Cumru Rejects Every Trash Bid, OKs Manager Deal

Cumru Township posted the signed minutes of its Aug. 18 commissioners meeting on Monday, Oct. 19, two months after the meeting, along with seven sets of minutes covering six earlier meeting dates from May 28 through July 21; until then the township's minutes page ended at April 21. The record answers the two questions left open after our Aug. 18 preview: the board threw out every bid for the township's next trash and recycling contract, and it approved an employment agreement with a new township manager.

Every trash bid rejected

The minutes say bids were opened July 28, and staff marked their picks in bold (p. 3); the July 21 minutes had said the opening "has been changed to 8/04/26" (p. 5), and the record does not reconcile the two dates. For automated, or mechanical, trash pickup across the township, the low bid was $908,922 from AJ Blosenski, against $912,861.60 from Waste Management and $1,390,992 from J.P. Mascaro. Manual pickup in Flying Hills, bid separately, drew offers from $56,000 (Mountz Disposal) to $211,584 (Mascaro). Recycling came in four options priced from $56,953.56 to $650,016 (p. 4).

Commissioner Greg Miller "disclosed that he has been directed by his employer to abstain from voting" (p. 4). The minutes do not name the employer.

Interim Manager Peter S. Marshall said the containers for mechanical pickup "are a 1 time cost," so the next contract should be cheaper because residents would already have them. The board talked about seeking county grant money for recycling containers and about timing, because the current contract "expires at the end of the year."

The motion came from Miller, seconded by Lisha Rowe: "a unanimous vote to reject the current bids and rebid to include a manual option for the entire township." The minutes record the disclosure and the motion on the same page and do not reconcile them. The board also discussed accepting the recycling bids separately from trash, and staff was asked to evaluate container costs further (p. 4).

As our Oct. 20 preview reported, new bids for a 2027-2030 contract were opened Sept. 25, and the Sept. 29 agenda listed Good's Disposal Service as low bidder for mechanical trash pickup at about 4,690 residential units, at $849,241, and for mechanical recycling at $356,245 (p. 1). That is $59,681 below August's low bid for the same category of service, though the specifications were revised for the re-bid. The manual option the board asked for came back far higher: $978,090 from Blosenski (p. 2) and $1,460,508 from Mascaro (p. 1) for about 5,181 units including Flying Hills, $128,849 more than Good's mechanical price at the low end. That agenda does not say whether the figures are yearly or for the full term, and the Sept. 29 minutes are not yet posted, so whatever the board did Sept. 29 is recorded for now only on the township's Sept. 29 video.

A manager agreement, with Rowe abstaining

The minutes say only that "a PowerPoint presentation introduced the new Township Manager" and that the board recognized Marshall "for his work during the transition" (p. 7). They do not give the manager's name, salary or start date. The board approved the Township Manager Agreement on a motion by Miller, seconded by Mark Ferrero, by "a majority vote." The minutes say "Ms. Rowe abstained" and give no reason.

The name appears elsewhere in the township's files: a data center engineering request for proposals issued in September lists "Terrence W. James, Township Manager" as the township contact (p. 1). The July 21 minutes record a July 8 executive session to interview candidates for the job (p. 11).

Solar loan documents

The board voted to have administration prepare loan documents for the township's solar projects. Miller "stated that he abstained and left the room," and the motion by President Andy Donnell, seconded by Vice President Tonya Campbell, passed by "a majority vote" (p. 4).

The project was laid out at a June 22 special meeting: panels on the metal roofs of the new fire station, priced at $650,578, or $325,289 after federal incentives, and the public works building, $198,954, or $99,477 after incentives (p. 1). Miller's presentation called for "no new taxes," shifting 0.05 mills from the general fund to debt service. Residents objected to buying through COSTARS, the state's cooperative purchasing program, instead of open bidding (p. 2). The board voted unanimously that night to move forward, with Rowe absent (p. 3). On July 21, Marshall described the financing as "a 10-year loan for $850,000 initially," with half of it "paid to us through the Federal government's program," and Miller said his employer does not allow him to take part in financing procurement (p. 6). The Oct. 20 agenda listed "Solar Financing Proposals" for a possible vote.

Pool contract and four votes after executive session

The 2027 contract with Ken-Grill Pool passed by "a majority vote," with Rowe voting no and Miller, Donnell, Ferrero and Campbell voting yes (p. 7).

After an executive session from 9:18 to 10:24 p.m. on one matter of potential litigation and two personnel issues, the board took four votes (p. 8): a unanimous vote to hire a finance administrator; a unanimous vote "to reorganize certain administrative positions"; a majority vote, Rowe voting no, to give salary adjustments to the reorganized positions; and a unanimous vote not to offer permanent appointment to a probationary police employee and to "terminate the employment upon the end of probationary period." The minutes list no names or dollar amounts and do not say which positions are being reorganized.

Cameras and public comment

Under the police report, the board discussed license-plate and vehicle-recognition cameras. The minutes say the township "does not currently have a flock camera system or an agreement to use one," and that a separate intersection camera system that captures vehicle and plate information with a time stamp "was discussed as a potential investigative resource" (p. 3).

A Hampshire Road resident asked about the township's cooperation with ICE; the board "discussed that such cooperation is not mandated and would be voluntary" (p. 2). A Freemansville Road resident raised the township's septic compliance letters and worried about contaminants from unmonitored systems. The June 30 minutes give the background: the township mailed 450 non-compliance letters to owners of on-lot septic systems under its SMP ordinance, which requires the systems to be pumped and inspected every three years; the township has 1,000 to 1,200 such systems (p. 4).

Other business

• The board discussed a grant application for the Poplar Neck Bridge "with the amount referenced as approximately $3 million" (p. 2).
• A $10,000 payment to H.B. Frazer, pay application 21 on the new fire station, passed unanimously (p. 3).
• Solicitor Kelsey Frankowski reported that Sencit Apartments "has agreed to pay the $1,000 fine" on a citation tied to earlier elevator problems (p. 6); in July she had said the district attorney was interested in investigating Sencit under the state consumer protection law (July 21 minutes, p. 5).
• A unanimous vote authorized advertising a request for proposals for help designing a rental property program (p. 6). Kraft Municipal Group had estimated the work at about $6,380 in July (July 21 minutes, p. 8); the Oct. 20 agenda listed that proposal for approval.
• Frankowski discussed trimming the special events ordinance before advertising it (p. 7). The code of conduct resolution "was not discussed." The board also discussed holding 2027 budget meetings on the first three Thursdays in November at 6 p.m. (p. 8).

What comes next

The budget meetings are set for Nov. 5, 12 and 19 at 6 p.m., with the next regular meeting Nov. 17 at 7 p.m., per the Oct. 20 agenda. The Sept. 15 and Sept. 29 minutes, which should record the trash award, were up for approval Oct. 20 but are not yet posted. The Oct. 20 meeting itself exists so far only on video; we will report its outcomes once a written record is available. Our guide explains how to find any Berks municipality's meeting schedule.

Corrections: corrections@berksbeat.com.