Muncy Township Supervisors held a meeting on Good Friday, Heath Ohnmeiss' chair sits empty because he did not attend the meeting. Terri Lauchle, left, and Denise Artley, center, listen to public comments during the meeting. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

PENNSDALE — A special meeting called by the Muncy Township Board of Supervisors on Friday evening with the stated purpose of discussing an alternate township engineer and the appointment of someone to that position, lasted under a quarter of an hour and left those attending questioning why the meeting was even scheduled when the only action item on the agenda ended up being tabled.

When asked by someone in attendance what was even the purpose of having the meeting, especially on the Christian holiday of Good Friday, Board Chair Terri Lauchle refused to comment. She and Vice-Chair Denise Artley then left the room for what was listed as an executive session for personnel issues, the legality of which was called into question when the board is operating without a solicitor after their pick resigned only hours after being approved for the position.

Supervisor Heath Ohnmeiss was absent.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, township resident Cori Cotner asked why the board was seeking an alternate engineer.

“What specific deficiency in township engineer Daniel Vassallo’s work has led to this discussion tonight,” Cotner asked.

“It’s my understanding that Mr. Vassallo has performed his duties professionally, including providing a technical determination for Bass Pro, for the Bass Pro subdivision. That determination created a complication for how this board has chosen to handle development approvals. The residents of this community deserve to know if this is about qualifications or about finding someone willing to reach a different conclusion,” Cotner continued.

“I guess what I’m trying to say is, is this about competence in the engineers that we have currently, or is this about finding someone who will say something different? Because what it appears to be engaged in is a municipal equivalent of doctor shopping — going from one professional to the next until you find one willing to tell you what you want to hear. That’s not how professional engineering determinations work, and it’s certainly not how transparent local government works,” she said.

Cotner also wanted to know if there were any performance concerns with the engineer and the current alternate.

“The constituents deserve a clear and honest explanation about what changed and why,” Cotner said.

“Has Mr. Vassallo or Mr. Pysher been given any formal notice of any performance concerns? Has there been anything documented and placed in the public record? And if not, this discussion lacks a legitimate basis, and tonight’s motion risks ratifying a decision that was already made behind closed doors,” she added.

Dan Vassallo is listed as the engineer of record on the township’s website. No alternate is listed, however in explaining why they were seeking an alternate engineer, Lauchle stated that Todd Pysher occupied that position, but that he is “withdrawing” as alternate.

“Just to clarify some things there, Dan Vassallo, we have no issues with Dan. We are not shopping around. Dan is our senior engineer. Todd Pysher is the alternate, and Todd Pysher has notified us that he was withdrawing. So therefore, is why we have actually two projects that Dan has done that is a conflict of interest, if he would then review it. So thus we had to have a special meeting,” Lauchle said.

Lauchle then referred to Joe Lyons, who identified himself as the township’s upcoming zoning officer.

“The issue with what’s going on, what I’ve been privileged to review at this point in time, there are some conflicts of interest in the reviews, because, again, you cannot create drawings and then turn around and then approve those same drawings,” Lyons said.

“Nobody is, at this time, being looked at, being replaced…They are looking for an alternate, and that’s all. This alternate will only be used in the zonings and subdivisions, SALDO’s (Subdivision and Land Development Ordinances) and things of those natures. That’s it. It’s not replacing anybody,” he continued.

“I’ve worked with Dan Vassallo (on) many, many, many, many projects. Dan’s very, very, very good at what he does, but he has also stated that there’s conflicts that he knows he does not want to subject himself to. So other than that, that’s all this is about, is trying to find an alternate …that’s it,” Lyons added.

The issue of the short-lived tenure of a township solicitor was also addressed during the comment period by both Cotner and Jason Fink, president and CEO of the Williamsport-Lycoming Chamber of Commerce.

“May you be providing a response to the question posed at the special meeting when you hired Mr. Schoonover as your solicitor, as to who provided you with that name given that he had stated it was a local judge being referred. But then, upon questioning as to who that was, neither he nor you could or would divulge who ultimately referred him to you,” Fink said.

“My last one is, may you be providing a response regarding the lack of transparency by the majority of the board of supervisors as to why Mr. Schoonover suddenly departed after stating at the meeting on several occasions that if they, referring to you as the supervisors, are not going to follow the law. I won’t be solicitor very long,” he said.

Timothy A. Schoonover of Babst Calland, State College, was appointed as solicitor at a meeting on March 26, only to resign the next day.

The next meeting will be at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Township Building, 1922 Pond Road, Muncy.