The Ellwood City Chamber of Commerce took issue with council’s decision to charge nonprofits recoup fees for events held in the borough. At Monday’s Ellwood City Borough Council agenda meeting, chamber President Ray Santillo urged council to reconsider.
Santillo argued that events such as Relay for Life and the Concert Series promote a healthy local economy and urged council to compromise and solve problems amicably while marketing the community positively. He also pointed out that chamber members pay dues, and the chamber helps with funding events, such as providing electric panels for the downtown car cruise.
Santillo praised the quantity and quality of community volunteers. “I’d put our money up against other communities for the amount of volunteers we have,” Santillo said.
In addition to Santillo, over fifty visitors crowded council chambers to near capacity to protest the decision to charge nonprofits the recouping costs for events. In February’s meeting, council announced Relay for Life would owe the borough $550 to hold its event on Lawrence Avenue.
During Monday’s meeting, council member Lisa Guerrera said that while she had no issue with nonprofits, she does have an issue with costs being passed on to tax payers. “I’m sure volunteering is great, but I don’t have time for it,” Guerrera said.
Council President Judi Dici
Council President Judi Dici said the borough isn’t charging groups but is instead recouping the costs to host events, costs which taxpayers ultimately pay for and contribute to high electric rates.
“You can’t disagree electric has been a big issue in this campaign,” Guerrera said. Guerrera and council member Rob Brough ran on a platform of eliminating the Ellwood City electric department following an outrage over high bills in the summer of 2016.
Others echoed Santillo’s sentiment. Earla Marshall, of the Ellwood City Kitchen Cabinet, attacked council for giving “no perception of wiggle-room.”
“Can we reach a better agreement or is this the agreement?” Marshall said, indicating organizations would look for other municipalities to hold events, including Ellport and Wampum boroughs.
Levi Smith, representing Boy Scout Troop 806 emphasized the boy scouts community service, including trail maintenance for Ewing Park and participation in Adopt a Highway. According to a projected cost sheet tabulated by borough department heads, the scouts will be charged $125.90 for a camp out in Ewing Park.
Visitor Caleb Cragle offered to write the scouts a personal check to cover the borough cost and praised downtown events for providing his family with activities and introducing him to local businesses.
Donno Kish, representing Relay for Life, criticized council for a slow response to its request to hold the event on Lawrence Avenue. The Relay has been traditionally held at Helling Stadium in Ewing Park but according to Kish, attendance had declined. Two years ago, a council member suggested the event be moved downtown and last year, the relay raised $28,000 out of a goal of $30,000.
This year, Kish had to wait two months to get approval from council only to find out after February’s meeting that the Relay would be charged $550 to recoup borough expenses. In addition, the borough had no facilities use agreement ready, and the Relay had to submit its own.
“I’ve had way too many phone calls and chaos the last two months waiting for answers,” Kish said, adding that this has made it difficult to get vendors and entertainment lined up.
Mary Post, on the Ellwood City Egg Hunt Committee, emphasized that planning an event is a year long process. “This isn’t a one month, one day thing,” Post said, adding that while she is not opposed to fees necessary for the borough to function, council needed to provide an advance notice.
Post also pointed out that the committee provides an Easter egg hunt to families that don’t have the means to have their own Easter.
Visitor Josh Court urged council to “be better at politics” and find a way to compromise.
“I hated Ellwood City my whole life until I moved out, and then I missed it,” Court said. “They say the grass is always greener, but sometimes you have to water your own grass.”
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Former Council Member Attacks Council for Increasing Budget and Nepotism
Former council member David DeCaria
Also during the meeting, former council member David DeCaria accused council of increasing taxpayer costs and nepotism. ^In a prepared statement, he cited examples including hiring the daughter of a council member, raising firemen compensation, cancelling a building project after funds were appropriated and approving a conference trip for Mayor Anthony J. Court and council president Judi Dici which he described as “a vacation.”
DeCaria described council’s effort to reduce the budget by charging event fees as “grasping at straws” and maintained that events bring people downtown, help sustain businesses and are necessary for revitalization.
He also attacked social media posts from Brough and Guerrera as “despicable” and said they created the impression council was “volatile and hostile.”
In response, Cout and Dici defended the state borough conference as an important educational resource packed with meetings.
