Warminster Supervisors Replace Township Manager

WARMINSTER, PA — Supervisors in Warminster Township voted Thursday night to replace Township Supervisor Gregg Schuster. The vote was the first public action involving Schuster's employment and it was not immediately clear whether he had resigned or been fired.

But supervisors Chairman Kenneth Hayes said the vote to appoint William J. McCauley III as interim manager a move toward fiscal responsibility in the township.

"The new board promised the hard-working residents of Warminster that we would restore responsible government, both fiscally and otherwise, which has been missing for the past nine years prior to us taking office," Hayes said Friday in a news release. "This action is the first step toward that promise."

Last year, Hayes and fellow Democrat Judy Hoover were elected to the board, giving it a Democratic majority for the first time in years. Schuster had been Warminster Township's manager since 2016.

In the release, Hayes said the new board had been evaluating the township's operations and finances since taking office in January. He said they were "not confident they were provided the full picture" by the township's management team.

"At that point, it was clear a change was necessary," Hayes said.

Warminster's financial health has been a looming issue, with supervisors working to keep from having to declare bankruptcy. Last month, the township's water authority spent $6 million to take over its water and sewer system, after months of supervisors pondering whether to sell the systems to a private company.

Hayes said "uncontrolled deficit spending" over the past four years in the township has lead to the situation. McCauley was hired earlier this year to review the township's budget in an effort to cut the tax millage rate from 19 to 14 mills.

Even after McCauley called for cutting spending, it remained unchecked, according to Hayes.

"This board believes that it is high time to put the taxpayers of Warminster Township first, and this action sends a clear message that we intend to to so," he said.

A Facebook page Schuster ran as township supervisor no longer appeared to be live on Friday. He was still listed as manager on the township's Web page.

McCauley is the former manager of Bristol Township, where he was known for his skill working with finances, but also for a checkered relationship with council members.