1
1 SCRANTON CITY COUNCIL MEETING
2
3
4
5 Held:
6 Thursday, March 29, 2007
7
8
9 Time:
10 6:30 p.m.
11
12
13 Location:
14 Council Chambers
15 Scranton City Hall
16 340 North Washington Avenue
17 Scranton, Pennsylvania
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19
20
21
22
23 Lisa M. Graff, RMR
24 Court Reporter
25
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1 CITY OF SCRANTON COUNCIL:
2
3 MS. JUDY GATELLI, COUNCIL PRESIDENT
4
5 MR. WILLIAM COURTRIGHT, VICE-PRESIDENT
6
7 MS. JANET EVANS
8
9 MS. SHERRY NEALON FANUCCI
10
11 MR. ROBERT MCGOFF
12
13 MR. AMIL MINORA, ESQUIRE, SOLICITOR
14
15 MS. KAY GARVEY, CITY CLERK
16
17 MR. NEIL COOLICAN, ASSISTANT CITY CLERK
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25
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1 MS. GATELLI: Okay. Please stand
2 for the Pledge Of Allegiance. Please remain
3 standing for a moment of reflection. Roll
4 call.
5 MR. COOLICAN: Mrs. Evans.
6 MS. EVANS: Here.
7 MR. COOLICAN: Mrs. Fanucci.
8 MS. FANUCCI: Here.
9 MR. COOLICAN: Mr. McGoff.
10 MR. MCGOFF: Here.
11 MR. COOLICAN: Mr. Courtright.
12 MR. COURTRIGHT: Here.
13 MR. COOLICAN: Mrs. Gatelli.
14 MS. GATELLI: Here. Dispense with
15 the reading of the minutes.
16 MS. GARVEY: Third order. 3-A,
17 APPLICATIONS AND DECISIONS RENDERED BY THE
18 ZONING HEARING BOARD ON WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14,
19 2007.
20 MS. GATELLI: Are there any
21 comments? If not, received and filed.
22 MS. GARVEY: 3-B, CONTROLLER'S
23 REPORT FOR THE MONTH ENDING FEBRUARY 28,
24 2007.
25 MS. GATELLI: Are there any comment?
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4
1 If not, received and filed.
2 MS. GARVEY: 3-C, MINUTES FOR THE
3 VACANT PROPERTY REVIEW COMMITTEE MEETING
4 HELD ON JANUARY 16, 2007.
5 MS. GATELLI: Are there any
6 comments? If not, received and filed.
7 MS. GARVEY: 3-D, MINUTES OF THE
8 COMPOSITE PENSION BOARD MEETING HELD ON
9 FEBRUARY 28, 2007.
10 MS. GATELLI: Are there any
11 comments? If not, received and filed.
12 MS. GARVEY: 3-E, AGENDA FOR THE
13 ZONING HEARING BOARD MEETING TO BE HELD ON
14 APRIL 11, 2007.
15 MS. GATELLI: Are there any
16 comments? If not, received and filed.
17 MS. GARVEY: 3-F, MINUTES FROM THE
18 NON-UNIFORM MUNICIPAL PENSION BOARD MEETING
19 HELD ON FEBRUARY 28, 2007.
20 MS. GATELLI: Any comments if not,
21 received anticipate filed.
22 MS. GARVEY: 3-G, AGENDA FOR THE
23 NON-UNIFORM MUNICIPAL PENSION BOARD MEETING
24 HELD ON MARCH 28, 2007.
25 MS. GATELLI: Are there any
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5
1 comments? If not, received and filed.
2 MS. GARVEY: That's all I have for
3 third order.
4 MS. GATELLI: Fourth order.
5 MR. COURTRIGHT: Mrs. Gatelli, could
6 I ask you something?
7 MS. GATELLI: Yes.
8 MR. COURTRIGHT: I'd like to make a
9 motion I hereby move in the interest of
10 having good open government in the City of
11 Scranton, that this Scranton City Council
12 hereby direct that all future Scranton City
13 Council meetings be broadcast live on
14 Channel 61.
15 MS. EVANS: Second.
16 MS. GATELLI: On the question?
17 MS. EVANS: I commend your motion,
18 Mr. Courtright, and I am in agreement 1,000
19 percent.
20 MS. GATELLI: Anyone else on the
21 question? All in favor.
22 MS. EVANS: Aye.
23 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
25 MS. GATELLI: Opposed? No.
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1 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: No.
2 MS. GATELLI: The ayes have it and
3 so moved. Anyone else like to make a
4 comment before we start? The first speaker
5 is Lee Morgan. Andy Sbaraglia.
6 MS. GARVEY: Mrs. Gatelli, if I
7 could just interrupt for one minute, the
8 reason probably some of the names are on the
9 sign-in sheet because the sign-in sheet is
10 prepared on Thursdays in the afternoon by
11 noon, so people who had come in did sign in
12 on the sign-in sheet, even though we didn't
13 know how they would be coming in the doors.
14 So, that may happen a few times. You may
15 see some names on there that maybe they
16 didn't get in before. I don't know.
17 MR. SBARAGLIA: Okay.
18 MS. GATELLI: Mr. Sbaraglia.
19 MR. SBARAGLIA: Andrew Sbaraglia,
20 citizen of Scranton. Fellow Scrantonians, I
21 want to say a few words on 6-B. That's an
22 ordinance as amended to allow for the
23 purchase of used police vehicles.
24 Now, I read that legislation, I read
25 the new one, I read the old one, and I read
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1 the new one. Nowhere in that legislation is
2 anything mentioned about mileage or year of
3 vehicle.
4 This legislation -- you can go to
5 DeNaples' Junkyard and buy a car and bring
6 it in and it would be perfectly legal.
7 Somewhere along the line you should
8 amend this and put in a stipulation for what
9 you think a year should be and what mileage
10 should be. And you can get that from any
11 used car dealership within the city.
12 This looks like just a pay back. I
13 don't understand it. If you read the
14 legislation, you can see this is a pay back.
15 The mayor can go to anyone he wants to.
16 MR. COURTRIGHT: Mr. Sbaraglia,
17 could I comment on that?
18 MR. SBARAGLIA: Go ahead.
19 MR. COURTRIGHT: It's not the mayor,
20 it's myself and the rest of Council and the
21 Scranton Police Department. I've been
22 discussing with them -- this with them over
23 a year.
24 They've actually gone out on their
25 own, certain police officers, they've sought
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1 out used car dealers. What they're going to
2 do is go to an auction and try to buy the
3 cars at auction through a dealer.
4 What happens is when you go to an
5 auction, you don't know when you get there
6 what vehicles will be available, what the
7 mileage, what options they will have.
8 It's not they're buying a brand new
9 vehicle. And they're in such dire need,
10 especially the detective bureau, I really
11 think they're going to do the right thing,
12 or I wouldn't have had any part in this.
13 MR. SBARAGLIA: But there's no thing
14 in it that really protects the people. I
15 mean, you can have whatever you want there,
16 but there's nothing specific. Why can't you
17 put something specific? No car less than
18 '95, say, that's already quite a few years
19 old, or 2000, that's already seven years
20 old. The mileage on it, no more than, say,
21 70,000.
22 That would make a lot more sense
23 than the way this is written. They may be
24 in dire need, but let them use their own
25 car. You can actually do what the police
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1 did, if you went that far, if you wanted to
2 go that far, to ask any detective if he
3 wanted to use his personal car, you would do
4 whatever is necessary to do it. You can go
5 to the state and buy vehicles. The state
6 sells them, too.
