Feb 12, 2016 3 min read

Donora Borough Council on Thursday approved an amended 2016 budget that drops the spending plan from $2.5 million to $2.3 million.

Councilman John Conger said the amendment was because of the fact more money was spent last year.

“We didn’t cut any positions. We didn’t have a deficit. We spent more than we anticipated last year. In this budget, we moved earmarked money to a separate account. We will have our yearly audit next month, and we will be keeping a close watch on our spending each month. We are being proactive,” Conger said.

Council and residents also heard from Tony Menendez, chairman of the Mon Valley Sewage Authority board, regarding sewerage rate increases. The rate increase is the result of the long-term control plan with the state Department of Environmental Protection, said Menendez. Quarterly rates increased from $114 to $148, and monthly rates rose from $38 to $48, based on use of zero to 8,000 gallons, a change from the previous 10,000-gallon figure. If a household uses more than 8,000 gallons, an additional increase of $18 per thousand will be charged, up from last year’s $11.40 rate.

Menendez said the authority has total debt of $37,060,000, with a yearly debt payment of $2,261,758.

“With the closure of Ploycom and Dynonobel, we had a loss of $414,475. We don’t want to raise rates, but we have to be in compliance with the DEP regulations,” said Menendez

He added if residents want to see a change, they need to get involved and contact their lawmakers. “They are the ones putting these regulations in place,” he said.

Resident Tim McDonough said the DEP regulations can be a good thing.

“I worked at Clairton Coke Plant. The hills beside the river used to be bare. When I left, they needed tree trimmers,” said McDonough. “People demanded that we clean our air, water and communities. This is nothing new. This has been in the works for 40 years.”

Councilman Jimmie Coulter agreed with McDonough but wondered how much more the DEP can expect to add on to the communities and residents financially. The air and rivers are cleaner now than they ever were, he said.

Resident Timothy Wilcher approached council about having something done with two neighboring properties in the 600 block of Thompson Avenue.

“I am a rose between two thorns,” Wilcher told council. “The neighboring properties are full of mold, garbage is in the backyard, slate shingles are falling off of the roof and windows are falling off. Who is going to pay for damage to my house, or if one of my children gets hurt from falling debris?”

Code officer Tim Durka said the owner of one of the properties that was declared uninhabitable has applied for a $23,000 grant from the Washington County Redevelopment Authority to repair the home. He added that he was unaware of the garbage behind the other home and will contact the owner and address the issues.

Finally, Councilman Gilbert Szakal Jr. said he was excited for an opportunity to host a community roundtable at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 9, in the borough building.

“Several clergy approached me about sitting down and getting involved in the community,” said Szakal. “We want to solve problems. This won’t be a complaint session. We want to talk about getting involved with the youth, drugs and any other topics to bring our community together. This will be a great way for our community to come together and make it a better place.”

Szakal said he expects additional roundtables to be held.