Council mulls time change

Council introduced a sewer rate increase ordinance.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- City council expects to have formal discussion later this month about changing its meeting time, but a visitor contends they illegally have been discussing the matter in secret.
Rosemary Henderson of Neshannock Boulevard told council that she has heard that members were privately discussing changing council's regular meetings from 7:30 p.m. the second and fourth Thursdays of each month to 3 or 3:30 p.m. or 6 or 6:30 p.m. those days.
She chastised council for talking in secret and also said she didn't believe council member John Russo would be able to make afternoon meetings.
Russo, a pharmacist, said he also has heard rumors about the proposed time change and knows it has not been discussed publicly as required by state law.
Russo said he made it known to Council President Christine Sands that he could not make a 3 or 3:30 p.m. meeting.
"These meetings have been at 7:30 p.m. for 15 years. Changing the time may be convenient for some people now, but I believe it should stay at 7:30 p.m.," he said.
Comments were made
Sands said there were no secret discussions, but council members did comment at a special meeting last month at 3:30 p.m. about how nice it was to get their business done so early in the day.
Sands added that council likely couldn't meet before 4:30 p.m. because the clerk Melinda Parenti would have to take a vacation day for each meeting from her job in the city treasurer's office.
Sands said it would be nice to have meetings early enough to have some people in the building such as police.
"We certainly wouldn't have anything until Mr. Russo could be here," Sands added.
She said it has been put on the agenda for discussion at the next council caucus meeting Nov. 21.
In other business, council introduced an ordinance that would increase sewer rates from $16 per quarter to $22 per quarter for residential users.
The increase is needed to repay a $4 million loan taken out to repair aging sewer lines in the city. Council must wait 20 days before they can formally vote on an ordinance. They are expected to vote on the matter in December.
cioffi@vindy.com