract with one trash company for savings, efficiency, less noise and pollution?”

 I decided to host a simple survey to answer a simple question: “Should Newtown Township contract with one trash company?” Respondents could answer “Yes, Definitely”, Definitely, Not”, “Maybe, Depends.” I also encouraged respondents to comment on why they answered they way they did.

As of 8 June 2023, a total of 65 people (64 Township Residents, 1 Borough Resident) responded to the survey. The numeric results are summarized in the chart above. But the best results are the over 40 comments I received, which you can find here.

During a recent Meet Mack Monday Zoom meeting, a former Newtown Supervisor asked “Should Newtown Township contract with one trash company for savings, efficiency, less noise and pollution?”

The discussion at the Meet Mack Monday meeting quickly moved on to how some homeowners associations have taken matters into their own hands to reduce costs and reduce noise and other pollution by hiring a single source for trash collection.

Mack's Newtown Voice · Talking Trash at 22 May 2023 Meet Mack Monday (audio podcast)

Left unanswered, however, was the question about whether it would be a good idea for the township to sign a contract with a single trash company to collect all the trash.

This survey asks your opinion...

The Number of Newtown Township’s Restaurant Liquor Licenses Is Over the Allowed Quota

According to the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB), Newtown Township has 14 “Active” restaurant liquor licenses plus one held in “Safekeeping” for Blue Point Grill, which is scheduled to open in July 2023. This is more than two times the quota of 7 such licenses (1 license per 3,000 municipal residents) allowed by law (i.e., “Liquor Code”).

However, municipal authorities – e.g., Board of Supervisors – can approve the transfer of licenses into the municipality in excess of the municipal quota. The approval must happen through written resolution passed at a public meeting. If a municipality refuses to allow a license transfer, the PLCB cannot transfer the license into that municipality (read, for example, “Blue Point Grill's Liquor License Transfer Not Approved”; https://www.johnmacknewtown.info/bpgliquorfail.html).

More restaurants, such as Capital Grille, are seeking approval to open in the Brixmor shopping center and will be asking the BOS approve transfer liquor licenses from other townships. This survey asks your opinion regarding such transfers.

What do you think? TAKE THE SURVEY.

What do you think? TAKE THE SURVEY: https://forms.gle/3DpoBhCUTZqH2oDL8

Comments:

The Newtown Township Environmental Advisory Council (EAC) is considering recommending that the township implement a single-use plastics resolution. Similar actions have been taken or are being considered by Solebury, West Chester, Philadelphia, Doylestown Township and Borough and Lower Makefield Township.

To better understand how local business use single-use plastic items - bags and carry-out containers - the EAC requests that you complete its Single-Use Plastics Business Survey. Your response to this survey will help EAC to provide a recommendation to the township that is most appropriate for local businesses.

If you would like to learn more about single-use plastics, please download the Single-Use Plastics Fact Sheet.

Take the Single-Use Plastics Business Survey Now

Disclaimer: This is not an official Newtown Township survey. It is solely for the use by the EAC, which has approved the content. De-identified results may be presented to the Newtown Board of Supervisors for information purposes only.

To date (Nov 14, 2021) there are 78 responses to my 2022 Budget Cut Survey. 

The first section of the survey asks respondents which of the following personnel cuts they would make (see figure above):

• Eliminate hiring a new Deputy Fire Chief
• Eliminate hiring a consultant to provide part-time zoning & code enforcement services 
• Eliminate hiring of 1 additional police officer
• No promotion of supervisors within the Police Department 

The second section asks respondents which of the following capital spending cuts they would make:

• Reduce number of new police vehicles purchased
• Eliminate Financed purchase of police body
• Eliminate two new truck purchases for Public Works Department
• Eliminate purchase of one Parks and Recreation pickup
• Eliminate Police Department Facilities
• Eliminate purchase of new Admin/Finance/Codes software

The survey is still open: TAKE THE SURVEY NOW!

DISCLAIMER: This is not an official Newtown Township Survey. It’s purpose is solely to inform John Mack, a Newtown Supervisor, of your opinions. The opinions expressed here are solely those of John Mack and do not represent the opinions of any other person or entity.

Local governments and organizations were forced to transition in-person meetings to online, seemingly overnight, due COVID-19 restrictions and stay-at-home orders. Many people learned new tools and technologies in order to continue to work and support their constituents.

