DUBOIS – The Sandy Township board of supervisors on Monday voted to initiate the process so it may possibly reinstate the fire chief position.
The matter received approval, 3-2, with Supervisors Bill Beers and Kevin Salandra being the lone opposing votes.
The position was also eliminated by a 3-2 board vote at the previous township meeting Dec. 4.
Beers, along with Salandra and Supervisor Sam Mollica, voted in favor. Supervisors Mark Sullivan and Barry Abbott opposed.
To reinstate the fire chief position, it requires the same process as new position creation within the township.
This involves passage of an ordinance, which requires a minimum period of advertisement. It’s also the same ordinance that was repealed Dec. 4.
The vote will occur at the first Sandy Township board of supervisors’ meeting in 2024. “I just want to know why it came back up again,” said Beers.
It was noted that delegates—chosen by the fire departments—voted to end the township’s fire chief position, and so the supervisors followed the proper procedures to eliminate the position.
Later in the meeting, Beers said there had been “backdoor” meetings occurring over the issue. “It seems you didn’t get your way,” he commented.
Abbott indicated the Dec. 4 meeting minutes had “gaps” in board discussion of the matter. “It seems—at least to me—that we were rushed.”
He pressed for details about what would happen to fire department fundraiser money since there was currently no fire chief.
Former Township Fire Chief Steve Dunlap said the funds were held in an account currently controlled by his wife who was the accountant.
He said she was in the process of having the money turned over to Township Manager Shawn Arbaugh.
Salandra said he got two comments over the fire chief position vote, and they came from firefighters in other communities.
Both felt the township’s chief setup didn’t make much sense and Salandra sought input from those chiefs in attendance.
“It’s a power struggle,” said Dunlap, and it was tearing the fire department apart.
Dunlap—who served three-and-a-half terms as chief—said it was time to eliminate the position casting conflicts among the township departments.
“It’s really funny. We really started fighting ourselves when this consolidation started.”
At township meetings Dec. 4 and Monday, there were accusations that the consolidation’s fire subcommittee was “hand-picked” and therefore leading a “hand-picked resolution.”
Beers, however, protested both times. Salandra agreed with Dunlap.