Whitehall Township Board of Commissioners again discussed, at its Feb. 9 meeting, the possibility of removing the treasurer position and an option to bring another referendum to the public for a possible vote.

After an earlier failed attempt to convince commissioners to vote on replacing the position with a financial director, Commissioner Ken Snyder is willing to give it another try.

Last year, Snyder brought up the topic of discussion with the commissioners. However, no commissioner seconded his motion to remove the position, so it did not move forward. The commissioners at that time argued it was too soon to take another vote on removing the position.

With two new members on the board this year, Snyder revisited the discussion item. At this point, commissioners seemed open to the idea.

Snyder noted the position is currently an elected position, and according to the charter, they must be at least 19 years old to serve. He proposed the position be eliminated to meet the needs of the township and its budget. He suggested replacing the elected treasurer with a professional financial director “to take care of finances.”

Snyder said he asked Solicitor Jack Gross to prepare an ordinance for a board vote regarding the possible elimination of the treasurer position. If the ordinance passes at the commissioners meeting, it would then be up for a vote from the public.

Gross noted it is too late to submit the referendum for this year’s primary election in May. Gross told Snyder the soonest a referendum could be placed on a ballot would be for November’s election.

“If you look at Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton or any large city, they do not have an elected tax collector,” Commissioner Taylor Stakes said. “It’s an outdated and antiquated position that has caused a ton of issues for our township in the history of our town. Money has been stolen, and funds have been mismanaged. I fully support a referendum.”

Stakes also argued the reason the referendum was shot down years ago was due to a lack of voter education on the issue. He said he spoke to many people who voted no on the referendum in 2023 who reported they would have voted yes if they knew what the issue was really about and, according to Stakes, “the responsibilities of the tax collector.”

Whitehall Township Treasurer Tina Jo Koren defended her position and her work in the office, adding the previous tax collector had been blamed for “a township employee who was responsible for stealing money from the township,” Koren said.

“You do not need a financial director in that tax office; you need an office manager,” Koren continued. “Those employees know what they’re doing; everything’s monitored and recorded. The money comes in today and out tomorrow.

“I think you’re making a big mistake when trying to take this out of the hands of the taxpayers in this township,” Koren said. “I am a taxpayer, and I care deeply about this township.”

Snyder noted his proposals regarding the position have nothing to do with what happened previously with the last treasurer or with Koren herself.