The Ross Township supervisors are starting 2025 with a new solicitor, new part-time secretary and an upgrade to their employee health insurance package.

Eric Filer, from the firm KingSpry in Bethlehem, was named the solicitor. He’s taking over the position that Rich Campbell, also from KingSpry, held for one year.

“Campbell is leaving the practice. It’s an unfortunate thing for us,” said Vice Chairman David Shay. “It’s been good working with you the past year.”

Campbell said the feeling was mutual and thanked the supervisors. Campbell was named solicitor in January 2024, when solicitor Tim McManus stepped down after serving the township for more than a decade. He wanted to scale back before retirement.

Carolyn Hoos was named the planning commission secretary on Monday. She was officially hired as the township’s part-time secretary in a 2-1 vote at the December 2024 meeting.

Supervisor Randy Detrick was the nay vote, saying he wanted the office staff to remain as it had been — with only one full-time secretary/treasurer, which is Melissa Frantz-Monaco.

Former secretary/treasurer Deb Brown stepped down in July and Frantz-Monaco was promoted from the part-time secretary role.

Later during the reorganization meeting, supervisors approved the 3% pay raise for the road crew, which in recent years has been the township’s standard annual increase.

The biggest change is to all employees’ health insurance plan. The supervisors voted 3-0 to add family members. The township will pay 50% and the employee will pay the other 50%.

Supervisors voted to increase the mileage rate from 67 cents to 70 cents per mile, which is the 2025 IRS rate.

The board

James Zahoroiko remained chairman, as well as the CJERP (Chestnuthill, Jackson, Eldred, Ross, Polk) regional planning committee voting member and the Pocono Mountains Council of Government representative.

Shay remained the vice chairman, as well as the delegate to the Monroe County Tax Committee and an AG Security representative.

Detrick, the third supervisor, was out of town Monday but participated over the phone with his colleagues.

Once again, Zahoroiko, Shay and Detrick agreed that any supervisor who is available to attend can be the voting delegate to the state convention, as well as the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors delegate to attend the Annual Education Conference.

Code enforcement

For a few years, the three supervisors have not had a unanimous decision of who will be the zoning and codes officer and the alternate, as well as who will be the building and codes officer and the alternate.

Last year, Zahoroiko and Detrick voted for SFM Consulting to have all four roles. Shay named a different firm. The same thing happened again Monday. Shay nominated Lehigh Valley Inspection as the zoning and codes officer. Zahoroiko and Detrick voted for SFM Consulting.

Both times, Shay said it would benefit the township to have two different firms. One for zoning enforcement and the other for building enforcement. Zahoroiko and Detrick disagreed. SFM Consulting remained the firm to handle the zoning and building codes matters.

Blighted properties, houses with excessive garbage and scrap vehicles piling up outside and short-term rentals being used as party houses have been recurring headaches for the township residents, who month after month come to voice their concerns with the supervisors about how the code enforcement officers aren’t doing their jobs effectively and in a timely manner.

And each time, Shay has said there needs to be a significant change in terms of who is handling the zoning and building codes. Yet, no change has transpired.

Appointees

These roles remained the same by unanimous agreement of the supervisors: Ethan Brewer, road foreman; Keystone Consulting Engineers, engineer; Nate Oiler, alternate engineer; Ryan Engler, sewage enforcement officer; Jonathan Shupp, sewer enforcement alternate; James Fareri, zoning hearing board solicitor and the alternate is someone from his firm Newman, Williams, Mishkin, Corvelyn, Wolfe & Fareri; Michael Gaul, planning commission solicitor from the firm King, Spry, Herman, Freund and Faul and the alternate is someone from his office; Brian Stankovich, emergency management coordinator; Berkheimer, earned income tax liaison; Kirk Summa and Company, CPA auditors; UCC Joint Board of Appeals member David Bray; Vacancy Board Member David Trout; Roger Christman, Planning Commision director and CJERP second member; Frantz-Monaco, records officer

The treasurer’s bond will remain at $800,000. The supervisors’ meetings remain the first Monday of the month at 6 p.m., unless it’s a holiday. In that case, the meeting will be held the second Monday at 6 p.m.

“When needed, our monthly workshop will be held the last Wednesday of the month at 1 p.m. to discuss any issues that arise,” said Shay.

The holidays and benefits package will also remain the same as in 2024, they said. Employees have 12 paid holidays, and the office is closed for two days when the building is used as an election polling place.