[Ord. No. 4-2005, 8/9/2005]
1. The Sugarloaf Township Supervisors shall have the duty and authority
for the administration and general enforcement of the provisions of
this chapter as specified or implied herein.
2. Permits required by the Township for the election or alteration of
buildings, the installation of sewers or sewage disposal systems,
or for other appurtenant improvements to, or use of, the land, shall
not be issued by any Township official until he has ascertained that
the site for such building, alteration, improvement or use is located
in a development approved and publicly recorded in accordance with
the provisions of this chapter. Also, such permits shall be issued
only after it has been determined that the site for such building,
alteration, improvement or use conforms to the site description as
indicated by the approved and recorded final plat or other land description
acceptable in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and that
it is in compliance with all applicable provisions of this chapter.
3. The Township Building Permit Officer shall require that applications
for building permits contain all the information necessary for him
to ascertain that, and he shall not issue any building permit until
he determines that the site and plan for the proposed building, alteration
or other improvement is acceptable in accordance with the provisions
of this chapter. The Township Sewage Enforcement Officer shall require
that applications for sewage disposal system permits contain all the
information for him to ascertain that and he shall not issue any sewage
disposal system permit until he determines that the site for the proposed
system is acceptable in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
[Ord. No. 4-2005, 8/9/2005]
Any person, partnership or corporation who or which has violated
any provision of this chapter shall, upon being found liable therefore
in a civil enforcement proceeding commenced by the Township, pay a
judgment of not more than $500, plus all court costs, including reasonable
attorney fees, incurred by the Township as a result thereof. If the
defendant neither pays nor timely appeals the judgment, the Township
may enforce the judgment pursuant to the applicable rules of civil
procedure. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a
separate violation, unless the Magisterial District Judge determining
that there has been a violation further determines that there was
a good-faith basis for the person, partnership or corporation violating
this chapter to have believed that there was no such violation, in
which event there shall be deemed to have been only one such violation
until the fifth day following the date of the determination of a violation
by the Magisterial District Judge, and thereafter, each day that a
violation continues shall constitute a respective violation.
[Ord. No. 4-2005, 8/9/2005]
1. In addition to any other remedies available to it, the Township may
institute and maintain appropriate actions by law or in equity to
restrain, correct or abate violations, to prevent unlawful construction,
to recover damages and to prevent illegal occupancy of a building,
structure or premises. The description by metes and bounds in the
instrument of transfer or other documents used in process of selling
or transferring shall not exempt the seller or transferor from such
penalties or from the remedies herein provided.
2. The Township may refuse to issue any permit or grant any approval
necessary to further improve or develop any real property which has
been developed or which has resulted from a subdivision of real property
in violation of this chapter. This authority to deny such a permit
or approval shall apply to any of the following applicants:
A. The owner of record at the time of such violation.
B. The vendee or lessee of the owner of record at the time of such violation
without regard as to whether such vendee or lessee had actual or constructive
knowledge of the violation.
C. The current owner of record who acquired the property subsequent
to the time of violation without regard as to whether such current
owner had actual or constructive knowledge of the violation.
D. The vendee or lessee of the current owner of record who acquired
the property subsequent to the time of violation without regard as
to whether such vendee or lessee had actual or constructive knowledge
of the violation.
3. As an additional condition of issuance of a permit or the granting
of an approval to any such owner, vendee or lessee for development
of any such real property, the Township may require compliance with
the conditions that would have been applicable to the property at
the time the applicant acquired an interest in such real property.
[Ord. No. 4-2005, 8/9/2005]
1. Review Fees.
A. Review fees may include reasonable and necessary charges by the municipality's
professional consultant for review and report thereon to the municipality.
Such review fees shall be based upon a schedule established by a resolution
of the Township Supervisors. Such review fees shall be reasonable
and in accordance with the ordinary and customary charges for similar
service in the community, but in no event shall the fees exceed the
rate or cost charged by the professional consultant for comparable
services to the Township for services which are not reimbursed or
otherwise imposed on applicants. Fees charged to the Township relating
to any appeal of a decision shall not be considered review fees and
may not be charged to the applicant.
B. The Township shall submit to the applicant an itemized bill showing work performed, identifying the person performing the services and the time and date spent for each task. In the event the applicant disputes the amount of any such review fees, the applicant shall, no later than 45 days after the date of transmittal of the bill to the applicant, notify the Township and the Township's professional consultant that such fees are disputed and shall explain the basis of their objections to the fees charged, in which case the Township shall not delay or disapprove applicant's project due to such dispute over fees. Failure of the applicant to dispute a bill within 45 days shall be a waiver of the applicant's right to arbitration of that bill under §
22-1004, Subsection 2C, 2D, 2E and 2F, hereof.
