The West Finley Township Board of Supervisors held their monthly meeting on Monday, July 8, 2024, at 6:00 pm at the Township Office Building. Chairman Martin and Supervisor Collins were physically present, while Vice Chairman Pritt attended via phone. Township residents present at the meeting were Steve Emery, Deb Swart, Tim Collins, and Ed Ritsko.
CALL TO ORDER
The call to order was made by Chairman Martin at 6:05 pm.
READING OF PRIOR MEETING MINUTES
The Secretary read the minutes from the June monthly meeting. The motion to approve the minutes was made by Chairman Martin and seconded by Supervisor Collins. All in favor, Ayes: 3, motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Steve Emery detailed for the Board what needed to be done to submit the Emergency Operation Plan to the county. As it seems very intensive, Vice Chairman Pritt will make arrangements with Chief Emery to coordinate a time to work together in putting together an updated plan.
Deb Swart asked about cell phones being in trucks if there are radios already installed. Chairman Martin reiterated that employees are allowed to carry personal and/or township issued cell phones in case of emergency. The new employee handbook will address the personal use of phones during work hours.
Tim Collins asked the Board if there was a resolution to the pedestal placement in Slemmons Road. Chairman Martin has met with Nicholas Olsen, the Windstream representative, and gave him a list of concerns. There are questions regarding restoration, pedestal location, depth of line, and requirements of these specifications. An email will be sent to verify that this meeting took place and hopefully Windstream will find some resolutions to these issues.
OLD BUSINESS
The Road Crew Foreman will get measurements and pictures of the bridges to send to Steve Noble regarding the InQuick Bridging System. Supervisor Collins will forward his contact information to everyone so that this information may be emailed as soon as possible.
NEW BUSINESS
PennDOT sent the Winter Municipal Snow Agreement, and the township has already received the funds. None of the information has changed, as this is year four of five of the contract. The agreement was signed and will be sent back to PennDOT by the specified deadline. The motion to approve the contract was made by Chairman Martin and seconded by Supervisor Collins. All in favor, Ayes: 3, motion carried.
The Volunteer Fire Company is requesting an upgrade to the siren through the National Weather Service. This would be especially helpful in case of another tornado because it would not be controlled by the 911 system and the alert would go out much faster coming from the National Weather Service. The estimate for the upgrade would be approximately $7,000.00 from Lucas Electric. Vice Chairman Pritt suggested an independent system for the Township building to alert residents that might not hear the siren coming from the fire company. The Board asked for solid separate quotes for both the fire company and the township building so that they may be reviewed at the next Supervisors’ meeting.
Chief Emery requested an increase to the annual contribution from the Township. Currently, the contract specifies a yearly contribution of $16,000.00. He has applied for grants, but prices continue to rise. Just this year, the Township has paid for the lease payment, workers’ compensation, annual contribution, plus an extra $9,000.00 for repairs. Chairman Martin suggested raising the contribution to $25,000.00, but not paying for any extra incidentals that may occur. The motion to increase the annual contribution, beginning in 2025, was made by Chairman Martin and seconded by Vice Chairman Pritt. All in favor, Ayes: 3, motion carried.
ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS
The financial reports for all Township accounts were presented. The June bank statements and QuickBooks reconciliation reports were reviewed.
The Board also examined an itemized list of current bills. Details regarding the bills were discussed. The motion to approve the financial statements and payment of the bills was made by Chairman Martin and seconded by Supervisor Collins. All in favor, Ayes: 3, motion carried.
SECRETARY’S REPORT
The June police report from Lt. Dowlin was not available before the meeting.
ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING Chairman Martin adjourned the meeting at 7:20 pm.