1
1 SCRANTON CITY COUNCIL MEETING
2
3
4
5 HELD:
6
7 Tuesday, November 18, 2008
8
9 LOCATION:
10 Council Chambers
11 Scranton City Hall
12 340 North Washington Avenue
13 Scranton, Pennsylvania
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
CATHENE S. NARDOZZI, RPR - OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
24
25
2
1
2 CITY OF SCRANTON COUNCIL:
3
4
MR. ROBERT MCGOFF, PRESIDENT
5
6 MS. JUDY GATELLI, VICE-PRESIDENT
7
MS. JANET E. EVANS
8
9 MS. SHERRY FANUCCI
10
MR. WILLIAM COURTRIGHT
11
12 MS. KAY GARVEY, CITY CLERK
13
MR. NEIL COOLICAN, ASSISTANT CITY CLERK
14
15 MR. AMIL MINORA, SOLICITOR
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
3
1 (Pledge of Allegiance recited and moment of reflection
2 observed.)
3 MR. MCGOFF: Roll call, please?
4 MR. COOLICAN: Mrs. Evans.
5 MS. EVANS: Here.
6 MR. COOLICAN: Mrs. Gatelli.
7 MS. GATELLI: Here.
8 MR. COOLICAN: Ms. Fanucci.
9 MS. FANUCCI: Here.
10 MR. COOLICAN: Mr. Courtright.
11 MR. COURTRIGHT: Here.
12 MR. COOLICAN: Mr. McGoff.
13 MR. MCGOFF: Here. Dispense with
14 the reading of the minutes.
15 MS. GARVEY: 3-A. MINUTES OF THE
16 COMPOSITE PENSION BOARD MEETING HELD ON
17 OCTOBER 22, 2008.
18 MR. MCGOFF: Are there any comments?
19 If not, received and filed.
20 MR. GARVEY: 3-B. MINUTES OF THE
21 NONUNIFORM PENSION MEETING HELD ON OCTOBER
22 22, 2008.
23 MR. MCGOFF: Are there any comments?
24 If not, received and filed.
25 MS. GARVEY: 3-C. AGENDA FOR THE
4
1 NONUNIFORM MUNICIPAL PENSION MEETING HELD ON
2 NOVEMBER 12, 2008.
3 MR. MCGOFF: Are there any comments?
4 If not, received and filed.
5 MS. GARVEY: 3-D. MINUTES OF THE
6 POLICE PENSION COMMISSION MEETING HELD ON
7 SEPTEMBER 24, 2008.
8 MR. MCGOFF: Are there any comments?
9 If not, received and filed.
10 MS. GARVEY: 3-E. SCRANTON POLICE
11 COMMISSION MEETING SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 22,
12 2008, WAS CANCELLED DUE TO LACK OF QUORUM.
13 MR. MCGOFF: Are there any comments?
14 If not, received and filed.
15 MS. GARVEY: That's it for Third
16 Order.
17 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you, Mrs. Garvey.
18 Mr. Courtright, I was to remind you that you
19 had one announcement.
20 MR. COURTRIGHT: Thank you. I just
21 have one. This Saturday from seven to
22 midnight at the 20th Ward on Pittston Avenue
23 there is going to be a benefit concert and
24 the donation is $20 and it benefits the ST.
25 Damon's Children's Hospital fund. There
5
1 will two local bands there so if you can
2 support that it's for a good cause and that
3 would be the 20th Ward from seven to
4 midnight this Saturday. Thank you.
5 MS. GATELLI: I just have a few
6 items. I would like to announce that West
7 Scranton High School had Feed a Friend
8 program and we collected 1,005 cans for
9 Channel 16 for Feed a Friend. That's
10 chaired by Mr. Bressett.
11 Charlie Spano asked me to announce
12 that if anyone is looking for extra money
13 and a part-time job the census bureau is
14 looking for people to work in the office and
15 in the field and you can call 1-866-861-2010
16 for further information. I'll give this to
17 Mrs. Garvey to put on Channel 61. It would
18 be a great opportunity for someone that
19 needs some part-time work.
20 The Broadway Theatre League next
21 week is having their Broadway play Ain't
22 Misbehavin' with Rubin Studdard. He is the
23 2003 American Idol winner. The play is
24 Friday, November 28th at 8:00, Saturday
25 November 29 at 2 and 8 and Sunday
6
1 November 30 at 2 and 7 and you can call the
2 Broadway Theatre or the Cultural Center box
3 office for tickets.
4 The Electric City Theatre Company in
5 the Hotel Jermyn is having a play called the
6 Men of Marjong. It's a delightful show
7 about four elderly gentlemen and some of
8 their escapades in starting to play Marjong
9 which is, of course, a female Jewish woman's
10 game. I have been there and it's very
11 entertaining and I would recommend that you
12 see it. It's tomorrow evening at 7:00 and
13 it's only seven dollars on Wednesdays and
14 the rest of the week Thursday, Friday, and
15 Saturday it's at 8:00 and it's $16 and
16 Sunday it's at 3:00 and it's $16.
17 Just one more thing, I received, I
18 don't know, did anyone do this last week
19 when I was wasn't able to be here the
20 exemptions for the smoking?
21 MR. MCGOFF: Yes.
22 MS. GATELLI: Okay. Then that's all
23 I have. Thank you.
24 MR. MCGOFF: Mrs. Evans.
25 MS. EVANS: There will be a family
7
1 fun night at Friendly's restaurant in
2 Dunmore tomorrow November 19 from 5 to
3 8 p.m. A percentage of the collected food
4 receipts from all of those eating in or
5 taking out will benefit St. Francis of
6 Assisi Food Kitchen. Remember, the busier
7 the cash register the greater the donation
8 to the food kitchen.
9 You are cordially invited to attend
10 the first public viewing of Timothy Walsh's
11 Photos for a Cure. Artistic Impressions is
12 pleased to host this show to benefit the
13 lung cancer research foundation. All photos
14 are the original work of Timothy Walsh.
15 Please join us on Saturday, December 6, at
16 Artistic Impressions located at 536
17 Scranton/ Carbondale Highway, Dickson City,
18 from 11 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. All proceeds will
19 be donated to LCRF in honor of Timmy's aunt,
20 Beverly Kosch, because a cure isn't going to
21 rain from the sky.
22 Also, in an effort to raise funds
23 for the Susan G. Koman Foundation students
24 from Scranton High School are holding a
25 Hoops for Hope faculty versus student
8
1 basketball game on November 20 at Scranton
2 High School. Tickets are $3 for adults, $2
3 for students and breast cancer awareness
4 T-shirts are being sold for $8. And, again,
5 all proceeds will be donated to the Susan G.
6 Koman Foundation. That's it.
7 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you. I would just
8 like to mention one item, last evening I had
9 the privilege of attending the inaugural
10 showing of "William J. Nealon, At the Heart
11 of it All." It was the fifth installment of
12 WVIA's documentaries called Great
13 Pennsylvanians. It was, obviously,
14 dedicated to Judge William Nealon. It was a
15 great program and it airs on WVIA at various
16 times. If you have an opportunity to see
17 it, it was a wonderful program about a man
18 who has brought great honor to the City of
19 Scranton and to all of Pennsylvania and the
20 United States, and that's all I have.
21 Anyone else? Fourth Order, Citizens,
22 participation. Andy Sbaraglia.
23 MR. SBARAGLIA: Andy Sbaraglia,
24 citizen of Scranton, fellow Scrantonians. I
25 got before me the audit from the parking
9
1 authority and as you know I like to keep
2 track of them, especially with them building
3 garages everywhere. A few notes out of it.
4 Most of it's pretty boring reading, so I
5 won't really draw it out too much, but here
6 is one, penalty abatement. During 1990 they
7 entered into an agreement with the City of
8 Scranton, Lackawanna County, to pay real
9 estate taxes in the incurred from 1977
10 through 1989. This settlement also provided
11 for the abatement of interest and penalties,
12 in other words, they just wanted to take
13 taxes. The authority paid off the balance
14 due and all settled amounts during 2006, but
15 the agreement with the Lackawanna County is
16 contingent upon the authority staying
17 current with their annual tax bills.
18 With the purchase of the Casey
19 garage in 2007, the county also has plans to
20 recoup $67,000 in taxes outstanding and real
21 estate tax on the Casey property dating back
22 to 2002. The authority says they -- well,
23 the attorney and the legal counsel says that
24 the potential liability was removed.
25 In other words, they are saying they
10
1 don't think they owe it, but if they do owe
2 it and it is reached then they have to pay
3 all of that penalty and interest back on
4 that other abatement where they abated it
5 because they put that stipulation in there.
6 So if they lose current taxes, in other
7 words, they don't keep up on their taxes
8 they can be charged with penalties and
9 interest dating back to I guess 1977, which
10 is quite away back.
11 So, just that's it's interesting and
12 the amount is $67,698.43. In other words,
13 they are not paying taxes on their
14 commercial space is what it probably amounts
15 to and I guess the county is getting a
16 little stickily with it or maybe the last
17 administration was stickily with it and
18 maybe the new administration is more
19 forgiving, but that's politics.
20 But there's another little thing,
21 that loan that they just took out for the
22 garage on North Washington Avenue that they
23 are building now, I'll read the figures out
24 of it as soon as I locate it here it my
25 things here. It's quite revealing. I
11
1 should have marked these pages a little
2 better, there is a lot of pages to go
3 through, but I have it marked. I thought it
4 would stand right out, but anyway they
5 borrowed I think it was 32 million some
6 hundred dollars if I recall that, and I wish
7 I could find it for you, because it is
8 something. Here it is here. "Required
9 payment of payment for the terms of the 2007
10 are as follows: They borrowed $32,295,000.
11 Interest alone on that loan is 40,202,662.
12 In other words, you were paying back in
13 interest more than we borrowed, and that's
14 bad. And if you look at their cash flow, I
15 don't want to really get into it, but they
16 have a cash flow stating probably I think it
17 was something $547,000 at the end of the
18 year, but most of that money comes from the
19 city because we have to deal with them and
20 paying for administration costs plus
21 15 percent of the money that we received
22 from our parking meters and we all know
23 that's a good amount and probably in the
24 budget when that comes up you can look at it
25 more closely, but the thing is I'm telling
12
1 you is the Parking Authority is close to
2 being insolvent. You can't have a cash flow
3 of that little amount and rely on the city
4 to keep bailing you out, eventually it's
5 going to crash, and you look at some of them
6 payments, and they are 2033 to 2037 which is
7 four years, the principle they got to pay
8 back is $11,469,000. Everything has
9 ballooned in the last years.
