During its regular meeting, held virtually, July 13, Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners continued a discussion about previously proposed changes to the rules and regulations of the Civil Service Commission.

The amended rules - proposed by Police Chief Michael Marks at the board’s workshop meeting July 6 - would allow Whitehall Township Police Department to add a deputy to its ranks, a post that does not currently exist within the department.

The role of deputy, in terms of seniority, is positioned between the lieutenants and the chief. Marks’ intention is to promote one of his current lieutenants to the deputy role.

When the request was first made at the July 6 meeting, board Secretary Thomas Slonaker raised concerns about the wording of the qualifications for the position. To be considered for the position, candidates must already be a lieutenant and have at least 15 years of experience in law enforcement.

Slonaker pointed out those stipulations may be enough to find a suitable candidate for promotion within the Whitehall department, where each officer’s qualifications would already be known, but if the township were to make an outside hire in the future, those qualifications may not be enough to distinguish the best choice for the position.

For example, the role of lieutenant may be held to a higher standard in Whitehall than it might be elsewhere, so that qualification alone may not be enough.

Marks explained the interview and vetting process required to fill this role would be sufficient to further qualify any candidates.

Slonaker voiced his concerns again at the July 13 meeting and asked if the director of the Civil Service Commission could explain the reasoning for choosing those qualifications before the board would put the matter to a vote.

The other board members, however, decided they were satisfied with Marks’ explanation, and the vote went ahead.

Slonaker and board President Philip Ginder both voted no, but the other five commissioners voted in favor, so the changes were approved.

In other business, the board passed a resolution approving the land development for Whitehall-Coplay School District’s new elementary school building for kindergarten and first grade.

Whitehall residents Mary and David Zavilla went before the board to request the conditional use of their property at 105 Franklin St. as a bed-and-breakfast through Airbnb.

Jesse Snyder, the owner of a neighboring property, called in to the meeting regarding a property line dispute between his lot and the Zavillas’. A stretch of the parking lot between their properties has been unofficially shared between both parties for years, but both believe themselves to be the owners and seem to possess conflicting documentation to prove it.

Solicitor Chris Gittinger concluded the dispute is private and should not be brought before the commissioners. The board voted unanimously in favor of granting the Zavillas conditional use.

During closing statements, several township officials spoke about the continuing importance of social distancing and practicing good hygiene to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Speaking about spikes in case numbers in other parts of the country, Commissioner Charles Fisher reported the region is not totally isolated, adding it is possible infections could enter this area from hot spots like Florida and Arizona.

With Pennsylvania already leading the pack in many ways, in terms of case-number reductions, Fisher said we could stand as an example for the rest of the country if we continue that trend.