DUBOIS – A draft of findings concerning the proposed consolidation of Sandy Township and DuBois City is expected to be complete by October, reported Township Manager Shawn Arbaugh on Monday night.
He said township officials will field additional questions regarding its financials on Wednesday. The study has also looked at both municipalities’ fire departments.
Resident Don Roberts asked the supervisors about their expectations of the consolidation process, saying he believed they should’ve had an “end goal” before even voting on the study.
“It’s got to be more than money,” said Roberts. “There’s got to be other reasons.” It was noted the consolidation wasn’t a definite at this point and the current goal was to explore the possibility.
The supervisors said it’s unknown if the municipalities should consolidate into a township/city; if the township should merge with DuBois City; or if both should remain as separate municipalities.
From a financial standpoint, Supervisor Jim Jeffers said he believed a merger could possibly benefit both municipalities by reducing redundancy, especially in the police and fire departments.
Both Arbaugh and the supervisors said the proposed consolidation would be an open process, and once the study is complete, there would be public meetings to review its findings.
In other business, the supervisors authorized the construction of a communication tower at Cayman Landing at Treasure Lake to equip the campground with broadband access.