GREENVILLE, PA. Manager seeks emergency funds

Information concerning the town's financial crisis has been turned over to the district attorney.
By LAURI GALENTINE
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
GREENVILLE, Pa. -- Greenville's borough manager has asked council to request emergency funds from the state to help meet operating expenses through the end of the year.
Kenneth Weaver said he has been meeting with Michael Foreman and Sam Wagner of the state's Center For Local Government and going over the borough's financial outlook.
As a result of those meetings, he's asked council to consider passing a resolution at Tuesday's council meeting to request "emergency allocation funds from Act 47."
Designation granted
The borough was granted the distressed municipality designation under provisions of the state's Act 47 last month. That designation came several months after council learned through its 2001 audit that the town is facing a $1.62 million deficit that has accumulated over the past five years.
Since the designation, Foreman and Wagner have been working with Weaver and council to create a recovery plan that includes grants and no-interest loans from the state.
Just a few weeks into work on that plan, Weaver said they have seen the need for the emergency funds to make it through the year.
Weaver also said that in a meeting with Mercer County District Attorney James P. Epstein on Thursday, he turned over all the documents and other pertinent information about the deficit.
Council voted last month to request an investigation into the handling of borough funds that led to the current financial problems. The goal, council members said, is to discover whether there was any criminal activity at the root of the problem.
Weaver said that the district attorney is investigating.
Update on project
Also on the agenda for Tuesday's meeting is an update on the status of the Downtown Streetscape Project and an approval to advertise for bids to purchase a new tractor for parks and fields maintained by the borough.
Councilman David Henderson said the borough received a $30,000 grant from the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to purchase the equipment. Five local businesses have already submitted bids, Henderson said, but the law requires that it be advertised to give all dealers the same opportunity.