Rare birth of a new city in Pennsylvania inches closer as voters pick a whole new council

STATE COLLEGE — When some residents of a rural Pennsylvania county go to the polls on May 20, they’ll pick who they want to represent a city that doesn’t yet exist.

The City of DuBois and surrounding Sandy Township in Clearfield County will consolidate in January 2026 and become a new city, still called DuBois. The pairing is only the third such occurrence in Pennsylvania since a 1994 state law established the procedure for a municipal consolidation or merger.

Before that happens, roughly 12,000 people will be eligible to pick seven city council members and a treasurer. The choice affects about 25% of the county’s registered voters, Commissioner Dave Glass told radio station Connect FM.

It took four attempts over several decades for voters to approve the consolidation, and a 2021 referendum passed with only 33 more yes than no votes in Sandy Township.



https://www.spotlightpa.org/statecollege/2025/05/dubois-clearfield-pennsylvania-suplizio-sandy-township-consolidation/