“We Are Not Targeting The Amish” — Township Delays Vote Banning Steel Wheel Buggies After Packed Meeting
A proposed ordinance that would ban steel-wheel buggies in a Pennsylvania township is on hold after dozens of residents packed a supervisors’ meeting Tuesday night to speak against it.
Despite the planned vote, Bedford Township supervisors (Bedford County) did not take one in the end.
They now say they plan to meet with the local Amish community – which they apparently never did (more on that below) – before revisiting the proposal.
Last week we covered the controversy over the ordinance. The proposal would prohibit vehicles with metal wheels on township roads – and require owners of horses and other large animals to clean up or contain animal waste on public roadways. Violations would carry fines from $250 to $500.
According to a new report by Baylee Wojcik at WJAC, many residents vocally objected to the idea of the ordinance:
For over an hour Tuesday night, dozens of residents stood before the Bedford Township supervisors arguing that a proposed ordinance looking to restrict metal wheels and animal waste on township roads will hurt the local Amish community
Supervisor Dean Shuller pushed back on that framing:
“In the group’s mind, [the ordinance] says ‘Amish ordinance.’ In my mind, it says steel wheels on our roads. We are not targeting the Amish.”
That sounds pretty disingenuous to me – and apparently did to the residents in attendance. One pointed to the practical impact on Amish worship, which rotates between homes each week:
“How many in this room would drive an hour and a half to go to church Sunday morning in a horse and buggy? I think you’re putting a hardship on the wrong people.”
The township however claims that despite the heavy “anti-ordinance” turnout, they actually get a lot of complaints about the issues the ordinance is meant to cover:
They explained off camera that although nearly everyone who attended Tuesday night’s meeting was against the ordinance, the township office receives frequent calls complaining about issues the proposed ordinance is aimed at addressing
They also cited damage they’ve noticed on the roads caused by “metal tracks and wheels,” and showed photos of it, though some residents objected that it was minor.
The Manure Part – And Little Attempt To Talk
The manure half of the proposal also drew expert pushback:
One leader with the Pennsylvania Equine Council spoke out at the meeting, saying that there are little to no health or safety risks associated with waste caused by horses.
Capri Stiles-Mikesell with the council explained, “As far as an environmental concern, DCNR considers horse manure perfectly healthy agricultural commodity.”
Another bit of the report gave weight to one of my suspicions – that there has been little to no constructive dialogue between the township and the Amish:
Some community members also asked the supervisors if they consulted with the Amish community before drafting the ordinance. One supervisor replied that they only attempted to contact the community the morning ahead of the meeting.
One resident responded, “When you said nobody attempted to even talk to anyone in that community until today, it just blew my mind.”
One thing is for sure, local residents have come out strongly against the ordinance – and they’ve put their names to it as well. One attendee drew attention to an online petition against the ordinance that has gathered more than 1,000 signatures in under a week.
Another resident made the case that his Amish neighbors are great neighbors, and that the Amish already do contribute to road upkeep:
“I have neighbors on both sides of me who are of the Amish faith. I have not had better neighbors in my life. The Amish pay taxes. Taxes go for the roadways. The roadways should be maintained in order to support all methods of travel, especially for people that pay for it.”
So in the end, no vote was taken. It sounds like the township officials “read the room”, as they say.
I’m not sure why they thought it would be a good idea to try to essentially make life a lot harder for valued residents of their community – ones that clearly have a lot of support from others in the community. And essentially without talking to them first.
Maybe they should take a lesson from the response they’ve gotten here. It would also be nice if they stopped trying to act like this ordinance isn’t about the Amish. It’s insulting to people’s intelligence.
Newbies?
I live in a city that used to have a train deliver coal to the local power plant. A few years ago on the neighborhood community website, a woman was complaining about the sound of the train whistle. Apparently she had moved here from a state without train whistles, how sad for her. I think perhaps the people complaining are those new to the area. I’m surprised at how many people move to rural/farming communities and complain about the smells, animals doing what animals do, and the flies. If you are not ready to embrace all of rural life, stay in the cities.