10 In other words, when the mayor is
11 gone then it's going the city is going to
12 really be in trouble. Thank you.
13 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you,
14 Mr. Sbaraglia. Ozzie Quinn.
15 MR. QUINN: Good evening. Ozzie
16 Quinn, president of the Taxpayers'
17 Association. Could I just distribute these,
18 please? I'm here tonight to speak about
19 5-B, that's the 2009 budget appropriation.
20 Mr. Doherty as you know he took office in
21 2003, and actually his first budget 2003,
22 actually was $56,321,546. Last year it was
23 $84,558,875. It went up $28,237,329 and he
24 also took in over 40 million CDBG. That's a
25 half a billion dollars that he spent since
13
1 he was been in office and he has hired new
2 employees, 58 employees. Now, they don't
3 raise our taxes. Now it's election year
4 coming up in 2009 and lo and behold he is
5 going to lower the budget seven -- decrease
6 the budget 7 percent. Now, isn't that nice
7 of him, you know?
8 But all of that debt that's out
9 there outstanding, well, I just want to
10 explain, what you have before you tonight is
11 a budget that I drew up and actually I think
12 we can pair this down because I know it's
13 hard times we are going on right now as a
14 society, but the fact is that we have to and
15 the quickest way of decreasing a budget is
16 getting rid of dead weight, people you don't
17 need and we have people on board we don't
18 need.
19 You have before you, the fact that
20 I'm asking and I'm recommending that you
21 eliminate the Department of Safety, Public
22 Safety, that is Mr. Hayes' job and the
23 people that go with him. It's all explained
24 there, and also the Human Resources, Human
25 Resources would go in the business
14
1 administration as an expenditure under
2 personnel director, and all the revenue
3 would increase by decreasing the -- cutting
4 21 employees you would be able to save
5 $1,276,577, and that's from salaries and
6 salary reductions.
7 And $400,000 off of professional
8 services. It's unbelievable, $800,000 we
9 are spending a year for a professional
10 services. Contracts for cronies, that's
11 what it is. That's how it should be in the
12 line items, contracts for cronies, $800,000.
13 OECD administrative costs. We should take
14 $200,000 from their administrative cost and
15 convert it over to low and moderate income
16 expenditure costs.
17 In the budget we have $98,000 of
18 other expenditures, whatever that means,
19 other expenditures. And the health
20 benefits, $210,000, and I have an
21 expenditure for personnel office of $60,000.
22 We could save, this budget, if he really
23 cares about the people we could save
24 $2,026,577. Why can't we do it? All we
25 need is three votes. Why don't you stand up
15
1 for the people? We are dwindling. The
2 population is going down, there is no doubt
3 about it. The people cannot afford it. You
4 know there is jobs in the city, all they are
5 paying is from 8 to 10 dollars. We just
6 can't afford it.
7 We have so many -- we have seniors
8 18 percent of the population are senior
9 citizens, elderly, and 20 percent poverty
10 and yet we have a debt the last time I saw
11 it was in that audit, I don't know if you
12 ever got a new audit yet, did you? The last
13 audit was $180 million principle,
14 $108 million in debt. That's a lot of,
15 money okay?
16 And we got to start looking at
17 decreasing that debt and the only way we are
18 going to do it is keep on cutting these
19 budgets and paying more on this debt because
20 if we keep on using money as you people say
21 refinance, actually you are borrowing money
22 to pay off a loan that you already have.
23 You are taking one charge account and you
24 are paying it with another charge account
25 card and that don't working. It's obvious,
16
1 it's not going to work, and yet you are
2 letting the man do it and he is sitting here
3 and he is sitting there and he wants to get
4 reelected and he thinks he is fooling the
5 people by decreasing the budget, but please
6 look at that budget closely and I appreciate
7 if you would adhere to it. Thank you.
8 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you, Mr. Quinn.
9 Jim?
10 MR. STUCKER: How you doing? Jimmy
11 Stucker. Okay, can we get some cleaning of
12 the gutters again or the gutters are all new
13 on the Market Street?
14 MR. COURTRIGHT: I can't hear you.
15 MR. STUCKER: On Market Street, I
16 was up that way today, they put new drains
17 in, new lids, they were all full of leaves
18 again on top and I wonder, a lot of people
19 asked me why can't we get a raise for the
20 Scranton police and the fire company?
21 MR. COURTRIGHT: We are trying, Jim.
22 MR. STUCKER: What I heard, I don't
23 know how true it is, a lot of people told me
24 they are going to have on the buses the
25 cops.
17
1 MR. COURTRIGHT: They're going to
2 have what?
3 MR. STUCKER: Cops on the buses.
4 MR. COURTRIGHT: On buses?
5 MR. STUCKER: Yeah.
6 MR. COURTRIGHT: I don't think so,
7 Jim, I think they are fooling with you.
8 MR. STUCKER: And the garbage has
9 been picked up pretty good because I walked
10 up toward Market Street and there is not
11 much garbage out there. Are they still
12 going to fix that light on Mulberry?
13 MR. COURTRIGHT: You know what, he is
14 right about the light. I went and looked at
15 it.
16 MR. STUCKER: I went by there today
17 and the light it out.
18 MR. COURTRIGHT: You are right, and
19 I went and looked at after last week, and
20 I'll get on it tomorrow, Jimmy. You were
21 right.
22 MR. STUCKER: I mean, somebody is
23 going to get hurt there. Somebody is going
24 to get clipped.
25 MR. COURTRIGHT: You are right. I'll
18
1 take care of it tomorrow.
2 MR. STUCKER: Okay.
3 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you, Jim.
4 MR. STUCKER: And I got a nice place.
5 I like it.
6 MR. MCGOFF: Very good.
7 MR. STUCKER: To the whole bunch of
8 yous helping me get it. I'm happy.
9 MR. MCGOFF: All right, Jim. Thank
10 you, Mr. Stucker. Tom Ungvarsky.
11 MR. UNGVARSKY: Good evening, city
12 council. I'm Tom Ungvarsky, and I'm a
13 member of the Scranton/Lackawanna Taxpayers.
14 Several weeks ago Mrs. Evans asked us to get
15 involved in a food collection for the food
16 pantries which our organization eagerly did.
17 For the last few weeks we have been going
18 around to different fire houses and city
19 hall here and we have been collecting all of
20 the nonperishable foods and we have been
21 distributing. In the last three weeks we
22 have made three distributions to five
23 different food pantries. We wish to thank
24 all of the people who donated all of that
25 food. We also had some cash donations which
19
1 we are now purchasing food and distributing.
2 We made one distribution of purchased food
3 last week and we have a rather large
4 distribution going out this week.
5 What we are going to distribute this
6 week to five pantries are, and these are
7 cartons with 24 to a carton, we are going to
8 distribute five cartons of green beans, five
9 cartons of peas, five cartons of corn, five
10 cartons of carrots, five cartons of
11 spaghetti O's or a facsimile, five cartons
12 of baked beans, two cartons of peanut
13 butter, two cartons of tuna fish which are
14 48 to a carton and two cartons of spaghetti
15 sauce, one carton of thin spaghetti, one
16 carton of corn flakes, one carton of
17 macaroni and cheese and five cartons of
18 chicken noodle soup.
19 I wish to thank Ozzie Quinn, Bob
20 Jones and Dave Evans for picking up and
21 delivering the food. I would like to give a
22 special thanks to Riccardo's Market who has
23 been working with us and has been selling us
24 the food at a reduced price. If anyone
25 would like to make a cash distribution or a
20
1 check distribution, a monetary distribution,
2 they can send it to: Ozzie Quinn at 116
3 Masters Street, and I'd like to thank all of
4 the people who donated to such a successful
5 drive. Thank you.
6 MR. MCGOFF: Thank, Mr. Ungvarsky.
7 Sam Patilla.
8 MR. PATILLA: Good evening, Mr.
9 Courtright and Ms. Evans. Ms. Evans, I have
10 a quick question, has any information been
11 received from the Single Tax Office in
12 regard to how that 12 point plus million is
13 going to be disbursed?
14 MS. EVANS: Not at this point, no.
15 There is nothing definitive. We are told
16 that by year's end the city should be
17 receiving it's share, what the share is
18 exactly we do not know and the exact date of
19 distribution we do not know.
20 MR. PATILLA: Thank you, so that
21 answers then, that 5.5 million is a
22 speculation that they are using to implement
23 into this year's budget?
24 MS. EVANS: At this point I would say
25 an exact dollar amount, yes, is speculation.
21
1 It could be more. If very well could be
2 more.
3 MR. PATILLA: It could very well be
4 less as well.
5 MS. EVANS: Absolutely.
6 MR. PATILLA: I say that because one
7 of the problems that this nation faces now,
8 not just Scranton, the entire nation, has
9 been on the back of speculation. You know,
10 we have all of these experts but yet Wall
11 Street fails. We have all of these experts,
12 but yet still the big three auto industry is
13 on the brink of collapse. You know, nobody
14 thinks after the little people, nobody
15 thinks about the taxpayers or the citizens.
16 And I'm glad to see all of these
17 students out in the audience today because
18 you guys prove that, yes, we can. Change
19 can be made if you get involved, okay?
20 Change begins and ends on the local level.
21 Scranton has been a distressed for 17 years
22 going on, 17 years, okay? We don't have
23 enough money to give our police and our fire
24 rank and file workers a cost of living and
25 raises, ut, we can get administrative
22
1 workers raises every year.
2 You know, all around us you see
3 counties, you see cities, you see states
4 cutting back, but Scranton is not cutting
5 back because they are using your future
6 dollars to make payment on loans of today,
7 you know, all of this borrowing as we stated
8 time and time again has to stop, okay? The
9 borrowing that they are doing now doesn't
10 effect the seniors and the taxpayers of
11 today, it affects you guys, the youth. You
12 are the ones and your children are the ones
13 that are going to pay those bills, all
14 right? And we can't afford to allow your
15 elected officials to speculate on income you
16 haven't earned yet. You can't have and
17 allow them to speculate on your homes
18 because what they are doing, all right, is
19 they are, for example, is refinancing your
20 home two or three or four times over and
21 after awhile the bank is going to say, no,
22 I'm not loaning you anymore money to
23 refinance. You are not going to get a
24 second or third or fourth mortgage on this
25 property, and that's exactly what they had
23
1 are doing. They are taking third, three and
2 four and five times the amount of your home
3 and they are mortgaging away your future so
4 that only a few people can remain
5 comfortable, only a few people can drive gas
6 guzzlers.
