South Strabane cuts position, dissolves parks and rec department
The new South Strabane Township board of supervisors is moving ahead with a revised 2026 budget that will eliminate a position and dissolve the parks and recreation commission.
The board held the second of two budget workshops Thursday evening. Supervisor Zack Morgan said the new proposal expects that the township will spend $8,487,775 – more than $250,000 less than what the original budget called for.
Morgan argued that cuts were necessary because the original budget inflated the expected revenue for 2026. Part of this is how building permit fees are split with consulting firm Code.sys.
“To the defense of the November budget, the 2025 numbers were not in. We had some changes done where Code.sys is taking half of our profit from building permits,” Morgan said, adding the new budget slashes building permit revenues from $240,000 to $120,000. “Right there, we were upside down.”
One of the biggest cuts from the original budget is the elimination of Kelsey Shriner, an administration assistant public safety specialist. Supervisor Jeff Bull said this layoff will save the township $68,800.
At the meeting, South Strabane Fire Department Chief Jordan Cramer sharply criticized the decision and said the responsibilities of that position still remain.
“I have to state plainly that this is a cut to public safety. The responsibilities that you’re eliminating in that position, they don’t disappear when you cut a position. That falls on to an already extremely overburdened fire staff and myself that we will not be able to take on in the same way that it has been done,” Cramer said. “It’s dangerously falling onto us. It’s a risk to firefighter safety, it’s a risk to emergency response, disaster preparedness, regulatory compliance, our grant eligibility, our liability as a municipality and the continuity of government.”
Cramer added that Shriner has donated “hundreds of hours” to help the township.
“The message that sends to all the staff here is that loyalty, dedication and service aren’t valued, and we’ve got a difficult road ahead. You can’t ask me to maintain service levels, emergency preparedness, regulatory compliance, safety and disaster readiness while simultaneously dismantling the very infrastructure that actually makes that possible. So there will be a change in the level of service that we can provide, and I need all of you to be aware of that,” Cramer said.
Bull asked if Shriner would continue to act as a volunteer.
“That could be a maybe, right? You just took the wind out of her sails,” said fire department President Cory Gaiser from the crowd.
Also cut from the original budget is $10,000 for programming by the parks and recreation commission, meaning the board will be disbanded.
Michelle Wrubleski, chair of the parks and recreation commission, called the decision a “shock to the heart.”
“Disappointing. It’s very disappointing, it is. I put up as much fight as I could. I was expecting that to happen,” Wrubleski said.
Bull defended the decisions made in the budget in a phone call Friday morning.
“It’s a process of South Strabane Township getting back to basics, getting back to what the taxpayers expect us to do. They expect us to provide excellent police, excellent fire protection and excellent roads. None of those were cut except for one police car,” Bull said.
At their meeting Tuesday, supervisors will vote to advertise the budget. They will then hold a meeting in February for final approval.