7 But somewhere along the line you
8 must protect the taxpayer, at least in
9 mileage and year, because mechanical
10 condition, you know, you're going to be
11 stuck with whatever you can get, because
12 there's no guarantee on your mechanical
13 condition either.
14 MR. COURTRIGHT: Okay. We are in
15 sixth order, all right, and I will bring
16 your suggestions to the police
17 department and --
18 MR. MINORA: Three minutes.
19 MR. COURTRIGHT: -- ask them if
20 they're interested. You're looking for a
21 year. Mileage, I think, is going to be
22 difficult.
23 MR. MINORA: Three minutes.
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: Okay. I will bring
25 your suggestion up.
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1 MR. SBARAGLIA: That's all you can
2 do.
3 MS. GATELLI: Thank you. I think
4 it's Jean.
5 MS. SUETTA: Jean Suetta, Scranton,
6 Pennsylvania. I was cold when I come in.
7 Sherry, about that $250,000 that we're
8 supposed to loan The Radisson, are they
9 going to give our locals the job or are they
10 going to hire people from out of town? I
11 asked you that question three weeks ago, two
12 weeks ago, and you were supposed to find
13 out.
14 MS. GATELLI: She'll let you know.
15 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Would you like
16 me to answer now or during motions?
17 MS. SUETTA: Answer.
18 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Okay. What I
19 found out was that there is no qualification
20 for them to hire anybody here for the HUD
21 Act or any of our state laws, but they did
22 say that they were going to bid out so that
23 everyone would have the opportunity to get
24 the job.
25 MS. SUETTA: I mean, you're giving
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1 somebody a quarter of a million dollars.
2 They should give back money back to the
3 economy here.
4 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: I agree. I
5 completely agree we should be using local
6 people, especially for such --
7 MS. SUETTA: Do you know when the
8 bids are going to go out?
9 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: I don't know.
10 I seriously don't know. Probably not until
11 the loan approval goes through, I would
12 imagine. Okay?
13 MS. SUETTA: Okay. Thank you.
14 MS. GATELLI: Sam Patilla.
15 MR. PATILLA: Sam Patilla, city
16 resident, homeowner and taxpayer. I would
17 like to first address section five, the
18 appointment to have Robert Rossi and Company
19 perform the City of Scranton's annual
20 independent audit.
21 . I requested Council hold off on
22 that until it can be validated whether or
23 not Mr. Rossi or anybody connected with
24 their firm is a contributor to Mayor
25 Doherty's campaign, okay?
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1 The last thing we need is somebody
2 connected to that mayor doing our audit.
3 It's bad enough that you're insisting on
4 loaning out money to The Radisson, to the
5 coffee shop, the roasting firm.
6 We don't have any money to loan
7 anybody. We can't pay our bills, okay, so
8 we don't have any money to loan, okay?
9 So, until we can get our house in
10 order, okay, it's requested by me on my own
11 that anything having to do with Mayor
12 Doherty that contains the word loan,
13 appointment, borrowing, be put aside until
14 it can be validated that it's actually in
15 the best interest of the citizens, the
16 taxpaying citizens, of the City of Scranton.
17 We don't have it, okay? We got
18 another tax rate -- another rate facing
19 around the corner. After that a few months
20 later there's going to be another increase,
21 and another increase, and another increase.
22 And it has to stop. It has to come
23 to an end. Somebody has to stand up and
24 say, Okay, we can't spend any more. We have
25 to start cutting back.
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1 Fire Parker, fire Burke, fire
2 Hailstone, fire some of the attorneys, fire
3 some of the lobbyists, fire some of the
4 consultants. Get our money back so we can -
5 it can be used toward us. We can't keep
6 sending it out. There's nothing coming in
7 it. Okay? There's nothing coming in.
8 I have nothing against the proposal
9 for the fire department or the police
10 department. God knows, the people have been
11 without a contract for five years. They
12 need anything we can give to them for not
13 walking out when they had the opportunity,
14 okay?
15 It's time for City Council to stand
16 up and be recognized. No more pay to play.
17 The city is almost $500,000 in debt. That
18 is a lot of money, a lot of money, you know.
19 That's money that our great, great, great
20 grandchildren will still be paying on.
21 That's why you can't let Doherty borrow any
22 more. That's why you can't allow him to
23 loan out any money. It has to stop, people.
24 It really has to.
25 MS. GATELLI: Is there anyone else
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1 on the agenda items?
2 MS. KRAKE: My name is Nancy Krake.
3 I'd like to talk about 5-B and 5-C on the
4 agenda. There's an 18-page contract with
5 this company, and I'm hoping everyone on
6 Council reads it and compares it to what we
7 do now.
8 I'm the person here at this point,
9 previous to me it was Kitsy Hart, who does
10 this 18-page contract, one person.
11 All the fees in here are minimum
12 quadrupled to what we charge now. And on
13 top of this company, they can also hire
14 consultants.
15 And, I believe, it's a little shy of
16 what was plugged into the budget. If I were
17 Council, I would read it diligently and
18 compare what we do, what we've done in the
19 past, how much monies we can take in on our
20 own. This is not a good fit for the
21 citizens, and it's truly outrageous.
22 I'm sure if the mayor still feels it
23 necessary to hire a company, that any or all
24 of these items can be negotiated. It would
25 really truly be an injustice if it was not
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1 researched. Thank you.
2 MS. GATELLI: Mrs. Krake, I just
3 have one question, because there's time,
4 some of these things in here, your office is
5 doing already?
6 MS. KRAKE: We've been stopped from
7 doing it because NCC has never returned any
8 information to us correctly.
9 Now, if they did, we would be doing
10 it. We have been for the past year and a
11 half working with another tax agency that
12 has been trying to pry the information from
13 NCC so the treasurer's office could have tax
14 sales again, however, they were having a lot
15 of difficulty getting information from NCC,
16 and at this point in time, I think they have
17 garnered quite a bit of it.
18 And it looked to me like we were in
19 it the process of starting sales. I truly
20 don't know how that would fit in with this
21 company or exactly what's going on, and I
22 really would like to know, since it is my
23 job.
24 MS. GATELLI: I know we did have tax
25 sales years ago.
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1 MS. KRAKE: Yes, we did, and they
2 always worked out fine and the system worked
3 beautifully, and it worked that way for
4 probably 75 or 80 years until NCC.
5 MS. GATELLI: Thank you. Anyone
6 else want to speak on agenda items?
7 MS. GARVEY: 5-A, motions.
8 MS. GATELLI: Mrs. Evans.
9 MS. EVANS: Good evening. Following
10 the complaints expressed by Mr. Litwinsky,
11 who is present once again this evening, at
12 our last Council meeting, I visited the
13 exterior portion of The Scranton Rescue
14 Mission on Olive Street and was very
15 concerned about what I saw.
16 I contacted Mr. Fiorini to send an
17 inspector, Mr. Liptai, to examine the
18 structure.
19 Consequently, I learned that the
20 rescue mission had been first inspected on
21 August 10, 2005 and displayed the very same
22 code violations it exhibited during the
23 recent inspection on March 20, 2007.
24 Thus, Mr. Fiorini has sent a letter
25 to the owner of the property advising him to
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1 repair these violations or the building will
2 be condemned.
3 I thank both Mr. Fiorini and Mr.
4 Liptai for their prompt action, as well as
5 other city inspectors who have always
6 responded and were accessible at all times.
7 The owner of the rescue mission also
8 appeared before the zoning board in November
9 2005, where his request was denied, and no
10 appeals to the zoning board were filed.
11 Kay, please send a letter to Mr.
12 Seitzinger regarding a house at 2931 Birney
13 Avenue. In August 2006, Mr. Seitzinger told
14 the neighbors that the house would be
15 demolished within 30 days by the owner,
16 however, not only does it still stand,
17 neighbors continue to report that strangers
18 exit and enter the structure. Please
19 provide an update.