7 This whole country on the brink of
8 collapse because of a certain few and they
9 are looking for the average everyday citizen
10 to bail them out. We don't need that type
11 of leadership anymore, all right? Your job
12 isn't done. When your local elections come
13 in January --
14 MR. MCGOFF: Mr. Patilla --
15 MR. PATILLA: -- that's he time for
16 you guys --
17 MR. MCGOFF: You should address
18 council.
19 MR. PATILLA: --that's the time for
20 you guys to make your voices be heard, okay?
21 Because, like I said, they are speculating
22 on your future, the futures of your children
23 and you don't even have any yet. Thank you.
24 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you, Mr. Patilla.
25 Phyllis.
24
1 MS. HUMPHRIES: I'm bringing a very
2 historical book up here. It's a combination
3 of the constitution of the United States and
4 the Commandments. I didn't vote this year,
5 I will tell everyone, two wrongs don't make
6 a right. I'm not discriminatory, I know the
7 messages that was sent to me, end abortion,
8 euthanasia, capital punishment and racism in
9 all forms.
10 What I want to tell everyone is
11 this, killing one way or the other is a sin.
12 When we went into Iraq and into these places
13 and President Bush had good intentions
14 because what he had found is gullies and
15 gullies, trenches of murdered people, I'm
16 sure many of you are aware of. So the only
17 thing we could do as a nation is go in and
18 try to help and in helping we got backlashed
19 in it. We don't want to see our soldiers
20 coming back here with dismemberment, abuse,
21 post-traumatic stress, which I'm dealing
22 with post-traumatic stress also in my
23 endeavors to do the will of God, and I send
24 my heart out to all of the military, I send
25 my heart out to everyone, chaplains,
25
1 military families, soldiers, the ones that
2 have lost their life over the years, the
3 ones that have -- I'm kind of a military
4 family, seven served in the war at one shot,
5 Second World War, and my brother got
6 commendation metals. What I ask
7 everybody is in their silence in their heart
8 we gotta move forward, and I'm asking the
9 City of Scranton to send me to the White
10 House. I want to go face-to-face with our
11 new president because I sent documents that
12 were slash hid unheard of.
13 Civil rights we fought for and I'm
14 fighting for. We are a nation of love and
15 peace and sometimes I knock my own town, but
16 I shouldn't it's sin, because I did see a
17 lot of the beautiful things that have
18 happened here and I really want to move
19 forward. What I have done the last couple
20 of years, even though I put down the Times,
21 but I do love them, and I do love the mayor,
22 I just don't love the sin and the corruption
23 that's going on in this world.
24 I have been saving the newspaper,
25 digging it out of the garbage. I am waiting
26
1 for the inauguration, so I thought we could
2 put it on E-bay, sell it to the highest,
3 highest bidder to get our town out of debt.
4 That's what was my idea. I'm still waiting.
5 I apologize if I've hurt anybody or did
6 anything in any way, but I'm fighting for
7 truth of the poor people. I'm fitting for
8 the truth of the unborn. Slavery has they
9 said stop, which it isn't, because slavery
10 is in the womb, terrorism is in the womb,
11 you are a nurse, you see the repercussions
12 of the posttraumatic after certain traumatic
13 things happen with an unborn child rape and
14 everything, you were there for me at a
15 certain time that I was attacked, nothing
16 was done.
17 What I want to tell everybody is
18 this, God is a God of love and we are to be
19 a person of fear at this point. When we put
20 or hands on the Bible up to the White House
21 we are taking an oath. All of us are to
22 follow in our vocations of the commandments
23 of whether you like it or not you cannot
24 wipe it out of this world and so I'm asking
25 everybody to help me to get me to Washington
27
1 to sit down.
2 I got another set of x-rays and they
3 are enlarged and what on there is a complete
4 face of a baby with hair on it for the
5 unborn and the dove is bigger for peace.
6 You know what? The true peace will come
7 when Jesus will come, I'm not going to deny
8 know the word of God, so I want peace.
9 Now, here is the next thing. I live
10 at Mulberry Towers and they always bring it
11 and it says "No Soliciting" and they think
12 they are doing well, they bring in papers
13 for pies, this and that and Coopers sent the
14 pie, $22 or a pie so I went to Wal-Mart to
15 check and you could get it for $3.99, the
16 same size and $10.00.
17 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you, Phyllis.
18 MS. HUMPHRIES: I like Cooper's food,
19 I don't have any money to go there, but,
20 listen, $23 and $20 for a pie is outrageous.
21 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you. Phyllis.
22 MR. HUMPHRIES: We don't have the
23 Sheik here buying the pies.
24 MR. MCGOFF: Phyllis, there are
25 other speakers.
28
1 MS. HUMPHRIES: So I ask to everybody
2 -- excuse me, just give me one minute to say
3 it, everybody donate a pie and bring it over
4 to any of the elderly places, I think that
5 would be a nice gesture instead of 22, 23
6 dollars for us elderly people. Happy
7 Thanksgiving.
8 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you. Happy
9 Thanksgiving. Mr. Dobson.
10 MR. DOBSON: Good evening, Council,
11 Dave Dobson, member of the Taxpayers'
12 Association, resident of Scranton. I'm not
13 a member of either institution, but in
14 recent years we have Scranton Today and now
15 we have ECTV and many of our authorities and
16 so forth stopped meeting in city hall. The
17 whole governmental process has become
18 totally decentralized and the thought
19 occurred to me that, and this was a long
20 time ago, way before the inception of ECTV,
21 that an awful lot of work is being performed
22 by these people and volunteers, they have to
23 have a car, they have to shift cameras
24 around to various buildings around town and
25 who knows where else, maybe Dunmore for the
29
1 sewer authority meeting or so forth.
2 And I'd like to see council try to
3 influence bringing these meetings back to
4 council chambers when council chambers is
5 finally equipped with the equipment then
6 those people would only have to travel to
7 city hall and they wouldn't have to drag
8 tons of equipment around, it don't weigh a
9 ton, but I would estimate the cameras that I
10 use for taxpayers and equipment at about 60
11 to 80 pounds, both of us won't fit on a
12 scale so I couldn't really tell you, but it
13 would be interesting because this chambers
14 is very seldom used actually during the day
15 and I think with the money that's being
16 spent on the equipment and so forth it would
17 be great if a lot of these institutions and
18 authorities met here and so that people
19 didn't have to be a great volunteer, they
20 could just happen to be a good one. And
21 it's an interesting concept and I would
22 really appreciate once we get past the
23 budget and so forth if it were considered
24 before council and try to do your best to
25 get these back because currently, I mean,
30
1 it's a lot of work to get something filmed.
2 Otherwise, let's try and trim the
3 budget as much as we can and get the bills
4 paid. We can't keep running deficits
5 forever and it's starting to hurt and people
6 just won't have the money to repay this in
7 the future, so do your best at what you can
8 do to trim this down and maybe some day
9 things will look up and have a good night.
10 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you, Mr. Dobson.
11 Other speakers?
12 MR. TALIMINI: Joe Talimini,
13 Scranton. Mr. Courtright, I asked you last
14 week about looking into that police
15 department and you said you would and you
16 also said you only got about half of the
17 information, so I can wait on it, but it is
18 a common --
19 MR. COURTRIGHT: Could I ask you,
20 you asked about the weekends, correct, and
21 you asked about cages, correct?
22 MR. TALIMINI: Right. And it is a --
23 it's a recurring problem. It goes on again
24 this weekend. I'm encouraged by the young
25 people here tonight because I haven't seen
31
1 this kind of a turnout since the 60's when
2 the young people got involved then and then
3 they died off after the Kennedy
4 assassination. I would hope and pray that
5 these young people will stay involved, not
6 just because this is a class assignment, but
7 because they really do care about what goes
8 on and I know most of them don't live here
9 in the city, they live in different areas,
10 but unless the young people get involved we
11 are going to run into the same situation
12 over and over and over again. As I told
13 Congressman Kanjorski, we didn't learn
14 anything in 1941 to '44, we are still
15 fighting wars which we have no business
16 being involved in, we are still contending
17 with political diatribe that we don't need
18 to listen to and nothing is being done.
19 The economic situation now is going
20 to fall on these kids, I feel sorry for
21 them, but that's the breaks of the game. If
22 you don't get involved you can't make
23 anything happen and I would hope and pray
24 that those who are journalism students are
25 going to learn something tonight because
32
1 this is journalism in action. You are
2 seeing a governing body, you are seeing
3 input from the citizenry, don't take it
4 lightly because it's very, very important.
5 In the 1960's you made a difference,
6 for 40 years it slid backwards. You got a
7 chance to do it again now, you did it with
8 the election this year, whether or not I
9 agree with the outcome you did one hell of a
10 job and I'm all for it and I would like to
11 see you stay involved, and by all means
12 those of who are going to be make a
13 profession out of journalism if you doing it
14 fr the money get out now. That's all I can
15 tell you. Get into something because there
16 is no money in this business and it's not a
17 9 to 5 job. Thank you very much.
18 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you, Mr. Talimini.
19 MS. SCHUMACHER: Good evening. Marie
20 Schumacher, resident and member of the
21 Taxpayers' Association. I have quite a bit
22 so if you can hold your answers to my
23 questions until I finish that would be
24 appreciated. On the agenda item 7-B is
25 there a signed contract between the city and
33
1 the Pisano father and son to pay for the
2 light changes at Moosic Street?
3 The Home Rule Charter states that
4 the budget is to propose capital
5 expenditures during the ensuing fiscal year
6 detailed by offices, apartments -- or,
7 excuse me, departments and agencies when
8 practicable and the proposed method of
9 financing capital expenditures.
10 The mayor's transmittal of this 2008
11 capital budget provides the relationship
12 between the operating budget and the capital
13 improvement plan this way: The capital
14 improvement plan in contrast usually
15 includes one-time costs for projects that
16 may last more than one year. These projects
17 will result in the purchase or construction
18 of major physical assets in the city. While
19 fluctuations are expected in capitol
20 spending year to year depend on the phasing
21 of the projects and resources available to
22 fund the project, resources for the capital
23 improvement plan generally come from the
24 issuance of bonds or notes, grants,
25 contributions from the city's operating
34
1 budget or other one-time financial sources.
