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Salem Township auditors set roadmaster pay after debate over delayed paving bids
Summary
The Salem Township Board of Auditors voted 2–1 to raise full-time roadmaster pay to $33.40 an hour and addressed contractor delays that left a 2025 paving contract unfinished; board members also discussed operational accountability after a dispute over a damaged road.
The Salem Township Board of Auditors on Jan. 6 voted to set full-time roadmaster pay at $33.40 per hour, a 2.8% increase, after a contentious debate that highlighted delayed paving work and questions about roadmaster accountability.
The motion to appoint the hourly rate, made by Chairperson Matt Rebitch and seconded by Nick Cornell, passed 2–1; Auditor David Leitza voted no. Leitza earlier proposed a $34 hourly rate but that motion died for lack of a second.
Discussion widened from wages into recent paving procurement problems. Kerry said the township originally awarded a cooperative bid to Tresco, but Tresco sought to require use of its materials, prompting a rebid. The rebid returned three proposals in late spring: Tresco at $152,000 and Hiles Construction and Redstone tied at $102,000. Because of the tie and unfamiliarity with the two lower bidders, the board reviewed certifications; Redstone—prequalified with PennDOT—was awarded the August contract but, according to meeting comments, never scheduled the work. “We never got on their schedule,” Kerry said, and the Forbes Road project remains on hold for the next construction season.
Rebitch asked whether additional roads would be paved in 2026; Zundel said yes. Rebitch also raised an operational concern about damage to Rock Springs Road, saying the worst damage was in front of his property and that he "doesn't believe in coincidences" after previously publicly noting Zundel had attended a farm bureau meeting on township time. When Rebitch asked if Zundel had been driving the plow truck that damaged the road, Zundel replied that he had. Residents suggested that roadmasters track their hours in a daily time log to improve accountability; Debbie Perino noted that the Second Class Township Code does not require time clocks but recommended tracking hours in a log book.
The board also set the part-time roadmaster rate at $31.40 per hour and approved a motion to table Resolution No. 01-2026 (the formal compensation resolution) until a special auditors meeting on Jan. 21 to adopt the resolution and approve the Jan. 6 minutes.
The meeting closed with the board scheduling the Jan. 21 session for formal adoption of the compensation resolution.
