The Herald, Sharon, Pa.

Local News

November 24, 2009

Budget OK’d; borough tightens belt

By Monica Pryts

GREENVILLE — In a five-minute meeting Tuesday, Greenville council members adopted a proposed 2010 budget of $2,980,097.

Property taxes will stay at 31.5 mills and council President Pete Longiotti advised several newly elected council members in attendance to study the budget so they “know what’s coming.”

Greenville has the highest property tax rates in Mercer County and council members have proposed keeping earned income tax rates above the state standard of 1 percent.

Borough officials will have to get court permission to keep those taxes at their current rates of 1.65 percent for residents and 1.42 percent for non-residents.

Greenville is allowed to ask for higher earned income tax rates because of its Act 47 status as a financially distressed community. Greenville has been in the state’s debt recovery plan since 2002.

The court hearing is set for 10:30 a.m. Dec. 10 before Mercer County Common Pleas Court Judge Thomas R. Dobson, Longiotti said.

Council members also agreed to advertise a 3 percent increase for sewer rates to coincide with a proposed 3 percent hike for water rates in 2010.

Council member Dr. Henry M. Mueller and council vice president Pamela S. Auchter were absent.

The borough’s new public services director, Scott Graubard, formerly of the Cayman Islands, was introduced. The newly-created position oversees the public works and sewer departments and future duties may include some management of area recreation, council members have said.

After the meeting, Longiotti said there are at least 12 applications for borough manager and the deadline to submit one is Dec. 9.

Ryan T. Eggleston’s last day on the job was Nov. 6 and he now works as city manager of Oil City. He was Greenville’s borough manager since June 2006.

Longiotti, whose term ends Dec. 31, said his last budget as a council member is balanced but it was hard to work out.

“We had to reduce a lot of expenses,” said Longiotti, who’s been on council since 2002. He didn’t seek re-election this year.

A mill is $1 for every $1,000 of a home’s assessed value. Assessments are the 1970 market value. At 31.5 mills, a home assessed at $15,000 carries a property tax bill of $473. One mill brings the borough about $36,800.

Text Only
Local News
  • Storm blows in fast, leaves damage

    A scattered storm that started in Michigan and pulled in moisture over Lake Erie organized itself into a locally-severe storm system Sunday over Mercer County.

    May 28, 2012

  • transit Transit is once-in-a-lifetime show

    A rare celestial wonder that won’t be seen again for more than a century is set to play out before our eyes and Farrell’s resident astronomer  is giving locals a chance to get a first-hand look at a “black dawn.”

    May 28, 2012 1 Photo

  • Ominous clouds Storms rumble through parts of Mercer County

    Temperatures dropped nearly 20 degrees Sunday as storms rumbled through parts of Mercer County in the afternoon and again in the evening. Some areas experienced high gusting winds during the early storms. The later storms were less windy, but dumped a lot of rain in a short span in the Shenango Valley as well as outlying areas. Temperatures are forecast for in the 90s on Memorial Day, with a chance of storms in the afternoon. Check out Sunday's Herald both in print and here for more details.

     

     

    May 27, 2012 1 Photo

  • Board wants pay freeze


    Sharon City School District officials are asking staff to take a wage freeze for the second year in a row to help cover a $1.9 million gap in the 2012-2013 budget in the face of further funding cuts by the state.

    May 27, 2012

  • City taps Pa. grant for downtown facelift


    The colorful flower baskets hanging in downtown Sharon are just one of the planted seeds officials hope will help the once-bustling area grow.

    May 27, 2012

  • pension graphic Pension bomb ticking for city

    The city of Sharon pays more people who don’t work there anymore than folks who still do.

    And the amount of money the city must pay to the retirees is going up about $250,000 next year, a hike that creates more problems for the cash-strapped town, City Manager Scott Andrejchak said.

    May 26, 2012 1 Photo

  • Church softball league to Mormons: You’re out!

    The Grove City Area Church Softball League’s decision to exclude a Mormon team from Slippery Rock has sparked a controversy far beyond the local sandlot.

    May 26, 2012

  • Fired bus driver files lawsuit

    A Mercer County woman fired from her job as a school bus driver over a 25-year-old drug conviction filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against a state education official and Jamestown Area School District.

    May 26, 2012

  • Recycling program a bit too popular

    The  county’s effort at going green by encouraging recycling in rural areas has been a tremendous success by most accounts, but isn’t without a few glitches. In Wilmington Township, residents often only have a window of a few minutes to get cardboard recyclables in before the bin is full, prompting a discussion among Mercer County Commissioners Wednesday morning.

    May 25, 2012

  • District will tap reserve fund

    Reynolds school directors plan to fill a $374,567 hole in the 2012-2013 budget with money from the district’s fund balance.

    May 25, 2012