“I am going to start by what the township is aware of at this time,” shared Supervisor Mark Wolfgang. “We are brought into the loop at the same time most of you were because of Facebook.”

Supervisors said they were aware of the rumors – which originated on social media – and that they met with the owner of the property in question, who confirmed that sex offenders did live on the property, located on Hoffman Road, but that it was not a halfway house and there is no intention on making it a halfway house.

Supervisors also said the offenders are fully employed and paying rent to live on the property.

The Supervisors also spoke to state representatives and confirmed that at this point there is no halfway house in Decatur Township.

Wolfgang said that while the community could try to pass ordinances, it will be difficult due to the Supreme Court “throwing those ordinances out the window” as recently as November of 2022 due to the determination that it violated civil rights.

“The only way we can prevent any type of clinics, halfway houses, or rehabilitation houses is to go to zoning,” informed Wolfgang.

If the community were to decide to go to zoning for this issue, it would end up on the ballot to be voted on as it could potentially enforce higher taxes as well as a “lot of rules” on property, according to Wolfgang.

The Supervisors did inform the public that zoning could take years and would only keep halfway houses, clinics and rehabilitation houses out, which at this time isn’t what is happening; essentially saying zoning laws may not even help the situation as is.

Wolfgang shared that there is no “legal recourse” to prevent anyone, including registered sex offenders from living in the municipality. Aside from the Megan’s Laws restrictions that account for playgrounds, schools, daycares and churches, the township can not take legal action.

At this time, an unidentified man asked “why (they) couldn’t put a playground” near the house of the Megan’s Law offenders and that everyone could “pitch together, buy the property, and put playgrounds everywhere.”

The Supervisors said that they can not stop anyone from building playgrounds, but that their office can not get involved.

Supervisor Rod Goss said he spoke with the property owner, and he said only two gentlemen were living there and there would only be those two, no others and they would only be there for a temporary amount of time.

One meeting attendee asked why these men were not listed as living at the address and had to go to the Post Office to get mail, to which the Supervisors said that it was “above their pay grade.”

Supervisor Jeremy Bell said he reached out to a state representative’s office, which said there is no state funding for anything within Decatur Township up for review.

The community was told they were to report to the Probation and Parole department at the Mifflin County Courthouse Annex if they had concerns regarding violations.

Another man asked if he could “put up signs” displaying the Megan’s Law information on these individuals to which he was told to be “very careful” that he does not harass, intimidate, or threaten as per the warning on the bottom of the Megan’s Law websites.

Resident Tracy Reeseman voiced concern, stating that she heard the sexual predators were brought in through Stepping Stones To Freedom and were housed by Mennonite families to be rehabilitated through the “power of prayer,” meaning different Mennonite families could potentially bring in other offenders.

The board shared that there are another 10 registered sex offenders living in Decatur Township and that these two men were not the first to reside in Decatur.

One of the most shared concerns was that of the lack of notification that two offenders were moving near.

An unidentified woman shared that her granddaughter had gone for a walk and was “approached by a stranger” who told her it was “too hot to walk (that day).”

The woman said her granddaughter was not able to confirm that it was one of the Megan’s Law offenders but that she still feels as though they should have been notified.

Will Kearns shared that he had received notification and had seen at least eight other names on the paper signifying that other people had been notified as well.

The Supervisors said the only information they had regarding that subject was that only people with residential structures that are 500 to 2,000 feet away from the offenders are notified regarding their presence, this distance is not based on property lines, according to Wolfgang.

The Supervisors said they are “working closely with Menno Township” which is also going through a similar situation.

“Sitting on this board, our hands are extremely tied by litigation and law,” shared Wolfgang. “In order for us to move forward we need to take it very cautiously, look at everything, have our attorneys look at everything, and then move forward in the appropriate ways.”

Also during the meeting, the Board of Supervisors announced updates on a new bridge being put up in the township, then on issues regarding camper regulations.

The next Supervisors meeting will be held on Aug. 25.