April 11, 2012

With just weeks until the April 24 Primary
Election, Delaware County Council and county election officials want to educate
residents about the new voter ID law, which takes effect in November in Pennsylvania.

Even though the law doesn’t go into effect
until the Nov. 6 General Election, voters will be asked to show photo ID at the
polling place on April 24 as part of a “soft rollout” of the new requirement.

Poll workers will be required to request ID
in the Primary Election, but voters can still vote a regular ballot if they do
not have photo ID. The Department of State (DOS) requires that all poll workers
across the Commonwealth present voters with a half-page handout detailing
information on the ID requirement.

“This is a significant change in the way that people vote in
Pennsylvania and it is our goal to ensure that the voting process is accessible
and open to all registered voters,” said County Councilman David White,
Council’s liaison to the Election Bureau and Voter Registration.

“In talking to residents, we recognize that
people have questions and we want to be sure that people have the correct
information on what constitutes acceptable photo ID, how they obtain a photo ID
and how that impacts people who vote by absentee ballot,” White said.

“Keep in mind that this takes effect in
November. Come November, all voters will be required to show a photo ID. On
April 24, voters will simply be asked to show photo ID,” White said.

On
March 15, Pennsylvania became the 16^th state in the nation to
require voters to show photo identification at the polls, starting with the
November general election.

To prepare voters for the new requirement,
the DOS is having the “soft rollout” to help with the transition.

Types of acceptable ID must include the
person’s name, photograph and an expiration date. This includes a Pa. driver’
license, PennDOT photo ID cards, U.S. passport, U.S. military ID, an ID from an
accredited public or private college or university, employee photo ID issued by
a government entity, and an ID cards issued by a Pennsylvania care facility or
assisted living residents. Note these are only acceptable if they have an
expiration date printed on the ID.

Photo ID is provided by PennDOT for voting
purposes if a voter doesn’t already have one. Voters must complete an
application plus, to be eligible for a free photo ID, people must complete an
affirmation form stating that they do not have a valid ID form and need one for
voting purposes.

“After the Primary Election, we will conduct
outreach to senior centers and through our libraries and human service agencies
to ensure that people are informed and can access the necessary
identification,” White said. “We don’t want anyone to forgo their right to vote
because they can’t access a photo ID.”

Councilman White said senior citizens have
already called the Voter Registration department asking about the new law. Many
questions are about absentee ballots. There will be new identification
requirements for absentee ballots as of November.

Under the new law, voters must provide their
driver’s license number, the last four digits of their Social Security number
or a copy of an accepted photo ID when applying for an absentee ballot. Voters
may provide the identifying information to the county over the phone, by email
or mail.

“Our goal is to make this a smooth transition
for voters. We are ready to help with your questions,” White said.

White said information on the new
requirements is available on the County website at www.co.delaware.pa.us. People can call
1-877-VotesPA (1-877-868-3772) or visit www.VotesPA.com.

In other states, the voter ID laws have been
facing legal challenges, so it’s important for voters to stay informed
throughout the election cycle.

Chadds Ford Township
supervisors continue to hear the request of a number of residents regarding an
agreement with Toll Bros. at the Estates at Chadds Ford development.

As part of the 2005 agreement
between the developer and the township, Toll Bros. is to fence in the detention
basins before the common area is turned over to the Homeowners’ Association.
However, a number of residents want the basins left open primarily so that kids
in the development can use those hills for sledding.

In March, Supervisors’ Chairman
George Thorpe told Steven Dulce, a homeowner asking for the waiver, that the
township can’t do that unilaterally. He said the resolution for the planned
residential development with the requirement to fence the basins is a binding
legal document. Toll Bros. may request a change, he said, but Toll has to file
for the change. The township can do nothing without a formal request

During the April supervisors’
meeting, another resident pressed the issue. Township solicitor Hugh Donaghue
said the Homeowners’ Association could act to remove fencing, but only after it
owns the common property. It does not yet do so.

Donaghue said he would
recommend to the supervisors that they should not agree to the change for
safety reasons. He said water in those basins can reach a depth of eight feet
and that fences are there to keep kids out.

The Estates at Chadds Ford is
the 120-home development built on the old Camp Sunset Hill. Part of the
agreement between the township and Toll Bros. led to the Turner’s Mill Sewer
Plant to be built and for the village to be installed with a public sewer
system.

Chester County property owners in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District should
prepare for a 2.69 percent school tax increase next year. Delaware County property owners — those in Chzadds Ford Township — will
probably see a modest 1.74 reduction in their school tax. The anticipated
blended tax increase should be 1.83 percent.

Chester County and Delaware County have
different real estate assessment policy that drives the annual tax rate
fluctuation.

The April 9 Finance Committee meeting
fine-tuned several proposed budget adjustments. Bob Cochran, U-CFSD business manager, said, “The financial
detail for adjustments to the proposed 2012 – 13 budget will be provided in
detail on the U-CFSD Web page within the next week.”

Keith Knauss, School Board Finance
Committee chairman said, “There are at least five [of nine] board votes for
approving this maintenance budget. While I would like to see further expense
cuts, the majority of the board is satisfied with the proposed budget. We will
not vote on the proposed budget until May as there is a remote possibility Gov.
Corbett may propose additional funding for public education grades kindergarten
through high school for 2012 – 2013.”

Frank Murphy, board vice president said,
“The steep increases over the next three years in the district’s employee
retirement funding (“PSERS”) are justification for not reducing the current
district cash reserves. We are maintaining the excellent education our residents
support, but not supporting any increases in programs provided to our students.

Vic DuPuis, chairman of the Revenue
Initiation Committee said, “We welcome participation and ideas from district
residents for revenue generation from our high school grounds and
buildings. We have a performing
arts center, athletic fields and a cafeteria which could provide additional
revenue for the district. Some
local school districts are considering advertising in school cafeterias,
athletic fields and buses.” DuPuis
said the Revenue Initiation Committee will be developing contact with a
marketing consultant to learn the options and then determine policy guidelines.