Williams Twp. suit alleges secret meetings
Feb. 19, 2008
By William J. Ford
The Morning Call
Ten Williams Township residents have sued the three township supervisors and township solicitor, claiming they violating the state open meetings law by privately discussing a proposed landfill expansion compromise.
"We feel the community should have more open access to these discussions,'' Alisa Baratta, one of the residents, said in an interview Monday. ''We want to make sure deliberations going on in these meetings are public."
Baratta is a member of the Committee to Save Williams Township, which is fighting the expansion of the Chrin Bros. Landfill. The group filed a lawsuit in Northampton County Court on Friday claiming Supervisors Sally Hixson, Robert Doerr and Fred Mebus and solicitor Brian Monahan violated the state Sunshine Act.
Baratta said the committee filed the suit on its own but plans to hire an attorney. A court date is scheduled 9 a.m. Feb. 29, according to the court administrator's office.
A tentative agreement between the township and Chrin would include rezoning 22 acres from light industrial to general industrial in order to expand the landfill east toward Morgan Hill Road. The land is near a 350-unit golf course neighborhood.
The township's host fee to operate a landfill would increase from $1 per ton with $275,000 in annual revenue to $4 a ton, or $1.2 million a year. Chrin also would invest at least $2.5 million to build two athletic fields for soccer/lacrosse and Little League Baseball, according to a company mailer.
If an agreement is reached, Chrin would drop any pending lawsuits against the township.
The residents' committee will hold a town hall style meeting 7 p.m. Thursday at Philip Lauer Middle School in Wilson to rally support against the proposal.
The 11-page complaint says the supervisors held private meetings Jan. 8, 24 and 29 to discuss ''host negotiations.'' The supervisors announced Wednesday during a regular meeting these talks were held, according to the suit.
Supervisors must decide whether to accept Chrin's proposal, which Hixson said is still being discussed.
"As supervisors, we are taking our time and gathering information,'' she said.
Of the lawsuit, she said the board has been following Monahan's advice and is not violating the Sunshine Law.
Monahan, who could not be reached for comment Monday, said in a letter to the editor to The Morning Call earlier this month that the township's private negotiations were similar to what other municipalities — Plainfield and Lower Saucon townships — with landfills did.
Pennsylvania Newspaper Association attorney Mellisa Melewsky said the residents committee might have a case.
State law allows closed door meetings involving matters such as real estate, personnel and litigation.
But ''it is a legitimate issue to raise,'' she said.
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