GOSHEN TOWNSHIP — The board of trustees completed its annual reorganization procedures Tuesday.

The board’s 2025 officers will remain in their positions in 2026 with 2025 Board Chairman Shawn Mesler once again being nominated to serve as chairman by 2025 Vice-Chairman John Bricker and seconded by Trustee Teresa Stratton. Bricker was in turn nominated as vice-chairman for 2026 by Stratton, seconded by Mesler.

The board will continue to hold its regular monthly meetings at 6 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. The trustees’ department appointments will also remain the same as in 2025. The Township Fiscal Officer, Board of Trustees Chair, and Police Chief will also continue to serve as the township’s designees for public records retention training in 2025.

Trustees voted unanimously to approve the township’s tentative 2026 budget, which Fiscal Officer Michele Barratt said would have a beginning balance of $1,358,668.28. The township’s anticipated expenses of $2,643,929.90 are projected to outpace its anticipated revenue of $2,525,051, for an anticipated end balance of $1,239,789.38.

The board also approved a new pay scale for the police department which will see the department’s patrolman position split into three pay classes effective Dec. 29. Under the new scale, the police chief will have an hourly rate of $35.29, while the assistant police chief/lieutenant will receive $31.79. Patrol and detective sergeants will both receive $29.46 per hour, while a part-time sergeant will receive $26.65 per hour. A patrolman first class will be paid $27 hourly. Second and third class patrolmen will earn $26.50 and $26 per hour respectively. A part-time patrolman will also be paid $26 per hour. Under this scale, any officer promoted to detective will receive an additional fifty cents hourly above their standard rate.

Other personnel matters approved included: rehiring Adam Corll as road foreman at rate of $28 per hour and Chip Althouse as road department worker at a rate of $26 hourly; the hire of seasonal road department workers on an as-needed basis at a rate of $16 per hour; and setting the road department’s hours for 7 a.m. through 3:30 p.m. Monday-through-Friday.

The cost of graves will be $500 for township residents in 2025 with a limit of one per resident, and $1,000 for non-residents.

The board of trustees will meet next at 6 p.m. on Feb. 10.