Supervisor proposes restructuring advisory committees; trustees debate loss of direct board oversight

Supervisor (speaker 1) presented a written proposal to reorganize Bath Township’s advisory committee structure, arguing that many committees currently lack clear operational guidance and that moving some functions to staff-advisory status would improve efficiency.

The plan would convert several advisory groups to department-facing committees, merge senior services and recreation into a single programming body, and discontinue a handful of committees that have not been meeting (including the public art committee and the police & fire advisory board). The supervisor said statutory committees would remain and that staff would bring a membership and reporting plan back to the board for approval. "This is just a proposal open to changes, ideas, ways to make it better," the supervisor said, adding the recommendation would return for a vote on Dec. 15 if the board wants to proceed.

Trustees pushed back on several points: some said committees were an important avenue for public input and worried the change would reduce transparency, others asked for clearer two-way reporting (departmental updates on the agenda) and for the board to retain input on committee membership. Staff said the restructure would not eliminate avenues for public engagement and promised more departmental updates; trustees asked staff to resubmit a revised proposal that more explicitly ties committee roles to the strategic plan and sets expectations for reporting.