20 Also for Mr. Seitzinger, a report on
21 the vacant building on Gordon Avenue. I
22 believe it might at one time have been a
23 machine Shop. It was condemned in 2005, and
24 appears to be an accident waiting to happen.
25 A letter to Chief Davis, who was
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1 responsible for toxic hazardous materials to
2 remain stored for four to five months in the
3 Flexible Foam warehouse in Minooka
4 approximately two years ago? Who gave
5 permission to the owner or management to
6 allow such a safety hazard?
7 These questions were posed in
8 writing shortly after the material was
9 removed, but Chief Davis failed to identify
10 the responsible individual to this day.
11 Also, this response is for John, who
12 wrote to me about an alley between 123 and
13 129 West Parker Street. All addresses in
14 that alley, John, are listed as rear North
15 Main Avenue, and I thank Hila for that
16 information.
17 And although I already have sent
18 letters to Mr. Doherty and Mr. Brazil
19 regarding the location of a replacement
20 field for the South Side Complex, I would
21 like to make this request again by motion of
22 Council, therefore, I move that Council send
23 letters to Mr. Doherty and Mr. Brazil
24 requesting the locations of the lighted
25 replacement field for the South Side Complex
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1 as required by the memorandum of
2 understanding and Senate Bill 850.
3 Will the University of Scranton
4 contribute the $100,000 to the construction
5 of such field, and when will the field
6 officially open?
7 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: I'll second
8 that.
9 MS. GATELLI: On the question? Are
10 you putting a time frame, because I think we
11 should have a time frame.
12 MS. EVANS: I would be happy to
13 include that.
14 MS. GATELLI: Because I've been
15 getting some calls from the softball
16 players, also.
17 MS. EVANS: I would think that a
18 four-week deadline would be more than
19 sufficient time in which to provide a
20 response.
21 MS. GATELLI: Anyone else? All in
22 favor.
23 MS. EVANS: Aye.
24 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
25 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
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1 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
2 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The
3 ayes have it and so ordered.
4 MS. EVANS: If you'll bear with me
5 for a moment. I also wish to thank the many
6 people who have supported me over the past
7 two weeks. I am most grateful to you for
8 helping to sustain me during such troubled
9 times.
10 Although I have been attacked
11 consistently over the last year, this latest
12 barrage was the most outlandish and
13 offensive.
14 I apologize if some of your phone
15 calls, cards and E-mails might have gone
16 unanswered, but I received them, and they
17 reinvigorated me to continue my schedule of
18 attending meetings, working on citizens
19 problems, doing interviews and preparing for
20 tonight's Council meeting.
21 More importantly, they inspire me to
22 continue fighting the good fight for
23 financial accountability and open
24 government, both of which have been
25 challenged in the last seven days.
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1 Who has the power to remove cameras
2 from government meetings, and who benefits
3 from their removal?
4 It appears that Mr. Doherty, at the
5 request of Mrs. Gatelli, has removed the
6 cameras, and it also appears that we must go
7 through him to have them reinstalled.
8 Mr. Doherty benefits from their
9 removal. Now citizens would no longer be
10 able to witness his refusal to answer
11 questions or to explain his financial
12 practices and decisions that have resulted
13 in this enormous debt.
14 It is shameful that the few can
15 remove cameras that once provided access to
16 local government for the disabled, the
17 elderly and the second and third shift
18 worker.
19 This action purposely operates
20 against the best interests of the people.
21 Consequently, I believe that an amendment to
22 the Home Rule Charter providing for recall
23 of elected officials is in order, and that
24 the question should be placed on the
25 November municipal ballot.
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1 The removal of cameras may well be
2 enough to merit a recall for those involved.
3 The ostensible reason for the removal of
4 television cameras appears to be the
5 threatening hostile environment created by
6 speakers.
7 Not all speakers grandstand or
8 behave inappropriately. Most present their
9 facts, problems and suggestions in an
10 organized, respectful manner.
11 In a perfect world, all speakers
12 would deliver polite, complementary
13 presentations because they would have no
14 taxes, no flooding, no potholes, however,
15 most of us know that Scranton is not a
16 perfect place, despite the dizzying spin on
17 economic development, parks and public
18 safety spun by the mayor and The Scranton
19 Times.
20 When citizens receive no answers, no
21 truth, no help and no respect, they do grow
22 increasingly frustrated and dissatisfied, as
23 is demonstrated by their comments.
24 I do not support any disrespectful
25 or threatening behavior in these noble
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1 chambers. That is why I do not disrespect
2 speakers or threaten Council members.
3 I hope speakers will continue to
4 attend our meetings, and I will continue to
5 respect speakers. I don't control people,
6 and it is not my job to control speakers,
7 rather, it is the president's job.
8 I never encourage people to dislike
9 or intimidate Council members, but neither
10 can I make people like you.
11 I also hope that respect and decorum
12 improve on the dais and that all Council
13 members respect speakers.
14 There have been times when I have
15 been ridiculed and aspersions have been
16 casted on my character and family at Council
17 meetings, on a website, and in the
18 newspaper, but I do not disrespect or
19 silence speakers, cancel or prematurely
20 adjourn Council meetings or pull the plug on
21 televised government meetings.
22 There have been times, however, when
23 I had been disrespected and disappointed by
24 Council members who did not attend budget
25 work sessions or heed my advice as Council
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1 finance chairperson, particularly when our
2 president asked me to resume this post. But
3 I never threatened or harassed any Council
4 member.
5 Political differences sadly have
6 degenerated into personal vendettas. I have
7 been falsely accused of criminal conspiracy
8 by two members of Council. This is
9 absolutely outrageous, and I am hurt by
10 these comments.
11 Similarly unbelievable, I read that
12 Austin Burke and Christopher Doherty claim
13 that Channel 61 and City Council meetings
14 give this city a bad image and prevent
15 businesses from investing in our community.
16 First of all, Channel 61, I believe,
17 has only been in operation for seven years
18 and City Council meetings are televised over
19 a small geographical distance.
20 I don't think New York,
21 Philadelphia, Pittsburgh or Chicago
22 businessmen and entrepreneurs are watching
23 Scranton City Council meetings.
24 Furthermore, City Council cannot be
25 attributed blame for the fact that since
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1 1994, our area has lost 60,000 civilian
2 laborers ages 18 to 65, that nine percent of
3 area workers earn the minimum wage, and our
4 area is last in average weekly wages earned
5 of all 14 Pennsylvania metropolitan
6 statistical areas, and our region's
7 unemployment rate is higher than the
8 national average. Perhaps the chamber of
9 commerce should attempt to pull the plug on
10 those trends.
11 Our wage tax is the second highest
12 in Pennsylvania, our property taxes continue
13 to rise, and our mercantile tax is onerous.
14 The Doherty Administration is
15 exercising eminent domain on a 40-year-old
16 taxpaying pizzeria. Doesn't this give the
17 city a bad image, and not Council meetings?
18 On the other hand, I agree with a
19 portion of PEL's analysis of distressed
20 cities last week. New tax sources are
21 needed for municipalities to balance
22 budgets. This is why my proposed budget
23 contained an amusement and hotel taxes.
24 The amusement tax is coming soon,
25 and I'm further investigating a hotel tax by
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1 talking to other municipalities about their
2 successful implementations.
3 I also learned that the mayor lost
4 another arbitration appeal against the
5 police union, because he cannot abide by
6 union contracts. Cost to the taxpayers,
7 $200,000.
