New Castle city council will meet a half-hour earlier in 2023.
As part of the city’s new administrative code under its Home Rule charter, language needed to be cleared up on when and at what time council will hold meetings.
During Tuesday’s caucus meeting, the five members of council — with President MaryAnne Gavrile leading the meeting by phone — agreed to move meetings up to 6 p.m. for next year.
“Because the charter is so vague, right now we know the dates of the meetings,” business administrator Stephanie DiCarlo said.
“It’s always the first and the third Thursdays. This isn’t specific enough.”
They will still hold voting meetings on the first and third Thursdays of the month, with a caucus scheduled for the preceding Tuesday.
In the months of June, July and August, council will only meet for caucus on the first Tuesday and hold a voting meeting on the first Thursday of the month.
Gavrile said she wanted only one meeting in the summer. This summer, a handful of meetings were canceled because various members of council were on vacation and there was a lack of business to act on.
“I think it’s important we have a meeting to discuss what we want on the agenda,” Gavrile said in support of keeping with a caucus and voting meeting schedule. “It gets testy if we do it another way.”
If business comes up, council could schedule a special meeting so long as it is advertised 24 hours in advance.
Additionally, council will hold a combined caucus and voting meeting on the third Tuesday of the month in November, which is during Thanksgiving week. That meeting is when the next year’s budget is introduced. Council will also only meet three times in December, with a combined meeting held on the third Tuesday, which is the week of Christmas.
Quarterly pension board meetings have been pushed back to 5:15 p.m.
VIEWPOINT PROJECT
ON HOLD
The proposed project to market New Castle through a public television documentary is on hold.
Mayor Chris Frye was approached by Viewpoint, which was founded by actor Dennis Quaid, to advertise the city nationwide, at a cost of $28,400, through a short-form documentary segment, an email promotion and a one-minute commercial airing nationally.
Frye said that while he is in favor of advertising the city, but said the city’s Act 47 representatives told him they would not guarantee the money needed for the project this year.
Gavrile said she likes the idea of the project, and is a proponent of highlighting the city, particularly its “parks and ballfields.”
“We have a beautiful historical section of town, third oldest in the state” Gavrile said of the North Hill Historic District. “I think it is a good idea in my opinion. I know we need to think about the money.”
Gavrile said she likes the idea of advertising on New Castle Area Transit Authority buses that go into Pittsburgh.
“This is an ideal place to live,” Gavrile said.
“The people are good that live in the neighborhoods.”
Frye said city officials should look into putting more money for advertising in the city’s 2023 budget, and suggested hiring a marketing firm to help promote the city.
‘NOT IN DECLINE’
City health and gaming officer Patrick McGuire, at a health board meeting before the caucus, said the city is maintaining the same amount of food licenses it did at the beginning of the year.
“We are not on a decline,” McGuire said.
McGuire said practically every restaurant in town is doing well following codes, noting the biggest issue for them is getting and keeping employees due to high turnover rates.
McGuire noted he is working address areas in the city with high amounts of trash piled up, including two places he said have piles of trash six feet high.
nvercilla@ncnewsonline.com
