Borough

The Waynesboro Borough Council on Wednesday denied plans to subdivide the Brimington Farms development because of financial problems. In October 2005, final plans were approved for Brimington Farms, a planned residential development off State Hill Road. Gemcraft Homes became the homebuilder for the project with nearly 600 units. After Gemcraft Homes filed for bankruptcy, its assets were divided among several holding companies. The lots in Brimington Farms fell under one ownership and the roads' land another.

Charles Eckstine was elected president of the Greencastle Borough Council during Tuesday's reorganization meeting for the seventh year in a row. Councilman Harry R. Foley was elected vice president by his fellow council members. Both positions are two-year terms. As president, Eckstine plans to continue his goal of seeing a right-turn lane at the intersection of U.S. 11 and 16. "We have been working on that for about five years, and I think that would be a real asset when that's complete," he said.

A Chambersburg Borough Council decision Monday night will keep property taxes steady for the sixth straight year, but it has some officials wondering at what cost. By a 7-3 vote, the council adopted its proposed 2012 budget during a special meeting before about 20 people at borough hall. Council members Glenn Manns, Elaine Swartz and Sharon Bigler voted against the measure, which avoids a tax hike by cutting a dozen borough positions, including eight paid firefighters, three unfilled positions within the police department and one recreation department position.

Property owners in the Borough of Waynesboro will see a 2.7-mill increase in their taxes in 2012 to support $6.3 million in upgrades to the municipality's stormwater system. The Waynesboro Borough Council adopted next year's proposed spending plan by a 4-2 vote during a meeting Wednesday night. Councilmen Ronnie Martin and Ben Greenawalt voted against the measure, which will go into effect when the next fiscal year begins on Jan. 1 "Now is not the time to raise taxes," Martin said before the vote.

With planning commission approval in hand, the developers of an Olive Garden and a Longhorn Steakhouse will take their land development plans for the restaurants to the Chambersburg Borough Council Monday. The Chambersburg Planning and Zoning Commission decided Tuesday to send the plans to the borough council for its consideration. The plans include the restaurants and a 7,000-square-foot retail space near the intersection of Walker Road and Norland Avenue. The borough council will review the plans from Reyjoyce LLC at its 7 p.m. Monday meeting, according to Phil Wolgemuth, the borough's land use and development director.

The Waynesboro Borough Council meeting originally scheduled for Wednesday has been canceled. The meeting for Wednesday, Dec. 21, has been rescheduled. The council will meet at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 14, at Waynesboro Borough Hall.

Early numbers at the polls indicate that two new faces will join Greencastle Borough Council come Jan. 1, 2012. According to unofficial results with two precincts reporting, incumbent Republican Jim Farley led the race with 407 votes, followed by two newcomers, Republican Frank Webster Jr. and Democrat Wade G. Burkholder, with 340 and 333 votes, respectively. Incumbent Duane Kinzer, Republican received 268 votes. The top three vote-getters will win four-year seats on council.

The Chambersburg Borough Council has one contested race in next week's municipal election. On Tuesday, Nov. 8, voters in the borough's Fifth Ward will be choosing a new representative on the 10-person council. Kenneth L. Gill and Brad Elter are running for the seat currently held by Robert A. Wareham Sr., who is not seeking re-electon. The winner will serve a four-year term. The Fifth Ward encompasses the southeast portion of the borough, including Stanley Avenue and much of Orchard Drive and Stouffer Avenue.

There will be at least one new face on the Greencastle Borough Council after Election Day Tuesday. Four men - two incumbents and two newcomers - are running for three open seats in the general election. Each seat carries a four-year term. Winning nominations in the May primaries, incumbents Jim Farley and Duane Kinzer will be joined by Frank Webster Jr. on the Republican ticket, while Wade Burkholder will be running unopposed on the Democratic ticket. Appointed to the council in January to replace Councilman Mark Singer who resigned, Farley, 71, of 79 Celestial Terrace, retired from the U.S. Army in 1989 and has lived in Greencastle since 2003.

Efforts to expand and renovate the Franklin County (Pa.) Courthouse complex cleared a major hurdle Monday when the Chambersburg Borough Council unanimously approved land-development plans. Some council members said they'd prefer design changes, but the plans as presented met all state and local regulations. The Franklin County Commissioners are looking to spend about $2 million when upgrading the courthouse complex. The council's vote allows for a new driveway into a sally port entrance for sheriff's vehicles, a new entrance for a North Second Street property and the removal of 12 parking spaces on U.S. 30. The county will demolish the former Harmon's Furniture building on North Main Street and the Rahauser buildings near the intersection of U.S. 30 (Lincoln Way East)