CLINTON COUNTY, Pa. — A letter is posted on the door of the Noyes Township municipal building near Renovo. On Tuesday, voters will say yes or no to merging East Keating Township with Noyes Township.
"The township supervisors at this time they wanna—they wanna be out of East Keating, it'll still be called East Keating, just won't be called East Keating Township, but it'll be called Noyes Township, but so the name of the community will stay the same," said James Tarantella, Noyes Township Supervisor.
There are only about seven residents in East Keating Township, most of whom work for the township. Recently it's becoming too much for the current East Keating Township supervisors and employees to take care of the township.
"The two supervisors that are here have been working since they were teenagers here, and they're—one's 75 and the other supervisor's he works a full-time job, they don't have time to do it, so we're—that's why we decided we would you know try to take it over," said Tarantella.
Noyes Township Supervisor James Tarantella says most of the East Keating Township residents he's spoken with say they're in favor of merging the two townships.
"We had a meeting with both Noyes Township and East Keating, and it seemed like everybody was favorable for it; there were some questions. They have no debt; they have money, so it's not like we're taking on any debt from them; they have equipment for us to use that we'll take over," said Tarantella.
If East Keating Township residents vote yes on the referendum, the merger will take effect on January 1, 2025.
"But it's all a process; everything is done with the state and with both solicitors, so they're ready to switch it over once we have the voting," said Tarantella.
Polls open at 7 a.m. on Tuesday.