By Joe Pinchot
MERCER COUNTY — Mercer County Regional Council of Governments has asked the county for $15,000 to help out with two programs COG runs.
COG has asked for $10,000 for Mercer County Community Transit, and $5,000 for Chestnut Run Swim Beach in South Pymatuning Township, said COG Executive Director Thomas R. Tulip.
The county already gives about $32,000 a year for MCCT and $15,000 for the beach.
COG needs to generate more local revenue in the transit program under a new state transportation funding legislation, Tulip said.
The beach request is a response to declining attendance. While 3,151 swam, sunbathed and picnicked at the beach in 2006, only 2,037 stopped by this summer.
“The issue there is the weather — always the weather,” Tulip said.
The beach lost 18 days due to rain this summer for a season that only runs from early June through late August.
“That’s significant,” Tulip said of the rainouts.
Aside from the requests to the county for more money, COG made no assessment hikes in what municipalities pay to belong to COG programs. COG approved nine program budgets this week.
“Things are getting tight at the (Shenango Valley) animal shelter, but we were able to put off asking the communities to give more money for another year,” Tulip said.
COG’s administrative budget of $331,340 is down $9,450 because of the county contracting the recycling program — COG had provided drivers — but all the budgets were close to the same amount as this year, Tulip said.
