White Oak council approves contracts, hires and $35,000 demolition grant

White Oak Borough Council on March 16 approved a series of routine financial motions and vendor contracts, conditionally hired two new personnel, and accepted a $35,000 county grant to pay for demolition of up to four homes in the borough.

The meeting’s most significant operational items were votes to authorize contract extensions, capital vehicle purchases and equipment outfitting, and a new subscription for resident communications. John Davis, the finance committee representative, presented monthly financials showing revenues of $290,966.98 and expenditures of $560,885.42 and asked council to accept the report; council approved the financial report and a motion to approve the February check register totaling $420,101.62.

Mayor (unnamed) summarized February public-safety activity, reporting a total of 253 incidents including 77 traffic stops, 32 traffic citations and 14 criminal arrests. “Our officers have really been busy,” the mayor said.

In personnel and vendor actions, council approved a conditional internship offer for Leo Rosner in the code enforcement department at $15 per hour for a minimum of 400 and a maximum of 480 hours, funded in part by a local government academy grant. Public safety reported a motion to approve a conditional offer of employment to Michael Shade as an entry-level police officer from the certified list; council approved that motion.

Public safety also received authorization to extend Shiloh Services Inc.’s information-technology contract for the police computer system for April 2026 through March 2027 at a monthly rate of $1,597.45.

Public works brought several capital items to the floor. Council approved licensing and installation work from Com Control International for $2,578.70 for the borough radio system and approved the purchase of two 2026 F-600 chassis from Short Shorty Auto Group for $144,792.30 through the COSTARS joint purchasing program. Council also approved outfitting those chassis through PA Municipal Inc. for $129,936, which covers dump bodies, hydraulics and plow/spreader assemblies. The public works representative said these funds will come from liquid fuels and solid-waste funds, not the general fund.

The borough engineer reported receipt of a $35,000 county grant to demolish up to four homes; the project will be advertised this week with a bid opening set for April 14. The council approved Pay Request No. 1 from Guffy Construction for $11,880 to demolish the structure at 1139 California Avenue as recommended by the borough engineer.

On communications software, Janice Schwartz moved to enter an annual agreement with Savvy Citizen for $2,739 to provide an information-accessibility application. Under old business, a council member proposed and Council approved two add-ons: a one-time marketing/setup fee of $500 and an annual plugin component for $360 that links Savvy Citizen posts directly to the borough web page. The chair confirmed the motion passed and announced upcoming workshop and council meeting dates for April.

Council also approved Resolution 2026-13 to refund certain real-property taxes to listed property owners following changes issued by the Allegheny County Board of Assessment and Appeals.

The meeting concluded after routine acceptance of the tax collector’s report and standard committee updates. The borough posted that full financial, engineering and departmental reports are available for public review during normal business hours.

The council did not receive public comments at the meeting, and no votes were tabled for a future meeting. The bid opening for the demolition project is scheduled for April 14; the council approved Pay Request No. 1 for the 1139 California Avenue demolition and authorized staff to proceed with the contracted work.