Summit Sewer Authority member will remain on board following resignation, rescission
SUMMIT TWP — After some concerns were raised about a Summit Township Sewer Authority board member who resigned and then rescinded his resignation in the same month, township officials clarified he will remain on the board.
During its Wednesday, Nov. 4, meeting, Summit Township’s board of supervisors discussed Larry Osche’s resignation submitted on Oct. 1, followed by a rescission of that resignation three weeks later on Oct. 22.
All three members of the board of supervisors also serve on the authority board.
Osche first attempted to return to the authority at an Oct. 27 meeting, but other board members and attendees cast doubts as to the legality of the rescission. He did not participate in discussions nor vote during the meeting to avoid any additional confusion.
But Supervisor Dave Barry said Wednesday the board of supervisors, which is ultimately responsible for reviewing the resignation and rescission, could simply take no action on either document and leave Osche a member.
“We were informed by (solicitor Mike Gallagher) that because he did a resignation but he rescinded it within 30 days — which he’s allowed to do — he can stay on the board,” Barry said.
He said Osche will serve the remainder of his term on the authority board, which runs until the end of the year.
However, the announcement raised the ire of attendees. Some asked Osche to resign from both the authority board and board of supervisors, which he declined to do.
Some asked why he resigned in the first place, to which he said he was overly frustrated after 12 years of being on the authority board and made a decision in the heat of the moment.
“I’ve always gotten (the sewer plan) close and then, every time, something always sets us back,” he said.
With confirmation that Osche is still a sitting member, he is expected to participate in discussions and actions moving forward, which may impact the authority’s next steps regarding its current sewer plan.
Osche was absent — as it was between his resignation and its rescission — during an Oct. 12 authority meeting where a tie vote led to a failed motion regarding an application for financial assistance from PENNVEST for the authority’s Act 537 sewer plan. At the time, the authority agreed it would have a discussion with the state Department of Environmental Protection regarding next steps.
Supervisors said that discussion took place and the authority was left with some options, including reworking the Act 537 sewer plan to primarily focus on the village of Herman and leaving dysfunctional septic systems outside the village limits to be repaired by the owners.
Ultimately, supervisors said they would have a better understanding of what alternate plans would look like by the next authority meeting, which is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 24.
