The Morris Township Board of Supervisors met at the township office for their regular scheduled meeting. Present at the meeting were supervisors Dave Dietrich, Rob Sanders and Doug Smith, Bob Sanders, Dusty Stockdale, Randy Hamilton.
Meeting was called to order by Chairman Sanders at 7:34. Pledge to Flag.
Minutes from previous meeting were read and a correction was suggested by Sanders. He wanted to change the word “supervisor” in a statement from Smith about the “supervisors taking the road crew in a different direction.” Sanders said the word should have been “Road Masters”. Smith stated, “I said what I said”.
Smith did, however, say that instead of road crew, it should have said road department. With those corrections noted, motion by Sanders, 2nd by Smith to approve the minutes, all agreed.
Road Master report: The second slip repair on Parcell is finished and a french drain was installed.
Sanders stated that Consol contributed $40,000 toward the repair. This was a shared cost project since they had mined under.
Bells Lake had a plugged pipe and it keeps washing out the bank. Road dept filled other side with rock.
We may need to talk to the Richmonds about draining some of the lake to replace the pipe.
In old business: Randy Hamilton would like to see something in writing verifying the projected cost of the slip repair received verbally from Harshman. He thinks the number is too high. Smith said he also wondered if the cost was maybe a bit high. Sanders asked if they didn’t believe him and Randy stated that he did not.
Sanders will call Harshman to get the estimate in writing. There was a discussion on slip sizes and which ones were worse.
The newly revised handbook was given to supervisors. It was stated that there was an ad placed in the paper and we have four or five applications so far for the job vacancy.
We have not heard anything about the Weir Cole paving grant yet.
The sign Joey Bails asked about has been replaced.
A new computer has been purchased for the office at a cost of around $630.
Smith brought a Sunshine Law summary, some ethics information and copies of newspaper articles about township officials who were accused or convicted of ethics violations in Monessen and East Finley township. He also had an ethics complaint form that he stated would be filled out and sent in if the supervisors could not come to an agreement about the circumstances of Jeff Mooney’s termination.
Smith asked for Sanders and Dietrich to follow the law, not make decisions alone, make them only at a meeting and not to interfere with the secretary’s job. Dietrich stated that the secretary job is a supervisor decision and the road crew was a road department decision. There was discussion about a previous termination of another employee under different circumstances. There was further discussion about corruption in E Finley Twp.
Motion by Sanders to go to executive session to discuss personnel issues at 8:10. 2nd by Dietrich, all agreed. Motion to end executive session at 8:25 by Sanders, 2nd by Smith. All agreed.
Smith asked that the road report be printed out for the public.
In new business: The audits for the fire department and the tax collector are complete. The auditors are still working on the township audit.
A trailer is needed to haul the skid steer. Bids are coming in from Stephenson and Tom’s Equipment. There was discussion on trailer and getting a fuel tank for the new truck to avoid bring equipment back to the shop to fill up all the time.
Randy Hamilton brought up road crew ads in the paper from other townships and what they pay.
Motion by Sanders, 2nd by Smith to review and pay bills. All agreed.
Motion by Sanders to adjourn, 2nd by Dietrich. All agreed. Meeting adjourned at 8:44.