SAXONBURG — Nearly seven months after two Saxonburg Area Authority board members were booted off for missing too many meetings, the board approved telephone participation for members unable to attend meetings.

The board Tuesday voted 5-1 to permit participation via two-way speaker telephone during meetings.

Board member Bill Coe dissented, saying there isn't a valid reason to make the change.

"If you don't come to a board meeting, you don't vote," he said.

The Saxonburg Borough Council in December removed SAA board members Frank Ballina, a Saxonburg representative, and Dick Oleyar, the Clinton Township representative, for missing three or more consecutive meetings.

The action was taken without advance notice to the public or to the authority following a council executive session.

Council members appointed their colleague Gary Podgornik to fill Ballina's seat.

Ballina and Coe subsequently protested council's move, calling it politically motivated.

They were part of a faction on the SAA board not always in agreement with council's wishes.

Since Ballina and Oleyar's ousting, council adopted a policy of excusing absences of SAA board members ahead of time.

For medical reasons, former SAA chairman Jay Rinebolt has been unable to attend board meetings for months.

Coe on Tuesday argued allowing the phone participation now is hypocritical.

He also said the policy favors the borough, which has more seats on the board than Clinton, Jefferson, Penn and Middlesex townships combined.

Podgornik insisted the policy has nothing to do with the borough.

Chairman Doug Farney said he didn't think this was a big deal.

Members Ed Gulick, Harry Fleischer and Sam Ward sided with Podgornik and Farney.

Along with Rinebolt, Greg Clifford, the Middlesex representative, was absent.

The Clinton Township supervisors have yet to nominate a replacement for Oleyar. The borough council appoints all members to the authority board.