At Monday’s Ellwood City Borough Council agenda meeting, council member George Celli proposed a resolution to oppose PA House Bills 1405 and 2030.
Both bills would set new regulations on the borough’s electric department, including restricting council’s ability to shift electric fund revenue to the general fund. If council passed Celli’s resolution, it would indicate council’s opposition to the legislation but have no legal impact.
Council added the resolution to the agenda but no other members spoke for or against it.
The bills are sponsored by State Rep. Aaron Berstein, (R-10), and both include language that would limit the borough’s electric revenue to what is required to run the electric department by establishing the following criteria:
“in the area served by borough facilities at reasonable and uniform rates to be determined exclusively by the borough for the purpose of providing for the payment of the expenses of the borough for the production and distribution of electricity and the construction, improvement, repair, maintenance and operation of the borough’s facilities and properties.”
Additional sections of the bills provide additional regulations on amending the electric rates and allow residents questioning electric services to the county court of common pleas.
House Bill 2030 differentiates from 1405 by adding language specifying the legislation as applicable to boroughs providing electric service in more than one county. According to borough solicitor Ed Leymarie, that would make the bill affect Ellwood City only. As of April 10, 2030 was removed from table while 1405 remains in the House.
Berstein’s (R) Bill 1405 is not going anywhere except in the trash can where it belongs. The other (R) legislators sponsored it because they wanted Bernstine to vote on their budget. Rumor has it, it will never get out of committee.
That budget, by the way, borrowed $1.5 TRILLION on our credit card. Look for a big tax increase when that $1.5 TRILLION comes due. Add that to the gasoline tax.
If you remember, the Republican-controlled legislature increased our gasoline tax
• 8.9% in 2012
• 9.6% in 2013
• 17.8% in 2014
• 21.9% in 2015
• 17.9% in 2016
Re: “House Bill 2030 differentiates from 1405 by adding language specifying the legislation as applicable to boroughs providing electric service in more than one county.”
And here we have a perfect example of an incompetent representative making decisions about our community.
No wonder he has no respect from his colleagues and many others.
Back in 2004, we heard, ‘With the lottery and casinos becoming legal in Pennsylvania, we will have the funding to eliminate property and school taxes.’ (That will get us re-elected)
RESULT:
• Fourteen years later, we’re still paying property/school taxes while Harrisburg collects a bounty of gambling revenues.
• Pennsylvania legislators still had the need to borrow $1.5 TRILLION to balance their 2018 republican budget.
• Pennsylvania comes in second to Nevada to revenues generated from gambling.
Don’t listen to what these state representatives say; watch what they do. Don’t get distracted by their drama.