South Whitehall advances tax increase ballot question intended to help preserve open spaces

SOUTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. — South Whitehall Township commissioners on Wednesday approved an ordinance that will let them place a ballot question asking residents about a potential tax increase to support open space areas.

The ballot question would ask residents whether they would support a 0.1% Earned Income Tax increase that would go toward financing, buying, maintaining and improving undeveloped open space areas, and to retire debt associated with those actions.

Following the commissioners’ adoption of the ordinance, the measure will be sent to the Lehigh County Election Office, and township staff will conduct public outreach and education in support of the ballot initiative.

The question will be attached to the fall election ballot and state the following:

“Do you favor the imposition of an Earned Income Tax at the rate of 0.1% by South Whitehall Township to protect farmland, wildlife habitat, natural areas, drinking water supplies, water quality in streams, wetlands, scenic views and historic resources by conserving land in the township, to retire debt associated with land conservation, and to maintain, improve, or develop land for conservation and recreation, with all spending subject to full public disclosure?”

'The next step'

Officials anticipate that if approved, the measure could generate about $1 million a year to support open space protection and the management of open space properties.

Township Long Range Planner Christopher Strohler said the open space referendum had been discussed over the past several meetings, had been advertised and reviewed and commented upon by the township’s legal team.

“The next step is to adopt the ordinance, and following that, we would send the ordinance — and the question specifically that the commissioner just read which is on your screen — to the County Board of Elections.

This would then be on the Nov. 4 ballot for the voters to decide whether they favor this or not,” Strohler said.

Strohler said a “plain English statement that explains the ballot question further” had been added to the ordinance at the request of the Lehigh County solicitor’s office.

“This just allows us to over the next several months as the County Board of Elections reviews the plain English statement and the question, and the ballot question itself, if there's any formatting changes or so forth, to actually get this into the ballot,” Strohler said.

“That doesn't change anything substantially as to the nature of it, this just allows us that flexibility if where it needs to be removed or shortened or something like that.”

'We're behind'

The commissioners commended Strohler and his team’s efforts to make the question as easily understandable for voters as possible, addressing common questions and concerns that could arise.

“Chris, thank you again for all your work on this,"Commissioner Jacob Roth said. "This specific effort has actually been in the works, with various discussions in various forms, with breaks, since January 2020.

"So it's been a long time coming, and will be good, hopefully, with the residents’ approval to catch up to some of our neighboring municipalities,”

Commissioner Monica Hodges said she hoped residents would support the measure and help to preserve remaining undeveloped land in the township.

“We're behind," Hodges said. "As I said last meeting, we are behind. If the public refers to their June 2 packet, there are a bunch of, a list of, townships that already have this in place: Upper Saucon, Milford, North Whitehall, Lower Macungie, Whitehall. So we are behind.

“This is timely. I'm glad it's going forward. For years, residents have expressed a desire to protect our resources, protect land, and this is one measure in which we can do so, and now it's up to our voters, our residents, to determine the path forward.”