8 Since this case sets a statewide
9 precedent, we reasonably can expect that the
10 mayor will lose his appeals on similar union
11 contract violations.
12 Most residents were shocked to learn
13 about the over $5 million owed to American
14 Water Services.
15 I have been discussing this court
16 award for over a year and asking the mayor
17 about his plans for payment. That was one
18 of the many questions which I submitted to
19 the mayor and that has gone unanswered.
20 I have copies to substantiate my
21 statements. I wasn't poor-mouthing the
22 city, I was depicting financial reality.
23 Furthermore, according to documents
24 received from the Scranton Sewer Authority,
25 there will be a sewer rate increase of 56
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27
1 and a half percent. And so, tonight, I ask
2 that City Council call a public caucus to
3 discuss rate hikes and the repayment of
4 monies owed to American Water Services.
5 I would ask that the Sewer Authority
6 board attend that meeting and that
7 ratepayers are also able to attend that
8 meeting.
9 This is, after all, a distressed
10 city, and 56 percent is quite a slap in the
11 face to people who are enduring an EMS Tax,
12 a high wage tax, increased property taxes,
13 and a lack of family-sustaining jobs.
14 And it's my hope that the Sewer
15 Authority can see its way clear to cutting
16 their costs down and to perhaps providing
17 rate increases which are necessary over
18 incremental periods, rather than in huge
19 attacks on the ratepayers.
20 At the Keyser Valley flood project
21 meeting conducted on Tuesday evening, I
22 learned that the state and the federal
23 government have not yet granted final
24 approval for projects in that area, and that
25 Mr. Parker does not believe that curbing,
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1 leveling and heightening of roads and
2 heightening of riverbanks should be
3 instituted to alleviate flooding problems,
4 repeated flooding problems for city
5 residents.
6 Yesterday the newspaper final
7 reported that the city is on the brink of
8 financial crisis, which I have predicted for
9 three years.
10 Please note the $108 million debt
11 cited in the newspaper does not include the
12 interest or the debt of city authorities.
13 The city guarantees those debts. The city
14 pledges its full faith and credit, and that,
15 my friends, is you, the taxpayer.
16 As finance chair, I created two
17 budgets that cut consultants and unnecessary
18 political jobs, eliminated borrowing,
19 included new revenue sources, et cetera.
20 I've continuously called for halts in
21 spending.
22 The mayor responded, once again,
23 that I was poor-mouthing the city. I was
24 depicting reality for the many poor and
25 elderly citizens in Scranton who cannot
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29
1 afford the Doherty debt.
2 In light of these current
3 disclosures, I will present a few motions
4 this evening for several financial questions
5 to be answered by Mr. Doherty and Mr.
6 Kresefski.
7 I move that the response to the
8 following question is provided, what is the
9 dollar amount in the reserve fund?
10 MR. COURTRIGHT: Second.
11 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
12 in favor.
13 MS. EVANS: Aye.
14 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
15 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
16 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
17 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The
18 ayes have it and so moved.
19 MS. EVANS: Show the number -- I
20 move that administration show the numbers
21 for Worker's Compensation payments.
22 MR. COURTRIGHT: Second.
23 MS. GATELLI: On the question?
24 MR. MCGOFF: At what point in time?
25 MS. EVANS: From 2002 through the
.
30
1 present.
2 MS. GATELLI: Anyone else on the
3 question? All in favor.
4 MS. EVANS: Aye.
5 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
6 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
7 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
8 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The
9 ayes have it and so moved.
10 MS. EVANS: I move that
11 administration show the number for Worker's
12 Compensation reimbursements, provide a
13 detailed analysis of where this money has
14 gone.
15 MR. COURTRIGHT: Second.
16 MS. GATELLI: On the question?
17 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Wouldn't that
18 go to the pension board?
19 MS. EVANS: No. Actually it was a
20 line item in the annual operating budget.
21 It had reached a high point of $400,000, and
22 has since annually decreased, until finally
23 in the 2007 operating budget, there is a
24 zero dollar amount listed. I do not
25 understand how we can in one year receive
.
31
1 $400,000 in reimbursements, and in 2007,
2 receive zero dollars.
3 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: I'll second
4 that. I have no problem with that.
5 MS. GATELLI: Anyone else on the
6 question? All in favor.
7 MS. EVANS: Aye.
8 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
9 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
10 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
11 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The
12 ayes have it and so moved.
13 MS. EVANS: I move that the
14 administration provide the total number of
15 buyouts that have occurred from 2002 through
16 2006.
17 MR. COURTRIGHT: Second.
18 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
19 in favor.
20 MS. EVANS: Aye.
21 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
22 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
23 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
24 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The
25 ayes have it and so moved.
.
32
1 MS. EVANS: And finally, I move that
2 the following questions receive responses,
3 When will the city receive the realty
4 transfer tax payment for the sale of Montage
5 Ski Resort? Is this payment included in the
6 realty transfer tax line item of the 2007
7 proposed budget?
8 MR. COURTRIGHT: Second.
9 MS. GATELLI: On the question. All
10 in favor.
11 MS. EVANS: Aye.
12 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
13 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
14 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
15 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The
16 ayes have it and so moved.
17 MS. EVANS: I thank my honorable
18 colleagues, and that's it.
19 MS. GATELLI: Mrs. Fanucci.
20 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: I am happy to
21 see the full house tonight, and I want to
22 talk about something that's been in the
23 paper a lot this week, obviously the water
24 and the problems that we have in our
25 distressed city.
.
33
1 This week we were hit with another
2 setback, and the amount that came up, it's
3 just ludicrous how much money we are
4 spending, and our deficit is increasing
5 daily.
6 But it is easily explained. Our
7 revenue increase is roughly 1.2 percent
8 yearly, so that's how much we actually
9 increase and bring in. Hopefully with some
10 of our new taxes, we can increase that.
11 But our health care costs increased
12 eight to 12 percent every year. Last year
13 it was 15 percent. The pension increase
14 last year was four to six percent, and
15 obviously inflation was three percent.
16 A new report came out on Sunday, as
17 a matter of fact, Committing to Prosperity
18 by the Brooking's Institute. This -- it's
19 like an independent study group, they go out
20 and they check out all of Pennsylvania,
21 decide what they should do. It's not like
22 PEL, because they do not work for anyone.
23 This is their own report.
24 Scranton is not alone in the fact
25 that we are distressed and cannot pay our
.
34
1 bills.
2 In 1970, 54 out of the 56 cities
3 were below the state fiscal average. By
4 2003, all cities fell below. And not only
5 does it show how distressed we are, but it
6 shows us how to get out of it, and this is
7 an idea -- in fact, I was talking to one of
8 the leaders tonight from the unions, and
9 this, to me, is the best way for us to get
10 out of distressed city.
11 It states that all you need to do is
12 put together a health care fund like the
13 state. All the cities get together, and
14 instead of purchasing individual health
15 care, they go together in one lump sum,
16 purchase health care. This way we get lots
17 of breaks on the health care system, that
18 people say, okay, instead of, what, 800
19 employees, you're going to have thousands
20 and thousands and thousands of employees
21 under the same umbrella, just like the state
22 does.
23 Everybody says, Oh, gosh, I wish I
24 had the state health care. This is the way
25 for you to get the state health care, not at
.
35
1 the same prices.
2 This is where I need everyone's
3 help. This is not something that we can do
4 from this level. We wish we could, but it's
5 not.
6 So, I'm erasing all the lines in the
7 sand, I'm asking you to do the same. This
8 issue is something we can all come together
9 on. Why? Because we don't want to be
10 distressed anymore.
11 Our health care is a problem. Does
12 that mean that you blame anyone? No.