C. In the event that the Township's professional consultant and the applicant cannot agree on the amount of review fees which are reasonable and necessary, then the applicant and the Township shall follow the procedure for dispute resolution set forth in §
22-1004, Subsection 2C, 2D, 2E and 2F hereof, provided that the arbitrator resolving such dispute shall be of the same profession or discipline as the professional consultant whose fees are being disputed.
D. Subsequent to a decision on an application, the Township shall submit
to the applicant an itemized bill for review fees, specifically designated
as a final bill. The final bill shall include all review fees incurred
at least through the date of the decision on the application. If for
any reason additional review is required subsequent to the decision,
including the conditions of the approval, the review fees shall be
charged to the applicant as a supplement to the final bill.
2. Inspection Fees. The applicant shall also reimburse the municipality
for the reasonable and necessary expense incurred in connection with
the inspection of improvements. The applicant shall not be required
to reimburse the governing body for any inspection which is duplicative
of inspections conducted by other governmental agencies or public
utilities. The burden of proving that any inspection is duplicative
shall be upon the objecting applicant. Such reimbursement shall be
based upon a schedule established by resolution of the Township Supervisors.
Such expense shall be reasonable and in accordance with the ordinary
and customary fees charged by the municipality's professional consultant
for work performed for similar services in the community, but in no
event shall the fees exceed the rate or cost charged by the professional
consultant to the municipality for comparable services when fees are
not reimbursed or otherwise imposed on applicants.
A. The Township shall submit to the applicant an itemized bill showing
the work performed in connection with the inspection of improvements
performed, identifying the person performing the services and the
time and date spent for each task. In the event the applicant disputes
the amount of any such expense in connection with the inspection of
improvements, the applicant shall, no later than 30 days after the
date of transmittal of a bill for inspection services, notify the
Township and the Township's professional consultant that such inspection
expenses are disputed as unreasonable or unnecessary and shall explain
the basis of their objections to the fees charged, in which case the
municipality shall not delay or disapprove a request for release of
financial security, a subdivision or land development application
or any approval or permit related to development due to the applicant's
dispute of inspection expenses. Failure of the applicant to dispute
a bill within 30 days shall be a waiver of the applicant's right to
arbitration of that bill under this section.
B. Subsequent to the final release of financial security for completion
of improvements for a subdivision or land development, or any phase
thereof, the professional consultant shall submit to the Township
a bill for inspection services, specifically designated as a final
bill. The final bill shall include inspection fees incurred through
the release of financial security.
C. If the professional consultant and the applicant cannot agree on
the amount of expenses which are reasonable and necessary, then the
applicant shall have the right, within 45 days of the transmittal
of the final bill or supplement to the final bill to the applicant,
to request the appointment of another professional consultant to serve
as an arbitrator. The applicant and professional consultant whose
fees are being challenged shall, by mutual agreement, appoint another
professional consultant to review any bills the applicant has disputed
and which remain unresolved the said expenses and make a determination
as to the amount thereof which is reasonable and necessary. The arbitrator
shall be of the same profession as the professional consultant whose
fees are being challenged.
D. In the event that the Township's professional consultant and applicant
cannot agree upon the arbitrator to be appointed within 20 days of
the request for appointment of an arbitrator, then upon application
of either party, the President Judge of the Court of Common Pleas
(or if at the time there be no President Judge, then the senior active
judge then sitting) shall appoint such arbitrator, who, in that case,
shall be neither the Township's professional consultant nor any professional
consultant who has been retained by, or performed services for, the
Township or the applicant within the preceding five years.
E. The arbitrator so appointed shall hear such evidence and review such
documentation as the arbitrator in his or her sole opinion deems necessary
and render a decision no later than 50 days after the date of appointment.
Based on the decision of the arbitrator, the applicant or the professional
consultant whose fees were challenged shall be required to pay any
amounts necessary to implement the decision within 60 days. In the
event the Township has paid the professional consultant an amount
in excess of the amount determined to be reasonable and necessary,
the professional consultant shall within 60 days reimburse the excess
payment.
F. The fee of the arbitrator shall be paid by the applicant if the review
fee charged is sustained by the arbitrator, otherwise it shall be
divided equally between the parties. If the disputed fees are found
to be excessive by more than $5,000, the arbitrator shall have the
discretion to assess the arbitration fee in whole or in part against
either the applicant or the professional consultant. The Township
Supervisors and the consultant whose fees are the subject of the dispute
shall be parties to the proceeding.