Lititz Record Express

              T H E R E S S
SERI INC THE WARWICK AREA FOR MORE THAIS A CENTURY
105th Year ESTABLISHED APRIL 1877 AS THE SUNBEAM
CONSOLIDATED WITH THE LITITZ RECORD 1937 Lititz, Lancaster County, PA. 17543, Thursday, November 12,1981 20 CENTS A COPY: $6 00 PER YEAR BY MAIL
WITHIN LANCASTER COUNTY 26 Pages-No. 33
Variable Water Rates Would Remain Same
Council Considers Adding
Fixed Charge To Water Bills
*/
Cornfield Blaze Quickly Extinguished
Monday morning shoppers at the Weis Market, S. Broad Street, Lititz, saw the
Lititz volunteer firemen in action as they responded to an alarm to extinguish a
blaze in Norman Keller’s cornfield which adjoins the Weis parking lot. Two
engines responded to the fire which was of undetermined origin.
At a special meeting
Monday night, Lititz
Borough Council agreed to
consider the assessment of a
$3 quarterly fixed charge
($12 per year) per dwelling
unit for water usage. The
current variable rates for
water, which went into effect
September 1, 1980, would
remain the same.
Council also decided to
consider changing the ef­fective
date for the already
scheduled sewer rate in­crease
from September 1,
1982 to March 1,1982.
The current annual fixed
rate of $12 per unit for sewer
charge will increase to $15
and the variable rates for
sewer will increase by 25
percent.
Borough Council is
scheduled to take action on
the two ordinances at its
regular scheduled meeting
Tuesday, Nov. 24 at 7:30
p.m. in Council Chambers, 7
S. Broad St., Lititz. (See
legal notices in today’s
issue.)
These increases are made
necessary in order to offset
the loss of nearly $140,000 in
water and sewer revenues
Assessment Is Not Tax
due to the closing of Travis
Mills Inc., 201 W. Lincoln
Ave.
According to Karen
Koncle, Lititz Borough
Office Manager, responsible
for the administration of the
borough, when the sewer
rate increases that went into
effect September 1,1980 was
first considered by council,
the increase considered was
actually much higher.
But because Travis Mills
Inc. was purchased by Fab
Industries in Sept. 1979 and
removed from Chapter 11
status, according to Mrs.
Koncle, and was considered
to be on firm financial
status, council added Travis
O c c u p a t io n T a x N o t ic e s M a ile d
Mills Inc. to the system.
Considering Travis Mills to
be a valid customer, council
then reconsidered the
proposed Sept. 1, 1980 rate
increase and lowered it for
the borough’s customers,
Mrs. Koncle stated.
The point Mrs. Koncle is
making is “that if Borough
Council had not added
Travis Mills to the system,
Lititz sewer customers
would have been paying a
much higher rate for water
for the period from Sept. 1,
1980 to Sept. 1,1982.”
In other action, council:
• Approved the requests
from six police officers to
Lititz Police News
attend a CPR refresher
Course for recertification.
• Was made aware by
L a n c a s te r County
Redevelopment that there
are two vacant seats on the
Regional Board that must be
filled by the borough.
In This Issue
Obituaries, Births 2
Editorial 4
Sports Section 6,7,8,9
Social ' 10,11
Classified 13,14,15
ManheunNews 18,19
Church 22
Business Directory 24
The occupational millage
tax...that new tax levied by
the approval of the Warwick
School Board to help com­pensate
for the loss of nearly
$310,000 to the borough and
townships when they took a
portion of the wage tax last
Record Express
Will Publish Early
Thanksgiving Week
The Record Express
will be published one
day early Thanksgiving
Week because of the
holiday.
Deadline for sub­mitting
classified and
display advertising will
be Monday, Nov. 23 at 3
p.m.
Deadline for all news
will be 12 noon Monday,
Nov. 23. No news will be
accepted after that time
and we urge that, if at
all possible, news be
sent in earlier. It may
be dropped in the mail
slot over the weekend.
The Thanksgiving
week’s edition will be on
the newstands late
Tuesday, Nov. 24 and
will be received by
subscribers in the mail
Wednesday, Nov. 25.
fall, is keeping the phones
busy as school staff mem­bers
answer questions,
resolve mistakes, or refer
district residents to the
appropriate county agency
for appeals.
Dr. John Bonfield said
Tuesday that most of the
calls were from people who
sincerely wanted to try to
understand the new tax and
find out about it. “They want
information,” he said and
agreed that few have phoned
in anger.
Walter Lightner, business
manager for the school
district, remarked that the
calls had kept the bank of
staff members at the phones
totally busy on Monday but
by Tuesday, “it was a slow
and steady stream of
questions. Monday, you
couldn’t get an outside line
or phone in.”
The tax assessments were
delivered Saturday and
Monday, all having been
mailed on the same day. The
questions started at once.
Most Frequent
Questions and Answers
Q- How was the job
classification determined?
