SOUTH STRABANE TOWNSHIP, Pa. — South Strabane Township supervisors stirred controversy after proposing major cuts to the budget passed late last year, including reductions to police, fire and emergency services.
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The board was expected to vote on the revised budget this week, but the vote never happened. Township officials say it wasn’t because of public pushback, but because of a technical issue.
Supervisors said the proposed budget was not posted for the required 10 days for public review. That posting is typically placed on the back doors of the municipal building. The township cannot move forward with the changes through that process because the deadline has passed.
Township Supervisor Jeff Bull said the proposed cuts are still necessary, claiming the township is about $250,000 short.
“That budget does not work. The income is not there,” Bull said. “You can move money around and make it work, which is what South Strabane has gotten really good at over the last number of years.”
Bull also pushed back on some of the criticism circulating online.
“People believe what social media tells them, which is far from the truth,” he said.
Earlier this year, Channel 11 obtained documents through a Right-to-Know request that showed the proposed changes, including nearly $157,000 in cuts to the police department and about $173,000 from fire, emergency services, and public safety.
At a January meeting, several residents and the township’s volunteer fire president spoke out against the proposed reductions.
Despite the halted vote, Bull told Channel 11 the cuts are still coming.
“We still plan on implementing those cuts. We’re just going to do it a different way. We feel it’s in the best interest of the township,” Bull said.
Police Chief Drew Hilk told Channel 11: “My understanding is that the original 2026 budget, as adopted in Dec 2025, will stand without any changes. Though we expect the Board of Supervisors in 2026 to reduce Police expenditures within that budget, we fully expect Police operations to be funded without any cuts to police operations or services.”
In the meantime, the township did eliminate one position last night. They cut the emergency management coordinator role.
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