Nearly four months after Nesquehoning’s longtime borough secretary left for another job, council about faced with its decision to look for a borough manager and voted to advertise for a borough secretary instead.

On Wednesday, borough council voted to change course following a discussion about the upcoming 2024 budget.

Councilwoman Fran Heaney said that the budget committee has been trying to figure out what money comes from where in the budget, something former borough secretary RoniSue Ahner would be able to answer.

Council is now utilizing Lacey Gonzalez, who is serving as an interim treasurer, to try and handle the borough’s finances.

“She has been remarkably wonderful to us, and has been assisting our staff,” Heaney said, noting that the remaining borough office staff is overwhelmed and learning how to do things the borough secretary would normally handle.

Council noted that changing course could save the county money.

Heaney then made a motion for advertising the secretary position, which passed unanimously. Councilwoman Mary Fox was absent from the meeting. She previously voted against accepting Ahner’s resignation in May.

Council President David Hawk said after the meeting that the action is “basically putting (the borough manager) position on hold right now.

“May might revisit it in the future,” he said, adding that based on the response the borough has received and the amount of time needed to vet and hire a borough manager, council felt “our needs for a secretary/treasurer are more urgent.”

Nesquehoning has been working without a borough secretary since May, when Ahner left to take another position in another municipality.

It had received one application for a borough manager position since the advertising process began.

Council also commended the current office staff that has picked up the responsibilities since the vacancy.