2 That mayor's 2008 capital budget has
3 been described recently as a wish list.
4 The wish list for the park system included
5 items at Weston Field, Weston Park, Connell
6 Park, Capouse Avenue pool, Novembrino Pool
7 and Nay Aug Park. No where in the mayor's
8 budget were these capital projects.
9 Now, remember, by the mayor's own
10 definition capital projects are those that
11 result in the purchase or construction of
12 major physical assets with the city. The
13 projects are: Tree planting in South
14 Scranton, a new city park in South Scranton
15 and playground honoring former Mayor
16 Connors. A $250,000 greenhouse project at
17 Nay Aug. Renovations to the Jackson Street
18 Park. A half million dollar hero monument
19 at Nay Aug.
20 Recall that Mayor Doherty in his
21 2005-2009 Office of Economic and Community
22 Development five-year plan reported, and I
23 quote: "Much progress has already been made
24 at Nay Aug Park since the plan was issued.
25 Some examples include a restored greenhouse
35
1 that place a key educational role in the
2 Scranton School District's BEST program."
3 Now, how we could have done those
4 renovations prior to 2005 and now need a
5 brand new one I think there may have been a
6 little fudging going on there. I'd love to
7 know where that $100,000 that he said was
8 spent was really spent. Someday maybe.
9 In the mean time, here we are with
10 close to a $1 million of park system
11 expansion and improvements yet not one was
12 listed included in a capital budget. Each
13 of these should have been listed in the
14 capital budget with the funding sources
15 identified. Shame on you for not insisting
16 the Home Rule Charter be adhered to.
17 Now, I wish to ask Mrs. Fanucci if
18 she has any updates on OECD loan recipients
19 that provided the promise to use loans for
20 specific items such as Fratelli's half a
21 million dollar building acquisition,
22 Alexander's Fitness and Medical Center,
23 etcetera. I would also like to ask anyone
24 who may have the answers: One, where are
25 the quarter million dollars improvements to
36
1 Robinson Park that Mayor Doherty promised
2 early in his first term? Where is the East
3 Elm Street project that Mayor Doherty
4 promised to accomplish next year when he was
5 campaigning for a second term? Whatever
6 became of Wall Street West and the promise
7 higher than wait staff salaries? Whatever
8 happened to those oversized checks handed
9 over to Goodwill for their North Scranton
10 Junior High School project? Great photo
11 op's all, but as another little old lady
12 said, "Where's the beef?" Thank you.
13 MR. JACKOWITZ: Bill Jackowitz,
14 South Scranton resident and member of the
15 Taxpayers' Association. Toastmasters
16 International, the person at the podium is
17 the speaker, everybody else are the
18 listeners. November 11, Veteran's Day,
19 11 month, 11 day, 11 hour, there was a
20 Veteran's ceremony in front of the county
21 courthouse at 10:30 a.m. Veteran's Day.
22 Mayor Doherty was the only elected city
23 official I observed at the ceremony, but yet
24 council cancelled a meeting on Veteran's
25 Day. I did not observe any council members
37
1 at the ceremony at the courthouse. Possibly
2 you attended another Veteran's ceremony
3 within the city limits. If you did, please
4 let us know, but yet council got the day off
5 with pay.
6 Amazing. I understand that there is
7 more to being a council member than
8 attending meetings like possibly attending a
9 Veteran's ceremony in your city? I do
10 believe that the council members showed up
11 for a dedication to Connor's Park in South
12 Side, the dog park at Connell Park, I guess
13 everybody has their priorities?
14 Furthermore, I did not need read one
15 story in the Scranton Times-Tribune about
16 the ceremony on 12, November, 2008. On the
17 other hand, a Times Leader Scranton Edition
18 had a front page picture of Colonel Wolf,
19 guess speaker, although, for two days the
20 Scranton Times and stories about First Night
21 in Scranton. Again, everybody has their
22 priorities. I guess partying ranks higher
23 in the eyes of the Scranton Times-Tribune
24 than veterans who fought and died so that
25 the editors, reporters and council members
38
1 could have their jobs.
2 It will be interesting to see who
3 shows up for the dedication of the Veteran's
4 monument at Nay Aug Park. It will be a
5 great time for all of the politicians to
6 have their picture and story told to the
7 newspaper and local television stations,
8 plus it's election year.
9 There is old story about a
10 lieutenant who inspected his marines in the
11 field and afterwards told the gunnery
12 sergeant that the men smelled bad. The
13 lieutenant suggested that the solution is
14 that they should change underwear. The
15 gunny responded, "Yes, sir, I'll see to it
16 immediately."
17 The gunny went straight to the
18 squad tent and announced, "The lieutenant
19 thinks you guys smell bad and he what's you
20 to change your underwear. Smith you change
21 with Jones, McCarthy you change with
22 Witkowski and Brown you change with Sergeant
23 Schultz. Now, get to it."
24 The moral of the story, a candidate
25 may promise change, but don't count on
39
1 things smelling any better and we know every
2 candidate promised change. Do not hold your
3 breath, you may expire before the changes
4 happen. I have been waiting 60 years for
5 changes in government.
6 Veterans, current military members
7 sign a blank check up to and including their
8 life to support and defend the constitution
9 and the citizens of this United States.
10 What about politicians? The Tomb of the
11 Unknown Soldiers and all it's shores of this
12 great countries and allies are patrolled and
13 protected 24/7, 365 or 366 days every year.
14 On the other hand, politicians cannot take
15 45 minutes to attend a ceremony honoring
16 veterans in their own city.
17 Changing subjects, welcome to the
18 Scranton Post, the Times Leader Scranton
19 Edition, we need you badly. Keep up the
20 investigative reporting and reporting all
21 both sides not just the administration side.
22 Finally, surprise, surprise, surprise.
23 No tax increase for 2009. Fire and police
24 contracts close to signing and, most
25 importantly, a smaller city budget.
40
1 Breaking news for an election year, 2009 the
2 year the City of Scranton losses the
3 distressed city status. Now, all we need
4 are jobs that pay real money so people can
5 live and survive in this city. As far as
6 the 2009 city budget, bring out the red pins
7 and red line erasers for Ray Hayes and Lisa
8 Moran. I understand we have a few people
9 working in the Southern Union Building.
10 Congratulations.
11 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you,
12 Mr. Jackowitz.
13 MR. ANCHERANI: Good evening, Nelson
14 Ancherani. The last couple of meetings that
15 I attended I had been talking about the 2009
16 city budget. I had been predicting another
17 record budget in the $90 million range. I
18 was happy to see that the budget was less
19 than 2008's record budget of $84,558,875.
20 In fact, if Jeremy Burdyn, reporter of the
21 slimes is correct the 2009 budget is 7
22 percent less than this year's record budget.
23 In fact, it is $6,078,101 less. I lost one
24 bet on that.
25 No tax increase. That's another bet
41
1 I lost, but on the matter of multi-million
2 dollar loans I win that bet. $14,500,000
3 will be borrowed from TANS for tax
4 anticipation notes. A little history, since
5 2002 the total of this administration's
6 eight budgets is $556,433,218 well over the
7 half billion mark. If we add the loans that
8 the city made proceeds from sales of city
9 assets, Connor's last year surplus, we are
10 in the range of $700 million that could be
11 called revenue, close to three-quarters of a
12 billion dollars. This is money that the
13 city had and has to spend and we still may
14 have a deficit.
15 Every one of the current
16 administration budgets, 2002 through 2009,
17 eight years, is higher than Connors' last
18 budget. The difference is or excesses over
19 Connors' last budget is 110 million or
20 $110,472,000. That's the excess over all of
21 the budgets. It's a lot of money.
22 Now, I have to ask where are the PEL
23 doomsayers, the bankers, the mayor and the
24 business administrator who two years ago
25 were in these chambers begging for a
42
1 $44 million loan? We taxpayers were facing
2 at least 3 25 percent tax increases. In
3 fact, Mrs. Gatelli, Ms. Fanucci and
4 Mr. McGoff voted on the first of the
5 25 percent tax increases. We were
6 according, to Mr. Cross from PEL, in dire
7 financial straights.
8 Going through the 2009 budget
9 briefly I have a few questions. When you
10 look at the expenditure pie chart on page
11 five there is a change. Now it does not say
12 excluding tax anticipation notes.
13 Expenditure pie chart, page five again, it
14 lists expenditures of 24 percent for the
15 police department, 24 percent of the budget
16 of $78,480,774 is $18,835,386, but yet when
17 you look at the budget $13,250,517 is the
18 actual expenditure for the police
19 department. It's a difference of
20 $5,584,869. Expenditure again, the pie
21 chart, page 5 lists expenditures of
22 25 percent for the fire department,
23 25 percent of the budget is $19,620,194, but
24 yet in the budget if you are go to the fire
25 page in the budget $13,939,348 is the actual
43
1 expenditure for the fire department and a
2 difference of $5,680,845. Why is there a
3 $5,680,845 difference? Between the police
4 and the fire departments that's $11,265,714
5 difference. Why? Maybe you can check on
6 that and check the budget when you are
7 working on it.
8 Summary of the 2009 revenue, can I
9 just finish this one little bit?
10 MR. MCGOFF: Yes.
11 MR. ANCHERANI: Miscellaneous
12 revenue/ cable TV in the revenue department
13 budgeted for 2008, $14,601,158, but yet
14 budgeted for 2009 is 849,000. That's a
15 $13,752,000 difference less. Why such a
16 difference, and maybe you can check on that
17 while you are going through the budget.
18 Thank you.
19 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you,
20 Mr. Ancherani.
21 MR. SLEDZENSKI: Hello, Bill.
22 MR. COURTRIGHT: Hi, Chris.
23 MR. SLEDZENSKI: Up a little, Bill?
24 MR. COURTRIGHT: Pick it up, Buddy.
25 MR. SLEDZENSKI: Well, Bill, good
44
1 luck next week and I'm going to vote for you
2 on that, Buddy.
3 MR. COURTRIGHT: Thank you.
4 MR. SLEDZENSKi: Good luck, Bill.
5 MS. EVANS: Chris, what is that hat?
6 MS. KRAKE: Good evening, Council.
7 My name is Nancy Krake. I would like to say
8 welcome to the Scranton Post who is here
9 this evening, and I think that's wonderful.