13 Health care has gone up. We need our
14 employees to have wonderful health care, we
15 want them to be provide health care.
16 But as everybody knows at home, you
17 are paying lots of money trying to keep this
18 health care going. We need to find a way,
19 and this is the best way to do it.
20 Here's what they said. It's not
21 only the health care, they also said that if
22 we do this for pension and tax collections,
23 also, that this is the way.
24 But the only way we can do this is
25 by talking to every one of your legislators
.
36
1 and saying that you want to do this, then we
2 have to go to other cities in Pennsylvania
3 and say, this is something we want to do
4 collectively as one state. We want the
5 state to do this for us, we want them to
6 help us purchase the health care, we want
7 the cost reductions.
8 PEL did do a study on this, and they
9 said that we can save up to $500 million if
10 this was done in the right way. That is a
11 huge savings our city. That is our way out
12 of being distressed. Right now if you do
13 this and we can get this done together, this
14 is our way out.
15 I'm going to tell you the mission of
16 this book, because I know a lot of people,
17 and I want everybody to read it, too,
18 because it is amazing, and what -- some of
19 the leaders were telling me, Oh, we said
20 this for a long time, but the study was not
21 out. I didn't read it. I just read it on
22 Sunday, so -- the Brooking Institution's
23 policy is that they go into cities, they see
24 the challenges that they have, they want to
25 promote America with solutions to help
.
37
1 communities grow with competitive and
2 sustainable ways. The health care cost in
3 our deficit is not anyone's fault. It's a
4 fact.
5 We need to provide good coverage,
6 and this is the best way to do it. So, I
7 need you to contact all of your legislators
8 and say this is something we want to do
9 together. We need to work at this and say
10 it's time to get out of distressed status
11 and save ourselves as much money as we can.
12 I'm going to give you the task to
13 try to do this and help us to work this
14 legislation out in the right way.
15 So, call everyone you know and call
16 them and let's try to work together to get
17 this done.
18 I know that I am going to sit down
19 and try to speak to some of the union
20 leaders and see if there's something that
21 they have suggested years ago on this, and
22 if there's some other way that we can
23 implement this in a quicker, more efficient
24 way for all of us.
25 But that is really all I have. I
.
38
1 think that this is what our problem is. We
2 need to work towards something that we can
3 get out of distressed city. This will stop
4 most of our problems. This will help us
5 move forward, and that is all I have. Thank
6 you.
7 MS. GATELLI: Thank you. Mr.
8 McGoff.
9 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you. I would
10 like to perhaps explain my vote on Mr.
11 Courtright's motion. It was my belief that
12 in removing the live feed of Channel 61,
13 that we really didn't change anything.
14 Do I believe that there's something
15 wrong or has been something wrong with the
16 meetings, yes, but I don't believe that
17 simply by taking away the live feed and
18 changing it to a one-hour tape delay was
19 really going to accomplish anything.
20 Whether we have live broadcasts or a
21 one-hour delay really wasn't worth the
22 contention that it had generated, and
23 therefore, I voted in accordance with Mr.
24 Courtright's motion.
25 It has also been stated that at the
.
39
1 last meeting I asked the cameras be stopped.
2 That is correct, I did.
3 It was my belief that by stopping
4 the cameras, that the spectacle that was
5 taking place might be resolved. I had no
6 intention of violating anyone's right to
7 speak, I simply thought that if we stopped
8 the cameras at that point, resolve the
9 issue, that the meeting could continue.
10 The best analogy that I could give
11 would be at sporting events where they
12 refuse to televise or show people running on
13 the field or engaged in some other type of
14 behavior that detracts from the actual
15 event.
16 My apologies if my action was
17 interpreted as an attempt to silence anyone.
18 It simply was not.
19 In an attempt to move forward on
20 some of the issues that have been discussed
21 in the past, I, too, would like to make a
22 motion to have the amusement tax as drafted
23 by Attorney Minora placed on the next agenda
24 for Council consideration.
25 MS. EVANS: Second.
.
40
1 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
2 in favor.
3 MS. EVANS: Aye.
4 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
5 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
6 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
7 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The
8 ayes have it and so moved.
9 MR. MCGOFF: Second, I would like to
10 make a motion to have a sign and billboard
11 tax as drafted by Attorney Minora placed on
12 our next agenda for Council consideration.
13 MS. EVANS: Second.
14 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
15 those in favor.
16 MS. EVANS: Aye.
17 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
18 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
19 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
20 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The
21 ayes have it and so moved.
22 MR. MCGOFF: And last, I would also
23 like to make a motion to authorize Attorney
24 Minora to investigate the possibility of a
25 public safety fee imposed on local schools,
.
41
1 university -- universities, for protection
2 afforded to out-of-city students.
3 MS. EVANS: Second.
4 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
5 in favor.
6 MS. EVANS: Aye.
7 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
8 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
9 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
10 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The
11 ayes have it and so moved.
12 MR. MCGOFF: With that, I hope that
13 our first agendas can take a look at doing
14 things to look at the progress of the City
15 of Scranton and look into the future, rather
16 than continue to delve on the past. Thank
17 you.
18 MS. GATELLI: Mr. Courtright.
19 MR. COURTRIGHT: Thank you. Mr.
20 Jackowitz, I believe, he E-mailed me, it's
21 been a couple of weeks, I forgot, but anyway
22 I sent your request, if you're out there, I
23 don't know if you're out there, okay, to
24 Dave Elliott, the police chief, and I'll
25 read his response to you.
.
42
1 On March 15, 2007, I received in my
2 mail a request for information relating to
3 stabbings in the City of Scranton from
4 June 2006 to March 2007.
5 After consulting our records
6 division, I was informed that we cannot
7 search by the title stabbings. All stabbing
8 incidents will be listed by aggravated
9 assaults with a weapon.
10 You can have the resident refer to
11 the Pennsylvania State Police website and
12 look at the UCR section. They can look at
13 the aggravated assault section and compare
14 the results. I apologize for the delay,
15 however, I just received your request. So,
16 that's the answer I got from your question.
17 I would imagine somebody is going to
18 speak about this evening, so maybe I can
19 shed some light on this. The $281,000 that
20 was on the agenda last time we met for flood
21 money, I called down, I spoke to Stu Renda,
22 Leo DeAngelo and Lori Reed about it, and
23 what they're telling me is under the Doherty
24 Administration and the Connors
25 Administration, no money was given to The
.
43
1 Radisson from OECD. It was taken over as a
2 hotel during the McNulty administration, and
3 as far as they know, there was no money
4 there either. They're not positive on that.
5 The $281,000 was money the city
6 anticipated on paying for matching funds
7 when we had the flood a while back when
8 Pittston Avenue caved in, so the city was
9 anticipating having to match $281,000, and
10 that's why that money was put aside.
11 Why it couldn't go to lower Green
12 Ridge, and -- it's because of the fact that
13 lower Green Ridge is not considered a low to
14 moderate income area, so they can't use
15 federal money for what will be considered a
16 quick fix.
17 I understand that is certainly not
18 what you want to hear. I'm just telling you
19 the answer that I got.
20 And I don't know how to phrase it,
21 but they put it more or less to me, OECD is
22 not allowed to do maintenance or quick
23 fixes. The money, where the $281,000 is
24 going, to the Elm Street and East Mountain
25 project.
.
44
1 So, I believe I had Kay ask Stu
2 this, it didn't dawn on me when I was the
3 phone, did I ask you, Kay, about how the
4 money was going to East Mountain and it
5 could not go to lower Green Ridge, and the
6 answer was this, did you get this answer for
7 me, it's been a couple of weeks --
8 MS. GARVEY: Yeah, I think I did.
9 MR. COURTRIGHT: And the answer is
10 this, East Mountain area is not low to
11 moderate either, but it was eligible under
12 the spot slum and blight, so they blighted
13 an area and that's how they got the money.
