(3/2023) March 7 is the last day to circulate and file nomination petitions for the upcoming election. This year we have three vacancies in Liberty Township. I encourage residents to be involved in local government and consider running for Township Auditor or Supervisor. Adams County and Liberty Township real estate tax bills were mailed on March 1. Take advantage of the 2% discount by making your payment by April 30. The Liberty Township Tax Collector will take payment in person on April 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, and 27 from noon to 3 at the municipal building. Payment can also be submitted by mail or drop box. If you did not receive your tax bill, please contact the tax collector for a copy.

Tax payments are accepted at face value from May 1 through June 30. Any payments made after June 30 will incur a 10% penalty. Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 12. This is a great time to check your smoke alarms, carbon dioxide alarms, and radon levels in your homes. With spring upon us, many homeowners will be making property improvements. Please visit our website for more information on permits before starting your project. If you will be digging on your property, call 811 before you dig to prevent damage to utility lines, be aware of the township regulations regarding excavation, and report any earth disturbance over 4,999 square feet to the Adams County Conservation District.

Join our Pick-Up PA event as part of The Great American Cleanup running from March 1 through May 31. Call the township office to coordinate pick up of free trash bags, gloves, and safety vests. Filled trash bags can be disposed of in the township dumpster. Liberty Township will also be hosting two electronic recycling events at the township municipal building on May 13 and October 14. These events are open to Parks Garbage customers in the Southwest Group of Carroll Valley Borough, Fairfield Borough, Freedom Township, Hamiltonban Township, Highland Township, and Liberty Township.

It’s been a mild winter so far and the weather has afforded opportunity for road repairs. Our road crew has been working on Boyle Road cleaning out the ditches between Irishtown Road and the bridge, creating new berms, and placing number four stone. Unpermitted truck traffic is still a problem on our township roads. Recently we replaced a stop sign at the corner of Tract Road and Orchard Road that had been run over by a tractor-trailer. To relieve hazardous traffic conditions, vehicles exceeding 45 feet in length primarily used for business purposes are prohibited from operation, except for local delivery, on Boyle Road, Gladhill Road, Liberty Hall Road, McGlaughlin Road, Old Waynesboro Road, Orchard Road, Sanders Road, Steelman Marker Road, and Stoops Road.

If you notice an unauthorized tractor-trailer on a posted township road, we encourage you to call us with the company name, date, and location, and we will notify them to use alternate routes of travel. The PennDOT Engineering District 8-0 Local Road Traffic Counting Program will take place March 1 through November 16. During that time, PennDOT will collect traffic data on portions of Pecher Road, Ranch Trail, and Old Waynesboro Road in our Township. This data collection program is being implemented to help improve PennDOT’s traffic data inventory critical to making decisions on safety, design, and operation of roadways. Also, the local road traffic data are used for assessing highway system performance under the U.S. DOT and FHWA’s strategic planning and performance reporting process and for apportioning Federal-Aid Highway Funds.

The Liberty Township Planning Commission will be hosting a special meeting with the Adams County Office of Planning and Development (ACOPD) to discuss the Adams County Heritage Plan. Adams County Planning is working on developing an update to the County Comprehensive Plan, specifically the heritage component aimed at preserving, protecting, and promoting the County’s historic buildings, structures, landscapes, and other assets. Department staff are at a stage where they are gathering public feedback to continue to guide the rest of the planning process.

Throughout this process, ACOPD intends to capture the public’s perception of historic preservation, what subjects in County history the public is knowledgeable on and what they would like to learn more about, and the types and locations of historic resources that the public would like to see protected. Staff is also looking to gather information regarding historic preservation activities, regulation, and initiatives that the public would be interested in seeing implemented over time. This public meeting will be held during the monthly Planning Commission meeting on June 20th at the Liberty Township municipal building. Liberty Township residents and property owners are encouraged to attend this special presentation. We are always looking for ways to encourage community cooperation to promote the health, safety, and welfare of our residents and the surrounding areas. Please join us at an upcoming meeting.