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Commissioner Tom Balya Mayors' Forum
Minutes
Saturday, April 4, 2005, 9:00 a.m.
Clementine's Restaurant,
Lower Burrell
Attending Mayors:
John Campbell, Arnold
Karl Eisaman, Greensburg
Fran Jennings, Delmont
James Gallucci, West Leechburg
Don Kinosz, Lower Burrell
Frank Link, New Kensington
Jerry Lucia, Mt. Pleasant
James Roman, South Greensburg
Everett Saxton, Bolivar
Corey Tragesser, Sutersville
Guest Speaker:
Allen Kukovich,
Southwest Regional Director
Governor Edward G. Rendell
Welcome by Commissioner Balya: Commissioner Balya extended his
welcome to the gathering of mayors, noting that this was the first such
forum held in the Alle-Kiski Valley. Commissioner Balya noted that the
challenges elected leaders face in the Valley are similar to those
throughout the county. The commissioner then introduced Allen Kukovich, the
southwest regional director for Governor Ed Rendell. Commissioner Balya
praised the governor for understanding the challenges facing cities and
boroughs -- a skill he honed as mayor of Philadelphia -- while also saying
that Kukovich, a former state legislator from Westmoreland County, will be a
great asset to the county in his role with the governor.
Guest Speaker: Allen Kukovich began his
remarks by stating that he is proud to be serving Governor Rendell, who has
often been referred to as the "Mayor of Pennsylvania". He then explained his
position and listed some of his priorities, beginning with his goal of
keeping state economic stimulus dollars flowing into the county. Kukovich
said that more funding for infrastructure and economic development has come
to the county in the last 18 months than the total of the previous 10 years,
including grants for water and sewage projects and through programs like
"Hometown Streets". In his capacity as regional director, Kukovich works
throughout 16 counties in the region. He has "senior staff" status, meaning
he attends Cabinet meetings, and typically spends one day per week in the
state capital. Kukovich is also a voting member of the Southwest
Pennsylvania Commission, the region's planning organization (as is
Commissioner Balya), which sets transportation priorities for the 10-county
area.
Kukovich then talked about
some of the potential challenges facing the state's budget, as a result of
President Bush's federal budget proposal. The president has proposed
completely eliminating Community Development Block Grants (CDBG). This
program is a lifeline for many county communities, particularly cities, to
help improve conditions. Kukovich urged the mayors to speak to their
senators and congressman about this issue to ensure that this important
program is not cut. He also noted that Governor Rendell is working
aggressively with the National Governors' Conference to fight this proposed
cut. (Note: Westmoreland County stands to lose $5 million if this program is
eliminated).
Kukovich then talked about
the Act 72 school property tax relief program that is tied to gaming revenue
from the recently enacted slots legislation. The program seeks to first help
those homeowners who are on fixed incomes, such as senior citizens. Kukovich
noted that school property taxes have increased, on average, 58 percent over
the past decade, while Social Security recipients have received, on average,
a three percent annual increase during this same period. Kukovich mentioned
the large financial discrepancies between urban and rural districts,
offering that the "quality of education should not rely on zip codes".
Kukovich explained that
Pennsylvanians spend $3 billion annually outside the state to gamble and
that the goal of the slots legislation is to capture some of this revenue.
The governor's plan calls for 34 percent of the estimated $1 billion in
annual revenue to be used for school property tax relief and five percent
for economic development, with the remaining monies going toward various
causes such as volunteer fire departments, the horse breeding industry, and
gambling addiction treatment. Kukovich said that, on average, property
owners will enjoy a 23 percent reduction in their property taxes, with those
in some poorer districts experiencing up to a 50 percent reduction. School
districts have until May 30, 2005, to opt into the program. To date, only
four of the 501 have done so. Kukovich blamed a lot of this "foot-dragging"
on misinformation being spread on this issue. He also forecasted that slots
could be up-and-running by next year, mentioning the prospect for locations
in the region such as Seven Springs, the Meadowlands, and Nemacolin.
Kukovich next addressed one
of Governor Rendell's highest legislative priorities, an environmental
initiative called "Growing Greener II". The governor has proposed an $800
million bond issue to fund environmental projects, like abandoned mine
reclamation, watershed restoration, and abandoned gas well plugging projects,
as well as funding for sewer and water projects. Governor Rendell is seeking
to finance the program by increasing fees on toxic emissions and landfill
"tipping" fees. The governor is seeking a ballot referendum on this issue
for the May primary.
