Charlie Vaughn (center) has been re-elected as chairman of the Highland Township Board of Supervisors. Other members of the board include Supervisor Paul Burton Sr. (left) and Jack Vanderneck (right). Vaughn was re-elected chairman at the board's reorganizational meeting Monday at the township building in James City.

JAMES CITY -- Charlie Vaughn has been re-elected as the chairman of the Highland Township Board of Supervisors.

Vaughn, who has served on the three-member Board of Supervisors for 13 1/2 years, was re-elected Monday at the reorganizational meeting at the township building in James City.

Supervisor Jack Vanderneck was re-elected as vice chairman of the board. Supervisor Paul Burton Sr. is the third member of the board.

In other business at the meeting, the supervisors by 3-0 votes:

•Named Hamlin Bank and Northwest Savings as official depositories for the township.

•Retained the Kane Republican as the official newspaper for the publication of legal ads.

•Re-appointed Leatrice Maze of Russell City as the township secretary. Her salary is $10,000, the same as last year. She has worked for the township for 28 years.

•Approved Vaughn as township roadmaster. The pay for the full-time job has been $15.50 per hour. The township auditors are responsible for setting the pay.

•Approved a $1 per-hour raise for Tom Thiry Jr. of James City, who joins Vaughn as the only full-time members of the township road maintenance department. Thiry's pay will go from $11 per hour to $12 per hour.

•Retained the engineering firm of E&M Engineers of Bradford.

•Retained Jim Wolfe of Russell City as chairman of the Vacancy Board. The Vacancy Board includes the supervisors and the chairman. The Vacancy Board fills township vacancies when the Board of Supervisors fails to act within 30 days.

•Named Burton as the township voting delegate at the annual state convention for township officials.

•Removed Mike Niklas of Russell City as a member of the Highland Township Recreation Association. Vaughn said the seat will remain vacant until a new member is found.

•Set policies for holidays and personal days for township employees.

•Agreed to continue to meet on the second Wednesday of the month at 4 p.m. at the township building. The next meeting is Jan. 14.

•Retained Ridgway attorney David Pontzer as the township solicitor.

•Named Maze as the "open records" officer for the township under the state's new Open Records law.

In other business at the meeting, the supervisors discussed fire department equipment issues with Dan Hulings, chief of the Highland Township Volunteer Fire Department.

In a brief end-of-year meeting last month, the supervisors approved a budget for 2009. The budget is the same as the tentative spending plan presented earlier last month.

There is no property tax increase.

The budget shows expenditures of $592,547. Most of this total is for road maintenance. The supervisors have earmarked $65,000 in the budget for a road project in 2009. The project has yet to be determined.

The township expects to have $1,575,136 in revenue in 2009. This includes $308,998 in "cash on hand," $957,111 in certificates of deposit, $200,000 in timber revenue from the U.S. Forest Service and $65,365 in state liquid fuel tax revenue.

The township property tax rate remains at .02 mills and generates only $4,106 in revenue.