Local Government

Cumberland Township officials, community representatives, and project partners gathered on Friday to recognize a major construction milestone of the new Cumberland Township Municipal Building and Police Station, a project designed to modernize municipal operations and enhance public safety services for residents. Shaun Phiel, Chair of the Cumberland Township Board of Supervisors, opened the event with

Gettysburg Borough Council on Monday appointed Kimberly Mayers to fill the vacant at-large council seat created when Chad-Alan Carr assumed the office of mayor. Mayers was selected following a public application and voting process. Six borough residents applied for the position and addressed council, outlining their background, public service experience, and priorities for the borough.

In a recent interview, Gettysburg Borough Planning John Whitmore said the borough’s recently adopted rezoning ordinance is best understood as a technical but necessary modernization—one intended to make development fairer, clearer, and more consistent with Gettysburg’s long-term vision. “We received well over 200 individual comments relating to everything from the districts and the supplemental regulations

The Gettysburg Borough Council voted last night to approve the 2026 municipal budget, concluding a months-long review marked by rising costs. The borough’s new $7,516,659 spending plan in the General Fund represents an 8 percent increase over last year’s $6,941,860 budget, underscoring the financial pressures facing the community. The main budget was balanced in large

At its meeting yesterday, the Gettysburg Borough Council: Scheduled a public hearing and special meeting for Monday, January 12, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. to gather public comments and recommendations regarding a proposed intermunicipal transfer of Pennsylvania Liquor License No. R16082 into the Borough of Gettysburg. The application will be submitted by Jay Dipoma 8, Inc.,

A packed crowd filled the borough office meeting room on Monday evening as Gettysburg Borough Council held a public hearing on a proposed rewrite of the borough’s zoning ordinance — the first major overhaul in decades. The hearing, which drew about 20 speakers, focused largely on the proposal to increase maximum building heights in the

The Gettysburg Borough Council began its detailed review of the 2026 municipal budget yesterday evening, with a stated focus on transparency and identifying which portions of spending are discretionary. The borough did not however share its budget documents, despite repeated requests from the public to do so. The documents are presented on the screen in

Last Monday’s Gettysburg Area Recreation Authority (GARA) board meeting underscored the powerful role of community volunteers and the steady progress of long-term projects at the rec park. The evening began with a heartfelt thank you to master electrician Mike Carter. a community member who stepped up to tackle critical electrical issues at the pavilion. After

The Gettysburg Borough Council special work session on Monday, August 25, covered a packed agenda that touched on community development funding, updates to police hiring regulations, and sweeping revisions to the town’s zoning code. The work will continue tomorrow night, Sept. 3, at 7:00 p.m. in the borough office. Funding Debate: Ramps or Children’s Advocacy

The Gettysburg Area Recreation Authority (GARA) board covered a wide range of community issues at its Monday meeting, blending gratitude, financial planning, and tough decisions about future projects. Board members opened the session by recognizing Front Runner Construction for donating labor and materials to improve the park’s football storage building and press box. Company representatives

The following is a summary of recent news items from the county: Here’s a newspaper-style summary of recent developments in Adams County: County Department Wins Budget Award:For the seventh year running, Adams County’s Budget & Purchasing Department received the Government Finance Officers Association’s Distinguished Budget Award. Officials also earned an additional commendation for improving a

At their May Board of Supervisors Meeting, Cumberland Township Supervisor Shaun Phiel and Cumberland Township Police Department (CTPD) Chief Matt Trostel presented a Commendation Award to Township police officer Lane Hartley for saving the life of a man whom he had discovered during a suspicious vehicle check on the southbound entry ramp of U.S. Route

A nationwide protest against National Park Service (NPS) job cuts reached Gettysburg National Military Park today, where retired NPS employee Brenda Barrett led 23 demonstrators in condemning recent layoffs that have impacted parks across the country. The Gettysburg protest was part of a larger movement organized by the Resistance Rangers, a group of roughly 700

After hearing public comment both in favor of and opposed to the proposed project which includes 63-foot, 7-story building to be constructed in downtown Gettysburg, the Gettysburg Historical Area Review Board last night unanimously approved a motion to recommend that the Gettysburg Borough Council approve the Certificate of Appropriateness for the project. Voting in favor

The Adams County Commissioners have approved a draft 2025 budget with an eye to final approval at their meeting on Dec. 9. The budget proposes a 15.8 percent tax increase, with the millage increasing from 4.4393 to 5.1393.  The tax increase would be about $150 annually for the owner of an average property assessed at

Cumberland Township was awarded $700,000 in Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant dollars to expand and upgrade police operations while keeping township administration under one roof. “We are thrilled to see this project move forward and realize the direct impact it will have on our operations and the community once the facilities can be upgraded,”

In the weeks and months preceding this year’s election, incidents of political violence have risen all over the country. Many local voters have expressed concerns about being targeted by members of the opposing party once their political affiliation is revealed.  At a recent townhall meeting, an audience member stated that she was afraid to place

After over a year of work on a major Gettysburg zoning code update and rewrite project, Planning Director Charles Strauss feels the process is moving forward, but will take still more time. “Generally we have forward progress, said Strauss. There are a number of items we’ve postponed to revisit later. We have some more research,

Long-time Gettysburg area resident Al Moyer has been named as the new Executive Director of the Gettysburg Area Recreation Authority (GARA) effective October 8, 2024.  He was selected by the Board of Directors from over twenty applicants for the position. Moyer is a retired public school educator/administrator, collegiate administrator/professor and a current member of the

The Gettysburg Borough Planning Commission is continuing its public dialog as it makes wholesale changes to its zoning document. Over the past months, the commission has heard comments from dozens of residents at two open houses, at information sessions at the Adams County Farmers market, and during its regular meetings (3rd Mondays of each month).

