The West Finley Township Board of Supervisors held their monthly meeting on Monday, December 8, 2025 at 6:00 pm at the Township Office Building. Chairman Martin and Supervisor Yankovich were present. Vice Chairman Pritt was absent.
Also in attendance were Al and Angela Lash, Herb and Jean Morris, Brandon Gray, Jon Layne, Mara Santis, Warren and Melinda Duncan, Claire Hagan, Mark Adams, Heather Martin, Ed Ritsko, Henrietta and Glenn O’Brien, Tracey Shaulis, Rachelle Harrison (Tompkins), Edie Minch, Tim Moore, and David Minch. CNX Surface Manager, Eric Large, was also at the meeting.
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Martin called the meeting to order at 5:59 pm.
PRIOR MEETING MINUTES
The minutes from the November monthly meeting were previously emailed to the Supervisors. The motion to approve the minutes was made by Chairman Martin and seconded by Supervisor Yankovich. All in favor, Ayes: 2, motion carried.
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Pension plan proposals were tabled at last month’s monthly meeting. This was to allow the Supervisors time to thoroughly review both plans. After a brief discussion, Chairman Martin motioned to approve the pension plan proposal through PSATS. Supervisor Yankovich seconded the motion. All in favor, Ayes: 2, motion carried. Harry Krot, the PSATS representative, will be contacted for next steps in the pension establishment process.
The proposed budget for 2026 was advertised and available for public inspection for more than the required time period. No changes needed to be made to the budget. A Resolution was prepared to approve the budget for 2026. Chairman Martin made the motion to approve the budget and Supervisor Yankovich seconded the motion. All in favor, Ayes: 2, motion carried. The milage rate was also discussed. Chairman Martin made the motion to maintain the current milage rate of .003% for 2026. Supervisor Yankovich seconded his motion. All in favor, Ayes: 2, motion carried
CNX submitted a proposed road easement for Slemmons Road for WFN13. This document is required to be in place for PennDOT to issue a permit for widening the road and confirms the coordination between CNX and the Township. CNX will perform all the widening and related work, but the Township will maintain responsibility for the road. The proposed document was previously emailed to the Township Solicitor, and a few grammatical changes were made. Chairman Martin motioned to approve the road easement and Supervisor Yankovich seconded his motion. All in favor, Ayes: 2, motion carried.
NEW BUSINESS
There was no new business.
WEST FINLEY VFC REPORT
Mark Sibert presented the Board with the Volunteer Fire Company report for November. There were 19 calls this past month making the total calls for the year 322. Mr. Sibert also informed the Board of the newly appointed officers for the VFC for 2026. Since there will be a change in Treasurers, the VFC would like the Township Auditors to perform an audit of the books. The Township Solicitor will be contacted to verify the possibility of such an audit.
PUBLIC WORKS REPORT
There was some inclement weather with several inches of snowfall. The importance of clearing bus routes was discussed.
TOWNSHIP REPORT
The PA State Police report was prepared prior to the meeting. It was briefly reviewed by Supervisors.
K2 Engineering, Inc. also submitted their monthly report. The report also included an update about the status of LSA grants. The CFA Board met but did not award anyone funds for the 2024 funding cycle. They will meet again sometime in January 2026.
The Township received a notice of intent regarding more pipeline maintenance to mitigate any mine subsidence along Beham Ridge Road.
ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS
The financial reports for all the Township accounts were presented, including balances from the November 2025 bank statements. This report was reviewed along with the QuickBooks reconciliation reports for each account. The Board also examined an itemized list of current expenditures for payment in December. The motion to approve the financial statements and payment of the expenditures was made by Chairman Martin and seconded by Supervisor Yankovich. All in favor, Ayes: 2, motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Al Lash asked about the casing failure on WFN12 and whether the Township is notified when something like this occurs. While the Township did not receive any information on this failure, Eric Large did inform attendees that there is a specific reporting process that occurs. He will reach out to his contacts to determine if there is any more information that can be provided for us.
Melinda Duncan reiterated the need for an extra person on the Road Crew. Especially with the weather we have already seen and it being the beginning of the winter season.
Henrietta O’Brien advised residents to decline any offers from companies seeking to purchase their land, or to be creative with purchase agreements that benefit West Finley residents financially.
Supervisor Yankovich presented Chairman Martin with a framed certificate for his 24 years of service in municipal government. His dedication and unwavering loyalty to West Finley Township is sure to be missed.
ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING
Chairman Martin adjourned the meeting at 6:31 pm.