During a Liberty Township Board of Trustees special meeting Friday morning, trustees accepted the resignation of the township administrator, tabled two resolutions, and authorized the payment of over $500,000 in bills and warrants dated April 17-30.

Matt Huffman, township administrator, tendered a two-line resignation to the township’s Human Resource Manager Cathy Buehrer Wednesday morning just before 10 a.m.

“Please accept this email as my resignation effective immediately. I appreciate the opportunities that were provided to me and wish the township much success in the future,” states Huffman’s resignation.

According to Buehrer, Huffman began his employment with the township June 25, 2015, as the assistant township administrator, and the zoning and development director. He assumed the role of administrator effective July 27, 2015.

The resolution to accept Huffman’s resignation was approved unanimously by the board.

“… the board thanks Mr. Huffman for his dedicated service to the township and wishes him well in his future endeavors,” states the resolution.

But, the resolution also states that the township agreed to a severance package.

“… and further authorizes the severance package as agreed to in the attached documents.”

According to that agreement, Huffman is to receive three months of pay in one payroll check of $24,351.60, payment for all of his accrued sick and vacation time, and he will remain on the township’s health insurance till June 30.

“Employee warrants that this Severance Package is over and above what he would ordinarily be entitled and expressly agrees that he has been paid for all hours worked,” the agreement states.

Trustee Melanie Leneghan, board chair, did not give a reason for Huffman’s unexpected departure when she was asked.

Huffman signed the severance agreement April 24 and was not present at the Friday trustees meeting.

According to Trustee Michael Gemperline, Huffman was on vacation in Ireland.

Before the meeting was adjourned, Trustee Shyra Eichhorn was the only trustee to speak up and talk favorably of Huffman.

“Best wishes to Matt and all his future endeavors, and we appreciate his time in the township,” she said.

“I wish the former administrator best wishes. I can’t thank him enough for his time here. He got us through some tough times here in the township,” Eichhorn added after the meeting had adjourned.

Following Eichhorn’s lead at the end of the meeting, Buehrer said that Huffman “is a great, great guy.”

During the trustees meeting, two resolutions were tabled until a later date.

The first was a Delaware County EMS (emergency medical services) contract proposal to be sent to the county commissioners.

“I don’t think anything has been prepared,” Lenegahn said. “I move to table resolution 19-0426-09.”

At the end of March, trustees sent a request to the county commissioners for a written response regarding a 10-year, $10 million proposal to fund the township’s fire department emergency medical services (EMS).

During a Feb. 19 trustees meeting, Leneghan and Gemperline voted to approve a proposal requesting that Delaware County pay the township $1 million a year, in quarterly payments, to help fund the township’s EMS over the length of the contract. In that meeting, Eichhorn voted no in sending the proposal to the county.

In that same meeting, Leneghan moved to table a second resolution that would have immediately replaced “the township’s fire department provided EMS with Delaware County EMS.”

“Whereas, Delaware County is obligated to provide emergency medical services to county residents, and whereas, Liberty Township residents currently pay for County provided services through the county sales tax. … therefore be it resolved by the board of trustees … to direct Delaware County to provide emergency medical services to the residents of Liberty Township and the City of Powell,” the resolution states.

No action has yet been taken, and the resolution remains on the table.

When Leneghan was asked about the resolution for the proposal, she said it wasn’t anything big because a resolution had already been approved.

“Instead of the administrator sending the resolution with the proposal, he just sent the resolution,” she said. “The county said give us a proposal so we have something to respond to.”

The second resolution that trustees tabled was in support of the county commissioners formation of the Pre-Hospital Care System Board.

During the Delaware County Board of Commissioners Feb. 7 session, the Delaware County Pre-Hospitalization Care System Board was formed on the recommendation of an informal group of local first responder chiefs.

Leneghan said she tabled the resolution “only because I want Mike Frommer (Delaware County Administrator) to come here and describe what he’s doing.”