John Mack Newtown
Here's the Scoop

Local government is where abstract fiscal policy collides directly with daily human life.

During this meeting of the Newtown Township PA Board of Supervisors (BOS) elected officials debated the upcoming/preliminary 2027 budget, community safety concerns, and employee compensation.

Discussions focused on balancing the general fund reserves while funding essential public services like the fire department and road maintenance. Residents also voiced concerns regarding pedestrian safety near local intersections and transparency surrounding the proposed financial plans.

Additionally, the board addressed zoning applications, intergovernmental agreements, and departmental reports from emergency services.

Takeaways from the October 21, 2026 Newtown Township Human Relations Commission Meeting

The proceedings of the October 21, 2026, public meeting of the Newtown Township Human Relations Commission (NTHRC) reveal eye-opening truths about modern grassroots public service. The conversation between commission members offers an intimate look at the visibility challenges, administrative paradoxes, and quiet dedication that define small-town civil rights governance.

The Bucks County Orphans’ Court approved the $14.9 million sale and transfer of Chandler Hall Health Services’ operations to a for-profit buyer on October 19, following testimony that the longtime nonprofit senior-care community could otherwise face closure.

 
Question:

What Happens to Its Quaker Mission and Community Services?

At the October 14 meeting, the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors reviewed the 2027 Proposed Budget and approved several key township projects:

2027 Budget Presentation: The proposed budget contemplates a net real estate tax increase of 2.635 mills ($13.39 per year / $8.61 per month for the average assessed residential unit). This includes a 3-mill increase for the Fire Protection Fund to support paid personnel as the SAFER grant expires in March 2027, offset by a 0.6-mill tax reduction in Debt Service.

Capital Investments: Key budget highlights feature $300,000 for replacing the Robert's Ridge playground, $100,000 for a Helen Randle Park master plan to leverage future grant opportunities, and an $850,000 road paving program covering priority segments such as Linton Hill and Wrights Road.

Newtown Creek Pedestrian Bridge: The Board voted to award the project construction bid to RoadCon, Inc. for $985,850. 

 
Update (10/16/26):

In a September 2, 2026. letter to Mike Sellers (Newtown Creek Coalition) and Julia Waldorf (Newtown Borough Council), PA State Senator Steven J. Santarsiero and House Representative Perry Warren said “While we continue to fully support this project and will wotk together to secure $100,000 in additional state funds to cover most of the increase in construction cost, we look forward to commitments from Newtown Township, Newtown Borough, and/or private funding source(s) to contribute any further funds needed to close the gap behveen the original proposal and the updated plan.”

In other words, NO grant has yet been awarded to the NCC and our state representatives seem to expect Newtown Township and Borough to commit to supply additional funding!

The September 23, 2026, Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) meeting focused heavily on public concern regarding two major local developments:

  • Preserving Chandler Hall's Mission
  • The potential residential development of the Newtown Water and Sewer Authority property on Lower Silver Lake Road
  • Bills List Approval
  • Conflict of Interest Allegation
  • Conditional Use Approval of La Scala Fire restaurant
  • Engineering & Infrastructure regarding the Linton Hill Road paving project
  • Environmental Afvisory Council Reorg?

A closer look at how Newtown Township's supervisors voted from January through August 2026

Municipal voting records may look like dry tables of numbers and dates, but they are actually the master blueprints of your local community's daily life, public safety, and future development.

Here, we will dive into the unofficial January through August 2026 voting record of the Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) to uncover how local government operates behind the scenes.

 
Comments:

Ed Merriman is Chair of the Board, Melissa Merk is Vice Chair, Kyle Davis is Secretary, Phil Calabro and Elen Snyder are members

Related Content:

What Transpired at the 28 October 2026 Newtown's BOS Meeting

While Newtown Township faces a proposed 15% tax hike, supervisors debated giving Assistant Township Manager Katherine McGovern a permanent $35,000 salary increase. Some supervisors defended the raise as fair compensation for additional duties, while others questioned its size and suggested a one-time bonus instead. Residents raised concerns about financial transparency, qualifications, and accountability.

The meeting covered multiple zoning and land development applications, including residential variance requests on Hillside Road and Taylor Avenue, a residential demolition and rebuild on Washington Crossing Road, a conditional use recommendation for Spread Bagelry, and an extensive preliminary review of additions and site revisions for Newtown Elementary School. The commission also addressed administrative matters, including township budgeting for zoning services and local property updates.

 

The Newtown Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority (NBCJMA), also known as the Newtown Sewer Authority, convened on October 13, 2026.

This summary outlines a comprehensive lineup of administrative duties, including the review of financial records, consideration of delinquent accounts, and approval of routine expenditures and fund transfers. Key discussions featured standard reports from the engineer, solicitor, manager, and field staff, alongside updates on ongoing old business regarding property sales.

 
Major Development:

Sewer Property Sale Deadline Extended

The Board voted 6–0 to extend the due diligence deadline for DeLuca Newtown, LLC to December 8, 2026, giving the developer roughly two additional months to present plans to the township.

Newtown Township's October 14, 2026 Bills List includes $1,058,220.77 in disbursements, with the overwhelming majority concentrated in pension obligations, employee health insurance, fire protection, and fuel purchases.

