The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

November 17, 2007

State: Sharon-Farrell merger timing could be off

By Tom Davidson

SHARON, FARRELL — The prospect of Sharon and Farrell uniting into a single city at the same time Sharon puts its newly-adopted home rule charter into place is possible, but state officials Friday said doing both might not be feasible.

“You could look at this two ways,” Michael Foreman, a local government policy specialist for the state Governor’s Center for Local Government Services, said. “The one perspective is to allow the home rule charter to play out and (for Sharon) to formally organize itself within that structure.”

Sharon voters last week approved a charter by a 2-to-1 margin. The charter was opposed by Mayor Bob Lucas, who this week called for Sharon and Farrell leaders to look at merger.

Sharon’s charter eliminates the mayor’s position and calls for a council-manager form of government to be put into place by 2012, Forman said.

Farrell already operates under a home rule charter, and has a mayor who acts as president of city council. A city manager oversees day-to-day operations there.

“In a sense the forms of government are similar,” Foreman said. “So the second perspective is you’ve got two compatible municipalities with similar forms of government that you could blend into one.”

The issue is up to Sharon and Farrell city councils to decide if merging at this point is feasible, Foreman said.

Voters in both communities would also have to approve a merger.

“My gut feeling is that Sharon voters and officials would like to play out the proposed (home rule) form of government to see it succeed and benefit the taxpayers of the city,” Foreman said. “I think it (home rule) deserves to have its own time and evolution.”

A merger also might violate the charter that Sharon voters approved. State law requires a five-year “waiting period” before Sharon could change its government, Foreman said.

“If (merger) changes the existing form of government, it may be a barrier (for merger),” Foreman said. “Theoretically, it could transpire.”

The first step would be for both cities to form a boundary change committee to look at the possibility, Foreman said.

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