Time clock controversial in Harford

BY PAT FARNELLI

Auditors for Harford Township attended the supervisors meeting Tuesday, Apr. 12, and after saying that the tax collector’s books appeared to be in order, reported a number of suggestions to the supervisors.

One suggestion seemed to be divisive: purchase a time clock for township employees, and install it and begin using it ASAP.

“I’m totally against a time clock. I’ve worked places without one. It’s called an honor system,” said Chairman Terry VanGorden.

VanGorden said that the road crew ought to be able to report their hours.

The auditors, Connie Breuse, Robert A. DeLuca, and Linda Bonham, agreed that a time clock would provide an exact record of workers’ start and stop times.

They also recommended implementing a QuickBooks program so that checks can be written on a computer.

They recommended that the secretary/treasurer be paid on the same biweekly schedule as the other employees.

Sue Furney, the supervisor who serves as secretary/treasurer, said that she has voluntarily changed to a part time, flexible schedule, and voluntarily given up benefits, recently.

Supervisor Garry Foltz said that the time clock idea might be a good idea.

When VanGorden objected, he said, “You’re going to come back to the shop after you’re done…you don’t take the equipment home with you. So, you punch out.”

The supervisors discussed making the time clock a personnel matter and discussing it in executive session, but then decided that an executive session was not necessary.

They said they would be scheduling a work session to discuss this, as well as the creation of a township website.

Because the municipal office printer had been out of order March 8, the bills to be paid and treasurer’s reports for March and April were both read, and complete reports for both months were available.

Several attendees had questions regarding items, and they were explained in turn by the supervisors.

When it was time to vote whether to approve the list of bills, Foltz voted no. “There are a number of items on which we’ve had no discussion,” he stated. “We haven’t done that, in three years.”

The minutes for April were also read and approved.

Alice Deusch of the Endless Mountains Heritage Region and the Friends of Viaduct Valley Way Scenic Byway presented the Byway project to the supervisors, saying that she is visiting municipalities seeking donations.

The project will bring tourism off of Interstate 81, and will direct traffic both ways, she said. The byway will connect from near Windsor, N.Y. to Route 6, including Susquehanna and Wyoming Counties.

The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources is funding 80 percent of the project.

The program is managed by the state Department of Transportation.

Byways like this one qualify for federal funds for improvements such as paved shoulders, interpretative signs, and scenic overlooks.

“I’m asking all of the municipalities in Susquehanna County to partner with us, to think in terms of $500.”

The supervisors, noting they had some extra dollars at their disposal due to gas royalties, promised to consider her request.

At the March meeting, Kevin Rocktaschel, a representative of Southwestern Energy, spoke to the board about his company’s plan to do a test boring on Houlihan Road to determine if a temporary water line could be installed to supply water to gas drilling operations.

The Harford supervisors gave permission to Southwestern to close the road from the Morgese house to the township line for approximately two weeks.

At Tuesday’s meeting,    he reported that the company had finished its testing, and Houlihan Road was open.