At Monday’s Ellwood City Borough Council meeting, visitor Dave McQuade criticized council for a slow response to his Right to Know Requests, for its decision to charge events recoup fees and for statements made on social media.
McQuade filed two requests on the weekend of March 2 and said the borough had yet to respond. By state law, an agency has five business days to respond in writing. The first request was for the current procedures for holding events in the borough. The second request was for the police contract.
The requests were in response to council’s decision in February to charge events recoup fees. McQuade explained he was interested in knowing what official policies the borough has regarding events and what level of police protection is contractually required.
Council President and acting borough manager Judi Dici said she was recovering from surgery and was out of commission. Regarding the event policies request, solicitor Ed Leymarie explained there no were official policies so no document could be provided.
Dici said she would sign the police contract request and have borough secretary Linda List process it. A response was completed yesterday.
McQuade also addressed council regarding its decision to charge events recoup costs. Council announced this decision in February and informed the Ellwood City Relay for Life it would be charged $550 to hold its event in downtown Lawrence Avenue.
“I think everyone on council has the best in mind, but there are going to be disagreements,” McQuade said. He described the policy change as a “knee jerk reaction” to issues with the Ellwood City Electric Department and added that events energize the town.
Lastly, McQuade took issue with a Facebook page run by council members Rob Brough and Lisa Guerrera, claiming the page casts a negative perception on the community and “seems to represent all of council but doesn’t actually.”
During the meeting, Brough stated the page is not an official borough page and no other council members are involved.
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Aquatic Alliance Representatives Question Council’s Decision
Representatives from the Allegheny Aquatic Alliance, one of the organizations McQuade highlighted, addressed council to explain the group’s community contributions.
According to the organization’s president, Christina Handley, the aquatic alliance has removed 360,000 pounds of garbage, including 4,000 tires from the Connoquenessing. Much of this garbage is recycled.
In 2000, a study determined the creek was the second most polluted waterway in the United States, behind only the Mississippi River. According to the study, this was largely due to Armco Inc., a Butler steel company, discharging nitrate compounds into the water.
Handley said tighter regulations and the group’s activism have made the creek cleaner, allowing for wildlife populations to recover. “We’re seeing more species of fish, more eagles and more fish without ulcers,” Handley said.
This year, the the Aquatic Alliance plans on cleaning a section from Mckim Way, near Riverside High School, up to Rock Point Park. Under the borough’s new event policy, the group will be charged $830.96 for requested borough equipment.
“This is the only community in the last seven years that’s proposed we pay for costs,” alliance secretary Tracy Hughes said to council, mentioning Butler, Zelienople, Harmony and several townships. “We’re cleaning through your town, and you’re going to charge us.”
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Visitor Points out Error in Council Member’s Facebook Post
McQuade was one of several residents to criticize Brough and Guerrera’s social media page. Wayne Township resident Josh Court pointed out a recent post by Guerrerra comparing the Borough of Sewickley’s tax millage rate of 6.25 mills to Ellwood’s 8.75 mills.
The post implied Sewickley’s lower mill rate contributed to the borough’s financial prosperity. Ellwoodcity.org didn’t copy the post before it was deleted yesterday.
Mills are dependent on property value. Investpedia defines a mill as “a figure representing the amount per $1,000 of the assessed value of property.”
According to city-data.com, the estimated median property value of Sewickley in 2016 is $318,607 versus Ellwood’s $91,331. Assuming these reflect assessed property values, a typical Sewickley resident pays $1,991.29 in property taxes annually and an Ellwood resident pays $869.15.
“Do research first or you’ll just give people a lot to attack you on,” Court said.
[This is Part 2 of an ongoing series on Monday’s borough council agenda meeting. Part 1 can be read here.]
Lisa cant take the heat now! Where are her buddies Bernie and Bush at? she is not qualified to be on council she knows very little about running anything. its only going to get worse for her and she will resign eventually. She knows so much but wants to compare ellwood to sewickley pa, has she lost her mind? Just FYI a new ice cream shop and a few other mom and pop shops are not going to do much for ellwood city. like most old towns ellwood is sadly long gone! All those complaining give nothing back to ellwood and half of them don’t even have a job!!