Rush Twp. meets with no changes to positions for 2019

Rush Township Supervisors held a reorganization meeting Monday, with no changes to employees, people holding appointed positions or supervisors’ roles.

For 2019, Shawn Gilbert will again serve as chairman, roadmaster and representative for Council of Governments. Vice Chairman Robert Leibensperger and Jeaninne Motroni round out the board.

Leibensperger will also serve as the township’s representative on the Eastern Schuylkill Recreation Commission and the North Schuylkill Landfill Association, with Motroni an alternate representative on the association.

“Everything is the same except for some small pay raises,” Gilbert said.

Reappointments included: Full-time Secretary-Treasurer Deborah DelFranco, part-time administrative assistant Kelly Chicarelli, board of supervisors’ solicitor Christopher Riedlinger, planning commission supervisor Peter Fagan, zoning hearing board solicitor Burke & Burke, Arro Consulting as zoning/code enforcement officer and engineering firm, sewage code enforcement officer William Brior, regional planning board representative Bob Ritsick, emergency management coordinator Edward Tite, and EMA assistant David Clewell. DelFranco is the Right to Know officer. Chicarelli will also be the township’s resident representative for the Eastern Schuylkill Recreation Commission.

On the township’s road crew, Eldon Neifert was reappointed as full-time equipment operator and road foreman, with full-time equipment operators Anthony Sfarra, Lonnie Ahner and Ronald Niefert. Michael Zimmerman was reappointed as the township sewer department employee. Kenneth Zipovsky was reappointed to serve as Chief of Police, and new-hire part-time officers will be paid $20 per hour.

The supervisors also held a regular meeting. They noted that Christmas tree pickup for residents will begin Jan. 14.

According to the police report for December 2018, officers responded to 182 incidents and complaints.

There were 15 ambulance assists, 7 suspicious persons/incidents, 88 traffic incidents/complaints, 5 disorderly persons/groups, 3 administrative assignments, 2 animal incidents/complaints, 2 check well-being of persons, 2 criminal mischief reports, 4 fire calls, 4 alarm calls, 4 trespass/unwanted persons reports, 5 nonreportable traffic crashes, 2 911 hang-up calls/open lines, 2 hit-and-run reports and 1 each request information, domestic dispute, lost/found property, DUI and mental health incident. Officers made 6 criminal arrests and issued 73 traffic citations.