PSATS Lehigh Valley 2022 Regional Forum - 11/1/22 - Allentown
PSATS’ Regional Forums are back! This series of full-day educational sessions is scheduled for multiple locations statewide. Learn more about issues that matter to your community, discuss common interests with other local leaders, earn PMGA and other professional credits, and attend specialized workshops designed for township officials. This educational event will be the perfect opportunity to hear from experts on the local issues that matter to you and your municipality.
Agenda:
9:00 - 9:20 a.m.
Welcome and Introductions
David M. Sanko, Executive Director, PSATS, and Scott E. Coburn, Esquire, Counsel & Director of Education, PSATS
9:20 - 10:15 a.m.
* Update on Municipal Labor and Employment Issues
This session will catch you up on all sorts of issues impacting municipal employers and answer your questions about handling employee leave, overtime and other pay issues, discipline, and much more.
Joan E. London, Esquire and Allen Gehring, Esquire, Kozloff Stoudt
* Electric Vehicle Charging Considerations for Municipal Use
This session will feature a discussion on the operational and financial issues that municipalities must consider involving the use of electric vehicles within their fleets and borders and choosing providers for EV charging stations for municipal and public use.
Kevin Woznicki, Principal, ParkTrans Solutions, LLC
10:25 - 11:20 a.m. (choose one)
* A Holistic Approach to Stormwater Capital Planning
By viewing stormwater as a utility, Bethlehem Township in Northampton County is taking a holistic approach to meeting pollution reduction requirements and mitigating ongoing flood concerns. In this session, participants will learn how a stormwater utility is helping the township take a proactive, more cost-effective approach to capital improvement planning and creating an equitable and dedicated revenue stream to address decades-old concerns.
Bruce Hulshizer, Financial Services Project Manager, Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc.
Tyler Erb, Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc.
Doug Bruce, Manager, Bethlehem Township, Northampton County
* QuickBooks Tips and Tricks
This session will cover a variety of timely topics and how you can best use QuickBooks to navigate them. This will include accounting for American Rescue Plan Act reporting, annual reports, and budgeting.
Diana Patton, Municipal Specialist and QuickBooks Accountant, Stone House Tax, Business & Municipal Accounting
11:30 a.m. - 12:25 p.m. (choose one)
* Effective Enforcement of Municipal Code and Zoning Violations
A property is not in compliance with your township’s zoning code, property maintenance code, or other code provision as adopted so what can the township do? Township officials and staff often receive complaints, comments, and concerns about zoning and municipal code compliance issues. As such, an understanding of the enforcement process and its potential pitfalls is a useful tool for every township official. This presentation will provide an overview of the standards and processes related to the effective enforcement of township code and zoning violations. Township officials will leave this presentation with a working knowledge of the requirements for code and zoning notices, effective tools for crafting enforceable notices, and an understanding of the appeal and court enforcement process and its potential interplay with other areas of municipal law.
Sean Kilkenny, Esquire, and Alex Baumler, Esquire, Kilkenny Law LLC
* Introduction to Pavement Preservation
This session will provide an overview of pavement preservation and the many benefits it can add to your township road networks. Pavement preservation employs a long-term strategy that enhances pavement performance. By using an integrated, cost-effective set of processes, you can extend pavement life, improve safety, and better manage your network. We will touch on each of the preservation processes that include Crackseal, Hot Pour Mastic, Seal Coat and Microsurfacing.
Austin Slater, Regional Sales Representative, & Wally Percy, Operations Manager, Asphalt Paving Systems
12:35 - 1:15 p.m.
* Lunch
1:15 - 2:10 p.m. (choose one)
* You’re Done! Public Comments, the Sunshine Act Amendments, and More
In this session, we will review the challenges associated with managing public comment at township meetings, as well as the impact of the recent amendments to the Sunshine Act on those efforts.
J. Chadwick Schnee, Esquire, Law Office of Tucker Hull LLC
* Preparing for a DEP MS4 Inspection
In this session, the presenters will share the experience of one municipality in the region when DEP inspected the municipality’s MS4 program. They will also provide tips so that you can be better prepared if and when DEP shows up at your municipal building.
Beth Uhler, Project Manager, CEDARVILLE Engineering Group, and Jon Altshul, Manager, Westtown Township, Chester County
2:20 - 3:15 p.m. (choose one)
* Navigating Municipal Ethical and Legal Gray Areas
Township officials often have the best intentions when working for government expediency, fiscal conservancy, open communication, and transparency with the public and to foster land development or land preservation that will benefit the township and its residents. Such officials do not have a corrupt motive and have no intention of violating the Sunshine Act, taking a bribe, or violating a resident’s constitutional rights. However, despite the good intentions of elected officials or employees, situations may arise where their actions may run contrary to the law. This presentation will address situations that can arise in the scope of a township official’s employment or service that present legal and ethical gray areas and discuss potential avenues or alternatives that can be used to proceed on a stronger legal footing.
John F. Walko, Esquire, and Rebecca Geiser, Esquire, Kilkenny Law LLC
* Right-to-Know Law Update
This session will review new developments and cases that impact the administration of the Right-to-Know Law, discuss common problem issues, such as specificity, requests for information from databases, and preparing affidavits, and provide tips and best practices to allow you to respond to requests more effectively.
Liz Wagenseller, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Office of Open Records
3:20 - 3:40 p.m.
* Five Policies Every Township Should Have
In this fast-paced session, we will review several key policies that every township should have in place to better protect itself and position its staff to achieve the township’s goals.
Scott E. Coburn, Esquire, Counsel & Director of Education, PSATS
3:40 - 4:00 p.m.
* Q&A and Open Discussion
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Date:
November 1, 2022
Time:
9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Location:
Lehigh County
Hyatt Place Allentown/Lehigh Valley
621 Grange Road
Allentown, PA 18106
Registration Fee:
Member* - $ 99.00
Non-Member – $149.00
CLE Credits - $ 60.00
*PSATS Member = Registrant has paid current annual membership dues to PSATS or one of its professional associations (e.g., Township Emergency Management Association, Township Engineers Association, Township Planners Association, Township Solicitors Association, or the Pa. Assoc. of Zoning Officials).
CANCELLATIONS/REFUNDS / NO SHOW POLICY:
Cancellations must be in writing, and can be sent to us by email to cancellations@psats.org; by fax to (717) 763-9732; or by mail to PSATS Education Program, 4855 Woodland Drive, Enola, PA, 17025. Refunds will be determined by the sent date of the notice.
Refunds for cancelling a webinar at any time will be subject to a $10 processing fee.
For classes, (in-person and virtual), refunds for a cancellation sent to us between 10 and 2 business days before the class you are registered for will be subject to a $20 processing fee. Those who cancel within two business days of the class you are registered for, or do not attend, forfeit the full registration fee which, if unpaid, will be invoiced.
ACCESSIBILITY & OTHER NEEDS:
If you require alternate format, sign language, or have other needs, please contact PSATS directly (717) 763-0930, x-159.
- Registration Closed