During the last regular meeting before its Aug. 1 deadline, the Government Study Commission voted 7-0 to write a home rule charter for Concord Township.
According to commission solicitor Michael Maddren, the commission now has up to nine months to write the charter. Once finished, the document would be made public for review, and then a referendum would be placed on a ballot for voters to accept or reject. The specific election would be determined later.
At this point, the next course of action is for the commission to retain a consultant to advise and help draft the charter.
Commission President James Gray said the commission sent out a request for proposal last week. The Pennsylvania Economy League responded with a proposal saying they would do the job for a sum not to exceed $67,000. No decision has yet been made, however.
Gray suggested forming a three-person subcommittee to refine exactly what the charter should accomplish and what a potential consultant could do and for how much.
Commission members Rosemary Fiumara — the commission vice president — Robert Tribit and Matthew Houtmann agreed to be on the subcommittee. Their findings are to be reviewed during the Aug. 6 meeting.
Prior to the unanimous vote, each member gave his or her reasons for choosing a home rule charter.
Fiumara, as did the others, mentioned the enormous growth of the township population during the last 10 years. She said a home rule charter would give the greatest amount of flexibility to township government in response to an ever-changing population.
Andrew Briner said, “Concord Township has been very well run, but with the growth we’ve seen, I think there are some changes we should make, and the home rule charter seems to be the best path to make those changes.”
Diane Bohr gave specific examples of township growth. She said Garnet Valley High School’s graduating class of 1997 contained 134 students, but that jumped to 370 graduates in 2015. She added that when she moved into Concord in 1987, there were only two traffic lights between Granite Run Mall and Painters Crossing, one at Route 452 and the other at the Franklin Mint. “Now there are 12,” she said.
She doesn’t like all the changes, but they must be addressed.
“After eight months [since the study commission has been operating,] I believe a home rule charter is the best form of government for Concord Township,” she said.
She explained that a charter could allow the township to incorporate the best parts of the Second Class Township Code that Concord must abide by now, but also bring in other ideas such as term limits for supervisors.
Houtmann agreed, adding that many people don’t feel properly represented and that having more supervisors might correct that. As a Township of the Second Class, however, Concord can’t have more than the current five.
Tribit also agreed, but went further with his comments, saying a charter could allow for a ward type of representation — where elected officials are elected from a given district or ward — as well as having at-large representation as currently exists.
He also said those elected by ward would serve for four-year terms, while at-large representatives would serve for two years.
Tribit said later in the meeting that a home rule charter would allow the township to use the best of the first and second class township codes because the charter can be written by choosing elements of each. He also said he likes the idea that the public can provide input on wording during the drafting period.
Gray and Joshua Twersky also cited growth, both in residential population and in the business community, to be a reason for change, and that a home rule charter would be the best fit for Concord.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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