FARRELL, PA. Council head proposes merger

Sharon officials had a mixed reaction to the suggestion.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR SHARON BUREAU
FARRELL, Pa. -- The Shenango Valley Intergovernmental Study Committee never proposed a merger for any local municipalities, but there's a move afoot urging Sharon and Farrell to go the merger route alone.
Farrell city officials revealed Monday that James DeCapua, executive director of the Mercer County Regional Council of Governments, has offered the two cities a merger plan he drafted on his own.
DeCapua had served as chairman of the government structure subcommittee for the intergovernmental study group, which had looked at the feasibility of merging Sharon, Farrell, Hermitage, Wheatland and Sharpsville.
Mayor William Morocco said DeCapua gave copies of his proposal to Sharon and Farrell representatives at the final meeting of the intergovernmental study committee Nov. 13, asking them to read it.
Councilman Lou Falconi asked if city officials want to pursue the matter and suggested DeCapua be contacted to determine if he would be interested in serving as a facilitator for meetings between Farrell and Sharon.
Response
Sharon's response to the idea was mixed.
Mayor David O. Ryan said he's not interested.
"We don't have the resources to [merge]," he said. "Nobody's talking about this at all that I'm aware of."
Ryan said the decision to open merger talks would be up to city council, however.
Fred Hoffman, Sharon council president, said he hasn't had a chance to tell other council members about DeCapua's proposal yet, but he feels it is something the city needs to look at.
He said DeCapua indicated he would ask officials from both cities to attend a preliminary meeting on the subject in January.
Hoffman said he hasn't closely examined the proposal himself but noted it calls for a smaller police department than the two cities already have.
There's not much interest in Sharon in seeing that happen, he added.