“As the vice president of the mayor’s association, it’s important that I go,” Court said. “Consider who is speaking, sour grapes.” While on council, DeCaria had criticized Court for allegedly using borough equipment to pave a private lot.
“Your unwillingness to even discuss anything but your own view gives the impression that you are closed minded,” Decaria said in his statement.
DeCaria was defeated in the May 2017 Republican primary by Guerrera and Rob Brough.
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^This is the last part in a four part series on Monday’s agenda meeting. The first three articles can be viewed at the bottom of the page. Council’s regular March meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday.
The series concludes with prepared statements by Jillian Court, Chamber of Commerce executive assistant, and DeCaria. Court also created a one question survey to assess public opinion. #NOTE: The following statements have been typographically modified for posting but no content has been intentionally altered, excepting two paragraphs deleted from DecCaria’s statement.
^Court’s prepared statement, read during the visitor portion of the council meeting:
Hello, my name is Jillian Court and I am in charge of ECCE [Ellwood City Community Enrichment] which funds and organizes Lawrence Count Earth Day, the Summer Concert Series in the Plaza, and the Storytelling Festival. I also work at the Ellwood Chamber where we fund and organize the Fall Fest and Car Cruiser and Let There Be Lights.
My husband, Josh, and I were born and raised in Ellwood City. While in high school, I could not wait to graduate and leave our town where there was nothing to do. We got that opportunity a few years ago when we moved to Charlotte, North Carolina and experienced big city life. We got to explore new restaurants, grocery stores and nightlife but the only thing missing was our family and friends.
Therefore, we moved back to PA and were planning on renting or buying a house in the Wexford area so we could be closer to Pittsburgh. We said that we would treat Pittsburgh as a new city. However, I found myself doing that in Ellwood after I was hired at the Ellwood Chamber and became the lead volunteer for ECCE. Josh and I never realized how great our small town was. Therefore, we moved to Ellwood to become a part of the revitalization of our hometown.
We were not the only young couple who moved back. There are many other young people moving back to the Ellwood City area because they care about Ellwood City’s future and it is a great area to raise a family. I have heard many times form young families that Ellwood City has a lot going on in town such as Fall Fest and Car Cruise, Oktoberfest, Storytelling Festival and Let There Be Lights. That is one reason they moved here.
I have worked with non-profits for a year now and cannot put into words how great it is to do good for your hometown. Ellwood City’s nonprofit groups help market Ellwood by bringing in visitors who shop and eat at area businesses. I encourage you to join a nonprofit group if you aren’t a part of one already to see everything that goes into planning.
I understand that the council’s stance is to cut the Ellwood Borough’s taxes. However, please look at the spreadsheet that I prepared for you which shows the amount taxpayers will save in nonprofits have to pay. To find the estimated number of taxpayers. I used the 2016 census of 7,535 and subtracted the population under 18. Then, I divided the cost by the number of taxpayers for the yearly rate and divided by 12 for the monthly rate.
As you can see, if everything occurring in the borough would cost $50,000, one taxpayer would only save $8.46 per year or 17 cents per month if nonprofit paid. I haven’t been able to locate how much the borough spends per year on events so this chart shows a few different scenarios. I’m sure all nonprofits here tonight would like to know how much was spent in previous years. I would greatly appreciate if you could provide us with that information.
I ask that you weigh whether charging nonprofits will benefit Ellwood City’s future seeing that the taxpayer’s cost is minimal. I’m sure some nonprofits will not be to pay the proposed charges. Would you as a taxpayer rather live in a town that has nothing going on and save small cost per year? I’d hate to see the town regress how it was when I was in high school. We need to look towards the future and attract more young people to raise families. My hope is that our nonprofits and the Ellwood Borough can work together to make Ellwood City even stronger. If we can’t, then the foundation that has been built will crumble.
Thank you.
*^#DeCaria’s prepared statement, read during the visitor portion of the council meeting:
There has been much talk from this council about saving taxpayers money. When dealing with these issues I prefer to use facts.
Here’s a few. Not only have you not saved the taxpayers one dime you have in fact added to the current budget as well as to future budgets in excess of $30,000 just by raising the firemen compensation to $3.60 per hour. Well deserved or not it has increased spending. If everyone were payed what they deserved we’d be broke!
