RUSSELL CITY — The Highland Township Home Rule Government Study Commission met on Thursday at the HiLa Sportsmen’s Club in Russell City, discussing the progress in their study of the Pennsylvania Second Class Township Code, and moved to fill the vacancy of former commissioner Erin Vassallo for the second time this month.

Vassallo made a successful bid for the study commission in the April primary election, but took a job out of town shortly thereafter.

The commission appointed William Geibel at its last meeting, but Geibel has a personal matter to attend to and declined the position.

Commission secretary Misty Edinger suggested the commissioners advertise for letters of interest in the newspaper. She said she would like to see another commissioner from outside of James City appointed to the government study commission. The commissioners set the deadline for the letters of interest for July 11.

Anyone interested in applying to fill the vacancy should mail their letters to the Highland Township Municipal Building, 363 Pennsylvania Ave., P.O. Box 505, James City, PA 16734.

Meanwhile, chairman John Guras went over a worksheet the commissioners were asked to fill out at a previous meeting. The worksheet was a guideline to aid the commissioners in determining whether or not the Pennsylvania Second Class Township Code is suitable for the township.

Guras indicated he would like to see the Second Class Township Code be “more substantial” when it comes to local matters. He said researching other communities who went with a Home Rule Charter were made more economically efficient by implementing tax limitations and taking the steps to ensure greater transparency when it comes to financial matters.

One question on the worksheet asked how well the code reflects the Declaration of Independence, as well as the Constitutions on both the federal and state levels. Guras does not believe the code differs from the U.S. Constitution in terms of “all men are created equal” and the freedom of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” He believes the Second Class Township Code goes against these beliefs altogether, giving corporations more rights than people.

When asked about whether or not the code is a good representation of democracy, Edinger said if anything, the code seems to be dividing the township, “pitting neighbor against neighbor.” She said oil and gas companies are allowed to have some of their operations in secrecy, and she does not think that is fair.

“Our human rights should override corporate rights,” Edinger said.

Ultimately, the commissioners seem to have come to the conclusion the Second Class Township Code does not fit the needs of Highland Township, describing it as a “one size fits all” solution to local government.

Commissioner Matthew Vaughn noted one weak point of the Second Class Township Code is there are three people elected to “represent the commonalities” of the township. He did not think that was fair to either the citizens of the township nor those who represent them. Edinger said if major decisions go back to the residents of Highland Township, they take ownership in those decisions regardless of the outcome.

The commissioners also discussed a preliminary timeline for having a Home Rule Charter drafted before the November general election. Edinger said if the commissioners are able to stick to the timeline, they may have the proposed charter drafted and into township secretary Christy Reigel by Aug. 31.

However, Edinger stressed the timeline she discussed was only one possible scenario, with nothing written in stone just yet. She also said the commissioners may be a little behind where they need to be in their progress towards drafting the charter if it is to be completed before this year’s election.

Anyone interested in obtaining a free e-newsletter tracking the Highland Township Home Rule Charter government study commission’s progress towards drafting a charter should email highlandtwphomerule@comcast.net.

The next meeting will be held at 7 p.m. July 7 at the Highland Township Municipal Building in James City.