LANCASTER TWP — Township supervisors voted unanimously Monday, July 17, to enter into an agreement with neighboring municipalities to create a Southwestern Butler Council of Governments.

“Council of Governments are created for the ability of municipalities to share,” township manager Michael Foote said. “It might be sharing the cost of a machine, it might be sharing personnel, it could be sharing projects.”

Foote said the council would be formed with Jackson Township, Harmony and Zelienople for mutual benefit.

“A good example would be with paving or materials or something where you’ve got the buying power of four municipalities now,” Foote said. “It’s a lot more strength than if we tried to buy something by ourselves.”

The other three municipalities are in the process of approving their own joint articles of agreement, he said.

“What they’ll do is: each municipality will have a representative on the executive board — Chairman (Greg) Kessler will represent Lancaster Township,” Foote said. “They will then set meeting agendas whether its monthly or quarterly, however frequently, they’ll decide that.”

Foote said the decision to form the regional commission was a direct result of working with the municipalities on the larger, 10-municipality Southwest Butler Stormwater Planning Group.

“The relationships that were developed in the stormwater group have allowed for this entity to be created,” he said. “I think it’s a positive with the two-years worth of meetings that the communities were able to come together and say, ‘We think this could be a good thing’ and something all four communities are looking to move forward at some point.”

Once the other municipalities approve the agreement, Foote said they would formally establish the council.

“But like I said, because we do believe in talking, communicating and building relationships, this was able to happen because of that,” he said.