The Elizabeth Township Board of Commissioners held its annual reorganization meeting on Monday, January 5, 2025. The meeting opened with the swearing-in of re- elected commissioners, Kyle Walk, Josh Walls, and Chris Thoma, by District Judge Beth Mills.
Following the oath of office, the board proceeded with the selection of leadership positions. Commissioner Hansen nominated Commissioner Josh Walls, who held the position prior to the meeting, for President. The nomination was seconded by Commissioner Thoma. All commissioners in attendance voted in favor, with President Walls abstaining.
The board then moved to the Vice President position. Commissioner James Benedek nominated Commissioner Adam Musisko, and the motion was seconded by Commissioner Kyle Walk. All commissioners in attendance voted in favor.
The board next addressed the appointment of township professional services. Appointments included Racunas Law Group, LLC, as Township Solicitor; PDDM Consulting Services as Township General Engineer; Herbert, Rowland & Grubic, Inc. (HRG) as Township Sanitary Engineer; Weisel, Xides & Foerster, LLP, as Zoning Hearing Board Solicitor upon recommendation of the Zoning Hearing Board; Racunas Law Group, LLC, as Planning Commission Solicitor; National Code Inspection Agency, LLC, as the Township’s electrical, mechanical, accessibility, fuel gas, and energy plan reviewers and inspectors; Keystone Collections Group as Tax Collector for Earned Income and Local Services Taxes; MBM Collections and MBM Law Group for delinquent real estate tax collections; Legal Tax Service for current and delinquent sewage fees; the Mon-Valley Independent as the official township newspaper; Northwest Bank as the township repository; and Turnley, Robertson, and Associates, LLC, as Township Auditor. All motions were approved unanimously.
Appointments to township boards and positions followed. Tammy Firda was appointed Township Secretary, and Mary Walos was appointed Township Treasurer. Tara Kite was appointed to the Elizabeth Township Planning Commission for a term beginning January 1, 2026, and ending December 31, 2029. The motion to appoint Commissioner Chris Evans to the Southeast Regional Emergency Medical Services Board of Directors was pulled from the agenda. Dennis Kampas was appointed to the Township Vacancy Board for a two-year term from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2027. Commissioner James Benedek was appointed President Pro Tempore of the Board of Commissioners for a two-year term from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2027. Damien Michaels was appointed Emergency Management Coordinator, and William Greenawald, John Walter Jr., James Chabalie, and Police Chief Ken Honick were appointed Emergency Management Deputy Coordinators. All motions passed unanimously.
The board also made appointments to the South Hills Area Council of Governments (SHACOG). Commissioner Kyle Walk was appointed to the SHACOG Board of Directors Administrative Committee, with Township Manager Tammy Firda appointed as an alternate. Both motions were approved unanimously.
Under other business, the board established the 2026 monthly voting meeting schedule for the first Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m. and the workshop meetings for the third Monday of each month at 7:00 p.m., both to be held at the municipal building located at 522 Rock Run Road, Elizabeth, unless otherwise advertised. The board also approved setting holidays for non-union employees to match those listed in the current Non-Uniform Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Department reports followed. Code Enforcement reported 23 occupancy inspections, with 12 passing and 11 failing. Four violation letters and five citations were issued, with eight repeat violators noted. Seven permits and 27 building inspections were conducted on ongoing projects. Code Enforcement Officer Vitous reminded residents with open or pending permits that they “must schedule all proper inspections once the permit is issued.” He also encouraged residents to utilize the township website, Facebook page, SavvyCitizen page, and the Resident Resources section of the township website, where “complaints, concerns, or the need of support for all of our departments” can be found.
Township Engineer Chris from PDDM Consulting Services thanked the board for the appointment, with Vice President Musisko expressing appreciation to the board for its efforts in selecting an engineer. Chad from HRG also thanked the board, with Vice President Musisko stating, “Again, thank you to the board and thank you to HRG. I look forward to working with you guys as well.”
Police Chief Ken Honick reported nothing beyond his written report. Veolia Water also had nothing to report. Public Works Supervisor Tom Methven reported that recent snowstorms challenged the department, noting, “These three [snow] storms really challenged our guys and they pulled through. I think we had some pretty good roads in the month of December considering what we were up against. We had very low accident rates.” He added that road complaints are being addressed weekly and potholes are being repaired weather permitting. Commissioner Thoma thanked the Public Works staff, stating, “We really appreciate you and your staff and everything you did to try and keep us as safe as possible as quickly as possible.” Methven added, “They worked fourteen hours straight on New Years Eve,” and concluded, “They are working as hard as they can. Thank you.”
Solicitor Racunas thanked the board for retaining him, saying, “It is very special to me to be able to do this job and have an impact on my own place I live as well. I appreciate your confidence in me…” Township Manager Tammy Firda thanked township staff and expressed excitement for the newly appointed engineers, stating she is “Looking forward to this year and what its going to bring to the Township.”
Blaine Hill Volunteer Fire Company reported 13 calls in December, finishing the year with 203 total calls, down 49 from 2024. The department logged 869 incident man hours, 1,139 training hours, and 1,720 additional man hours. Monthly bingo will be held in the social hall on the first Wednesday of each month, beginning January 7, with the annual fish fry starting on Ash Wednesday, February 18.
The Elizabeth Township Fire Department reported 71 calls in December, an 18 percent increase from November, and a total of 705 calls for the year, a 9 percent increase over 2024. The department maintained an average dispatch and route time of 2 minutes and 27 seconds for the year. No major upcoming events were reported. Commissioner Thoma thanked the department for saving the life of a cardiac arrest victim who had no pulse upon arrival.
Buena Vista Fire Department reported plans for joint training with neighboring departments and noted progress on its social hall project, stating it “is beginning to look nice” as Lent fish frys approach.
Junior Commissioner Krise reported that his park project is awaiting contract signatures, with Commissioner Thoma noting that the board is waiting for the contract submission. Junior Commissioner Stroshein announced a second project involving Our Black Rose, a nonprofit supporting families affected by suicide loss. “I would like to thank Chief Honick, Lieutenant Cimba, Commissioner Thoma, Township Manager Tammy Firda, and Co-Founder of Our Black Rose Mrs. Kelleigh Boland for helping to bring this powerful initiative to Elizabeth Township and our surrounding regions.” Chief Honick responded, “I want to thank you for taking the time for finding this non profit,” adding, “Awesome find, great work, great liaison, and we look forward to partnering with them.”
During public comment, resident Mike Fetchen requested additional safety measures at a stop sign on Broadlawn Drive, stating that the “stop sign ahead” sign was insufficient. Resident Scott Taylor expressed concerns regarding appointments but chose not to elaborate since all were already approved prior to public comment, stating, “Hopefully everybody works in transparency like they are supposed to.”
The board approved all items under consideration, including meeting minutes, financial expenditures, personnel actions, and administrative matters. Approved financial items included the January 5, 2026 Township Bill Warrant totaling $610,605.72, the Sanitary Bill Warrant totaling $245,984.58, and Treasurer’s Bond coverage of $2 million for 2026–2027. Additional approvals included a $1,200-per-month engineering services retainer with HRG, conference attendance for Public Works Director Tom Methven and Commissioner Musisko, ratification of the exoneration of the tax collector for delinquent real estate taxes retroactive to December 31, 2025, and a $6,100 change order from PDDM Consulting Services related to the Municipal Building’s 2023 Local Share Account Grant project.
Personnel actions included the promotion of Employee 1070 to Class C Patrolman effective January 3, 2026, and retroactive pay raises for six township employees as recommended by the Personnel Committee. All motions presented during the meeting were approved.
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