Welcome

Please Note:
Butler Township Tax Collector Nancy Frederick announced that cash will not be accepted for payment of taxes beginning May 1, 2018.
Payments can be made with check or money order only after that date.

Butler Township Tax Collector: 

Nancy Frederick
P.O. Box 59
Drums, PA 18222
Office: 570-708-8924
Fax: 570-708-8930
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

2024 Tax Levy Resolution & Annual Budget Report89.74 KB

Butler Township’s Roads Department maintains 52 miles of township-owned roadways, which includes more than 125 streets throughout the township.

The road crew, which includes Roadmaster Charles Altmiller, a working road foreman and others, handles duties such as road paving, line painting, street sweeping, berm work, pipe repair, park maintenance and road plowing. The department’s fleet of vehicles includes a backhoe, loader, paver, street sweeper, roller, bucket truck and dump trucks that are capable of tasks such as paving, plowing, street sweeping and excavating.

Each township road has a right of way, which means the township has a legal right of passage over someone else’s land and the strip of land over which a public road has been built. The right of way, which begins at the center line of the road, varies from 33 feet on smaller streets to 50 feet on larger streets.

The property owner is responsible for the maintenance of the township right of way and should not build anything in that area. Property owners must contact the township office when installing, repairing or altering a driveway that sits on or crosses a township right of way.

During winter weather, Butler Township road crews will work their hardest to keep township roads open and passable. However, that may be difficult during times of heavy snowfall or high winds. In cases such as those, plowing may be temporarily suspended until snowfall rates or wind speeds decrease.

To help ensure that snow removal is as efficient as possible, residents and visitors should park their vehicles in garages, driveways or parking lots and not on township roads.

If grass is damaged by a plow, township crews will try to repair the damaged areas in the spring.

Need to report a pothole or missing sign? Click here to fill out the online form.

Contact the Butler Township Police Department at 570-788-4111

from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., or call 911 after hours or in case of emergency.

The Butler Township Police Department provides services to residents and businesses in the township seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The department, which includes Chief of Police William Feissner and other officers, patrols an area over 36 square miles that includes about 85 miles of state and local roads. The department also provides assistance to local, state, and federal agencies at their request.

The mission of the Butler Township Police Department is to provide the community with the highest quality of law enforcement services. The department strives to continually improve the public’s perception of community safety through eradication of criminal activity and any conditions that have a detrimental impact on public safety.

The police department builds upon its tradition of excellence in service to all. The department continues to seek support and cooperation from the community it serves and from those who serve the community. The organizational culture is responsive to new ideas and is one in which all employees are given the opportunity to develop to their highest potential and see themselves as agents of change. Members of the department base all their relationships on the premise that the public and police are one.

The police department participates with the Pennsylvania State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR). Crimes are divided into Part I offenses, which are serious crimes, and Part II offenses, which are less serious crimes.   The department is also part of the Mid-Atlantic Great Lakes Organized Crime Law Enforcement Network (MAGLOCLEN). MAGLOCLEN, administered by the US Department of Justice, provides intelligence databases, equipment, analytical products and training in a combined effort with other member agencies nationwide and internationally. 

Each officer specializes in various aspects of policing. Officers have received in-depth training in criminal, accident and fire/arson investigations.

Since 2007, an officer has received specialized training concerning school violence. The training encompasses not only the tactical response, but also the psychological factors that precipitate an event. This information has been shared with teaching staff and community groups though presentations. The department has also taken the concepts and adapted them to combating workplace violence.

Department members are required to receive 12 hours of continuing education provided by the municipal Police Officers Training and Education Commission. In addition, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, first aid skills and firearms training must be kept current. Department members are certified twice per year by an in-house instructor with their on-duty weapon, off-duty weapon and department shotgun. Officers are also required to be certified in less-lethal weapons such as oleoresium capsicum, batons and tasers.  Specialized training and certification relating to the department rifle is provided during the year.

Each department member is allowed to attend non-mandatory training whenever it is possible. Due to the size of the department, information obtained during these courses is shared with other members to provide the department with the most current tactics and methods of policing.

The Butler Township Planning Commission meets the first Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m.

Current Members

• Edward (Ned) F. Warner, Chairman
• Joseph Zeller, Vice Chairman
• Chelsea Cabell, Secretary
• Roseann Ervin
• Paul Feno

Solicitor

Donald G. Karpowich Law Office
85 Drasher Road, Suite 1
Drums, PA 18222
https://karpowichlaw.com/

Ambulance and fire services in Butler Township are provided by Valley Regional Fire & Rescue, which was formed through a merger of Butler Township Fire Co. and Conyngham Fire Co. in 2005. More than 50 active members, including junior firefighters, serve their community as part of Valley Regional.

Valley Regional operates out of two locations:

• East Station at 14 W. Butler Drive in Butler Township
• West Station at 360 Main St. in Conyngham 

Most of Valley Regional’s firefighters are certified to the state level and many are trained to the national level. The department is trained and prepared to handle incidents including fire suppression, rope rescue, structural collapse rescue, vehicle rescue, swift water rescue, dive rescue, trench rescue, truck work and emergencies involving Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Basic Life Support (BLS).

The company’s equipment includes fire engines, a tower ladder, a tanker, a brush fire vehicle, ambulances, a technical rescue trailer and more.

Valley Regional’s medic unit is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by paramedics, emergency medical technicians and prehospital registered nurses.

Emergency Management

Alan Kost has been appointed as emergency management coordinator for Butler Township and Conyngham Borough. In this role, he coordinates internal and exteral resources and plans for the township and the borough in the event of an emergency in conjunction with the Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. Michael Zoshak assists as deputy coordinator.

The township participates in county drills as well as training offered through the state and county. The state, county and township work in partnership to protect the public’s health, safety and environment by helping prepare for, manage and recover from disasters, emergencies or security threats. Emergencies could include floods, blizzards, nuclear power plant breakdowns or other natural disasters or large-scale events.

The county Emergency Management Agency coordinates the emergency plans of Butler Township with those of other municipalities, and the county agency directs responses for emergencies occurring in two or more townships.

In the event of a disaster, emergency management coordinators help arrange for resources for residents or others who are affected by the situation. They notify Luzerne County of emergencies in the township or, in turn, notify the township of emergencies in the county and activate an emergency operations center (EOC).