As COVID-19 restrictions are being eased or lifted entirely and as more people are fully vaccinated, townships are planning to return to live in-person meetings. Some townships are already hosting hybrid in-person/online public meetings (see "Related Content" below).

WHAT DO YOU THINK? TAKE MY SURVEY!

Survey asks: Do you favor the implementation of hybrid in-person/online township public meetings where officials meet in person as before COVID-19 but the public has the option to participate remotely via Zoom (or other technology) or in person? 

Your open-end comments are also welcome.

No identifying information is collected via this survey unless you opt-in to provide such information for purposes of follow-up by subscribing to John Mack's email newsletter. After completing the survey, you will be able to see a de-identified summary of the results to date.

DISCLAIMER: This is not an official Newtown Township approved survey. Its purpose is solely to inform John Mack – a Newtown Supervisor – of the public’s opinion regarding this issue.

Preliminary information related to the recently passed Federal Relief Package was released on Friday, March 12, 2021. It was announced that the 936 million dollars would be shared among local governments in Pennsylvania with populations of less than 50,000. Newtown Township’s allocation of those funds is anticipated to be $1,936,231.

The Township should have ½ of the Township’s funds by June 9, 2021. The State will have it by May 10, 2021 and it has 30 days to distribute to municipalities. The second half will come before March 11, 2022.

What CAN The Money Be Used For? See a list here...

What SHOULD The Money Be Used For? TAKE MY SURVEY!

DISCLAIMER: This is not a Newtown Township approved survey. It is solely a survey posted by John Mack acting as a private citizen. You may remain anonymous - your personal information is never revealed without your permission.

The following is an email message sent to the Newtown Township Supervisors and several other elected officials from Fred Kachuk, a concerned Newtown Twp resident.

Hello neighbors,

Warmer weather and sunshine are finally here! Please consider taking the PENNDOT Transportation Survey before Wednesday, April 14.

This is an opportunity to comment about those daily annoyances that you would like to have fixed. I’ve submitted several comments online, and below are two which may also interest you.

TAKE THE SURVEY

[Above: A resident comment submitted via John Mack's 

 2021 Budget Cut Survey.]

Many Newtown Township residents were understandably upset about the proposed Newtown Township “Preliminary 2021 Budget,” which includes a 133% increase in municipal property tax. For the average Newtown Twp homeowner that translates to an ADDITIONAL $200 to $300 per year paid in taxes to the township.

That version of the budget included many new and increased expenditures for personnel, services, and capital improvements.

John Mack’s Budget Cut Survey* asked respondents to select items in the preliminary budget they would be willing to cut in order to reduce or eliminate the proposed tax increase. The list of items to cut includes many – but NOT all – of the expenditures in the originally proposed preliminary budget. A total of 128 responses were collected.

The final budget was approved at the 22 December 2020 BOS meeting by a 3-2 vote. Voting for this budget were Dennis Fisher, John Mack, and David Oxley. Voting against were Phil Calabro and Kyle Davis.

The following expenditures cuts were made.

• Eliminate hiring of new Director of Zoning & Code Enforcement. 65% of survey respondents chose that as an item to cut. Estimated savings: $40,000
• Reduce the Road Program by $50,000. Although a high percentage (47%) of survey respondents were happy with cutting $280,000 from the road program. The majority of supervisors felt it was important to continue to pave at least 3-4 miles of roads every year.
• Eliminate New police building study. This was "no-brainer." 84% of survey respondents chose that as an item to cut. Estimated savings: $20,000
• Reduce new police vehicles from 3 to 2. 73% of survey respondents chose that as an item to cut. Estimated savings: $56,667

TOTAL ESTIMATED SAVINGS: $166,667

The final APPROVED budget includes a 3.99 mill increase in Newtown property taxes, which is a decrease of 2 mills from the preliminary budget. That works out to be about $160 per year increase for the average homeowner. The total Newtown property tax is 8.49 mills or about $340 per year. Calculate your tax here.

DISCLAIMER: This was not an official Newtown Township Survey. It’s purpose was solely to inform John Mack, a Newtown Supervisor, of residents' opinions. The opinions expressed here are solely those of John Mack and do not represent the opinions of any other person or entity.