The Board of Supervisors of West Finley Township held a special meeting on Monday, October 27, 2025 at the Township Office Building. This meeting was a scheduled workshop for the 2026 Proposed Budget. The Supervisors in attendance were Chairman Martin and Supervisor Yankovich. Vice Chairman Pritt was unable to attend the meeting due to a work conflict.
The township residents in attendance were Steve and Cathy Emery, Melinda Duncan, Henrietta and Glenn O’Brien, Rachelle and William Tompkins, Carol Saalbach, and Jerry Walsh.
The call to order was made by Chairman Martin at 6:01 pm.
Public Comment
Henrietta O’Brien asked about candidates on the ballot for this election period. She also inquired about polling places.
2026 Budget Review and Discussion
The Supervisors were presented with a proposed budget for all funds for 2026. The proposed budgets were prepared according to the allowable expenditures according to the DCED’s Chart of Accounts. For each fund, the Board received a balance sheet and a year to date revenue and expenditure report. These amounts were used to determine the remaining figures for accounts receivable and payable for 2025. The Board was then able to estimate a proposed balanced budget for the FFATA account, Gaming Fund, Act 13 fund, Liquid Fuels fund, PLGIT general account, and Community Bank general fund account.
The FFATA fund, formerly the ARPA allocation for Covid relief, was briefly discussed. This account remains open, as it gains interest every month.
The Gaming Act fund was budgeted to reflect expected costs for engineering fees and building construction. These funds from slot machines and table game revenue have also been allocated for purchases for machinery and community water projects.
For 2026, Act 13 funds were assigned according to the permissible expenditures list established by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. Funds were budgeted for auditing services, IT networking services, emergency management services and communications, and maintenance and repair of public infrastructure. The West Finley Volunteer Fire Company receives their annual donation from this fund as well.
The proposed budget for the Liquid Fuels state fund account consists mostly of payroll expenditures. This money is used to reimburse payroll for public works wages for snow, signs, culverts, and maintenance to vehicles, equipment, roads, and bridges.
Both accounts from PLGIT and Community Bank were taken into consideration when budgeting the general funds. This budget is more extensive, as it is the most widely used account. All revenue is deposited into this fund before being dispersed into the appropriate accounts. General funds from this account were allocated for the following expenditures: wages, payroll taxes, pension, insurances, and utilities. A new line item was also added for possible zoning related costs.
Consideration of Budget Related Documents
The proposed budgets will be added to the agenda for the November monthly meeting for approval for advertisement in the Observer Reporter. The Final budget for each account will be approved at the December monthly Board meeting.
Adjournment of Meeting
Chairman Martin adjourned the meeting at 6:55 pm.