14 MS. SUETTA: Yeah, the woods. Come
15 on.
16 MR. COURTRIGHT: All right, Jean.
17 Again, I understand these aren't answers
18 that you want, but I did my very best to try
19 to get you some kind of answer.
20 Under the guidelines, an area has to
21 be 51 percent or more low to moderate income
22 for this area. To determine -- the latest
23 census was in 2000, and at that time, that
24 part of Green Ridge wasn't low to moderate.
25 I'm trying to see if there's
.
45
1 anything else you might be interested in.
2 They also said, I don't think this matters a
3 whole lot to anybody, that when they were
4 allocating this money, what they were doing
5 was advertising it in The Times, as per
6 HUD's requirements.
7 So, they're the answers I got. I
8 didn't anticipate you being very happy with
9 them, but they were the answers I got. It's
10 the best I can do for now.
11 Maybe we can see if we can get that
12 area, it will probably take forever, you
13 know, spot blighted. I didn't know there
14 was such a thing, to be honest with you, so
15 I learned something.
16 When we had the last meeting and
17 Mrs. Gatelli made a motion to adjourn and I
18 seconded it, I got several calls and several
19 people were, you know, saying, you know, Why
20 did we do that. You know, I second guess
21 myself. I think maybe what we should have
22 done was recessed, but during what was going
23 on, I don't think I was really thinking all
24 that straight. It was a little chaotic
25 here, so I seconded the motion, so I hope
.
46
1 nothing like that happens in the future, but
2 if it does, maybe we can recess and then
3 come back out, because there were speakers
4 that, you know, needed to talk and we didn't
5 afford them that opportunity, so I
6 apologize. It was during the heat of the
7 moment.
8 Kay, the DPW, thanks to Officer Tom
9 Lee, was up on Forrest Glen Drive, where I
10 had said that the road is really
11 deteriorating.
12 Now it's almost half, if not more,
13 of the road that's deteriorated, and I
14 couldn't get any results from Mr. -- but
15 Officer Lee did. Now there's a cave-in up
16 there, and there's a horse over it.
17 But if we can tell the DPW now the
18 horse isn't covering the cave-in, it's going
19 to be bigger than what the horse is
20 covering, so whether they need to go up
21 there and do a quick fix or what, they got
22 to do something there fast. It's a similar
23 problem we had up the road, it's just going
24 to happen again.
25 And one last thing I noticed, I know
.
47
1 a lot of you want to speak this evening, I'm
2 not quite sure why the balcony wasn't
3 opened. It's been opened ever since I've
4 been here.
5 When I first got here, there were a
6 whole lot of people outside waiting to get
7 in. When I went back down to tell them, if
8 one speaker left, you would be allowed to
9 come in, if you're willing to wait, there
10 wasn't as many out there at the time, some
11 have left.
12 And I really think that the balcony
13 could have accommodated those that were
14 remaining. So, Kay, unless someone up here
15 knows the exact answer, maybe we can ask Mr.
16 Doherty why we're not allowed to use the
17 balcony.
18 I understand they don't want people
19 roaming around. Jeez, I've been here for
20 over three years, and I don't really think
21 anything has happened, maybe a little bit of
22 people leaving a soda can or whatever up
23 there. But if somebody can give me an
24 answer to why we can't use the balcony, I'd
25 appreciate that.
.
48
1 And, again, did I send -- I sent so
2 many letters on this. Did I send another
3 letter out asking what's going on on the
4 Main Avenue project or did I not?
5 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: You did.
6 MS. GARVEY: You did send one
7 letter, but the last mention from you was
8 just a request on the air to the mayor,
9 rather than sending a letter.
10 MS. GATELLI: Why don't you do a
11 motion?
12 MR. COURTRIGHT: We did a motion.
13 We did a motion. I can't get a response,
14 the five of us can't. I'm going to have to
15 camp outside his door, I guess.
16 I just simply want an answer. Is he
17 still in favor? He was in favor of doing
18 the project on Main Avenue in West Scranton.
19 And if not -- now people are getting mad.
20 And I'm happy South Scranton is
21 getting all that they're getting, they
22 deserve it, but now people in West Scranton
23 are saying, We're not getting nothing over
24 here. And I can't even get an answer.
25 So, all I want is an answer. If he
.
49
1 says no, I won't bug him.
2 MS. GATELLI: We got the money, but
3 nothing was done yet.
4 MR. COURTRIGHT: Well, at least you
5 got something. I didn't get an answer. So,
6 I'm not going to ask you to send another
7 letter. I am going to wait until I see his
8 car out the back and I'm going to knock on
9 his door.
10 MS. GATELLI: I think that we can
11 probably invite him to meet with Council.
12 MR. COURTRIGHT: That would be
13 great.
14 MS. GARVEY: Invite the mayor to
15 meet with Council in caucus?
16 MS. GATELLI: Yes.
17 MR. COURTRIGHT: I'd be thrilled.
18 MS. GARVEY: Any date or any special
19 date that you want?
20 MS. GATELLI: I would ask for
21 possibly the week after next, since next
22 week is Holy Thursday.
23 MS. GARVEY: So, the 12th of April.
24 MS. GATELLI: And see if he can come
25 at 5:30 or even five o'clock.
.
50
1 MS. GARVEY: Okay.
2 MR. COURTRIGHT: Thank you. That's
3 all I have.
4 MS. EVANS: Mrs. Gatelli, could we
5 schedule the caucus with the Sewer Authority
6 as soon as possible?
7 MS. GATELLI: Yes. I already talked
8 to them, that we certainly need to meet, so
9 I will get a date for that, too.
10 MS. EVANS: Very good. The only
11 thing, Mr. Courtright, I wanted to add, you
12 jogged my memory as you spoke, I had heard
13 from individuals who were attending the
14 trial concerning the Hazleton illegal
15 immigration issue, that it was stated during
16 that trial that the mayor of the City of
17 Scranton has set aside $20 million for a
18 shopping center, I believe, that would
19 accommodate primarily our immigrant
20 population, and I am wondering if indeed
21 that is accurate, and if so, where that
22 money is coming from.
23 I'm guessing that it would include
24 federal funding, state funding, but I've
25 never heard mention of that since I've been
.
51
1 seated on Council.
2 Nevertheless, the statement was made
3 by, I believe, individuals who were
4 defending the case of the illegal immigrants
5 in Hazleton, and so I think it is an issue
6 that we should be investigating within the
7 city, particularly since we're facing
8 financial devastation.
9 MR. COURTRIGHT: I agree. We've got
10 a financial meltdown here. We got $20
11 million going anywhere, I'd like to know.
12 It's the first I heard about it. That's
13 all. Thank you.
14 MS. GATELLI: Okay. I have a few
15 announcements. This weekend at West
16 Scranton High School, the students are
17 presenting The Wizard of Oz. It will be
18 tomorrow night at seven and Saturday at two.
19 The Minooka Lions Club is offering a
20 $2700 reward for information leading to the
21 whereabouts of Matthew Grendell, a
22 20-year-old who has been missing since
23 March 10. They have received $700 in
24 donations, in addition to the $2,000.
25 Mr. Grendell's father is a member of
.
52
1 the Minooka Lions Cub. Send your check
2 payable to The Minooka Lions Club to Jack
3 Donlan, 3028 Colliery Avenue, 18505, and
4 anyone with information about his
5 disappearance is asked to call the police at
6 348-4141.
