The Gettysburg Borough Council welcomed a new member, advanced a zoning ordinance, and formalized its intention to raise taxes during Monday’s meeting.
A new council member was needed after Judie Butterfield’s death on Oct. 22. Butterfield joined the council to represent Ward 3 in 2019 when she was appointed to fill a vacancy created by Charles Strauss’ resignation, necessitated by a move. She successfully sought a four-year term in 2021 and did not seek re-election this year.
The council unanimously selected William Mooney III to fill Butterfield’s seat. Mooney won a seat on the council in November and was expected to join the governing body in January. Council President Matthew Moon said Pennsylvania’s Borough Code does not define how the council must choose a new member and only states the seat must be filled within 30 days of the vacancy. Council members agreed that having Mooney complete the remaining month and a half of Butterfield’s term made sense.
The council will have another vacancy in January when Councilman Chad-Alan Carr is sworn in as the borough’s mayor. Carr represents the borough at-large so any resident who is 18 years old and who has lived in the borough for one year is eligible. Moon said the council will likely accept applications and vote on their options.
Council unanimously selected Councilwoman Alisha Wansel Sanders to replace Butterfield as the body’s vice president.
Zoning Ordinance Advances
The council voted 5-2, with Chris Berger and Peter Bales in opposition, to advertise the borough’s new zoning ordinance for adoption in December.
Resident Sue Cipperly expressed her repeated concern that 72-foot-tall buildings are not appropriate in the newly created revitalization zone. Berger agreed and said that when he voted in 2019 to allow the proposed Gettysburg Station Project to be built to 72 feet, he said he would not support future proposals. Berger also noted that everyone who discussed increasing height during an October hearing spoke in opposition to the proposal.
Bales said he believes the proposed ordinance will forever alter the town’s skyline.
Moon said council expressed its support for 72-foot-tall buildings in 2022 when it charged a working group to begin work on the zoning ordinance. The working group supported the recommendation but the Planning Commission attempted to kill it by not including it in their draft. Council added it back in as it worked through its revisions this fall.
Resident Sharon Monahan reiterated previous concerns about removing a restriction on allowing more than four unrelated people to live in a dwelling. Monahan said most zoning ordinances include such restrictions.
Director of Planning, Zoning & Code Enforcement John Whitmore said staff recommended keeping the four-unrelated-person maximum but the Planning Commission removed it during their review process.
Council will vote on the ordinance again in December. If it passes, it becomes law. If it fails, major revisions will require another public hearing and advertisement before adoption.
Budget
Council unanimously voted to advertise its 2026 budget, which includes a 0.2 mill tax increase. During several sparsely attended public workshops held in October and November, the council discussed the staff’s budget proposals.
“While it is an increase, it is a fairly reasonable increase,” Moon said.
He added the increase was necessary to fund a 14th police officer position, which was approved in 2023 but never funded, and the 20% rise in healthcare costs.
Council will officially adopt the budget during its Dec. 8 meeting.
As of Wednesday morning, the budget proposal was not available on the borough’s website.