The single largest payment is $592,907.70 to the Newtown Township Police Pension Fund, representing approximately 56% of the entire Bills List. The Delaware Valley Health Insurance Trust (DVHIT) follows with $151,882.88 for employee health insurance across township departments.

 
Comments:

The October 14 Bills List illustrates how a relatively small number of major financial obligations dominate township spending. 

The River Crossing YMCA’s Newtown Branch has been more than a gym; it has been the heartbeat of the community at 190 S Sycamore Street for many years. But as the “transition of seasons” arrived this September 2026, members were met with a chilling blast of reality that far outweighs the typical autumn chill.

A sudden real estate deal - i.e., the sale of its landlord, Chandler Hall - has left this local staple scrambling for survival, turning a routine facility update into a high-stakes race for a new home

 
Comments:

How does a community staple maintain its identity and the loyalty of its people when its physical space is suddenly taken away?

For now, the members of the Newtown Branch must wait for the “near future” when the Y is finally ready to reveal where its new home will be.

While the "cloud" is often marketed as an ethereal, weightless medium, its physical footprint is staggering. In the real world, the digital age is composed of steel, heat, and a million-gallon-a-day thirst for water. As these industrial-scale facilities begin to migrate from massive tech hubs into residential suburbs, local governments are finding themselves in a high-stakes game of regulatory catch-up.

On September 3, 2026, the Newtown Area Joint Zoning Council (JZC) met to tackle this looming shift.

 
Comments:

Public testimony from Kim Kaputo underscored the human cost, linking low-frequency noise to severe health impacts on sensitive populations, including those with PTSD, autism, and chronic migraines.

Consequently, the Jointure is now seeking a professional acoustic engineer to set frequency-based standards that a simple police decibel gun cannot detect.

4 Eye-Opening Takeaways from Public Comments Submitted by Email to comments@newtownpa.gov

Behind the scenes of municipal administration, an official public comment inbox such as comments@twp.newtown.pa.us serves as a digital town square.

Residents, community advocates, and township personnel use electronic communications to raise concerns, advocate for policy changes, and communicate information relevant to local government.

A review of these records reveals four particularly interesting themes: pedestrian safety, environmental preservation, fair allocation of municipal service costs, and the sometimes confusing realities of communicating with township officials.

Newtown Township Board of Supervisors (BOS) approved a nearly $1 million construction bid for the proposed Newtown Creek pedestrian bridge, but the project's remaining funding needs — and the status of a potential additional $100,000 in state support — remain unsettled.

 
Comments

The unanswered questions include whether the proposed $100,000 state contribution has been formally awarded, how much funding the coalition must provide to satisfy the township's condition, and how the Coalition's broader $1.3 million estimate relates to the project's baseline construction budget.
Where's the Money for #NewtownPA Creek Pedestrian Bridge? 

At the 14 October 2026 Newtown Board of Supervisors meeting, John Mack asked where is the estimated $300,000 needed to cover the estimated $1.3 final cost of the project. This was during a motion to approve a $985,850 bid for the construction of the pedestrian bridge.

Mack noted that previously the township indicated that the motion included the wording “subject to additional funds from the Newtown Creek Coalition [NCC]” – specifically mentioned was a $100,000 state grant received by the NCC. No such grant was mentioned on the NCC website, said Mack.

After the meeting, Mr. Mack received - via a RTK request to the township - a September 2, 2026, letter from  PA State Senator Steven J. Santarsiero and House Representative Perry Warren. The state representative merely promised to “work together to secure $100,000 in additional state funds” and “we look forward to commitments from Newtown Township, Newtown Borough, and/or private funding source(s) to contribute any further funds needed.”

 In other words, NO grant has yet been awarded to the NCC and our state representatives seem to expect Newtown Township and Borough to commit to supply additional funding!
 

 
Comments:

For a revised estimate of funds available and future funding needs, read the Newtown Patch article "Newtown Creek Pedestrian Bridge Bid Approved As Funding Questions Remain."

To stand at the southern end of State Street in Newtown Borough today is to witness a landscape of neglect that many residents have come to view with a mix of resignation and resentment. While the northern heart of the borough thrives, the southern end has long felt like the town's "stepchild," as one resident poignantly put it at the September 22nd Borough Council meeting.
 
The current reality is gritty: the deteriorating shell of a former Safeway, a "horrendous" vista of collapsing outbuildings, and a charred structure that resembles a "burned-out barn" where trees have begun to grow inside the ruins.

 
Comments:

The updated vision for the Liberty Centre Development includes several major changes following pushback from the Newtown Borough Council and months of work with a council subcommittee.

This Audio Overview focuses on the specific intergovernmental agreements and shared funding decisions that caused split votes among the Newtown Board of Supervisors (BOS) in the period from January through August 2026.

The contentious votes involved Fire Services Agreement with Newtown Borough and Opioid Settlement MOU with Bucks County. Battlegrounds emerge when the township is asked to share its money or services with questionable payback.

In Lansdale, concerned citizens are advocating for the creation of a formal traffic committee to address long-standing issues with speeding, parking, and road safety.

Local advocates Dominic Visturia and Francisco Lopez proposed this idea after observing a successful citizen-led commission in nearby Middletown Township, which facilitates collaboration between residents, police, and traffic engineers.