7 Also, this is an early invitation
8 that Kay got today for the Memorial Day
9 service from the Veteran of Foreign Wars
10 Post 25 on Rockwell Avenue. It's at Nay Aug
11 Park at twelve noon on Monday, May 28.
12 And I just have a few comments I'd
13 like to make. Two weeks ago due to a
14 speaker's outburst and refusal to leave the
15 podium unless arrested, and with the fear
16 that things would escalate out of control
17 where everyone's security might be violated,
18 I moved to adjourn the meeting, which was
19 seconded by Mr. Courtright and passed 5-0.
20 It was not my wish to see the person
21 arrested. In retrospect, I agree with Mr.
22 Courtright, that we could have adjourned for
23 ten or fifteen minutes until things settled
24 down, but in the heat of it, that is what
25 resulted.
.
53
1 Last week due to what I believed to
2 be serious threats, there were photos of
3 guns and people's heads exploding and the
4 threat, please, please, that might lead to
5 violence and compromise the security of all
6 those that would be attending the meeting,
7 especially the children that would be here
8 getting proclamations from Scranton High
9 School, I met with Solicitor Minora, they
10 were reviewed by several law enforcement
11 agencies, and it was decided that cancelling
12 the meeting would be the best path to
13 guarantee everyone's safety.
14 It seemed like the safest course to
15 follow until proper procedures could be put
16 in place to assure a safe and secure meeting
17 environment.
18 Our building is one of few that does
19 not have a security system in this post 9/11
20 world that we live in.
21 In the past I relaxed the rules of
22 Council to accommodate speakers and members
23 of Council. It was my hope in doing so with
24 less formality would foster a more
25 productive dialogue.
.
54
1 I will from now on strictly enforce
2 the rules. The rules of Council will be
3 posted, and also the statute regarding the
4 conduct of persons attending public
5 meetings.
6 It is my wish to hear public comment
7 in an orderly fashion, less than that will
8 not be tolerated, as it might jeopardize the
9 safety of everyone attending the meeting.
10 As president of Council, it is my
11 duty to maintain order, provide a safe and
12 secure environment and see that the business
13 of Council gets done.
14 It is my hope that spirited and open
15 discussion of the issues, minus personal
16 vendettas, return to the chambers.
17 People can disagree about the issues
18 and still be civil to one another.
19 Tolerance of other person's opinions,
20 different from our own, can lead to more
21 fruitful discussion and solutions to
22 problems that everyone might be able to live
23 with.
24 If Scranton and this Council are to
25 move forward, we must be willing to set
.
55
1 aside our personal differences that only
2 divided us and not unite us and find a
3 common ground and make the necessary
4 compromise for the benefit of our great city
5 and the people who we serve.
6 If I have offended anyone, and Mr.
7 Lyman, I did call you names, and I hope that
8 you can accept my apology. I must set an
9 example, and I haven't always done that.
10 It is very difficult to sit here and
11 be abused and talked about your family, so
12 until that happens to you, I am a human
13 being, and I do err. I'm not perfect, and I
14 never claimed to be perfect.
15 But I apologize if I have insulted
16 anyone, and I will try my best not to do it
17 in the future, and I hope that you can
18 accept my apology. Thank you. That's all I
19 have. Mrs. Garvey.
20 MS. GARVEY: 5-B, FOR INTRODUCTION -
21 AN ORDINANCE - APPROVING PENALTY, INTEREST
22 AND FEE SCHEDULE FOR COLLECTION OF
23 DELINQUENT REAL ESTATE TAXES.
24 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
25 entertain a motion that Item 5-B be
.
56
1 introduced.
2 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
3 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
4 MS. GATELLI: On the question?
5 MS. EVANS: There appear to be a
6 duplication of services on the first page,
7 specifically between items 3-A and 3-B. I
8 have quite a concern with a number of the
9 provisions, not because I oppose the
10 collection of delinquent taxes, but keeping
11 in mind what the citizens of the city are
12 facing in their financial future, this piece
13 of legislation severely penalizes those who
14 are unable to pay their taxes.
15 And as a result, I would have to
16 question if indeed those payments will ever
17 be made with such fines and fees attached.
18 I thought that the 25 percent
19 collected by NCC beyond the actual amount of
20 delinquency was a very sharp measure, but it
21 certainly pales in comparison to what is
22 contained in this legislation.
23 And as I said, it appears to be
24 pregnant with items that are quite
25 unnecessary, so I will be voting no.
.
57
1 MS. GATELLI: Anyone else on the
2 question? All those in favor.
3 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
4 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
5 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
6 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed?
7 MS. EVANS: No.
8 MS. GATELLI: The ayes have it and
9 so moved.
10 MS. GARVEY: 5-C, FOR INTRODUCTION -
11 A RESOLUTION - AUTHORIZING THE SALE OF TAX
12 CLAIMS TO THE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE
13 CITY OF SCRANTON, AND AUTHORIZING THE
14 EXECUTION OF A PURCHASE AND SALES AGREEMENT
15 RELATING THERETO; AUTHORIZING THE HIRING OF
16 MUNICIPAL REVENUE SERVICES, INC AND THE LAW
17 FIRM OF ELLIOTT GREENLEAF SIEDZIKOWSKI AND
18 BALABAN RELATING TO THE TRANSACTION.
19 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
20 entertain a motion that Item 5-C be
21 introduced.
22 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
23 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
24 MS. GATELLI: On the question?
25 MS. EVANS: Municipal Revenue
.
58
1 Services has been selected by the mayor in
2 2006. This particular contract was never
3 put out to bid.
4 Further, the backup for this
5 resolution contains no dollar figures, and
6 this is a copy of the agreement. It
7 contains only blank lines.
8 And Exhibit 3.01A, the service agent
9 agreement to which we are referred for the
10 costs involved, as you can all see, is
11 blank. I will not be voting for this piece
12 of legislation.
13 MS. GATELLI: Anyone else on the
14 question?
15 MR. COURTRIGHT: Mrs. Gatelli, I am
16 going to vote yes to introduce it. I did
17 speak with an individual that's in this
18 field, and from what he could see, he
19 thought it was a good idea, but I'll find
20 out what particular questions Mrs. Evans has
21 either after the meeting or this week.
22 Just because I'm not an expert on
23 this, I'm going to seek some counseling from
24 this individual, and then I'll render my
25 final decision. Next week will be seventh
.
59
1 order, I believe.
2 MS. EVANS: If I could just respond
3 briefly to this, an overview. It appears
4 that the delinquencies will be in effect
5 sold to the Scranton Redevelopment
6 Authority, and the Redevelopment Authority
7 will obtain either a letter of credit or a
8 loan from Pennstar Bank, and should the
9 delinquencies collected not meet the payment
10 schedule, then I believe, once again, the
11 City of Scranton is going to be on the hook.
12 MR. COURTRIGHT: And I'll certainly
13 look into that. I believe I have it in my
14 car, but I took it with me to try to get
15 some guidance on this from this gentleman,
16 and I think, as you all know, I give my
17 agenda to Mr. Sbaraglia after each meeting,
18 so I have to take this part out, Andy, this
19 week. Thank you.
20 MS. GARVEY: Mrs. Gatelli, I asked
21 Amil before I interrupted here if that was
22 okay. I did get some information, because I
23 was asked to by a Council member regarding
24 this piece of legislation, so I just wanted
25 to give each of you the answer that I got
.
60
1 from Attorney Hickey.
2 I was asked to find out who the
3 owners were of this company, he said the
4 owner is Pamela Herron, H-e-r-r-o-n. Her
5 husband is Chuck, he works for the firm, as
6 does a man by the name of Jeff Spaulding.