10 We are going to have a lot more coverage and
11 have a lot more newspapers in Scranton, and
12 I think Jeremy Burdyn is doing a fine job at
13 the Times, but a little competition doesn't
14 hurt, so welcome to everyone.
15 What I'd like to talk about tonight
16 isn't the budget really. There is an
17 economic melt down nationally and locally.
18 Many homes are being foreclosed in the past
19 year, in the past two years actually. There
20 has been a very great increase in that and,
21 therefore, there is also a drastic increase
22 in the number of sherif's sales. George
23 Bush, I mean Mayor Doherty, excuse me, and
24 three council persons here have passed the
25 laws that allow Abrahamsen, Moran and
45
1 Conaboy to collect outrageous fines and fees
2 on these already devastating and hurting
3 people. One example I have here, the
4 person's actual tax bill to the city was
5 $309.00. Their normal penalty and interest
6 was $35.59. NCC put their 25 percent on the
7 grand total, which it's kind of hard to
8 figure that out because they incorporated
9 all of these other fines in here that
10 council passed, $75 to review confirmation
11 of lien. $450.000 to open file and issue
12 legal demand letter. We used to have
13 children doing that in the summer through
14 CEDA as we watched over them in the
15 Treasurer's Department. Lien fee $525.00
16 and certified mail $7.00. That's $1,087.00.
17 That's terrible. There is no reason for
18 that. I think it's down right mean.
19 These monies go to the law firm and
20 the 25 percent goes to the collection
21 agency, originally that was setup that
22 Northeast Collection would take their
23 25 percent out of any monies collected.
24 When Mayor Doherty came in he allowed them
25 to charge on top of the monies. Oh, and by
46
1 the way, Northeast Credit is owned by Ned
2 Abrahamsen.
3 We have four lawyers here on the
4 payroll in the law department, that's
5 $161,000.00. Why are city homeowners being
6 asked to finance a law firm and a collection
7 agency? At least the normal interest that
8 was charged and still is charged goes back
9 to the city for our own needs. These monies
10 do not. They are not part of your budget,
11 they are no where expect in these people's
12 hands. There is another year coming up
13 maybe you would even like to try it before
14 and get rid of this. Thank you.
15 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you, Mrs. Krake.
16 Anyone else? Mrs. Evans?
17 MS. EVANS: Good evening. My
18 comments tonight concern only the budget.
19 You know that I would never lie to you. I
20 have always presented the facts and voted
21 according to the facts. These are the
22 economic realities:
23 Number one, this budget has nothing
24 to do with the economic development and
25 employment increases in the Scranton. Year
47
1 after year I told you that not all wage
2 taxes were being paid. Some people were
3 allowed to get away with it, other people
4 were allowed to fall delinquent in their
5 wage taxes. After the FBI investigation of
6 the Scranton Single Tax Office wage tax
7 collections grew by over $3.1 million or
8 over 20 percent. Why? Because these same
9 people feared getting caught. They now pay
10 taxes.
11 Number two, the EMS tax has been
12 changed to the local service tax or LST, but
13 to avoid confusion let's continue to call it
14 the EMS tax. Now, the EMS tax, which is the
15 $52 paid by every working person who earns
16 over $12,000 per year is down by over
17 46 percent. Although, more dollars will be
18 collected before year end, since it is a
19 payroll deduction it appears those dollars
20 can not make up the difference between the
21 total collected this year and the previous
22 year. Even the mayor's budget shows the
23 decline, so how can the wage tax have
24 increased while the EMS tax decreased so
25 dramatically? The answer seems to be, that
48
1 people are paying their wage taxes since the
2 tax office scandal occurred.
3 Unemployment figures are up and the
4 EMS tax collections prove that.
5 Consequently, the wage tax does not reflect
6 an increased -- or marked increase I should
7 say in jobs, rather, it reflects the
8 increased number of people who are finally
9 paying their fair share.
10 Number three, according to the
11 mayor's budget figures 7,145 jobs will have
12 been lost between 2008 and 2009 alone. Let
13 me say that again, 7,145 jobs. You need
14 only divide the loss of EMS revenue
15 projected for 2009 by $52 to determine the
16 number of jobs lost. I do hope, however, to
17 have a firmer number on the jobs lost by
18 year's end.
19 Number four, in my last budget I had
20 $3.5 million in delinquent wage tax revenue
21 which I stated was a very conservative
22 figure. The mayor now includes 5.5 million
23 in his 2009 budget three months before the
24 great tax office discovery of 12 million,
25 I'm sure you all recall. I said the wage
49
1 tax figures were sharply down from years
2 ago, the city hadn't received appropriate
3 wage tax revenue, therefore, I requested tax
4 office employees to speak to council on this
5 issue, but we all know Mr. McDowell forbid
6 the employees to do so.
7 After my budget presentation, some
8 of the my honorable council colleagues said
9 I used phantom figures in my budget and that
10 these numbers were speculation lacking
11 backup, yet the numbers were present in a
12 pattern of budgets dating back to the final
13 year of the Connors' administration and the
14 supporting diagnosis and prescription were
15 available through tax office auditor
16 employees.
17 My only mistake was to use the
18 conservative $3.5 million figure. Very
19 likely, the mayor and the previous business
20 administration also knew the wage tax
21 figures were too low for several years.
22 Tonight, one year after I originally
23 presented it, delinquent wage taxes are
24 finally in the mayor's budget and at
25 $5.5 million and who knows possibly it could
50
1 be more.
2 Five, the budget total figure has
3 decreased from 84.5 million to 78.4 million.
4 The decrease is solely due to the borrowing
5 that occurred several weeks ago. A 2005
6 loan which I alone voted against in 2005 was
7 paid off by new borrowing in September 2008.
8 Thus, much more than 5.5 million is now owed
9 over the next 17 years and payments may not
10 be accurately portrayed in the 2009 budget.
11 Number six, once again the mayor made
12 no noticeable cuts to his budget. No job
13 creations were eliminated, no unnecessary
14 jobs or professional services were cut. I
15 know how to chop close to $2 million from
16 this budget and I will provide a list of
17 cuts that should be made. For example, the
18 Office of Public Safety which was cut over
19 six years ago by the Pennsylvania Economy
20 League, but instituted nevertheless by the
21 mayor totals $188,000 for 2009. It is
22 unnecessary to employ Mr. Hayes, his deputy
23 director of public safety and his secretary
24 when we employ a police chief and a fire
25 chief at a total of $122,000 not including
51
1 benefits.
2 Another job creation is the Deputy
3 Director of Safety and Conservation at
4 $34,000. The management raises that have
5 been awarded over the last seven years are
6 astronomical and need to be cut down to
7 reality. What I find truly unjust is that
8 while the police and fire chief receive huge
9 raises in 2008 and now the public safety
10 director receives a $10,000 raise in 2009,
11 the men and woman of the police and fire
12 departments have received no raises, nothing
13 in seven years yet it is the police officers
14 who answer the calls, the firefighters who
15 battle the blazes, these are the people who
16 risk their lives to save lives. They get
17 nothing. How do you accept a pay raise when
18 your men and women get nothing? How do you
19 testify against your own employees in Court
20 and then grab the big bucks for yourself?
21 It isn't right.
22 Number seven, the mayor intends to
23 increase his spending in the upcoming year,
24 for example, he awards the Human Resources
25 director a 20 percent raise of $10,000, and
52
1 as I just said, the Public Safety director a
2 15 percent rise of $10,000. He will hire a
3 new attorney for environmental services, and
4 he fully intends to build a library in South
5 Scranton having initially allocated $100,000
6 for purpose in the 2009 budget.
7 On the other hand, county government
8 appears to have a better grasp on economic
9 reality. The commissioners would not commit
10 funds to this library knowing the reality of
11 their county budget and the people they
12 serve.
13 All of that having been said, this
14 is the best budget the mayor has produced to
15 date. It contains no tax increase and at
16 this time no borrowing because of the
17 $5 million in delinquent wage taxes coming
18 in and the very recent borrowing. I will
19 consider voting for this budget if the mayor
20 cuts the fat from expenditures. Many of you
21 cannot afford food, medicine and utilities
22 at this time. Many have lost jobs and
23 senior citizens struggle to keep pace with
24 the ever increasing costs of living, believe
25 me, I know. That's why I worked so hard
53
1 with the Taxpayers' Association and God
2 bless each one of them to stock food
3 pantries and feed the city's poor.
4 I see the lines of people in
5 downtown Scranton applying for assistance
6 with home heating and I see the worried
7 faces of the elderly when I speak to them in
8 grocery stores, in church and at senior
9 centers.
10 While the little guys of our city
11 are cutting their spending and doing
12 without, the mayor continues to spend and
13 squander your tax dollars. He doubled some
14 pensions to eliminate the Indians and
15 replaced them when too many chiefs. Then he
16 froze the worker's pay for seven years while
17 he awarded heavy raises to management each
18 year and created new management positions.
19 In light of our struggling economy and
20 it's impact on the people, the mayor must
21 take the next step, he must cut his top
22 heavy budget, only then will I approve it.
23 Finally, I have citizens requests for
24 the week. There are a number of catch
25 basins circled in orange paint in Tripp's
54
1 Park, obviously, awaiting work. At 1524 and
2 1519 Thackery Street there are two catch
3 basins in which the openings have grown
4 smaller and appear to be caving in. Soon
5 storm water will be unable to flow into
6 these basins. Please notify the sewer
7 authority and the city that both require
8 repair work.
9 For Mr. Brazil, the branches of a
10 tree at 1514-1517 Thackery Street are
11 hanging very low over the street. Truck
12 traffic knocks branches off onto the street
13 creating a traffic hazard. Although
14 residents have reported this to the DPW
15 several times, nothing has been done.
16 Please trim the tree as son as possible.
17 In the 900 to 1200 blocks of North
18 Rebecca Avenue there are no stop signe.
19 Residents of the area report increased
20 traffic and speeding in these blocks and
21 request the installation of stop signs.
22 And, Mr. Seitzinger, what is the
23 date of demolition for the structure located
24 at the corner of East Elm and Cedar Avenue?
25 Citizens believed it would have been razed
55
1 by now and inquire about a firm date.
2 A resident inquires as to whether the
3 city has an ordinance regarding posting of
4 signs for yard sales, concerts, loss
5 animals, etcetera. She states that signs
6 are never removed following events which
7 adds liter to city streets as weather
8 destroys them. What, if anything, can be
9 done to avoid this time of liter?
