Delmont mayor resigns in absentia; longtime solicitor retiring

Delmont will start the new year with a new borough attorney, but without its newly elected mayor.

Alyce Urban submitted a letter of resignation at Tuesday’s council meeting, just over a month after running unopposed in the November election and earning a new four-year term.

Urban, who has served as mayor for the past 12 years, was not present at the meeting. She did not provide a specific explanation for her resignation in a brief letter submitted to council.

Council voted unanimously to accept Urban’s resignation. She did not respond to calls for comment Tuesday night.

The borough’s longtime solicitor, Dan Hewitt, will also wrap up his service to Delmont. Hewitt said he plans to retire at the end of the year and was working with borough secretary Dawn Earhart to transfer files for a new solicitor.

In one of his final pieces of advice to council, Hewitt recommended waiting until the January reorganizational meeting to consider filling the mayoral vacancy, since Urban’s current term will end Dec. 31.

“However, the mayor is the person who typically runs the reorganizational meeting after taking the oath of office first,” Hewitt said. “If Alyce doesn’t take the oath in January, that will start a 30-day period for council to fill that vacancy.”

Hewitt said he would research how the reorganizational meeting should be legally run in the mayor’s absence.

Former council members Bob and Julie Walczer will return to borough government after their election in November alongside newcomer Tina Campbell — the trio will replace Andy Shissler, Stan Cheyne and Jeff Cunningham — and incumbent Pamela Simpson.

2026 budget

Council also approved it 2026 budget Tuesday night, which does not call for a property tax increase.

The $1.62 million budget will keep the tax rate at 20 mills.