7 They were located in Keon, Pennsylvania. It
8 was the same firm that did the same program
9 for the Scranton School District, and
10 Attorney Hickey also talked to Chuck Herron,
11 and he said they would be happy to come in
12 to see Council, if you so chose to do that.
13 MR. COURTRIGHT: I would like to see
14 that, maybe they could explain it. And,
15 Kay, I would assume the finance chair for
16 the school district, I'm sorry, scrutinized
17 this when they had it done. Maybe we can
18 send, I believe it's Mr. Garvey, isn't it,
19 maybe you can ask him if he could send over
20 to us, you know, how they feel about the job
21 they did for them, seeing if they did work
22 for them.
23 MS. EVANS: And I think the caucus
24 would be very helpful if they would provide
25 exhibits and dollar amounts for us.
.
61
1 MR. COURTRIGHT: Absolutely, because
2 I mean, this is a lot of money, and I'm not
3 a financial wizard. I'm probably going to
4 need some things explained to me.
5 MS. EVANS: May we consider tabling
6 this until such a caucus is held?
7 MS. GATELLI: I think that's a
8 better idea.
9 MR. COURTRIGHT: I would be in favor
10 of that.
11 MS. GATELLI: Will someone make a
12 motion to table?
13 MS. EVANS: I move to table Item
14 5-C.
15 MR. COURTRIGHT: Second.
16 MS. GATELLI: All in favor.
17 MS. EVANS: Aye.
18 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
19 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
20 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
21 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The
22 ayes have it and so moved.
23 MS. GARVEY: 5-D, FOR INTRODUCTION -
24 A RESOLUTION - APPOINTMENT OF FRANK J.
25 TUNIS, JR., 101 KELLY WAY, SCRANTON,
.
62
1 PENNSYLVANIA, AS A MEMBER OF THE SCRANTON
2 PARKING AUTHORITY EFFECTIVE MARCH 19, 2007.
3 MR. TUNIS WILL BE REPLACING JAMES MORELL WHO
4 RESIGNED ON FEBRUARY 28, 2007. MR. TUNIS'
5 TERM WILL EXPIRE ON JUNE 1, 2007.
6 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
7 entertain a motion that Item 5-D be
8 introduced.
9 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
10 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
11 MS. GATELLI: On the question? I
12 would just like to make a comment here that
13 Mr. Morell is a very dear friend of mine, he
14 has been ill, and that is why he has to
15 leave the board, and I would ask that you
16 all keep him in your prayers. He's doing
17 very well, but he's ill, and that's why he
18 has to leave the board, and he did a fine
19 job. That's my only comment. Anyone else?
20 All those in favor.
21 MS. EVANS: Aye.
22 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
23 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
25 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The
.
63
1 ayes have it and so moved.
2 MS. GARVEY: 5-E, FOR INTRODUCTION -
3 A RESOLUTION - APPOINTMENT OF MICHAEL C.
4 SALERNO, JR., 1200 BRYN MAWR STREET,
5 SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, 18504 AS A MEMBER OF
6 THE SCRANTON PARKING AUTHORITY. MR. SALERNO
7 WILL BE REPLACING JOSEPH MATYJEVICH WHO
8 RESIGNED ON MARCH 2, 2007. MR. SALERNO'S
9 TERM WILL EXPIRE ON JUNE 1, 2009.
10 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
11 entertain a motion that Item 5-E be
12 introduced.
13 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
14 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
15 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
16 in favor.
17 MS. EVANS: Aye.
18 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
19 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
20 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
21 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The
22 ayes have it and so moved.
23 MS. GARVEY: 5-F, FOR INTRODUCTION -
24 A RESOLUTION - AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND
25 OTHER APPROPRIATE CITY OFFICIALS TO EXECUTE
.
64
1 A CONTRACT WITH ROBERT ROSSI & COMPANY TO
2 PERFORM THE CITY OF SCRANTON'S ANNUAL
3 INDEPENDENT POST AUDIT FOR THE YEARS ENDING
4 DECEMBER 31, 2006; DECEMBER 31, 2007;
5 DECEMBER 31, 2008; AND DECEMBER 31, 2009.
6 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
7 entertain a motion that Item 5-F be
8 introduced.
9 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
10 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
11 MS. GATELLI: On the question? The
12 only comment I'd like to make is I know
13 someone brought this up when they commented
14 under the agenda items, and Robert Rossi did
15 the last audit for the City of Scranton, and
16 when we put it out to bid, we got bids that
17 were $100,000 more, so -- and I believe we
18 bid it twice. We put out requests for
19 proposals.
20 So, we waived our rules and asked
21 Mr. Rossi if he would do it for the same
22 price again. He agreed, so we are waiving
23 the rules, because you're not supposed to do
24 the audit two times in a row, and that is
25 why we came to that.
.
65
1 I believe it was you, Mr. Patilla,
2 that asked that particular question, but
3 that is Council's -- Council does that
4 hiring, and we have saved the city $100,000
5 by going with Robert Rossi again, so I just
6 wanted to explain that. Anyone else on the
7 question? All those in favor.
8 MS. EVANS: Aye.
9 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
10 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
11 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
12 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The
13 ayes have it and so moved.
14 MS. GARVEY: 5-G, FOR INTRODUCTION -
15 AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND OTHER APPROPRIATE
16 CITY OFFICIALS FOR THE CITY OF SCRANTON TO
17 ENTER INTO A LOAN AGREEMENT AND MAKE A LOAN
18 FROM THE COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL REVOLVING
19 LOAN PROGRAM, PROJECT NO. 150.8 IN AN AMOUNT
20 NOT TO EXCEED $150,000.00 TO ELECTRIC CITY
21 ROASTING COMPANY TO ASSIST AN ELIGIBLE
22 PROJECT.
23 MS. GATELLI: At this time I'll
24 entertain a motion that Item 5-G be
25 introduced.
.
66
1 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
2 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Second.
3 MS. GATELLI: On the question?
4 MS. EVANS: I had requested in
5 writing the guarantee from the owner of the
6 Electric City Roasting Company that any
7 monies received in the form of loans from
8 any authority, department, et cetera, of the
9 City of Scranton not be used for a property
10 these same individuals have purchased in the
11 500 block of Lackawanna Avenue.
12 I received almost immediately a
13 response from the owner indicating,
14 guaranteeing that none of the monies will be
15 applied to their property in the 500 block
16 of Lackawanna Avenue.
17 MS. GATELLI: Anyone else on the
18 question? All those in favor.
19 MS. EVANS: Aye.
20 MS. NEALON FANUCCI: Aye.
21 MR. MCGOFF: Aye.
22 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
23 MS. GATELLI: Aye. Opposed? The
24 ayes have it and so moved.
25 MS. GARVEY: Sixth order. 6-A,
.
67
1 READING BY TITLE - FILE OF COUNCIL NO. 80,
2 2007 - AN ORDINANCE - CREATING AND
3 ESTABLISHING SPECIAL CITY ACCOUNT NO.
4 02.229584 ENTITLED SCRANTON POLICE MOTOR
5 CARRIER ENFORCEMENT DETAIL ACCOUNT TO
6 RECEIVE AND DISBURSE FUNDS FROM AND FOR THE
7 MOTOR CARRIER ENFORCEMENT DETAILS OF THE
8 SCRANTON POLICE DEPARTMENT.
9 MS. GATELLI: You've heard reading
10 by title of Item 6-A, what is your pleasure?
11 MR. COURTRIGHT: I move that Item
12 6-A pass reading by title.
13 MR. MCGOFF: Second.
14 MS. GATELLI: On the question? All
15 those in favo