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EC council

May 5, 2017

Ellwood City Borough Council Meet the Candidate Night Recap

Less than half of the running candidates attended yesterday evening’s Meet the Candidate Night, hosted by the Ellwood City Kitchen Cabinet. Four candidates, three of which are current members of council running for reelection, attended the public event. Democratic incumbent, Michele Lamenza, and newcomer, Caleb Cragle attended – their challengers, former councilman James Barry, and newcomers Bryan Vincent and John Pansera were not present. Republic incumbents, David DeCaria and Connie MacDonald were present while their republican challengers Rob Brough, John Cress, Brandon Fisher and Lisa Guerrera were absent. Brough, Cress, Fisher, and Guerrera released a joint statement Thursday morning saying…

August 16, 2016

8/15/16 Council Brief: Motions and Concerns

Last night council had their monthly agenda voted upon. Before the motions were read, a few visitors had some concerns they addressed to council. Paul Dici brought to the councils attention that the Freedom Health Care company lot, in Ellwood, is not being properly kept up. He said there are “weeds four feet high”. Bob Villella responded to Dici’s concern saying that he had been in contact with the owner of the property already and it was supposed to be cleaned up last weekend, however if it wasn’t then he would get in contact with the owner again. Villella also…

August 9, 2016

Letter from Standing Up to Ellwood Electric to Ellwood City Borough Council

At the Ellwood City Borough council agenda meeting on Aug. 8, Rob Brough, representing the citizen group “Standing Up to Ellwood Electric,” which has almost 1,200 members, read a letter requesting an informal meeting of citizens and council members to discuss the Ellwood City Electric Department. At the conclusion of the meeting, council president Connie MacDonald met with Brough to set the date, time and place. Because such a meeting would have less than four council members present (the minimum number required to pass legislation), the meeting doesn’t have to open to the public and press. The letter is included…

August 2, 2016

Borough and AMP Presentations as File Downloads

The following are the presentations giving by Borough Manager Bob Villella and AMP representative Pam Sullivan at the town hall meeting on Monday regarding the electric department. The borough’s is available as a PDF and AMP’s is a power point. Borough Presentation AMP Presentation  

August 2, 2016

Town Hall Meeting Leads to Potential Future Meeting Concerning Electric Department

Earlier this year, the Eric Ryan Corporation, a nationally-known utility auditing company, obtained information from the Borough’s electric department using Pennsylvania’s Right to Know act. At a special town hall meeting on Monday, Borough Manager Bob Villella read an email he received from Keith Venezie, ERC’s CEO. “Based on the information we were provided, we were able to validate that the borough is being billed correctly by the suppliers based on the contracts that were negotiated and executed, the borough is billing the customers (who’s bills we reviewed) correctly based on the current ordinance, and the PPA that is part…

July 29, 2016

Electric Meeting Set for Monday

A town hall on the Ellwood Borough Electric Department will be held on Monday, Aug. 1 at 6 p.m. in the borough auditorium. An official from American Municipal Power (AMP) will be present. The electric department has been subject of citizen criticism after bills dramatically increased in July, bringing to the forefront concerns over customer service, billing and the necessity of the department itself. Over 50 visitors attended council’s agenda meeting on July 11 and over 100 at the regular meeting on July 18. A Facebook group titled “Standing Up to Ellwood Electric” has over 1,100 members. Previous articles on…

July 20, 2016

Residents, Council Set Up Town Hall to Further Discuss Electric Department

“Many of you are here because you want to have freedom of choice,” borough solicitor Ed Leymarie told a crowd of over 100 visitors at Monday’s council meeting. “But the Pennsylvania government took away that choice.” Leymarie was referring to a state law allowing municipalities with government electric departments to require residents to purchase power from them. Monday’s crowd stemmed from a Facebook group, “Standing Up to Ellwood Electric,” with over 1,000 members. At the agenda meeting on July 11, over 50 residents showed up to protest electric rates and customer service policies at the Ellwood Electric Department. This in…

July 19, 2016

Zoning and Pandering: Council Approves New Zoning Ordinance

Following a length visitor portion concerning the Ellwood Electric Department, the Ellwood City Borough Council proceeded with Monday’s agenda. On that agenda was an amendment to the zoning ordinance dividing the business district into four sections. Council passed the new zoning in a 6-1 vote. At a public hearing on June 27, several business owners and realtors opposed the zoning ordinance. The passed ordinance was created by council over a several year period in conjunction with Town Center Associates, a downtown consulting agency. The vote was not without discussion. Council member Judi Dici, who took office in January, was not…

July 19, 2016

Borough Council July Meeting Brief

The following is a brief summary of the July council meeting brief: Visitors Over 100 visitors attended the meeting seeking a dialogue with borough officials regarding the electric bill. Visitor Rob Brough requested a town hall meeting so the borough can fully explain the Ellwood Electric Department as well as take steps toward solutions regarding customer service and high electric bills. Council President Connie MacDonald set a date of Monday, Aug. 1. This was a continuation of last Monday’s meeting where over 50 residents attended. Awards/Recognitions Council commended the Ellwood City girls softball team for winning their Class AA section,…