Exeter Township Puts Emergency Services Center Out to Bid

Exeter Township's new Emergency Services Center is going out to bid, but the township has not decided how to finance it. On Sept. 14 the Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to advertise the construction bid, with the bidding run by Boyle Construction Management, according to the approved minutes of that meeting (p. 3). Two weeks later the board heard from a financial adviser from PFM about a bond sale and leaned toward revisiting the question in 2027, because the project's final cost and its grant awards are still unknown, the approved Sept. 28 minutes say (p. 2).

The same September meetings set two new rules in motion for residents: an ordinance on e-bikes, e-scooters and dirt bikes on township property, and a rewrite of the township's door-to-door sales rules with background checks, photo badges, set hours and a no-solicitation registry. The board voted to advertise both for adoption, pending further solicitor review, which means a final vote could come at a later meeting.

The township posted both sets of minutes Oct. 15 as scanned images with no text layer, so they cannot be searched or copied. Both are marked approved.

The Emergency Services Center

The Sept. 14 motion approved "advertisement of the bid for the new Emergency Services Center in the Reading Eagle," and the agenda note says "all bids and the bidding process will be administered and handled through Boyle Construction Management" (Sept. 14 minutes, p. 3). The minutes do not give the building's estimated cost, its location or a bid-opening date. Fire Chief Jordan of the Exeter Township Volunteer Fire Department thanked the board for moving the project to the bidding phase (p. 6).

On Sept. 28, Jamie Schlesinger of PFM Financial Advisors briefed the board on a "maximum parameters" bond sale. In that approach, the board passes an ordinance setting the most it will borrow and the highest interest rate it will accept, and designated officials can then accept a sale within those limits. Schlesinger said municipal borrowing rates are running about 4.5 to 5 percent, that the township's existing $10 million bond issue from 2025 carries a Moody's Aa2 credit rating, and that a second issue could stay bank-qualified as long as it does not exceed $10 million in a calendar year (Sept. 28 minutes, p. 2). A bank-qualified bond is a small issue that banks get a tax break for buying, which usually means a lower interest rate for the township. He said a 25-year repayment term is standard for emergency services buildings.

Chairperson George Bell said the board likely did not have enough information to act this year, since "final project costs and grant outcomes for the emergency services center remain unresolved." The minutes record that "the board's inclination was to revisit a potential issuance in 2027, accepting the associated interest rate risk as a reasonable trade-off for greater cost certainty" (p. 2). That is a stated leaning, not a vote; no motion on borrowing was made. Supervisor Mohammad Mohammad asked about borrowing in mid-2027, and Schlesinger said mid-year sales work but require extra conversations with the rating agency because only preliminary budget figures are available then.

Resident Bob Hoffman spoke during public comment about a capital campaign for the center (p. 2). The minutes record only the topic, not an amount or status.

The project came back on the Oct. 12 amended agenda, which listed a $43,109 change order to Boyle Construction for added construction-management work, including scheduling beyond the original timeframe and a visit to a Cumberland fire station to compare costs against the township's budget estimate (pp. 2-3). The same item also bills for "a PowerPoint presentation for the Town Hall meeting"; the agenda does not say what the town hall covers or whether it has already been held. The agenda did not list a bid award. The township had not posted Oct. 12 minutes as of Oct. 16, so the outcome of that item is not in the written record yet.

E-bikes and door-to-door sales

The board voted 5-0 on Sept. 14 to advertise two ordinances, each "subject to review and approval by the Solicitor" (Sept. 14 minutes, p. 5). The full drafts are in the Sept. 14 agenda packet.

Ordinance 882 covers e-bikes, e-scooters, dirt bikes and similar vehicles on township property and on limited-access roads such as Route 422. Solicitor Chad Schnee said that as drafted, the devices "would generally be prohibited on Township property unless the Board designates permitted areas," with exemptions for wheelchairs, strollers and similar mobility devices (p. 5). The draft bars riding any wheeled device inside township buildings, limits e-bikes and e-scooters in parks and on trails to areas the township marks for them, and restates the state ban on e-bikes on the freeway portion of Route 422. Violations would be civil penalties of up to $600, with a written warning possible for a first offense. A parent who knowingly lets a child keep riding on township property after a written notice could face a fine of $100 for a first violation, rising to $600. Schnee said a 60-day education period before enforcement was under consideration, and Police Chief Steve Powell plans a public education session with the library (p. 5).

Ordinance 883 replaces Chapter 282 of the township code, the peddling and soliciting rules, which Schnee said were last updated in 2007. Commercial solicitors would need a license from the police chief after a criminal background check, would have to wear a township-issued photo ID badge, and could knock only between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., never on Sundays or legal holidays. The police department would keep a No-Solicitation Registry of addresses that do not want visits, and a solicitor who ignores it would lose the permit (p. 5). Religious, political and other noncommercial canvassing would not need a license. People under 18 selling for newspapers, scouting groups and similar youth organizations would have to register but would not pay the license fee. The board discussed the practicality of the photo-ID rule and the fee structure, and the minutes say the board "agreed that further refinement was warranted prior to advertisement" even as it voted to advertise (p. 5).

Neither ordinance appeared on the Oct. 12 amended agenda, so no adoption vote had been scheduled as of that meeting.

Pensions, grants and a new police SUV

The board approved Resolution 2026-33 setting the 2027 Minimum Municipal Obligation for its three pension plans: Police $349,652, Employee $168,426 and Non-Uniformed $142,140 (Sept. 14 minutes, pp. 3-4). The MMO is the amount state law requires a municipality to put into each pension plan next year, calculated by an actuary. Bell corrected the agenda, which cited a 2023 valuation; the figures come from a Jan. 1, 2025 valuation. Supervisor John "Jack" Piho asked why the administrative expense percentages differ among the three plans, and Township Manager Larry Piersol agreed to follow up (p. 4).