10 And a letter to the University of
11 Scranton, motorists report that U of S
12 students are jaywalking on both Jefferson
13 Avenue and Mulberry Street when changing
14 classes. This creates hazardous conditions
15 for motorists and pedestrians. Please
16 remind students to cross at street corners
17 on the appropriate signals.
18 And, lastly, here's a shout out to
19 the Webelo's at Hickory Street Presbyterian
20 Church, you guys know who you are. And
21 that's it.
22 MR. MCGOFF: Mrs. Gatelli.
23 MS. GATELLI: The first thing I would
24 like to say is that maybe the trees aren't
25 being cut because the machine is being
56
1 repaired. I just talked to Mr. Brazil today
2 on a matter of the tree on Crown Avenue and
3 the tree machine is being repaired at the
4 time, present time.
5 Talk about politics, I guess it's
6 all going to start right now. Everybody has
7 their agenda, everybody comes here every
8 week and tries to discredit other people, so
9 it works both ways that politics that
10 everyone is talking about.
11 I have looked at the budget just
12 very briefly, and I was happy to see that
13 it's 7 percent lower. There is no
14 borrowing. There is no tax increase, and
15 the tax increase when we did vote on it was
16 because of a short fall from the Single Tax
17 Office. We all know what that fiasco has
18 lead up to. There has already been
19 $3 million more taken in from the tax office
20 this year in addition to the 5.5, so the
21 total is $8.5 million that -- or possibly
22 more once the issue has settled, but
23 $3 million has come in from the tax office
24 this year alone.
25 Mrs. Evans talked about the
57
1 borrowing in 2005 and that she was the only
2 one that didn't vote for it. Just for the
3 record, three of us weren't here in 2005,
4 myself, Mr. McGoff and Ms. Fanucci. We were
5 not here in 2005 for that borrowing, a
6 previous council was here for that.
7 The NCC, I don't believe that there
8 has been any properties sold by the city
9 through NCC. The only calls I have gotten
10 were from -- two parties have called me
11 since that ordinance was enacted both have
12 of which were resolved in a positive manner,
13 so I don't know what they are talking about
14 when they are saying we sold houses because
15 I'm not aware of any. Several weeks ago or
16 maybe several months ago the county was
17 selling properties for taxes, so maybe they
18 are confused as to which party has been
19 selling the properties, but the county was
20 selling properties for taxes, back taxes.
21 The TANS, I believe that every
22 governmental agency in the United States has
23 tax anticipation notes. You would not be
24 able to function for the first several
25 months of the new year if you didn't have
58
1 tax anticipation notes, so to use that and
2 say that we are borrowing is not true. We
3 are borrowing, but it's to replace the
4 revenue that we won't get for the first
5 several months of the new year. So, it's
6 not really a loan, a borrowing with a
7 deficit. We will replace those funds when
8 the tax dollars come in.
9 Mr. Jackowitz talked about the
10 Veteran's ceremony at the courthouse square.
11 I find it interesting that he noticed that
12 no one was there this year when I know and I
13 know several others were there every year
14 and nothing was ever said about us being
15 there. Many of us are at the Memorial Day
16 ceremony, many of us are in the Veteran's
17 parade, we walk in it, but as soon as you
18 are not there everyone is there to
19 criticize. We all have families, some of us
20 have medical conditions that you have
21 doctor's appointments that you schedule on
22 your day off from work, some of us were off
23 from work that day so you try to do some of
24 those things when you were off, so I don't
25 think it was intentional that no one was
59
1 there. We all respect the veterans, we say
2 a moment of reflection for them every week
3 and we have since I have been here and I
4 know they did it before I came on council,
5 the previous council did that, so on behalf
6 of this whole council I'm going to say that
7 we do respect the veterans and I find it
8 rather insulting that someone would get up
9 and notice that we weren't there this one
10 time. We have been there, I have seen other
11 members there, and I just wanted to clarify
12 that.
13 As far as the library, yes, I am in
14 favor of the library in South Scranton. Our
15 library on Vine Street is very insufficient.
16 If any of you have gone there the books are
17 in racks in front of the stacks, you can't
18 even get a book because there is no room,
19 there is just trays of books in front of the
20 racks, it has outgrown itself. There are
21 other libraries that are being built in our
22 county. Abington has a brand new library,
23 Carbondale has a brand new library and North
24 Pocono is getting a brand new library. We
25 are the seat of the Lackawanna County
60
1 library system and we deserve to have the
2 best state of the art library, too. So, I
3 am going to continue to fight for that new
4 library. The other library will not close.
5 It will just be an ancillary library, so I
6 wanted to be upfront about being for that
7 particular project.
8 The Pisanos that Mrs. Schumacher
9 brought up, I believe that the wording is
10 now the same as it was for the Jay's
11 Common's project, and we had sent that back
12 to the city solicitor to revise it to
13 reflect it to be the way that the Jay's
14 Common's project was. I met with Mr. Pisano
15 and his son and I towered the new facility.
16 I was anxious to see what was happening
17 there because we were getting different
18 stories from people as to what was going to
19 happen there. It is going to be a
20 restaurant on the one half, the other side
21 is going to be office space. It is nearly
22 finished. I noticed that they have since
23 paved the parking lot and I don't imagine it
24 will be much longer before they are
25 operating. It looks like it's going to be a
61
1 wonderful full facility and I'm very happy
2 that this council voted for that project
3 because it looks like it's going to be very
4 nice and it is going to be a restaurant, and
5 I think that's all I have. Thank you.
6 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you, Mrs. Gatelli.
7 Mrs. Fannuci?
8 MS. FANUCCI: I only have a few
9 things I want to speak on the economic
10 development comments that are made here. I
11 believe that the citizens of Scranton and
12 the taxpayers are certainly very
13 well-informed on what economic development
14 has taken place. You can't drive through
15 the streets of our neighborhoods or our city
16 without seeing what is going on. A medical
17 school coming, science center at the
18 University, the Connell building being
19 redone, it is constantly happening and
20 changing. That is what we are doing. That
21 is the difference here in the City of
22 Scranton.
23 Look around the state, look around
24 the country, you are not seeing that type of
25 development happening. You are here. That
62
1 is amazing. We should be grateful and
2 thankful, but to sit here and talk that it
3 is not happening while it's all going on
4 with construction trucks everywhere, people
5 going to work, I mean, contractors,
6 construction people all doing their jobs and
7 act like it's not happening is quite amusing
8 to me. You don't have to like it, but we
9 are progressing and we are progressing in a
10 wonderful way and I for one am thrilled when
11 I go downtown or when I go to the little
12 coffee shop on the corner that used to be
13 just a coffee shop who is now distributing
14 all over the place to see people making
15 things like soaps and now selling them not
16 just to us, but you to people all over the
17 place. This is what we are about. So to
18 sit here week after week and here how things
19 aren't happening it's almost -- it's almost
20 appalling.
21 So when you see the Connell building
22 going under construction think, that was not
23 economic development. Certainly make sure
24 that when you go by and you are looking at
25 the 500 block of Lackawanna and the progress
63
1 there think, well, this is definitely not
2 development in our city. It just baffles me
3 every single week.
4 Also, as far as the budget is
5 concerned, isn't it amazing how we get
6 knocked for not raising taxes? You really
7 can't win in this place. No, we are not
8 raising taxes. I'm thrilled to death we
9 don't have to do that. Was I thrilled to do
10 it last time when we had to raise taxes?
11 No. This is not something anybody likes to
12 do. These are tough decisions. To sit here
13 week after week and talk about the what if's
14 and if we and why can't we and what happened
15 in the past is not changing our future.
16 To actively change our future we
17 have to make difficult decisions. Luckily
18 this time we don't. I'm thrilled to death
19 that we decided to refinance the loan so
20 that we didn't have to raise taxes. I'm
21 thankful that the tax office made their
22 problems known so they don't have to raise
23 taxes. This is not a bad thing. It's a
24 very good thing for us. I want nothing more
25 than the contracts to be settled, to us fall
64
1 into this windfall of money that people
2 think seems to be up there, going through
3 the budget I don't see it. People want to
4 eliminate offices that are required by the
5 state to be here. It's ironic to me how you
6 think you can just pull people out of a
7 budget and say, "Well, you are not
8 important."
9 We are all in this, we are all
10 important, everybody who works in this city
11 is very important. Received that bit of
12 information from Mr. Quinn tonight, deciding
13 that the janitor doesn't deserve his money,
14 deciding that people who work in offices
15 don't deserve what they do, when you don't
16 know what they actually do on a daily basis.
17 It is amazing to me. That's not what we are
18 about in this city, we are about working
19 together to get further to make our city
20 better not just complaining week after week,
21 that's very easy, very easy way out. Let's
22 just complain, I'll complain for 20 years
23 and see what happens. Nothing. Absolutely
24 nothing.
25 So, yes, I'm thrilled to death that
65
1 we don't have to borrow the budget this
2 year. I am very happy that we made some
3 progress and that the budget is better than
4 it was last year. Hopefully next year we
5 can hope for the same, but don't sit here
6 week after week and come up here and talk
7 about what you think could be possibly cut
8 by other people's positions. You don't know
9 what it takes to make that city work. You
10 don't understand and I know you think you do
11 and I think that's wonderful, and I
12 definitely will look at all of this paper
13 that I got tonight, I have sat here tonight
14 and I have already looked at a lot of it and
15 I'm glad that you think all of these cuts
16 can happen.
17 I'm lucky that, you know, you put
18 all of this work into it, but I don't see
19 how that is realistic, but I certainly will
20 look over more of the budget and obviously I
21 will study it further like everyone else
22 does and we will see what happens. I mean,
23 we all have ideas and what we want to cut
24 ourselves, but, I mean, departments and
25 departments and departments aren't certainly
66
1 going to make our city a better place.
2 Also, I do want to speak about the
3 Veteran's Day comments that were made. I
4 have to say that I find it again appalling.
