Fulton County commissioners adopt bylaws, approve appointments and payments at Jan. 6 reorganizational meeting

Fulton County commissioners met for their annual reorganizational session on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in the commissioners' office. Chairman Commissioner Randy H. Bunch called the meeting to order; the session opened with prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.

The board approved routine minutes and finances. Commissioner Steven L. Wible moved to approve the Dec. 30, 2025 commissioners' meeting minutes and the Dec. 30, 2025 Salary Board minutes; both motions passed unanimously. Commissioner Hervey P. Hann moved to approve accounts payable dated Jan. 6, 2026, totaling $229,387.17, and later moved to approve payroll in the amount of $122,828.46; both were approved by all three commissioners.

The commissioners heard an update from Interim County Treasurer Amy Bishop and Fiscal Administrator Sue Reed on operations in the Treasurer's Office. Following that briefing, Commissioner Randy H. Bunch moved to adopt the Board of Commissioners' 2026 bylaws pursuant to the Act of Aug. 9, 1955 (16 Purdon, Sections 503 and 509, as amended); the motion carried unanimously.

The board approved a set of appointments and reappointments. Commissioner Wible moved to reappoint Eric Weisbrod (term to Jan. 1, 2029), Paul Johnston (term to Jan. 6, 2030) and Greg Henry (term to Jan. 5, 2031) to the Bedford Fulton Joint Recreation Authority to stagger terms. Commissioner Hervey P. Hann moved to confirm a slate of 2026 reappointments for county offices and roles, including Solicitor Jim Stein (& DSS Law), Chief Clerk Stacey M. Shives, Tax Claim Bureau Director Amy Bishop, Chief Assessor Melissa Gordon, Sealer of Weights & Measures (Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture), Director of Veterans' Affairs Richard Newman, and county engineers Keller Engineers and CES Engineering; those reappointments were approved unanimously.

Commissioner Steven L. Wible moved to reappoint Amy Bishop as Interim County Treasurer for 2026; the reappointment was approved unanimously. Commissioner Randy H. Bunch moved to designate committee and board assignments for 2026, assigning commissioners to bodies such as the Permanent Salary Board, County Treasurer Retirement Board, Assessment Appeals Board, the Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission (SAPDC) committees, the Tuscarora Managed Care Alliance and other regional and local boards; the assignments were approved by all three commissioners.

The board approved an RBA invoice for $7,957.31 on a motion by Commissioner Hann and appointed Michael Beatty as chair of the Farmland Agricultural Land Preservation Board for 2026 on a motion by Commissioner Bunch; both votes were unanimous. The commissioners held separate reorganizational meetings for the Salary and Retirement Boards at 9:00 a.m.; separate minutes are on file. Commissioner Hann moved to adjourn at 10:37 a.m.; the motion carried unanimously.

Votes at a glance: the meeting record shows unanimous "all in favor" votes by the three commissioners on motions to approve minutes, payables ($229,387.17), payroll ($122,828.46), adoption of bylaws, reappointments (including interim treasurer Amy Bishop), committee assignments, the RBA invoice ($7,957.31) and the farmland board chair appointment.

Documentation: the meeting record lists the Act of Aug. 9, 1955 (16 Purdon, Sections 503 and 509, as amended) as the statutory basis for the board bylaws. Separate minutes for the Salary and Retirement Board reorganizational meetings are noted as filed. The meeting was recorded in the commissioners' minutes and adjourned at 10:37 a.m.