Kukovich concluded his
remarks by offering his office's assistance for local governments through
such state programs as the Elm Street Program, the Governor's Action Team,
and the First Industries Program. Those interested in more information or
assistance can contact Allen Kukovich at 412.565.5770 or via e-mail at
akukovich@state.pa.us. The address is State Office Building, 14th Floor, 300
Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222.
A brief question-and-answer
session followed that first focused on assistance for retail districts, per
a question posed by Mayor Kinosz. Kukovich remarked that the governor views
job retention as equally important as job creation, and that a valuable
source of help for struggling retail districts are small business
development centers, available at both St. Vincent College and the
University of Pittsburgh. Mayor Eisaman followed with a question regarding
the impact of President Bush's proposed budget on human services. Kukovich
said the proposed elimination of federal community service block grants will
be crippling to human service agencies and the vulnerable population they
serve. He also mentioned that less federal dollars have resulted in the
state's proposal to reduce some medical assistance benefits and force
families on medical assistance to pay premiums. Federal highway funding also
remains a concern, according to Kukovich, with the potential for
Pennsylvania to receive 30 percent less than expected in the coming year.
Host Mayor Remarks: Lower Burrell Mayor Don Kinosz
began his host remarks by detailing the struggles of his town's retail
district, commenting that many store locations "are too little to be big and
too big to be little". He also was optimistic about the impact a new mall
being constructed nearby would have on the tri-cities, and said he is
working with his fellow mayors in the area to determine the best "hook" to
get mall shoppers to visit their downtowns.
Kinosz remarked that the
borders dividing the tri-cities are disappearing. Lower Burrell, New
Kensington, and Arnold have embarked on a successful intergovernmental
resource-sharing program to reduce costs and improve efficiency. New
Kensington Mayor Frank Link also mentioned that school districts can be a
valuable partner with which to share equipment and manpower.
Kinosz also mentioned that
his community recently completed its own comprehensive plan. (Note:
Westmoreland County adopted a countywide comprehensive plan in December
2004). Noteworthy was that students from the Penn State-New Kensington
campus helped complete the plan as part of a class project, performing the
data collection. Kinosz offered contact information to the other mayors
should they care to use this free student resource: Professor Richard
Harnish, 724.334.6735.
Kinosz used the opportunity
to speak about the efforts of the Westmoreland County Redevelopment
Authority, of which he serves as vice chair. The authority is reevaluating
its project selection methods, moving away from sporadic single building
projects to larger "impact projects", such as the Lloyd Avenue project in
Latrobe and the Seton Hill project in Greensburg's cultural district.
Kinosz closed by distributing
to the mayors in attendance copies of Lower Burrell's 50th anniversary
commemorative cookbook and complimentary tickets to that day's Strongland
Expo Home Show.
Other Business: Commissioner Balya followed
with an update on important county projects and initiatives -- the first
being the 800-MHz emergency radio project. Commissioner Balya reported that
the system is nearly 100 percent complete, with work on tower sites in North
Huntingdon, Scottdale, and Monessen almost done. Training is ongoing, but
first responders who have been working with the new system are extremely
pleased. Commissioner Balya urged the mayors to seek funds for additional
radios through the assortment of federal fire grants available, and offered
the assistance of the county's Department of Public Safety in this regard
(724.600.7300).
Commissioner Balya also
informed the mayors that the rectification process for the county's GIS
system is expected to be complete by year's end. The system will serve
planning, public safety, and tax purposes, and will be a valuable tool in
formulating local comprehensive plans.
Commissioner Balya also
expressed his concerns with the proposed federal and state budgets, which
will have a negative impact on community development and human services --
two keys areas of county government -- and also spoke about new un-funded
mandates on county government, such as a new state DNA law that requires
prisoners and probationers convicted of certain crimes to have a DNA sample
taken -- at the county's expense.
Finally, Commissioner Balya
updated the mayors on the county's video conferencing night court system,
and talked about how the county is now beginning to explore its uses in
Common Pleas Court, which should help reduce costs.
With no further business, the
meeting adjourned at approximately 10:30 a.m. |
