Connellsville pays $400,000 into police, fire fighter pension plans
CONNELLSVILLE — City Council voted on Tuesday to pay $402,779 into its police and firefighters pension plans to meet this year’s minimum municipal obligations.
Most of the money, $236,253, will come from the city’s general fund, and the remaining $166,525 is the general municipal pension system state aid the city receives from the state auditor general’s office.
From the total amount, $301,381 will be deposited into the police pension plan, and $101,398 will be deposited into the firefighters pension plan.
Mayor Greg Lincoln said the city received $197,000 in state aid last year.
State aid has fully funded the pension plans in the past but not for the last few years, Councilman Brad Geyer said. The city’s payments are included in this year’s budget, he said.
Contributions to the firefighters’ plan used to be about $20,000, but the amount has been increasing because fewer firefighters are contributing to it, Geyer said.
The city has reduced the number of full-time firefighters down to one through attrition over the years.
Earlier this year, council adopted an ordinance for a referendum on the November election ballot to disband the paid fire department and rely on volunteer firefighters.
In unrelated business, council approved sewage facilities planning modules for the Cobblestone Hotel on First Street and the expansion of the Sheetz on Route 119. The modules, which would allow the businesses to tap into the sewage system, will be forwarded to the state Department of Environmental Protection for its approval.
The 54-room hotel is being built at the site of the Connellsville Bottling Plant.
Sheetz is planning to acquire and demolish several homes located behind its existing store to expand the parking lot and the store, Lincoln said.
In other business, council:
n Scheduled public meetings to plan next year’s budget at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 30, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 6, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 13 and 7:30 p.m. Nov. 17.
n Agreed to buy 10 digital radios — nine for the police department and one for the code enforcement officer, for $14,100.
n Forwarded $32,479 to the New Haven Hose Volunteer Fire Department from the auditor general’s office.
n Approved advertising the sale of an old city truck and some equipment. Bids are due by 4 p.m. Nov. 17.
n Increased the pay for Connellsville Community Center building manager Gary Barker to $1,550 a month from his current pay of $1,290 a month.
n Hired R&J Network to install a security system in City Hall for $5,100.
n Hired the Ghost Floor Store to install carpet in the Porter Theater in the community center for $4,985 and agreed to prepare an agreement requiring the center to repay the money.
n Agreed to advertise for a custodian to work 20 hours a week at $7.50 an hour to clean City Hall.
n Approved closing West Crawford Avenue and North Pittsburgh Street Nov. 11 for the Veterans’ Day parade and ceremony beginning at 10:45 a.m.
n Named the band shell in East Park the Harold Betters Band Shell.