Wilkinsburg Government Study Commission – Agenda February 8, 2023

Wilkinsburg Government Study Commission

Hosanna House at 807 Wallace Avenue, Wilkinsburg, PA, 15221, 3rd floor, room 309

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/2111167594?pwd=eVFaZUNmeVRZYldCQUpIaXE0dlJ6dz09

Passcode: 1234567

Dial-in: +1-309-205-3325

Meeting #: 211-116-7594#

Passcode: *1234567#

 

Attendees:

  1. Keywanda Ballard-Battle
  2. Janet Harris
  3. Kim Kaplan
  4. Jacquet Kehm
  5. Ruth Kittner
  6. Beverly McCoy
  7. Paul O’Hanlon

 

Agenda:

  1. Check for Quorum
  2. Review and approve previous meeting minutes 
  3. Review officer roles
    1. Harris: GSC Community Liaison – postpone until next meeting she is present
  1. Discuss organizing committees
  • . General (e.g., Administrative, Research)
  1. Community Advisory Committee/Team
  1. Review and discuss two consultant proposals
  • . Third option?
  1. Interview timeline?
  1. Assignments to complete February tasks
  • . Budget submission to Council
  1. Draft survey for community
  2. Draft interview questions for municipality study
  3. Website approval/development
  1. Discuss research material
  • . Borough Code
  1. Borough Council
  2. Borough Mayors Manual
  3. Citizens Guide
  4. Home Rule Survey Template
  1. Propose actions/agenda items for next meeting

 

ACTIONS:

  • Kim to draft Commission Procedures document based on what’s been agreed to

Wilkinsburg Government Study Commission – Meeting Minutes January 25, 2023

Called to order at 5:30 at Hosanna House Room 309. The meeting was accessible remotely by Zoom link https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89578034962.

Present: Keywanda Battle, Kim Kaplan, Beverly McCoy, Jacquet Kehm (Zoom), Ruth Kittner, Paul O’Hanlon (via Zoom).  Bethany Williams, Local Government Policy Specialist, Governor’s Center for Local Government Services joined the meeting via zoom.

  1. Meeting minutes from Jan 11 were approved with amendments already added.  They are available on our Google Docs folder

 

  1. After considerable discussion of the budget, we settled on the budget attached.  Motion to approve made by Jacquet Kehm.  Approved without objection.

 

  1. The Recording secretary was tasked to confirm meeting places, storage of documents, notification of meetings, etc.

 

  1. Janet Harris’ role was tabled to next month due to her absence.

 

  1. Identified 5-7 sites that individual commissioners will visit, interviewing, for example, mayors, municipal managers finance people, commissioners, community leaders.  Questions should center around perceived and actual community pain points, and how decisions were reached re Boro code v home rule charters.

 

  1. McKeesport
  2. Braddock (Keywanda)
  3. Penn Hills (Beverly)
  4. Upper St. Clair
  5. Pittsburgh
  6. Wilkinsburg
  7. “Another Borough”

 

  1. Modified timeline:

 

Month Activities
December Swearing in, legal issues, first meeting, election of officers
January Organizational, statutory criterion
February Draft survey for community; draft interview questions; interview consultant(s); website approval/development; start visits (at least make appointments, identify who to talk to etc.
March Visits to sites; compile reports on site visits; Discuss reports; identify information session sites and arrange for use
April Finish visits and reports; Discuss reports, consolidate data
May Begin information sessions; follow up questions with public and with interviewees
June Continue information sessions; continue revising reports
July Report writing; feedback from community, consultants, other commissioners
August 28

 

  1. Issues of vacancies: each commissioner asked to think about who could fill in for them if a vacancy were to occur.

 

  1. Point of clarification vis a vis the Sunshine law: any meeting at which decisions are made (voted, approved etc) MUST be public.  Commissioners may have internal meetings, may meet with interviewees, etc. without everyone there.

 

  1. Items tabled for next meeting:  Dave Tessitore’s request for a Community Advisory Team; Ethics statement; additional vacancies challenges.

Kim adjourned the meeting at 7:25 p.m..

 

Zoom Recording link and Passcode for 1/25/2023 GSC Meeting # 4:

https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/toXTRyPQoejLk-IAWn9rWCpcYGSfYmTWNT5548tqQLnC7AFpVj-_9Y_G9y8ju1wB.k4LBMvHJyv8GysWi

 

Passcode: fPPe?692