First-responder matters overshadowed regular township business during the Dec. 7 Wheatfield Twp. meeting.
Kraig Nace of the Duncannon EMS reported his organization has been quite busy. He said despite historically low call volumes in the spring, numbers have rebounded and the department has fielded 1,035 calls through the end of November.
Nace attributed the call volume in part to fielding more out-of-area calls, including a call as far as Dalmatia. He said neighboring departments, including New Bloomfield, Halifax and Liverpool, have had staffing and other issues which reduced their time in-service. He added the situation is causing some unintended disparity in CARES funding. The formula is based on drops in call volume. According to the county’s website, Duncannon EMS has received $127,784; New Bloomfield, $163,362; and Liverpool, $24,892; in CARES funds.
Supervisor James Fuller said he was contacted by Centre Twp. over the New Bloomfield EMS effort to have a dedicated tax enacted. N.B. EMS hopes to raise $88,000 from the tax. Fuller said he saw no reason to have a meeting on the matter as it was a non-starter. Wheatfield Twp. splits a $25,000 donation between Duncannon EMS and New Bloomfield EMS. In addition, it recently purchased an ambulance for Duncannon.
State police Lt. Robert Ligon briefed supervisors on PSP activity. Ligon said there were 382 calls in the township, including 145 criminal incidents and 24 crashes in the past year. Fuller asked about the rash of stolen and damaged signs. Ligon said they were unable to bring charges in a specific case, but he encouraged local officials to share information.
Ligon wanted the public to know there was an effort to recruit more potential troopers from Perry County. He said many young troopers who come into the Newport barracks quickly move on to other assignments and local recruits would help reduce turnover and lead to a stabilization of the force.
Supervisors also passed a 2021 budget with taxes left unchanged at 0.199 mills. Anticipated spending from the general fund amounts to $606,697 or a 0.3 percent increase from the current year. Projected revenue is $502,531. Fortunately, Wheatfield has roughly $1.1million in reserves to cover the deficit. Emergency services ($169,500) account for 27.9 percent of project spending. Road maintenance ($89,900), insurance ($62,000), administration ($55,650), and truck and equipment repairs ($40,000) are the next largest line items.
Tom Berry was appointed to fill a vacancy on the planning commission. He has previous experience in Susquehanna Twp., Dauphin County.
Kurt Hepschmidt said the township could use some additional volunteers for its monthly recycling.
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Emergency services dominate Wheatfield Twp. meeting - pennlive.com
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