Caernarvon Budget $405K Short, Blight Ordinance Passes 3-2

Caernarvon Township's first draft of its 2027 budget does not balance. The administrator presented "an updated proposed 2027 budget, with a deficiency of $405,339.00" on Sept. 29, and even after applying the 2026 operating reserve, projected at about $140,659.30, the shortfall "leaves the deficiency $264,679.70," according to the budget meeting minutes. The minutes record no plan to close it. The township posted those minutes Oct. 20 with minutes of its Sept. 9 regular meeting, Sept. 16 roads inspection and Sept. 23 workshop on its minutes page. They also record a split vote on a tougher blight ordinance, an emergency storm-sewer repair, a year's delay on Clymer Hill road work and preliminary approval of a Berks Homes and Wawa plan.

A budget with nothing cut yet

The draft "was fully built out based on all requests, and no numbers have been cut in an effort to balance the budget," the Sept. 29 minutes say, and "No changes were suggested or requested by the Board." Administrator Heather Brendle and Treasurer Lydia Simmons will keep working on it; the budget meetings set for Oct. 6 and Oct. 13 were cancelled. The minutes record no discussion of a tax increase and no proposed tax rate. Supervisor Ken Parris was absent.

Borrowing is on the table. At the Sept. 16 roads inspection, "Conversation regarding the Township floating a bond or loan was considered and will be discussed with the Budget," per the roads inspection minutes. A week earlier, Brendle had told the board the 2026 budget "is trending positive for the end of the year," per the Sept. 23 workshop minutes.

Under Section 3202 of the Second Class Township Code, supervisors must advertise a proposed budget, leave it open for public inspection for 20 days, and adopt the final budget "not later then the thirty-first day of December," with spending that does "not exceed the revenues estimated as available," so the gap must close before adoption. A "2027 Budget Update" was on the Oct. 14 agenda we previewed; the Oct. 14 minutes are not posted.

Blight rules now reach occupied homes, on a 3-2 vote

On Sept. 23 the board adopted Ordinance 338-2026, amending the Blighted Property Ordinance, 3-2. Parris moved, Whiteman Jr. seconded by phone, and Vice Chair Keith Fritz, who ran the meeting, voted in favor, "with Sandy Styer and Paul Whiteman, Sr., opposing," the minutes record. It is the only split vote in the four sets of minutes; every other motion carried unanimously or with an abstention.

The minutes do not say what the amendment changes, and the township's site does not host a copy; its ordinances page points to eCode360. The text is on eCode360, the township's code publisher, under New Laws, dated Sept. 23. The ordinance says the 2016 blight ordinance "limited blighted property regulations to those properties that were vacant or unoccupied" and extends them "to all properties regardless of occupancy status." It caps weeds at six inches within 50 feet of a building where visible from a neighboring property or road, and within 50 feet of where a driveway meets the road, and bars keeping any "inoperative or unlicensed/unregistered motor vehicle" outdoors where it can be seen from a public right-of-way. It took effect on enactment.

The township was already enforcing the older, vacant-property version: two weeks before the vote, the Sept. 9 zoning report listed a notice of violation at 10 Welsh Lane "issued under the Blighted Property Ordinance," per the Sept. 9 minutes.

Noah's Glen sinkhole: emergency repair, no price in the record

A sinkhole opened on Noah's Glen along "400ft of a 36" pipe easement," and a camera run showed the "Bottom of pipe is in complete disrepair, and top is damaged as well," the engineer reported Sept. 9. Three quotes ranged "from $110k to $235k," and the minutes say the situation "is considered an emergency, meaning it cannot wait to go through the bidding process." Section 3102 of the Code requires advertised bids above a base amount of $18,500, adjusted yearly, but exempts contracts "made for emergency, or routine maintenance, repairs or replacements" to existing public works.

On Sept. 16 the board agreed to put the unspent 2026 road money toward the repair. On Sept. 23, with "Estimates increased from the preliminary estimates," it voted unanimously "to approve the lower estimate with Berg Construction." The minutes give no dollar figure.

Clymer Hill road work waits for the Twin Valley fields

Construction traffic from Twin Valley School District's ballfield project put the scheduled Clymer Hill road work on hold, and the district's "project will not be completed in time" for paving this year, the Sept. 16 minutes say. "H&K, the contracted vendor, has agreed to the project being pushed until 2027, but there will be a fee," which "will be discussed with TVSD to potentially assist in covering the costs." H&K may do the job as night work. The district authorized A-Turf to renovate its fields for up to $4,188,207, due by March 1, 2027, per its Sept. 21 minutes, as we reported in September and October.

