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.
- Meeting minutes from Jan 11 were approved with amendments already added. They are available on our Google Docs folder
- After considerable discussion of the budget, we settled on the budget attached. Motion to approve made by Jacquet Kehm. Approved without objection.
- The Recording secretary was tasked to confirm meeting places, storage of documents, notification of meetings, etc.
- Janet Harris’ role was tabled to next month due to her absence.
- 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.
- McKeesport
- Braddock (Keywanda)
- Penn Hills (Beverly)
- Upper St. Clair
- Pittsburgh
- Wilkinsburg
- “Another Borough”
- 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 |
- Issues of vacancies: each commissioner asked to think about who could fill in for them if a vacancy were to occur.
- 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.
- 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:
Passcode: fPPe?692