5 No one knows what my family has done as far
6 as war is concerned or who has done what,
7 but to get up here because you didn't see
8 someone somewhere without knowing or caring
9 what goes on in their life makes me wonder
10 what your motive could possibly be. Don't
11 ever, ever come up and say I don't care
12 about who braves this country to where we
13 are because you have no clue and I can
14 honestly say I spend everyday thankful,
15 scared of war, thankful that people are out
16 there able to do what they do for us, but
17 because you decided that you think this is
18 proper to get up here and bash people just
19 for a political disgusting motive, don't
20 ever, ever bring my name up in that regard
21 again. Ever. And I honestly mean that. I
22 find that the most insulting thing -- you
23 are very insulting, believe me, you are good
24 at it, but that is the most insulting thing
25 you have ever done in these chambers, and
67
1 that is all I have.
2 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you.
3 Mr. Courtright.
4 MR. COURTRIGHT: I don't have that
5 much this evening. Just as we are sitting
6 here I did go over some of the things that
7 Mr. Quinn has here and I think some of them
8 are possible. I think some of them are not
9 possible. I know there is as far as
10 reducing the janitor's salary I don't think
11 that's possible because he is an unionized
12 employee and they have a contract and you
13 need to go by that, but I think some of them
14 in there are feasible. I will reserve my
15 comments on the budget until we vote on it
16 this week and then in upcoming weeks.
17 I don't want to get into the
18 Veteran's things, I mean, I have always
19 supported veterans, I think everybody around
20 here knows that and I think there has been
21 enough said on that this evening and I'll
22 just let it go at that.
23 I do have a bit of information,
24 Mr. Hubbard is not here this week, last week
25 he asked about a beat cop down in lower
68
1 Greenridge that was checking out his boat
2 being parked on the street, I believe, or
3 his dad's boat and he had said that his area
4 was not eligible for CDBG money because it
5 wasn't a low to moderate income area because
6 it was attached to upper Greenridge, and I
7 spoke to the person in charge of COM-D, yes,
8 there was an officer down there, he dug out
9 maps and on the maps it shows the
10 jurisdiction for COM-D officers in that
11 section of the city is eligible for a COM-D
12 officer. Why you are not eligible for COM-D
13 funds that I don't know. He goes by the
14 maps that he has. I believe the maps that
15 he had he said were from early 2002 or
16 something to that effect, so I think
17 Mr. Hubbard what we need to do is either
18 yourself or I can do it for you we can talk
19 to OECD and ask how come you are eligible
20 for a beat cop, but you are not eligible for
21 OECD funds, but the officer in charge
22 guaranteed me that according to his maps
23 they are eligible down there.
24 I didn't get into it whether he is
25 able to check on your boat or not, I believe
69
1 you are correct and I believe they know you
2 are correct they have no jurisdiction over
3 your boat. The trailer your boat maybe, but
4 not the boat itself, and that's all I have.
5 Mr. McGoff. Thank you.
6 MS. GATELLI: Excuse me just for one
7 minute, as far as the OECD funds, if they
8 are eligible for a police officer then they
9 are eligible for the funds. Either you are
10 in the block group are you are not. It's
11 very simple.
12 MR. COURTRIGHT: And I don't know
13 why they are not eligible for the funds, but
14 they are officers, and he had taken out
15 maps, you know, showing where their
16 jurisdiction is and that area falls into
17 where it is.
18 MS. GATELLI: Kay, would you get us
19 a map from Linda Aebli of eligible areas
20 because if they are eligible for the officer
21 then they are eligible for the funds.
22 MR. COURTRIGHT: Right, and I
23 obviously couldn't ask the officer why, you
24 know, he doesn't know a thing about OECD as
25 far as the funds, he is pretty efficient
70
1 though, I'll give him that. When it comes
2 to these COM-D cops he seemed to be pretty
3 efficient. He was taken all kinds of maps
4 there, so --
5 MS. GATELLI: And the boat, since I
6 mentioned the boats, the two that I was
7 referring to are gone in my neighborhood.
8 They are both gone. It's funny. They had
9 the registration on them, but they are both
10 gone so I'm very happy about that, but the
11 boat cannot be on the street unless it's on
12 a trailer that has a license on it.
13 MR. COURTRIGHT: Right.
14 MS. GATELLI: You know, a current
15 license.
16 MR. COURTRIGHT: And a police
17 department would have jurisdiction over the
18 trailer.
19 MS. GATELLI: Right, with the boat on
20 it.
21 MR. COURTRIGHT: Why he was lifting
22 up the tarp I have no idea.
23 MS. GATELLI: Probably to see if the
24 registration was there.
25 MR. COURTRIGHT: But, anyway, we will
71
1 look into it for Mr. Hubbard and ask why
2 they are eligible for a police officers but
3 not for funds. Something is not right
4 there.
5 MS. GATELLI: Yes, that's just not
6 right.
7 MR. COURTRIGHT: And we're going to
8 keep on that and if you are watching
9 tomorrow when this is aired, Mr. Hubbard,
10 give us a call. That's all I have. Thank
11 you.
12 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you. Just a
13 couple of brief comments on the budget that
14 we'll be looking at tonight, a couple of
15 things that I thought were in the budget,
16 number one, the budget as presented to us no
17 jobs were lost and week after week we hear
18 about the number of jobs being lost in the
19 area and here we have a budget in which no
20 government jobs, well, there is one position
21 being cut, but it's not going to result in a
22 loss of a person and yet I look at
23 Mr. Quinn's proposal to us and 21 people
24 would lose their jobs. I don't see how at
25 this time in our economic life that we can
72
1 suggest that anyone look at unemployment.
2 If we can pass a budget in which people keep
3 their jobs I would be very happy.
4 Also, the budget contains money
5 available funds for raises for municipal
6 employees if and when the contracts are
7 settled, I think that's a positive thing,
8 and hopefully those contracts are settled
9 and that money is allocated to firefighters
10 and policemen at this time. And also,
11 Mr. Ancherani, I think we are going to need
12 an arbitrator on whether the TANS count as
13 borrowing, we'll have to hire someone to
14 arbitrate on that issue, but that's all I
15 have. Thank you.
16 MR. ANCHERANI: I'll answer that next
17 week.
18 MS. GARVEY: FIFTH ORDER. FOR
19 INTRODUCTION - AN ORDINANCE - APPROPRIATING
20 FUNDS FOR THE EXPENSES OF THE CITY
21 GOVERNMENT FOR THE PERIOD COMMENCING ON THE
22 FIRST DAY OF JANUARY 2009 TO AND INCLUDING
23 DECEMBER 31, 2009 BY THE ADOPTION OF THE
24 GENERAL CITY OPERATING BUDGET FOR THE YEAR
25 2009.
73
1 MR. MCGOFF: At this time I'll
2 entertain a motion that Item 5-B be
3 introduced into it's proper committee.
4 MR. COURTRIGHT: Second.
5 MS. FANUCCI: So moved.
6 MR. MCGOFF: Did somebody move? On
7 the question?
8 MR. COURTRIGHT: On the question,
9 Mr. McGoff, I reserved my comments until now
10 and they will still be brief, as I have done
11 in the past, you know, we have three
12 readings on a lot of things and there will
13 be three readings on this, I will vote to
14 move this forward tonight, I will vote in
15 the affirmative, that doesn't mean that I'm
16 in favor of everything in this budget.
17 Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Gatelli spoke quite
18 extensively on it, and there is some things
19 in there that would prevent me from voting
20 for this budget and I'd like to see changed.
21 If they are changed maybe I'll vote for it,
22 if not I probably won't, but I'm going to
23 vote to pass it this evening to move it
24 ahead. I took a look and I saw an article
25 in the county where they, the county
74
1 commissioners, were holding back on giving
2 raises to any of their management because of
3 the financial situation here and I think we
4 need to do that here. I was opposed to and
5 nothing against either gentleman or their
6 office personally or the office itself, but
7 when the police and fire chief got $13,000 a
8 year raises I was deadset against that. Do
9 I think that they were underpaid for their
10 jobs, I absolutely do, but I was against
11 giving them raises when their rank and file
12 are suffering the way they are, and I'm
13 against giving the raises that we have in
14 the budget this time. It just doesn't seem
15 right to me.
16 And as far as the library in South
17 Side, I'm not against the library itself per
18 se, but I'm against it at this time spending
19 money and I just don't think we have extra
20 money to be spending, so that's one thing
21 this troubles me.
22 But the raises at a time when I look
23 at the county they have cut jobs, all right,
24 and I know it's difficult. It's very
25 difficult to cut somebody's jobs. I had my
75
1 job cut, the whole place I worked got cut,
2 but when there is tough economic times
3 sometimes there has to be tough measures and
4 I don't want to sound cruel, but I don't
5 think it's the city's responsibility to
6 employ everybody, all right?
7 If we could trim some of the fat I
8 think we need to do that, and it seems like
9 the fat -- or I don't want to call it the
10 fat, it seems like the trimming always comes
11 from the unionized end of it and never from
12 the management end and I believe that's
13 wrong and I believe Mrs. Evans' comments was
14 the chiefs and Indians and that I certainly
15 agree with it.
16 So, again, I will be voting as to
17 pass it forward, but I'll reserve my
18 comments for next week after I lock at the
19 budget more extensively and we speak in
20 caucus and see what can be changed and what
21 cannot be changed. That's all I have.
22 Thank you:
23 MS. EVANS: I just wanted to clarify
24 something because I don't want anyone to
25 misunderstand my intent, there certainly is
76
1 economic development in the City of
2 Scranton, yes, there have been many
3 wonderful developments. I'm talking about
4 jobs. Now, granted, these developments are
5 produced by developers who have received
6 multiple millions in our local, state and
7 federal tax dollars to renovate or construct
8 their buildings and, of course, many of them
9 are KOZ's or KOEZ's, but the fact of the
10 matter is the facts and the figures don't
11 lie. They are coming from the mayor's
12 budget, they are coming from the tax office,
13 it's there in black and white whether we
14 like that or not.
15 MR. MCGOFF: Anyone else on the
16 question? All those in favor signify by
17 saying aye?
18 MS. FANUCCI: Aye.
19 MS. GATELLI: Aye.
20 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
21 MR. MCGOFF: Aye. Opposed?
22 MS. EVANS: No.
23 MR. MCGOFF: The ayes have it and so
24 moved.
25 MS. GARVEY: We need a motion.
77
1 MR. MCGOFF: I'm sorry, yes, we do.
2 I'd like to make a motion that a public
3 hearing be held November 5 in council
4 chambers at 6:00 p.m.
5 MR. COURTRIGHT: Second.
6 MR. MCGOFF: On the question? All
7 those in favor signify by saying aye.
