Salem Township auditors set roadmaster pay and benefits amid questions about failed paving work

At its Jan. 6 re-organization meeting, the Salem Township Board of Auditors set pay and personnel policies for full- and part-time roadmasters and discussed a contractor award and alleged nonperformance that officials say affected 2025 paving work.

The board voted 2–1 to set the full-time roadmaster hourly rate at $33.40; Matt Rebitch and Nick Cornell voted in favor and David Leitza voted no. An earlier proposal by Leitza to set the rate at $34.00 failed for lack of a second. During debate board members referenced differing percent-change calculations (the meeting record includes both a 4.6% figure and a 2.8% cost-of-living figure); the motion that passed was described in the meeting as a 2.8% increase.

The board also set the part-time roadmaster rate at $31.40 per hour (a $2 differential), established overtime at one-and-a-half times regular pay for hours exceeding 40 per week (counting paid holidays, sick and vacation time toward the 40-hour threshold), and adopted vacation (19 days/year with up to five days carryover), sick leave (8 days/year with accumulation permitted up to 30 days), and a list of paid holidays. The board authorized continued participation in the township pension and standard insurance plans for full-time roadmasters and approved a boot allowance of $225 per year (up from $200 in 2025).

Officials set the township's standard business mileage reimbursement at 72.5 cents per mile for 2026, citing a PSATS notification. The board tabled formal adoption of Resolution No. 01-2026, which would confirm these compensation terms, and scheduled a follow-up meeting on Jan. 21 to adopt the resolution and approve the Jan. 6 minutes.

Board discussion connected the wage debate to the township's recent paving experience. Meeting participants described a 2025 bidding sequence in which Tresco initially bid $152,000, while Hiles Construction and Redstone tied at $102,000. Redstone — described in the meeting as prequalified with PennDOT — was awarded the contract in August, but staff said Redstone never scheduled or completed the Forbes Road work despite repeated phone calls and emails. Officials said the Forbes Road project remains on hold for next year.

During discussion, Chair appointee Matt Rebitch raised concerns about an employee’s use of township time, saying the road in front of his property was damaged days after he had told the public an employee had attended a Farm Bureau meeting on township time and adding, "I don't believe in coincidences." When asked if he had been driving the truck, the employee, Bob Zundel, said he had. The minutes record a resident recommendation that roadmasters log hours daily; another speaker noted guidance in the Second Class Township Code about recordkeeping rather than using time clocks.

The minutes do not record any contractor response to the claim that Redstone failed to schedule or perform the work. The board approved the pay and benefit changes and several personnel policies by motion; many motions passed unanimously while the full-time wage motion carried by majority vote. The Jan. 21 meeting will finalize the compensation resolution.