The Commonwealth Court recently reversed a local zoning hearing board’s decision to grant a variance on the basis that the landowner who sought the variance did not meet the legal standard governing variances. In Salahub v. North Cornwall Township Zoning Hearing Board, No. 1322 C.D. 2017 (Pa. Cmwlth. 2018), a landowner operating a golf course…
On October 12, 2018, Governor Wolf signed into effect Act 78 which not only established criminal offenses for the unlawful use of a drone (“unmanned aircraft”), with noted exceptions, but also provided a preemption of local drone ordinances. Does your municipality have an already established “drone” ordinance? If so, it may now be preempted by…
Siana Law recognizes attorney Eric M. Brown, Esquire for his recently published article in the October 2018 issue of PSAB‘s Borough News Magazine. His featured article breaks down the best practices for developing an effective social media policy for municipal employers. Read the full article provided by PSAB below: Full Article on Social Media by…
Siana Law attorneys Michael G. Crotty and Christopher P. Gerber are proud to participate in the 59th Annual Pennsylvania Association of Municipal Administrators (PAMA) Conference, August 12th – 15th at the Desmond Hotel in Malvern, PA. They look forward to presenting on the following topics* on Tuesday, August 14th, 2018: 2018 Trends in Municipal Law…
Two articles by Siana Law attorney Christopher P. Gerber, Esquire, each of which address pertinent issues for local municipalities and law enforcement, were recently featured in the June and July issues of the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB), Borough News Magazine. Read the full articles provided by PSAB below: Targeting Reductions in the Municipal…
The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court recently emphasized to developers and municipalities the need to properly justify waivers from provisions of a subdivision and land development ordinance (SALDO) during the land development process. In Lake MacLeod Homeowners’ Association, Inc. v. Pine Township Board of Supervisors and Cavalier Partners, LP, the Court sided with the objectors by holding…
Siana Law Partner, Michael G. Crotty, Esquire is teaming up with the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB) to present two webinars on the following topics this fall: Zoning and Joint Zoning Considerations to Promote Sustainable Communities Wednesday, September 6, 2018 12 pm – 1:00 pm What Every Municipality Should Know about Insurance Coverage Wednesday,…
Beginning on Monday April 23, 2018, Siana Law Partners, Michael G. Crotty, Eric M. Brown, Christopher P. Gerber and Sheryl L. Brown will attend the 2018 PSATS Annual Educational Conference in Hershey, PA. Our partners look forward leading the following seminars on five different topics at this year’s conference. Read on to learn more about…
Since anyone can remember, Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act (“The Act”) has been the battleground for advocates of transparency in local government. The Act, with its allowances for executive sessions, seeks to balance transparency against the demands for confidentiality. But what about when deliberations take place behind closed doors? Otherwise known as a Smith fact-finding session –…
On February 21, 2018, Christopher P. Gerber, Esquire presented a webinar entitled, Proper Supervision of Municipal Police Departments on behalf of the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs. The purpose of the webinar was to raise awareness among elected officials, managers, chiefs of police and solicitors regarding their roles in properly managing municipal police departments; to provide a…