A- In the census that was
taken last April and May
information as to the job or
the employer was given to
the census takers. It is on
that information that the job
classification is based.
Lightner and Dr. Bonfield
New Retail Operation To Open
Harris’ Store Closing
At End Of Year
Harris’ at 23 E. Main St.
will close its doors to
business at the end of the
year, Mr. Ed Harris an­n
ounced Monday.
Simultaneously, he an­nounced
that someone else
will open a retail operation
at that location after the first
of the year.
Harris stated he had a
“gentleman’s agreement”
with the person to whom he
leased the store not to
divulge his identity. While he
said it would not be a five-and-
ten, it will be a retail
operation and will handle
some of the items presently
being handled by Harris’.
It was a hard decision to
make, Harris said, and he
studied it for a long time.
Noting that he and his wife
also own and operate Harris’
Upstairs, a dress shop in
Ephrata, which is an en­tirely
different type of
operation, Harris said that
he and his wife “found it too
difficult at our ages to run
two different types of
businesses at the same
time.” He emphasized that
Harris’ Upstairs in Ephrata
will not be affected by the
closing of the Lititz store.
Harris said the store here
has been profitable. He
stated that he was satisfied
here felt he had the support
of the people of the com­munity.
Harris said he is
thankful for his honest and
loyal employees.
Because he doesn’t have
another store like the one in
Lititz to transfer his mer­chandise
when he moves out,
Harris said, “We must sell
everything out completely,
including the fixtures,
register and safe. Con­sequently,
starting Thur­sday
(today) every item in
the store will be sold 20
percent off the lowest price
marked on the item. Since
some merchandise has
already been reduced, this
would result in a saving of
from 20 to 50 percent on
every item in the store. This
will be a big saving for Lititz
consumers in time for
Thanksgiving and Christ­mas.”
As in other years, Harris’
will have its regular
Thanksgiving and Christmas
merchandise.
Harris’ opened its doors in
Lititz August 21,1900.
explained that if the in­formation
was not supplied,
the school district tried to
get first hand information
about the taxpayers in
question. “Eighty percent of
the people asked supplied
the census worker with the
appropriate information,’’
they said. “There are cases
where the information
supplied may be incorrect or
there may be strange
mistakes due to the transfer
of information into the data
processing system” but
these appear to be easily
correctible errors.
A total of 8,033 notices
were sent out, according to
Lightner, who explained that
the number was low due to
the fact that students,
housewives, retired persons
and permanently unem­ployed
persons have a zero
classification and are not
taxed.
Parttime employees,
according to County
recommendations, are also
in a different classification,
and should provide employer
verification on a form
available from the school
district, to see if they fall
into a non-taxable category.
Q- Is the assessment in­dicated
also the tax bill?
A- NO! Dr. Bonfield
emphatically responded that
the assessment is not the
amount of the tax bill. The
assessment only sets the
foundation for the tax bill. In
Warwick School District, the
bill is ten percent of the
assessment. The easiest way
to remember is to drop the
zero from the assessment to
find the amount to be paid. If
the assessment is $100, the
bill is $10.
Q- If the Assessment Is not
correct what can be done
aboutit?
A- Call the school and they
will send a form to be filed
with the district, along with
a letter and a list of the
various job classifications.
According to the letter,
“The enclosed form will
enable us to verify the in­formation
listed and make
any necessary corrections to
our records.” It also states,
“Where actual occupation of
the taxpayer is not listed on
the schedule (sent with the
letter) the taxpayer shall be
assessed under the oc­cupation
which is most
similar in type to their ac­tual
occupation.
The form itself should
supply information which is
pertinent as of July 1, 1981.
Residents of the Warwick
School District, which en­compasses
the th ree
municipalities of Lititz
Borough, Warwick Township
and Elizabeth Township, are
responsible for the tax if
they lived in the district and
were employed (had not
retired) before that date.
The form requires em­ployer
verification for item
five...the occupation title
and hours worked...and item
eight...a request for oc-cupation
change. The em­ployer
needs to sign the form
as filled out.
Q- Who set the oc­cupational
assessments in
the first place?
A- The Lancaster County
Board of Assessment Ap­peals.
According to Dr. Bonfield,
the County would prefer for
the school district to try to
resolve as many of the
problems as possible before
appealing to the Board of
Assessment Appeals.
If a problem remains
unresolved, a form or
written request may be sent
or taken to the Lancaster
County Board of Assessment
Appeals. But the first at­tempt
to solve the problem
should be made through the
school district.
Q- Why is the tax being
levied?
A- The Occupational
Millage Tax is an effort by
the Warwick School Board to
remove the burden of
taxation from the property
owner, the retired person
and those on a fixed income
and to reach the wage
earner. This is an additional
tax.
According to Lightner, the
occupational tax is a growth
based tax whereas those
levied at a fixed rate offer no
expansion. Dr. Bonfield
pointed out that the school
board is perfectly aware that
there are inequities in the
system; that earning power
varies.