The township applied for two Local Share Account grants (the minutes call the program the Local Share Assessment). The Local Share Account is a state program that hands out a cut of casino gaming revenue to local governments; Piersol said it requires no local match (Sept. 28 minutes, p. 4). Resolution 2026-32 seeks $92,208 to replace a rooftop HVAC unit and six-zone damper system at the township building, one unit being about 36 years old, and the waste-oil burner that heats the public works garage with drained oil from residents and township equipment (Sept. 14 minutes, pp. 2-3). Resolution 2026-36 seeks $143,060.60 for two police vehicles and their equipment (Sept. 28 minutes, pp. 4-5). Piersol said award notices are expected about a year out, in 2027.

The police department is replacing a 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe that was rear-ended and declared a total loss. The board authorized a 2026 Ford Police Interceptor Utility from Tom Masano Ford for $73,230.30 under the COSTARS state purchasing contract; a $53,627 insurance settlement covers most of it and the Equipment Fund covers the remaining $19,603.30 (Sept. 14 minutes, p. 4). Piersol said the township's insurer is pursuing the at-fault driver's carrier to recover the $1,000 deductible.

Piersol also got authority to sign a 24- or 30-month natural gas supply contract for township buildings with Schneider Brothers at a proposed rate of $6.35, compared with the current $6.54 and a no-contract default of $7.54 (Sept. 14 minutes, p. 3). The minutes do not state the unit for those prices.

Budget season: no tax increase is the stated goal

Bell outlined his preferred approach to the 2027 budget on Sept. 14: set available revenue, including interest from the wastewater treatment fund, as a ceiling, divide it across departments, and aim to avoid a tax rate increase (Sept. 14 minutes, p. 6). On Sept. 28 the board voted 4-0 to advertise 2027 budget workshops for Oct. 26 and Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. at the township building (Sept. 28 minutes, p. 4). Piho encouraged residents who follow township matters to take part and send comments to the board (Sept. 14 minutes, p. 6). Exeter's township real estate tax rate is listed in our guide to property tax rates by municipality.

Supervisor Clarence Hamm was absent Sept. 28; all four present supervisors voted on every item (Sept. 28 minutes, p. 1). Bell attended Sept. 14 by telephone (Sept. 14 minutes, p. 1).

Also at the meetings

Shelbourne Road closure. Piersol reported that Pennsylvania American Water's sewer line replacement would close Shelbourne Road during daytime hours starting Sept. 21 for about six weeks, with detours by Kerr Street to Saint Lawrence Avenue and a closure at Hunters Run Boulevard; the road reopens overnight (Sept. 14 minutes, p. 6).

Homecoming bonfire. Fire Chief Chris Jordan briefed the board in an informational session before the Sept. 28 meeting on a Sept. 24 bonfire incident, and told the public the department had done an internal review and adopted new standard operating guidelines (Sept. 28 minutes, pp. 1-2). Vice Chairperson Amanda Johnsen "expressed relief that injuries were minor" (p. 6). The minutes do not describe what happened or how many people were hurt.

Data centers. Resident Terry Reilly of Craig Drive asked on Sept. 14 about the status of an ordinance to limit data centers and whether any proposals had been filed (Sept. 14 minutes, p. 1). The minutes record no answer. Exeter's supervisors discussed drafting data-center rules in June, as reported in our five-township zoning report; neighboring Amity Township froze data center applications for up to 180 days in September.

Feral cats and kratom. A Lower Alsace Township resident asked Sept. 14 for a trap-neuter-return voucher program in the budget (Sept. 14 minutes, p. 1). On Sept. 28, Bell requested a future agenda item on a feral cat voucher program, raised concerns about kratom, and asked the board to consider smoke-shop regulations such as buffer zones and conditional-use requirements (Sept. 28 minutes, p. 6).

Other votes. The board recommended that the Zoning Hearing Board grant a variance to split a roughly 3-acre lot on Overlook Drive into three 1-acre lots; approved a land development plan and waivers for a self-service vacuum area at Scotts Car Wash, 5700 Perkiomen Ave.; approved a sewer planning module for a house at 503 Exeter Road; and signed off on a memorandum with Teamsters Local 429 putting part-time employees hired after Sept. 1 under the seasonal-employee pension contribution rules (Sept. 28 minutes, pp. 2-5). On Sept. 14 it approved a five-year office-equipment service agreement with Fraser at $2,087.38 a month, a $14,216.84 engineering plotter, and Trick-or-Treat Night for Saturday, Oct. 31, 5 to 9 p.m. (Sept. 14 minutes, p. 2).

What happens next

The 2027 budget workshops are Monday, Oct. 26 and Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 6 p.m. at the township building. The next regular Board of Supervisors meeting is Oct. 26 at 7 p.m., followed by Nov. 9 at 7 p.m., per the Oct. 12 agenda (p. 3). Watch for the Emergency Services Center bid results, a bond-parameters ordinance in 2027, and adoption votes on Ordinances 882 and 883, which had not been scheduled as of Oct. 12.

Meetings are at the township building, 4975 DeMoss Road, Reading, and are streamed live on the township's YouTube channel. Agendas are posted the Friday before each meeting on the agendas page. To speak during public comment you must attend in person and sign in on arrival, the agendas page says; the public-comment rules printed on each agenda let the chair limit speakers to three minutes, with 30 minutes of comment per meeting. Approved minutes appear on the minutes page after the board approves them at a later meeting.