Anyone who hoped to hear Kiski Township supervisors speak on the departure of former Chief Lee Bartolicius on Wednesday night left the township’s regular meeting sorely disappointed.

Township Solicitor Ryan Fritz ruled out the prospect at the start of the meeting.

“For anyone who is here simply for that purpose, you’re welcome to stay, but there will not be any comment in that regard this evening,” Fritz said.

Officials have declined to comment on Bartolicius’ departure since news of his suspension broke late last month, which not only nixed, at least for now, a prospective merger with Southern Armstrong Regional Police Department, but raised concerns about renewed strife between township supervisors and police.

On July 3, the board approved the resignation of Bartolicius as well as a severance agreement for him.

Supervisors haven’t released any information about that agreement, possibly violating the Sunshine Act, a legal expert told TribLive last week.

Under Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act, township officials are permitted to withhold some information on personnel matters, as they’ve done so far, though the law does not prohibit them from speaking about such matters.

The fallout has eroded trust in a board that some viewed as a new chapter for the township, only two years removed from a mass exodus of police officers — including the previous chief.

Despite the promise of no comment from Fritz, a few residents and public officials in attendance raised the issue, including North Apollo Mayor June Kilgore.

The borough has contracted police coverage from Kiski Township for years. Kilgore suggested recently that instability could bring that arrangement to an end.

“In all honesty, I have lost faith in the management of the Kiski Township police and the supervisors,” Kilgore said.

Kilgore raised the idea of a police oversight committee comprising supervisors, a North Apollo representative, residents, former police and emergency responders. This, she said, could help establish stronger communication channels between law enforcement and elected officials — and prevent surprise personnel changes.

“Being that we contract our police from Kiski Township, I feel, as the mayor of North Apollo, I should have had more information provided to me than a late evening phone call informing me of the officer in charge and his phone number,” Kilgore said.

She wasn’t the only local official questioning communication from the Kiski Township supervisors.

Shane Dohmen, Kiski Township’s emergency management coordinator, said supervisors failed to inform him of Bartolicius leaving and Officer-in-Charge Chris Tessmer replacing him. Just Tuesday, parts of a township mobile home park, predominately occupied by elderly residents, lost power and required a multi-agency response.

“Luckily, (Tuesday) didn’t turn into a big ordeal,” Dohmen said. “Had there been an emergency, and me not watching the news, I would have no idea who to call.”

Terri Rodnicki of Kiski Township said she was particularly troubled by Southern Armstrong breaking off talks, given that township police are due a new union contract at the end of this year.

The supervisors also accepted the resignation of Officer Zachary Byers minutes earlier. He was not in attendance to comment on his departure, but Rodnicki said she’s worried about a possible loss of 24/7 coverage.

As of April, the township employed seven officers, including Bartolicius.

“One by one, they’re going to walk when they don’t get a raise,” Rodnicki said. “We as the taxpayers need to say, ‘Hey — what is our council going to do to keep our police department happy?’”

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