Resident urges correction of Huntington Township minutes, alleges Sunshine Act violation over hiring authority

Marie DeGangi, a resident and frequent commenter, told the Huntington Township Board of Supervisors on June 12 that the board’s April 10 meeting minutes should be corrected because, she said, they fail to record a motion that granted the roadmaster authority to hire a part‑time commercial driver’s‑license (CDL) employee.

DeGangi said the April 10 recording shows Vice Chair Paul Geist “made a motion that, quote, ‘we give the roadmaster authority to hire a part time CDL driver as needed,’” then said Chairman Boyer seconded and “the motion carried.” She told the board she has a four‑page parliamentary opinion by Jonathan Jacobs arguing the minutes should precisely match what was on the public recording and that leaving them as written “would reflect poorly on the board of supervisors.”

Why it matters: DeGangi said the change is not merely editorial. She told supervisors that the alleged motion — if recorded as she described it — would amount to a delegation of hiring authority to a township employee that should have been noticed on the agenda and, she said, could violate the Sunshine Act. She said she expects the board to correct the minutes and that she may involve an attorney or parliamentarian if the board refuses.

Board and solicitor response: Solicitor Todd King told the meeting the board “did not have to put that in minutes” but that the minutes did note there was a concern. Chair Boyer told DeGangi the board would not answer every question during public comment, and meeting moderators repeatedly reminded speakers of the three‑minute public comment limit. The chair also said the minutes may be corrected by a motion to amend previously approved minutes.

Records and right‑to‑know concerns: Later in the meeting DeGangi pressed the board on right‑to‑know and records‑retention matters, saying she had reviewed binders proposed for destruction and had outstanding requests for training documentation. She raised statements she said were made by some officials that they delete emails after reading them; at the meeting, the board referenced that at least one official told staff they “delete all the emails soon after reading them,” a point DeGangi said raised concerns about retention of public records.

What the board recorded: The board and township staff repeatedly told the public that the township’s handling of municipal permits and compliance matters (for example, a conditional‑use matter involving a mulch/compost business) was the responsibility of external regulators such as the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) or of follow‑up actions by staff and that investigatory authority on those topics rests with those agencies.

Next steps: DeGangi said she will press for a correction of the April minutes and may pursue legal or parliamentary review; the board noted the formal mechanism for changing approved minutes is a motion to amend at a future meeting.

Ending: The board maintained time limits on public comment and did not vote during the June 12 meeting to alter the April minutes. DeGangi’s recorded objections and the board’s discussion at the June meeting are available on the township’s public livestream and were cited by DeGangi as the basis for her requested corrections.