Projects discussed for 2027: Clymer Hill Road, the Mulberry sinkhole, Swamp Road stormwater, and tar-and-chip on Ammon, Mill and Hemlock roads, part of Highcroft, Heritage Drive, South Street and Chestnut Hill Road. "Curb repair is the responsibility of the residents according to the Township Ordinance," the minutes note; a letter to residents is coming.

Berks Homes and Wawa plan clears preliminary approval

On Sept. 23 the board approved Resolution 2026-44, preliminary subdivision and land-development approval for "FB at Magnolia Greene," after "an extensive discussion" with representatives of Berks Homes, Wilkinson Design Group, MSP Development, Widmer Engineering and Wawa. The vote was 3-0, Whiteman Jr. having left the phone call after the Turnpike item; Styer "abstained from discussion and voting on the matter and submitted a conflict-of-interest disclosure." The board also unanimously approved a traffic-signal agreement with Berks Homes that "mimics" its agreement with MSP for Tractor Supply.

The supervisors' minutes do not describe the project. The Planning Commission's Sept. 2 minutes do, in part: a private townhouse road, a commercial portion whose conditions mention Aldi parking, Chick-fil-A deliveries and a Wawa "quick pick-up lane" with no drive-thru, and privacy fencing along Highcroft. None of the township's 2026 Planning Commission or supervisors' minutes gives the number of homes or the acreage.

Turnpike agrees to a sidewalk, wants the township to maintain it

On Sept. 9 the board unanimously rejected the Turnpike's Main Street and Valley Road signal plans "until sidewalk is as close as possible to guiderail and bridge." By Sept. 23 the Turnpike had "agreed to the requested pedestrian sidewalk," but PennDOT and the Turnpike want the township "to take all maintenance ownership and no reimbursement." Revised plans arrived 90 minutes before the meeting, so the board tabled the item to its next regular meeting and asked for a reimbursement agreement. It was on the Oct. 14 agenda; the outcome is unposted.

Pensions, insurance and other money

• The board set the 2027 minimum municipal obligations, the least the township must pay into each pension plan next year: $164,238 for the police pension and $31,180.00 for the non-uniform plan. Conrad Siegel, spelled "Conrad Seigal" in the minutes, will be paid $7,450.00 from the police pension plan for actuarial work tied to Act 21 (Sept. 9).
• The workers' compensation premium "increased 51% due to injuries over the last 3 years primarily in the PD." No dollar figure is recorded (Sept. 9).
• September disbursements totaled $472,857.91; the final $13,501.98 Conestoga Christian settlement payment was authorized, Parris abstaining (Sept. 9).
• Resolutions 2026-45 and 2026-46 designate officials to sign LSA Category 4 grant applications, the state casino-revenue program our preview described, for a public works dump truck and police patrol vehicles, no amounts given (Sept. 23). The police chief may bid $5,000.00 on a used vehicle (Sept. 29).

Also in the minutes

• The zoning-map amendment was "Incorrectly added" to the Sept. 9 agenda and set for the October hearing our preview covered. The township has not posted the outcome; eCode360 lists an "Ord. No. 339" adopted Oct. 14 whose file is a three-page 2026 zoning map, not ordinance text.
• A resident asked the board about local police involvement with ICE. Chief Paul Stolz Jr. "confirmed there has been no discussion to enter the program with ICE" (Sept. 9).
• Another resident called New Morgan's data-center overlay "very lacking" and asked for a good-neighbor letter; the supervisors sent him to New Morgan (Sept. 9). New Morgan has since enacted the overlay as Ordinance 2026-04, per our recap and data-center tracker.
• Keith McGowan and Teresa Peifer were honored for 25 years with the township (Sept. 9). Trick-or-treat is Saturday, Oct. 31, 5 to 9 p.m. (Sept. 29).

What's next

The board's next workshop is Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 6:30 p.m., per the board page, at the municipal building. No agenda was on the agendas page Monday morning. The 2027 budget must be adopted by Dec. 31.

Sources and contact

• Budget meeting minutes, Sept. 29 (PDF); workshop minutes, Sept. 23 (PDF); roads inspection minutes, Sept. 16 (PDF); regular meeting minutes, Sept. 9 (PDF)
• Ordinance No. 338-2026 (eCode360, PDF); Planning Commission minutes, Sept. 2 (PDF)
• Second Class Township Code Section 3202 and Section 3102

Caernarvon Township Board of Supervisors: Chair Paul Whiteman Jr., Vice Chair Keith Fritz, and Supervisors Sandra Styer, Ken Parris and Paul Whiteman Sr. Administrator Heather Brendle; solicitor Eric Brown of Siana Law; engineer Scott Anderson of Kraft Municipal Group, per the minutes. Township office: 3307 Main St., Morgantown, 610-286-1010. For how township boards work, see our guide to how Berks County government works.