8 MS. EVANS: Aye.
9 MS. FANUCCI: Aye.
10 MS. GATELLI: Aye.
11 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
12 MR. MCGOFF: Aye. Opposed? The
13 ayes have it and so moved. Could I just
14 interject for a moment, the public hearing
15 on the budget will be the 6:00 next week.
16 If people wish to speak, with the
17 possibility of a number of speakers on the
18 budget I would ask that people do sign in so
19 that we have an idea of how many people will
20 be speaking so that we can allot, you know,
21 the proper amount of time to that just so
22 everyone has an equal opportunity to speak
23 on the budget. Thank you. I'm sorry, Mrs.
24 Garvey.
25 MS. GARVEY: 5-C. FOR INTRODUCTION -
78
1 A RESOLUTION - AMENDING RESOLUTION NO. 80,
2 2008 ENTITLED "ACCEPTING THE RECOMMENDATION
3 OF THE HISTORICAL ARCHITECTURE REVIEW BOARD
4 ("HARB") AND APPROVING THE CERTIFICATE OF
5 APPROPRIATENESS FOR JOHN ANDREJACK
6 CONTRACTORS, 802 NORTH WASHINGTON AVENUE,
7 SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA FOR INSTALLATION OF A
8 NEW ROOF WITH ARCHITECTURAL SHINGLES,
9 POINTING OF BRICKS, REPLACEMENT OF WINDOW
10 OPENING FILLERS AND REPLACEMENT OF EXISTING
11 SIGNS AT 225 VINE STREET, SCRANTON,
12 PENNSYLVANIA" TO REFLECT THE CORRECT ADDRESS
13 AS 802 NORTH WEBSTER AVENUE, SCRANTON,
14 PENNSYLVANIA.
15 MR. MCGOFF: At this time I'll
16 entertain a motion that Item 5-C be
17 introduced into it's proper committee.
18 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
19 MS. FANUCCI: Second.
20 MR. MCGOFF: On the question? All
21 in favor signify by saying aye.
22 MS. EVANS: Aye.
23 MS. FANUCCI: Aye.
24 MS. GATELLI: Aye.
25 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
79
1 MR. MCGOFF: Aye. Opposed? The
2 ayes have it and so moved.
3 MS. GARVEY: SIXTH ORDER. READING BY
4 TITLE - FILE OF COUNCIL NO. 48, 2008 - AN
5 ORDINANCE - SALE OF TAX DELINQUENT PROPERTY
6 MORE COMMONLY KNOWN AS SHORT AVENUE, TAX MAP
7 NO. 13420-020-027, SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA,
8 TO CARMEN SAITA, 517 GREENBUSH STREET,
9 SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, 18508, FOR THE
10 CONSIDERATION OF $7,000.00.
11 MR. MCGOFF: You have heard Reading
12 by Title of Item 6-A, what is your pleasure?
13 MR. COURTRIGHT: I move that Item
14 6-A pass Reading by Title.
15 MS. FANUCCI: Second.
16 MR. MCGOFF: On the question? All
17 in favor signify by saying aye.
18 MS. EVANS: Aye.
19 MS. FANUCCI: Aye.
20 MS. GATELLI: Aye.
21 MR. COURTRIGHT: Aye.
22 MR. MCGOFF: Aye. Opposed? The
23 ayes have it and so moved.
24 MS. GARVEY: SEVENTH ORDER. 7-A.
25 FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE COMMITTEE ON
80
1 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT - FOR ADOPTION - FILE
2 OF COUNCIL NO. 45, 2008 - AUTHORIZING THE
3 MAYOR AND OTHER APPROPRIATE CITY OFFICIALS
4 OF THE CITY OF SCRANTON TO ACCEPT AND
5 DISBURSE GRANT FUNDS FROM THE PENNSYLVANIA
6 DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC
7 DEVELOPMENT ("DCED") THROUGH THE ECONOMIC
8 ADVANCEMENT PROGRAM.
9 MR. MCGOFF: What is the
10 recommendation of the Chairperson for the
11 Committee on Community Development?
12 MS. FANUCCI: As Chairperson for the
13 Committee on Community Development, I
14 recommend final passage of Item 7-A.
15 MR. COURTRIGHT: Second.
16 MR. MCGOFF: On the question? Roll
17 call, please.
18 MR. COOLICAN: Mrs. Evans.
19 MS. EVANS: Yes.
20 MR. COOLICAN: Mrs. Gatelli.
21 MS. GATELLI. Yes.
22 MR. COOLICAN: Ms. Fanucci.
23 MS. FANUCCI: Yes.
24 MR. COOLICAN: Mr. Courtright.
25 MR. COURTRIGHT: Yes.
81
1 MR. COOLICAN: Mr. McGoff.
2 MR. MCGOFF: Yes. I hereby declare
3 Item 7-A legally and lawfully adopted.
4 MS. GARVEY: 7-B. FOR CONSIDERATION -
5 BY THE COMMITTEE ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT -
6 FOR ADOPTION - FILE OF COUNCIL NO. 46, 2008
7 - AUTHORIZING THE MAYOR AND OTHER
8 APPROPRIATE CITY OFFICIALS OF THE CITY OF
9 SCRANTON TO ACCEPT AND DISBURSE GRANT FUNDS
10 FROM THE PENNSYLVANIA DEPARTMENT OF
11 COMMUNITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ("DCED")
12 THROUGH THE ECONOMIC ADVANCEMENT PROGRAM.
13 MR. MCGOFF: What is the
14 recommendation of the Chairperson for the
15 Committee on Community Development?
16 MS. FANUCCI: As Chairperson for the
17 Committee on Community Development, I
18 recommend final passage of Item 7-B.
19 MR. COURTRIGHT: Second.
20 MR. MCGOFF: On the question? Roll
21 call, please.
22 MR. COOLICAN: Mrs. Evans.
23 MS. EVANS: Yes.
24 MR. COOLICAN: Mrs. Gatelli.
25 MS. GATELLI. Yes.
82
1 MR. COOLICAN: Ms. Fanucci.
2 MS. FANUCCI: Yes.
3 MR. COOLICAN: Mr. Courtright.
4 MR. COURTRIGHT: Yes.
5 MR. COOLICAN: Mr. McGoff.
6 MR. MCGOFF: Yes. I hereby declare
7 Item 7-B legally and lawfully adopted.
8 MS. GARVEY: 7-C. FOR CONSIDERATION
9 BY THE COMMITTEE ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT -
10 FOR ADOPTION - FILE OF COUNCIL NO. 47, 2008
11 - AMENDING FILE OF COUNCIL NO. 92, 1991,
12 ENTITLED "CREATING A SPECIAL ACCOUNT FOR THE
13 CITY OF SCRANTON IN THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC &
14 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TO BE ENTITLED AS
15 "REPAYMENTS OF URBAN DEVELOPMENT ACTION
16 GRANTS (UDAGS) #91-400" FOR THE PURPOSE OF
17 RECEIVING, DISBURSING, OR TRANSFERRING OF
18 UDAG REPAYMENTS."
19 MR. MCGOFF: What is the
20 recommendation of the Chairperson for the
21 Committee on Community Development?
22 MS. FANUCCI: As chair for the
23 Committee on Community Development, I
24 recommend final passage of Item 7-C.
25 MR. COURTRIGHT: Second.
83
1 MR. MCGOFF: On the question?
2 MS. EVANS: I'm very happy that this
3 legislation was created by council and
4 passed by council. It will protect and
5 provide accountability for UDAG funds in the
6 future. The dollar amount in the account
7 I'm sure at present is quite low, but UDAG
8 loan repayments continue to come in from a
9 variety of sources to whom that money has
10 been given, and it's very important no
11 matter how much, no matter how little that
12 all of your dollars are watched and
13 accounted for very carefully, particularly
14 in this economy.
15 MR. MCGOFF: Roll call, please.
16 MR. COOLICAN: Mrs. Evans.
17 MS. EVANS: Yes.
18 MR. COOLICAN: Mrs. Gatelli.
19 MS. GATELLI. Yes.
20 MR. COOLICAN: Ms. Fanucci.
21 MS. FANUCCI: Yes.
22 MR. COOLICAN: Mr. Courtright.
23 MR. COURTRIGHT: Yes.
24 MR. COOLICAN: Mr. McGoff.
25 MR. MCGOFF: Yes. I hereby declare
84
1 Item 7-C legally and lawfully adopted.
2 MS. GARVEY: 7-D. FOR CONSIDERATION
3 BY THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC SAFETY - FOR
4 ADOPTION - RESOLUTION NO. 83, 2008 -
5 APPROVING THE MODIFICATION OF THE EXISTING
6 TRAFFIC SIGNAL AT THE INTERSECTION OF MOOSIC
7 STREET AND FRONT STREET TO IMPROVE THE FLOW
8 OF TRAFFIC FOR THE PISANO COMMERCIAL PROJECT
9 ON MOOSIC STREET.
10 MR. MCGOFF: What is the
11 recommendation of the Chairperson for the
12 Committee on the Public Safety?
13 MR. COURTRIGHT: As Chairperson for
14 the Committee on Public Safety I recommend
15 final passage of Item 7-D.
16 MS. EVANS: Second.
17 MR. MCGOFF: On the question? Roll
18 call, please?
19 MR. COOLICAN: Mrs. Evans.
20 MS. EVANS: Yes.
21 MR. COOLICAN: Mrs. Gatelli.
22 MS. GATELLI. Yes.
23 MR. COOLICAN: Ms. Fanucci.
24 MS. FANUCCI: Yes.
25 MR. COOLICAN: Mr. Courtright.
85
1 MR. COURTRIGHT: Yes.
2 MR. COOLICAN: Mr. McGoff.
3 MR. MCGOFF: Yes. I hereby declare
4 Item 7-D legally and lawfully adopted.
5 Motion to adjourn?
6 MR. COURTRIGHT: So moved.
7 MR. MCGOFF: Thank you and a special
8 thank you to students from Marywood and the
9 University of Scranton that are here this
10 evening, and hope to see you here again.
11 Thank you.
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
86
1
2 C E R T I F I C A T E
3
4 I hereby certify that the proceedings and
5 evidence are contained fully and accurately in the
6 notes of testimony taken by me at the hearing of the
7 above-captioned matter and that the foregoing is a true
8 and correct transcript of the same to the best of my
9 ability.
10
11
12
CATHENE S. NARDOZZI, RPR
13 OFFICIAL COURT REPORTER
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25