The monthly meeting of the Board of Supervisors of Bradford Township heard from all five members of the Zoning and Hearing Board on Monday night, who voiced their “displeasure and disappointment with the action taken” during the reorganization meeting last month.

As reported in the January article covering the reorganization meeting, “Due to term limits, Francis Forbes’s seat on the Zoning Hearing Board was up, but she did submit a letter to retain her seat, according to the supervisors. William Huber also submitted a letter of interest for the appointment. The board appointed Huber, with Forbes as an alternate.”

In a letter addressed to the supervisors, delivered Monday night, members stated they were not made aware of the “two names listed for appointment,” one of which was a current member and the other a resident. It was brought up at the reorganization meeting and, according to the letter, it was necessary to have five members and an alternate.

At issue for the Zoning Hearing Board, per their letter, is that the supervisors “immediately called for a vote and proceeded to nominate the second candidate and then was approved by the remaining supervisors.” This in turn relegated the standing board member to alternate status.

Bob Burrell said, “Francy Forbes should have kept her seat and Huber as an alternate.” Another board member stated, “We want her to be made whole again.”

Supervisor Laree Sue Behan asked if Forbes had attended meetings the previous year and stated that none of the paperwork included Forbes’s name on it. Burrell explained they only had a handful of meetings and that Forbes was in attendance at most of them. Forbes was not at Monday’s township meeting due to her position on the Bradford Area School Board. Burrell added that Forbes was not notified about her term expiring.

Behan interjected and told Burrell that Forbes’s term had expired and that she had been notified.

Township treasurer and secretary Sue Gibiser explained that the township follows the rules of PSAT and another board appoints members. “I follow the rules in the book. … This is done yearly. … Everyone was notified.”

Supervisor Mark Cline said, “I know (Gibiser) does her job. … End of discussion.”

In a phone call Tuesday, Forbes detailed her side of the issue. “I feel it is my responsibility to stand up for what is right and true,” the four-year member of the Zoning and Hearing Board said. “I don’t expect anything to change with this. It’s not about the appointment, it’s about transparency and truth. I submitted my letter of interest and attended most of the meetings. I just want to put that out there.”

Forbes said her letter of intent was submitted in person by her husband on Dec. 21. The meeting she missed was in November when she went to Denver to care for her 96-year-old mother.

“We need to respect other viewpoints,” Forbes said. “Truth is foundational in everything we do. We should remember that when we turn a deaf ear to those we represent we become blind to what is going on.”

Another issue striking a chord at Monday’s meeting was the East Warren Road Bridge labor cost. The last total expense report for the project, published in November 2023, was in the amount of $918,595.87 and did not include labor costs. The expenses as of Feb. 12 were $959,095.67, which include some labor charges.

However, when asked to clarify the amount included in the expenses, there was discussion on what labor costs were sought. The only labor costs included in February’s total are for Owen Beachy’s invoices from 2022, Behan said. She stated the employee labor costs are something “you will never get.” When a reporter asked why, Beehan in turn asked why the figures are relevant.

When the supervisors were asked if township employees were paid to work on the bridge in place of doing other jobs in the township — and how much the work might impact the actual costs of the bridge project — the reporter was told to file an official request for the information.

Supervisors motioned and agreed to add an agenda item to the new business. The item added was to approve the hiring of Andrea Stapleford as the attorney for the Zoning and Hearing Board. Stapleford is with Stapleford & Byham LLC out of Warren. Christopher Byham was previously the Bradford Township Solicitor before Tony Alfieri was hired.

The need for this attorney was questioned. Behan addressed the residents, “We didn’t have an issue with animals before.”

“Tony has a conflict because he represents the township and can’t do both,” said Supervisor Ed Hayden. Alfieri agreed and gave an example of a similar township and the difference in lawyer duties.

Bradford Township Police Chief Rob Shipman addressed residents about why the police department was selling firearms.

“MG (Arms LLC of Bradford) donated newer ones to the department, so we are selling our current ones to earn money for new pistols,” the chief said.

The supervisors approved a motion to advertise and accept sealed bids from federally licensed companies only to purchase a list of firearms for the Bradford Township Police Department. The bids will be opened at the March meeting.

Shipman also addressed the notion that there has been an uptick in crime in the township with 10 criminal investigations for January. He said, “We typically have six to eight investigations in a month — drugs, DUI, theft, assault, a range of incidents. In January there were several attempts at theft from phone scams.”

Behan relayed a message to residents from the police department on the topic.

“Police continue to see a rise in the number of phone scams residents are receiving,” he said. “Keep in mind the IRS or the Department of the Treasury will not attempt to contact you by phone. They will contact you by mail. Do not give any personal information over the phone to anyone you don’t know. Report the incident to the police so it can be documented.”

Three bids were received for a new work truck. The requirements for the truck included being white, four-wheel drive, not GMC or Chevrolet and not a crew cab, as well as other criteria. All three bids were for 2024 Dodge 5500 4×4 trucks, chassis only; in other words, the bids do not include a bed. Ed Schultz of Warren came in at $71,613; Diehl Auto of Butler at $76,505 but it was a crew cab; and Paul Brown Motors of Olean, N.Y., at $67,190. The bid from Paul Brown was accepted with the caveat that the truck meets all the criteria of the bid and is available for purchase. The supervisors agreed that they do not want to wait for the vehicle.

The township building will be closed Monday for Presidents Day. The next meeting of the Bradford Township Board of Supervisors will be at 7 p.m. March 11.