EDITORIAL BOARD: The Upper Pottsgrove Board of Commissioners has been caught making another seriously misleading representation to the public about its nearly $3 million land purchase—properties taxpayers do not need and, based on their physical characteristics, may not even be able to use for the purposes the Board has suggested.
President Al Leach, who at times appears to have a remarkably flexible relationship with the truth, has once again found himself at the center of a controversy involving statements made to taxpayers. But this is not solely his problem. The entire Board of Commissioners and township management share responsibility. They had access to the actual appraisals and remained silent while the Township’s president presented information to the public that simply did not match the documented figures.
The issue dates back to the August 17 meeting, when the Board represented to the public that the three properties it intended to purchase had a combined appraisal value of $3,700,000. Since the negotiated purchase price was approximately $2,900,000, taxpayers were told they were getting a “discount.”
There was just one problem: The actual appraisals tell a very different story.
When the Upper Pottsgrove Journal obtained copies of the three appraisals, their combined value for highest and best use was $2,648,000—not $3,700,000. That is a difference of $1,052,000 from the figure presented to the public. In other words, the supposed $800,000 discount suddenly became a purchase price approximately $252,000 above the combined appraised value.
The Journal brought this discrepancy to the public’s attention in its September 24 open letter to the Board, which remains available on our website.
The matter became even more troubling when a Journal contributor directly questioned the discrepancy at a subsequent public meeting. President Leach then acknowledged that the $3,700,000 figure had come from the seller.
Let that sink in for a moment. The Township presented a $3.7 million figure to taxpayers as an appraisal supporting the purchase, only to later acknowledge that the number came from the seller. Apparently, the seller’s opinion of what their property was worth was being used to justify the Township’s purchase price.
That is quite a distinction, particularly when more than $2.9 million of taxpayer money is involved.
President Leach subsequently attempted to explain why the Township was paying more than the documented appraised value. However, the Township Solicitor interrupted and stopped him while he was speaking.
Why didn’t a single commissioner, each of whom had access to the appraisals, correct the information when it was presented to the public? Why didn’t any of the Township’s paid legal or professional representatives’ step in and clarify the numbers? If the $3.7 million figure was simply a mistake or a misunderstanding, why was it left uncorrected until the Journal spent more than two months pursuing the records, filing Right-to-Know requests, asking direct questions, and pressing the Board for an explanation?
It is certainly possible that the figures were “mixed up.” But when public officials are making representations involving millions of taxpayer dollars, getting the numbers right is not optional. And when those numbers are wrong, correcting the record should not require a local news site to spend months chasing the truth.
The Upper Pottsgrove Journal should not have to corner elected officials into acknowledging facts that should have been disclosed accurately from the beginning.
Unfortunately, this is becoming a pattern that raises serious questions about the credibility and transparency of this Board. Even residents who have supported these commissioners should be concerned when the information presented to the public does not match the documentation.
This is bigger than one commissioner, one questionable statement, or one questionable land purchase.
The damage extends beyond the Board of Commissioners. When elected officials lose the public’s confidence, the entire Township suffers. Taxpayers are left questioning what they are being told, whether their money is being spent responsibly, and whether the people making these decisions are being straight with them.
Upper Pottsgrove deserves better. Taxpayers deserve accurate information, honest answers, and elected officials who understand that their responsibility is to the public—not to defending questionable decisions at any cost.