The West Finley Township Board of Supervisors held their monthly meeting on Monday, October 13, 2025 at 6:00 pm at the Township Office Building. Chairman Martin and Supervisor Yankovich were present. Vice Chairman Pritt was absent.
Other attendees included:
Cathy Chambers, Matt Chambers, Rich Grimm, Tracey Smith, Mark Smith, Melinda Duncan, Donna Capezutto, Bill Riggle, Lourae (Donna) Rayl, Donna Romanko, Tim Moore, Mark Sibert, Justin Ruse, Brandon Gray, Tim Collins, Jerry Walsh, Carol Saalbach, and Melissa Kay Leisure.
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Martin called the meeting to order at 6:02 pm.
READING OF PRIOR MEETING MINUTES
The minutes from the September monthly meeting and the September 19th special 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
The Supervisors received detailed information from a PSATS representative regarding pension plans. If the Township would like to establish a pension plan for its employees, a Request for Proposals (RFP) advertisement must be placed in the newspaper. A sample advertisement was provided by PSATS and edited to suit the needs of West Finley Township. After review, Chairman Martin motioned to place the advertisement in the Observer Reporter. Supervisor Yankovich seconded the motion. All in favor, Ayes: 2, motion carried.
NEW BUSINESS
A Heavy Road Use application was submitted by A1 Industrial Resources for access to Lower Enlow Road. TC Energy will be doing maintenance on several wells in Greene County and will need to utilize Lower Enlow to gain access to some of the pads.
A second Heavy Road Use application was received from CNX Gas Company for construction of the WFN13 well pad on Slemmons Road. This construction isn’t set to begin until early 2026. After a quick discussion and review, Chairman Martin motioned to approve both applications and issue permits. The motion was seconded by Supervisor Yankovich. All in favor, Ayes: 2, motion carried.
The Township insurance representative sent information on health insurance renewal for 2026. As usual, she included prices for several different plan options. The price increase for renewal of the current plan is 11%, so employees reviewed similar plans with comparable prices to 2025. The Gold HAS PPO $3000 plan was decided to be the most favorable. Supervisor Yankovich motioned to accept the new plan for employees. Chairman Martin seconded the motion. All in favor, Ayes:2, motion carried.
WEST FINLEY VFC REPORT
Mark Sibert presented and reviewed the fire company’s September call report. He also gave updates on the training status of the volunteers. The Volunteer Fire Company will also host a Trunk-or-Treat event on Friday, October 31, 2025. Once the start time for the event has been confirmed, the Secretary will add the information to the Township’s website.
PUBLIC WORKS REPORT
New tires for the Ford tractor and Backhoe were ordered from Briggs Tire Service, but they have yet to contact the Township to schedule a day/time to service the vehicles. The Secretary will call Briggs for an update on the order.
TOWNSHIP REPORT
The PA State Police report was unavailable prior to the meeting. Once received, it will be emailed to the Supervisors for review.
The monthly report from K2 Engineering, Inc. was emailed to the Township. The report included a generic update about the status of the Walnut Valley projects and the application for an LSA grant. They also submitted the building permit Quarter 3 2025 report to the DCED on behalf of the Township.
An NOI was received regarding Tunnel Ridge’s plan to expand for development mining. The newest map was posted on the bulletin board outside of the Township Office.
The Township also received an NOI in regard to the Mark West pipelines on Beham Ridge, close to the intersection with Hamilton Road. These lines will be uncovered in preparation for the progression of underground coal mining. The Secretary sent an email to the contact listed to determine if a Heavy Road Use permit is required for Hamilton. No response has been received yet.
The Washington County Planning Commission sent their comments regarding the proposed Zoning Ordinance. Comments included mostly edits to grammar and punctuation. However, the Board is waiting for a revised draft of the Ordinance from the residents. The Board will review the revised document once submitted.
ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS
The financial reports for all the Township accounts were presented, including balances from the
September 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 October. Citizen’s Library requests a $380.00 contribution for 2026. A check will be prepared and sent to them along with the disbursement of checks for the October expenditures. The motion to approve the financial statements and payment of the expenditures was made by Supervisor Yankovich and seconded by Chairman Martin. All in favor, Ayes: 2, motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENT
Melinda Duncan inquired if the Township is on track with the timeline for the Zoning Ordinance. If all continues to go as it seems, then the Township will be on track. We are still waiting for a revised Zoning Ordinance from the residents. The Township Planning Commission will have to review the new document before submitting it to the Washington County Planning Commission. After a review by that department, a public hearing will have to be scheduled. Most likely, it will be advertised at the end of this year, with the Ordinance being voted on in early 2026, but before the February 11, 2026 deadline.
Brandon Gray asked what veto power the County Planning Commission has on our Zoning Ordinance. They cannot veto an ordinance but can make suggestions on what should/should not be modified.
Tim Collins asked about the resident group making edits to the proposed Zoning Ordinance. He has questions and comments that he would like to relay to the group. Mark Sibert inquired about who oversaw this group making changes to the Ordinance. Tracey Smith stated that she is part of the group and gave a brief description of what the group has been working on.
Justin Ruse asked if the County Commissioners would review the Ordinance. The document would go to the Washington County Planning Commission, not the Board of Commissioners.
Melinda Duncan stated that once the Township initiates Zoning, a Zoning Board will have to be formed. In this case, there will still be a Township Planning Commission to whom the Zoning Board will answer to. She also stressed the importance of people staying involved in the process and progress of the Zoning Ordinance.
Tracey Smith asked if anyone present had objections to the task the group of residents are undertaking by editing the proposed Zoning Ordinance. She stated that the changes being made are to restrict the Industrial Zone as much as possible and eliminating the unnecessary restrictions for Residential/Agricultural Zones. She gladly offered her phone number and email to residents so that they may offer suggestions and ask questions about the content of the Zoning Ordinance.
ADJOURNMENT OF MEETING Chairman Martin adjourned the meeting at 6:54 pm.