CGA Law News & Blog

Most municipalities include within their Zoning Ordinances a procedure permitting landowners within their prospective municipalities to request a rezoning for a parcel within the municipality. The rezoning request is a request to amend the municipalities zoning map. A municipality upon such request should review its Ordinance provisions to ensure that proper procedure is being followed, all information required in the application is provided, and that any necessary fee is paid. Generally, a rezoning request is a good opportunity for the municipality to seek advice and counsel from its own Planning Commission as well as from the York County Planning Commission…. read more »

Frank H. Countess was elected Chair of the Board of Directors for the York Country Day School. Frank was named one of the 300 Life Members of the York County Agricultural Society, which runs the York State Fair, the oldest state fair in the United States founded in 1765. Frank was also recently appointed to his third successive 4-year term on the York City Redevelopment Authority Board by Mayor Michael J. Helfrich and the York City Council, and was also elected to his second 4-year term on the York County Land Bank Authority Board of Directors by the York County… read more »

CGA Law Firm is pleased to announce the election of Stephen R. McDonald, Esq. to shareholder. Stephen has been practicing law for over 25 years and has acquired extensive experience in multiple areas. He is a seasoned attorney in both civil litigation and criminal defense. Well versed in municipal law, Stephen serves as the solicitor for multiple municipalities in South Central Pennsylvania, and the York County Clerk of Court’s Office. He often represents clients in front of zoning hearing boards and other municipal and local government entities.  Prior to joining CGA, Stephen worked at the Office of the District Attorney for… read more »

Municipal Paralegal Joins CGA Law Firm Sean T. McNally is CGA’s most recent addition to the municipal legal team. He has over six years of experience as a paralegal with a focus in areas as diverse as business formation and elder law. At CGA, he is looking forward to narrowing his practice specifically to municipal law. A Penn State alumnus, Sean earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology. His undergraduate coursework taught him to think critically about current and historical social issues, research and analyze empirical data, and develop ideas to improve the social world. His favorite classes at… read more »

Vote for your favorite CGA decorations! Categories: Most Original, Best Homemade Materials, and Best Use of Space. Voting has now closed. The Winners from the 2022 Holiday Door Decoration Contest: For Most Original: Christy For Best Homemade Materials: Cailey For Best Use of Space: Susan

As we get near the end of 2022, it is time for local municipalities in Pennsylvania to begin thinking about everything that needs to be accomplished before the calendar flips to 2023. Four of the major items that every municipality needs to accomplish before the end of the year are the passage of a budget, adoption of a tax resolution or ordinance, making necessary appointments or re-appointments to boards and commissions, and advertisement of meetings for the following year. Once a tentative budget has been ironed out, the board or council must approve advertisement of that tentative budget. This action… read more »

Attorney John R. Wilson Presented “The Mayor, the Chief, and the Law: Best Practices for Avoiding Civil Lawsuits”at the Pennsylvania State Mayors Association on Tuesday, November 22nd. His partners for this presentation included Attorney Jim Nowalk and Mayor Ron Harris. The webinar provided information to borough and city mayors regarding the respective roles of the two in the context of a municipal policing. Specifically, the mayor’s role as the elected and accountable “head of the police department” and the police chief’s role as the boots-on-the-ground law enforcement professional with years of police experience. John’s portion of the webinar summarized the… read more »

The Volunteer Service Credit Act (the “Act”), which is found in 35 Pa. C.S.A. Health and Safety, was amended in 2020 by Act 91 to allow active volunteer firefighters to take an even greater tax credit. As many municipalities are experiencing first hand, volunteer fire and emergency service companies are declining in numbers of volunteers across the Commonwealth. The Act (Act 172 of 2016) was adopted to assist with recruiting and maintaining active volunteers by offering financial incentives. This credit allows for volunteer firefighters to obtain a credit against municipal real estate tax obligations for amounts they have paid that… read more »

Protect your property from property title and deed theft.Property title theft often occurs when a bad actor steals your identity and then creates fraudulent deed transfer documents that appear as though you have signed them. In response to this trend, some companies have offered paid monitoring services to help protect your property against these types of attacks. However, if you own property in York County, then the Recorder of Deeds Office has just made it easier and free for you to monitor recordings related to your property.     To protect your property, navigate to the Recorder of Deeds page on the York… read more »

CGA Law Firm, one of the most highly rated and civic-minded law firms in South Central PA, is hiring two full-time associate attorneys. CGA seeks a Litigation attorney with one to three years of experience to work in commercial and other civil litigation, and a Family Law attorney with a minimum of two to seven years of experience to handle family law matters, including divorce, support, custody, adoptions, prenuptial agreements, guardianships, and PFAs. Candidates must be comfortable in a moderately large private practice and be able to work in a team environment. Submissions from interested parties will be strictly confidential…. read more »