You voted to save the taxpayers money by charging Relay for Life, a nonprofit charity, $550 to open the street for an event that draws people to our downtown, but then voted to spend $2000 to send the mayor, supported by Mrs. Guerrera and Bernstein — the mayor who corruptly misused taxpayers money by ordering borough workers to use borough supplies and manpower to resurface his parking lot. You voted send him on a vacation to Harrisburg along with Ms. Dici.
His return attendance at these meetings is not merely coincidental. He knew the previous council was holding his feet to the fire to reign in the out of control spending and scheduling of his police department. Why would you reward him for not doing his job with a vacation to Harrisburg! Has anyone checked the itinerary for the conference? There’s exactly one seminar that even pertains to the mayor! More out of control spending.
Some of you were elected to office on the promise to cut spending by 38 percent! Now that you’re in office the reality of the shoestring budget has become apparent and unable to fulfill your promise you are now cutting off your nose to spite your face! So now you’re grasping at straws. In a more than $15,000,000 budget these charges are incidental and offer no remedy for your promise.
You’ve received bids for the public works building project. Many changes were made to the bidding process. Your refusal to build the electric building and as a result the building costs have gone up almost 10 percent, $400,000, not to mention the $162,000 you’re leaving on the table.
You are costing taxpayers money, not the pennies from having nonprofit events. In light of your current positions and policies, not to mention despicable Facebook posts, you’re perceived as volatile and hostile. Your unwillingness to even discuss anything but your own view gives the impression that you are closed minded.
Charging nonprofits for the events they hold in town is an absolutely ridiculous notion. New York City’s Ball drop for New Year’s Eve draws millions of people to the city who spend money! It costs that city in excess of $1,000,000 for police and crowd control and cleanup after the event. For them it’s money wisely spent to attract people to their city. Monies from hotel taxes and sales taxes are returned to the city just the same way they are here!
So people attending festivals and events here are spending money in our town are charged sales tax which is returned to us through the state. We might not recoup 100 percent of the cost but we recoup some and supporting those events is money well spent. Events bring people to our city and they retrain our citizens to come to town which produces pedestrian traffic which is vital to acquiring and sustaining businesses in a downtown. That process is vital to downtown redevelopment!
For the past four years Town Center Associates has provided well needed and well received direction to that end. We’re in year five of a ten year plan. That’s the amount of time it took Beaver to revitalize itself with Town Center’s tutelage and direction. No one on this council has redeveloped or revitalized a downtown. Many people have ideas and theories but wouldn’t it be wise to take advice and direction from those who have done it successfully? Whose theories are proven?
The most disconcerting part of the concept to charge nonprofits for events in our city demonstrates the lack of understanding of how business works. It doesn’t show a town whose arms are wide open with welcome for people to come and experience Small Town Big Living. It shows a hand raised in protest. Stop! We’re not gonna make it easy for you! You’ll have to pay if want to come here!
That is definitely not an accurate representation of the good people that live here and on their behalf I beg you to reconsider.
*Update: Article modified Friday afternoon to modify information from DeCaria’s statement.
^Update: Article modified at 2 p.m. to create a more clear divide between Court’s and DeCaria’s statements and to clarify both statements were read during the council meeting.
#Update: Article modified at 3 p.m. to modify information from DeCaria’s statement.
Visitor Requests Council to Resign for Alleged Violation of Freedom of Speech
Ellwood Resident Criticizes Borough for Failure to Comply with Right to Know Law
Ellwood City Organizations Dismayed by Council Decision to Charge Events Recoup Fees
As in any situation, the answer would be a settlement of differences by mutual concession. I don’t see that happening because there are some hard line radicals on council with a ‘bull in a china shop’ mentality.
They are the ones who were intentionally absent at the pre-election town hall meetings. It appears they do not want to be accountable to Ellwood voters. That raises the suspicion of to whom are they answering.
All one has to do is look at Zelienople.
• Zelienople received millions in state grants to restore the Kaufman House for a private enterprise. These grants do not have to be repaid. Have you noticed the new addition to accommodate an elevator at the Kaufmann House? Our state representatives do nothing for Ellwood. For example, our state representatives failed to provide any assistance with the electric department construction. They could have but did nothing.