The August 27 meeting of the Cumberland Township Board of Supervisors marked the last date the township supervisors met at their current location at 1370 Fairfield Road, which had housed the township administrative offices for almost 45 years, since 1979.  As of September 1 all township and CTA meetings will be held at 730 Chambersburg

By RIO YAMAT, DARLENE SUPERVILLE, WILL WEISSERT and JOSH BOAK Associated Press LAS VEGAS (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris promised Saturday to work to eliminate taxes on tips paid to restaurant and other service industry employees, echoing a pledge that her opponent, Republican Donald Trump, has made, and marking a rare instance of political

Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding, Secretary of Labor & Industry Nancy A. Walker, and Kimberly Paley, president of PA State Council of Farm Organizations, came to Adams County’s Hollabaugh Brothers Farm in Biglerville on Tuesday, to attend an award ceremony honoring three frontline agriculture workers who had been nominated as “Pennsylvania Farmworkers of the Year”. 

Cumberland Township Board of Supervisors and Township Management will be hosting  an Open House / National Night Out event on August 6, 4-7 PM, at the site of the old Gettysburg Country club on the corner of Route 30 and Old Mill Rd. (730 Chambersburg Road). The event is intended for the public to learn

Cumberland Township will be hosting a Building Workshop on Tuesday, June 18th, at 4 p.m to review building plans and resources for residents of Cumberland Township for the next 40 years. An overview of Cumberland Township’s Building Projects can be found here: Cumberland Township Municipal Building Project Overview From the desk of David Blocher, Township

The second zoning hearing for a proposed warehouse and trucking terminal in the Cross Keys area of Hamilton Township was pushed back to late June due to a shortage of voting members present from the Zoning Hearing Board. The rescheduled hearing will take place Tuesday, June 25 at 6:00 p.m. and likely continue the next

After 5 years in Federal court, a long-running discrimination case brought by local businesswoman Linda Atiyeh against Gettysburg Borough has been decided in favor of the borough. In the action taken today by U.S. District Judge Karoline Mehalchick in Pennsylvania Middle Court the borough’s motion for summary judgment was granted, judgment was entered in Gettysburg’s

As part of her duties to develop and extend relationships and connections from Gettysburg to other corners of the Commonwealth, Gettysburg Mayor Rita Frealing attended a reception for Black History Month at the Susquehanna River residence of Governor Josh Shapiro on Tuesday. Frealing said the reception was attended by borough councilmembers,  county commissioners, and dignitaries

At this Tuesday’s Cumberland Township Board of Supervisors’ meeting, Township Manager David Blocher reported that staff had recently attended the easement settlement for the Beatrice F. Waybright Farm #2. “This now places the farm into the Adams County Agricultural Land Preservation program, which was funded by PA state, Adams County and Cumberland Township,” he said. 

At Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors Meeting, David Blocher, Township Manager presented the proposed 2024 budget to the board. The proposal introduced the establishment of an Operating Reserve Fund.  Since the Township’s revenue stream is not constant, Blocher explained, the intermittent revenue streams result in current regular, budgeted expenditures outstripping current, regular budgeted revenue in any

Gettysburg Borough Council has been deliberating and developing the Borough’s 2024 budget since October. At the Council’s last business meeting on Monday, November 13, 2023, the Borough Council voted unanimously to advertise the draft 2024 budget with the intent to adopt the 2024 Budget at the Council’s regular business meeting, to be held on Monday,

“The only way things improve,” Maryland Governor Wes Moore told a crowd of several hundred at the Eisenhower Institute’s 22nd Annual Blavatt Lecture, “is when the younger generation pushes us to improve.” Speaking on the topic, “More than Waving a Flag: Redefining American Democracy in a Gen-Z World,” Moore advised younger people, “We can scream

At their September 26 meeting, the Cumberland Township Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $75,000 grant requested by the Gettysburg Area Recreation Authority (GARA) to fund various park activities in 2024.  In addition, it approved the purchase of a truck chassis in the amount of $118,127, as well as other various purchases, rentals, and contractor

Gettysburg Borough is sending letters of support to Adams County personnel and state legislators regarding the passage of PA House Bill 1519 regarding the repair and replacement of utility poles. Of concern is the increasing number of “ghost” utility poles in the borough. The poles occur when a utility installs a new pole next to

A public hearing was held prior to the Cumberland Township Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday to approve the amendment of various sections of Chapter 27 of the Cumberland Township zoning ordinance.  The amendment creates two new overlay districts, consisting of a Neighborhood Multi-Family Overlay Zone and a Mixed Multi-Family Overlay Zones which proscribe criteria

Gettysburg Municipal Authority (GMA) Board of Trustees Chair Dorothy Puhl and Utilities Manager Mark Guise announced at last Monday’s borough council meeting that GMA will change its rate structure for water use beginning in January. Guise said the average user will see an increase of about $20 per quarter as the authority moves from a

Between now and the end of the year, the monthly meetings of the Gettysburg Planning Commission will be focused on a major overhaul of the borough’s complicated zoning map. The revisions will be completed with the help of the Pittsburg Construction and Engineering Company Michael Baker International.  “The current zoning, from 2008, is outdated,” said

The Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association (PDAA) today announced its elected officers for the 2023-24 business year. The election took place during the PDAA’s annual business meeting. President: Adams County District Attorney Brian SinnettVice President: Clinton County District Attorney David Strouse Secretary/Treasurer: Dauphin County District Attorney Francis Chardo “I am honored to lead an association of

The Cumberland Township Board of Supervisors approved an application from BR Smith Properties seeking conditional use for a proposed campground in the Mixed Use (MX) zoning district located at 75 Cunningham Road. The site is the former home of Boyds Bears Country Barn, which is being developed into an upscale restaurant, hotel, and campground known