Lightner explained that
there is proposed legislation
b ein g c o n s id e r e d in
Harrisburg that could
remove occupational taxes
and place the burden of
taxation on the real estate,
(Turn to Page 16)
Accidents Investigated,
Stolen Cars Reported
A motorist lost control of
her car November 9 at 3:52
p.m. at the intersection of
Front and Cedar Streets due
to wet roadway conditions,
police said.
According to Chief Hicks,
Ruth Louise Strine, 92
Victoria Lane, Lancaster,
was northbound on Cedar
Street and she stated that as
she entered the intersection
her car began stalling out.
Chief Hicks stated that
Strine said she then ac­celerated
and lost control of
the car, causing it to skid,
turn to the right, run up a
guy wire leading to a utility
pole and turn over on its
side. The Rothsville Am-bulance
Corps and the Lititz
Fire Company responded to
the scene.
A two car collision oc­curred
Nov. 1 at 12:05 p.m.
on East Main Street at Oak
Street, police report.
According to police, Albert
Robertson, 617 N. Green St.,
Lancaster, was eastbound on
East Main Street, followed
by Mrs. Frank J. Walter,
Box 134, Holly, Pa., who was
also eastbound on East Main
Street. When Robertson
reached Oak Street, police
said, he stopped without
warning in the middle of the
intersection on Main Street,
causing the Walter vehicle to
run into the rear of his
Vehicle. Robertson was cited
for stopping within an in­tersection,
police said.
Police reported three cars
Were involved in an accident
that occurred Nov. 3 at 2:15 S.m. on East Main Street
ear Locust Street.
According to police, Erla
M. Stief, 320 N. Sixth St.,
Akron, was headed west on
Main Street when she stated
she fell asleep and struck a
parked vehicle owned by
Rebecca J. Lewis, 359 E.
Main St. The Stief car
continued, police said, and
Struck another parked
vehicle, which was owned by
(Turn to Page 16)
"Meet Me In St. Louis’’
Comedy To Fill Warwick’s Stage
With Antics, Mischief, Fun!
“Meet Me In St. Louis,” a
three-act comedy will be
staged in the high school
auditorium at 8 p.m. on
November 20 and 21 by a
stellar cast of Warwick
actors and actresses.
Veterans of Warwick’s
productions will create a
family of four daughters, one
son, and a mother-in-law
faced with a tremendous
problem-leaving St. Louis in
1904 to move to New York
City.
At first, the notice by Mr.
Lon Smith that the family
must move is taken quite
lightly until the four
daughters realize their
father is serious. Then, the
trouble begins as the
daughters scheme to alter
their father’s decision.
Ben Zimmerman, 303
Linden St., a freshman,
creates the role of John
Shephard, a boyfriend to one
of the Smith daughters-
Rose. Though new to War­wick
High School’s stage,
Ben has been acting in
Warwick productions since
elementary school, and this
fall creates a high school
student baffled by the antics
of his girlfriend Rose.
But actually, Rose, played
by Sue McCaffery, is
preoccupied with the antics
that will be pulled on their
father’s employer to con­vince
him that father is not a
fit individual to be manager
of a major New York City
plant and business.
Julie Downing, 339 East
Second Avenue, a junior, is
also part of the "Meet Me In
St. Louis” cast, bringing
three years of experience
onstage. Her credits include
acting in "The Bat,” “The
Sound of Music” (in which
she was one of the Van
Trappe daughters), “Fid­dler
on the Roof,” and
“Camelot.” Julie was also
involved in this summer’s
SPADE production of “South
Pacific” at the Playhouse in
the Park, Ephrata.
Julie plays Lucille Pen-tard,
a sophisticated girl
from New York City who is
interested in Mr. Smith’s
only son, Lonnie.
The role of Lonnie is
played by senior Lance
Stoner, 515 S. Broad St., who
has been acting in Warwick
productions since middle
school. Also a wrestler,
Lance has acted in “Annie
Get Your Gun,” “The Bat”,
“Oklahoma,” “Fiddler on
the Roof,” and “Camelot.”
The highjinks of the Smith
daughters totally misses
Lonnie Smith as he’s con­cerned
about winning the
heart of his beautiful Lucille
Pentard, who seems to be
attracted by John Shephard.
"Meet Me In St. Louis”
offers an evening of laughter
and great fun professionally
Staged by a cast of 17
students, most of whom have
tour to 10 years of acting
experience within War­wick’s
productions.
Such experience combines
this year to produce a
Comedy that highly en­tertains.
’k
I
m
’ ' ■: * -*-4
* - ù k
: '
Î
>7,
lllfill
H H H H
' ¿ . i s . * . .: &
Lance Stoner, right, who portrays Lonnie, jealously watches his girlfriend Ludille Ptentani, played by
Julie Downing, greet one of his sister’s supposed boyfriends, John Shephard, created by Ben Zim­merman,
in Warwick's fall comedy production "Meet Me In St. Louis” November 20 and 21 at 8 p.m. in
the WHS auditorium. (Photo by Kate Duncan)