JAMES CITY — The Highland Township, Elk County, Home Rule Charter Government Study Commission held its first meeting on Tuesday, and the commissioners are eager to get started.
Commissioner John Guras initially ran the meeting, although he was quickly selected by his peers to be the chairman. Lloyd Hulings was then selected to be vice chairman, while Misty Edinger was selected as secretary-treasurer.
The other commissioners present were Amy Beers, Bill Edinger and Matthew Vaughn. Erin Vassallo was absent from the meeting.
The board’s first official act after selecting the officers was to appoint the Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund (CELDF) as its legal counsel. Chad Nicholson of CELDF made the presentation to council with CELDF attorney Natalie Long present.
Nicholson thanked the commissioners for the opportunity to offer a retainer for their service. He estimated 12 to 15 other government study commissions have done so prior to Highland Township.
Nicholson said they are offering their service pro bono, but that will not mean completely free. He said documents can be prepared and phone calls are normally free, but travel expenses are set at $0.50 per mile. Nicholson said other expenses, such as filing fees, administrative costs and other fees could also be incurred by the commission.
Also, a nominal $1 fee for the retainer is required, Nicholson explained, which in turn creates attorney-client privilege.
After a public comment period, the motion to retain CELDF as legal counsel during the tenure of the government study commission passed 6 to 0.
Nicholson reviewed rules to which the study commission must adhere. Like any other governing body, the commissioners are subject to the Sunshine Law, Nicholson said. All meetings where decisions are made need to be open to the public. However, meetings can be private if the commissioners are gathering information and no formal decisions will be made, or in the case of having an executive session.
Nicholson also said to make sure good notes are taken and accurate minutes of the meetings are created. He stated they can be disseminated to the public by a written request if the commissioners so desire.
Nicholson also said to make sure all the meetings are advertised properly in the newspaper. He added public comment needs to be offered prior to any actions being taken by the commissioners. Nicholson said recording of the meetings is allowed.
The main reason for the government study commission to exist is to review the Pennsylvania Second Class Township Code to determine whether or not it suits the needs of Highland Township, Nicholson said. He suggested to break up the Second Class Township Code book into three parts and have two commissioners tackle all the sections of the code in the portion to which they are assigned.
The commissioners moved to split up the township code into three parts, as per Nicholson’s suggestion. Sections 1 to 12.1 will be studied by Beers and Misty Edinger. Sections 13 to 25.7 will be studied by Bill Edinger and Vaughn. Sections 26.1 to 37.2 will be studied by Guras and Hulings.
Bill Edinger, the chief of the Highland Township Volunteer Fire Department, said he knows Sections 1803 to 1805 of the Second Class Township Code “by heart.” The sections pertain to fire departments.
The commissioners also decided to hold some of their meetings in other parts of the township. They are looking at locations in Highland and Russell City to ensure the greatest number of people from throughout the township are able to participate in the process. However, they will continue to have the majority of their meetings at the Highland Township Municipal Building on Pennsylvania Avenue in James City until they secure more locations.
The commissioners set their meetings for the first and third Thursdays of the month at 7 p.m. Their next meeting will be held on June 2 at the Highland Township Municipal Building.