• Zelienople received hundreds of thousands in state grants to revitalize their community parks. Again, these grants do not have to be repaid. Our state representatives did nothing for Ellwood. They could have but did nothing.
Q. Why is it that Zelienople gets state funding for all these things (including Horse Trading days and more) and Ellwood gets nothing?
A. Because Ellwood has state representatives who do not want Ellwood to succeed. They want to slash and burn Ellwood. They’re starting with our electric department which has worked well for years. It has helped keep our taxes low, our roads cleared in the winter, a community swimming pool, and locals employed. Don’t get distracted by their melodrama.
Everyone agrees that the non-profit events create an expense for the borough.
What we should consider is to balance those expenditures with community service without the exchange of money.
In essence, the non-profits continue as is but they must commit to a commensurate amount of community service to the borough. It helps build character and would make Ellwood a better place to live.
For example, the non-profits can commit to:
• Cleaning up local parks, walking trails, plaza area, and vacant lots.
• Paint park benches, the gazebo and community fences.
• Create a newcomers group to help welcome new families. This would coordinate with referrals from real estate agents.
• Partner with Kiwanis, Elks, Catholic charities, or Moose in their community activities.
• Grass cutting at borough facilities, plant and maintain community gardens and along roads.
• Start a Chow Drive for the community to donate food and toys to local shelters.
• Read to residents at the hospital and nursing homes.
• Mow an elderly neighbor’s lawn or blighted areas.
• Rake leaves, shovel snow, or wash windows for a senior citizen or abandoned buildings.
The community service list would be provided by the borough. The activity log would be documented by the non-profit and submitted to the borough.
Effectively we’re talking about sweat equity, pride, and alliance. The time the non-profits volunteer would be subtracted from the expense of their event. Any materials could be donated by local businesses to demonstrate their commitment.
If the community service is not met, then that non-profit would forfeit any future activities in the borough. The non-profit gets to use Ellwood facilities and in return, Ellwood gets a community service commitment.
We cannot count on our state representatives. They’re busy granting millions to Zelienople. We have to do it ourselves. Of course, our state representatives will take a Facebook credit for this effort even though they have failed Ellwood.
I almost spit out my coffee when I read todays Facebook posting titled, “YOU TALKED, WE LISTENED”. This has to be one of the most disingenuous and cunning statements ever.
• First of all, it lacks candor coming from those who were intentionally absent from the pre-election town hall meetings. To be more forthright would be to tell us who they were listening to pre and post-election. It wasn’t us because they intentionally failed to attend the town hall meetings.
• By deleting Facebook posts and blocking others, is an indication of an artful agenda not accountable to all.
“This has led to the raising of property taxes by 67% over a four-year period, and the transfer of $1,450,000.00 per year through “electric taxes” that have been put on the backs of taxpayers.”
• This misleading statement fails to cite the tax rates of other communities and the services (or lack of) provided.
• The communities with lower tax rates have poor snow removal services, have no community swimming pools, no community events and most rely on the state police to respond to 911 calls. It’s notable that the low tax rate communities with electric supply choice contract our police department. With whom will we contract our public safety? Darlington? Cranberry? Beaver Falls?
• The communities with electric supplier choice have higher tax rates. The facts are there. Many Ellwood residents are satisfied with keeping the $1,450,000.00 within Ellwood. Ellwood does not want to send $1,450,000.00 to an out of state corporation. That poses the question as to who would benefit from that transfer of money.
• The grandstanding of someone’s high electric bill exaggerates nothing but emotion. Undisclosed facts would be the number of months the bill was past due, payment history, and failure of our state representatives to enroll the needy in Pennsylvania’s low income home energy assistance program (LIHEAP). As with any service, you’re billed for what you use.
• The radical ‘slash and burn’ proponents failed to put forth a budget demonstrating what services will be eliminated and who will lose their job. As the adage goes, ‘show me your budget and you show me your values’. Speaking of budgets, our state representatives voted to borrow $1.5 trillion (yes, TRILLION) to balance their 2018 state budget with no cuts. You won’t see that on a Facebook post. Now THAT’S irresponsible.
Come on over to Franklin Twp. No reason events have to held in EC proper. These are great community activities.
I suspect that will drastically change once the pending reassessment finalizes.