Bucks Local News version of the story.
Morrisville street-light project on hold, borough council fails to override mayor’s veto
21st Century Media News Service
MORRISVILLE BOROUGH - In an expected political, showdown borough council failed to garner the needed votes to override Mayor Rita Ledger’s veto of a funding ordinance so that a $1.25-million street-light project can move forward.
At the Sept. 16 meeting, the council vote was 5-3, one short of the six needed for an override. Council President Nancy Sherlock, Victor Cicero, Fred Kerner, David Rivella and Jeffrey Johnson supported the override motion, while council members Debbie Smith, Todd Sanford and Eileen Dreisbach continued to oppose the project, voting to sustain the veto.
With the override failure, the already-signed 17-year contract with Johnson Controls, Inc. is now on hold and so is the move to replace more than 600 streetlights with energy-saving state-of-the-art LED lamps.
In July, council had accepted a 2.99-percent loan from TD Bank to pay for the Johnson Controls’ upgrade.
“We’ll try next month and maybe we’ll get a different opinion,” said Sherlock, explaining that council will again attempt to override the mayoral veto at subsequent council meetings.
According to Sherlock, borough council will also ask the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), which oversees certain municipal contracts, to determine whether the mayor’s veto can withstand legal scrutiny.
If the veto wasn’t valid in the first place, the council president said that the project will then move forward. Morrisville has until January to initiate the contract with Johnson Controls without penalty.
At issue is whether Mayor Ledger can technically veto the ordinance, or whether her authority does not extend to financial matters, such as the measure which was passed in a 5-3 council vote Aug. 23 to officially finance the streetlight replacement and energy upgrade project.
Even though the contract with Johnson Controls had been approved by borough council earlier this year, no motion had been made on how to pay for it. Under state law, an ordinance was required in order to technically fund the project so that it could get underway.
In addition, there is a question whether Ledger penned the veto within the 10-day deadline, as required by the borough code.
At the Sept. 16 meeting, the council vote was 5-3, one short of the six needed for an override. Council President Nancy Sherlock, Victor Cicero, Fred Kerner, David Rivella and Jeffrey Johnson supported the override motion, while council members Debbie Smith, Todd Sanford and Eileen Dreisbach continued to oppose the project, voting to sustain the veto.
With the override failure, the already-signed 17-year contract with Johnson Controls, Inc. is now on hold and so is the move to replace more than 600 streetlights with energy-saving state-of-the-art LED lamps.
In July, council had accepted a 2.99-percent loan from TD Bank to pay for the Johnson Controls’ upgrade.
“We’ll try next month and maybe we’ll get a different opinion,” said Sherlock, explaining that council will again attempt to override the mayoral veto at subsequent council meetings.
According to Sherlock, borough council will also ask the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED), which oversees certain municipal contracts, to determine whether the mayor’s veto can withstand legal scrutiny.
If the veto wasn’t valid in the first place, the council president said that the project will then move forward. Morrisville has until January to initiate the contract with Johnson Controls without penalty.
At issue is whether Mayor Ledger can technically veto the ordinance, or whether her authority does not extend to financial matters, such as the measure which was passed in a 5-3 council vote Aug. 23 to officially finance the streetlight replacement and energy upgrade project.
Even though the contract with Johnson Controls had been approved by borough council earlier this year, no motion had been made on how to pay for it. Under state law, an ordinance was required in order to technically fund the project so that it could get underway.
In addition, there is a question whether Ledger penned the veto within the 10-day deadline, as required by the borough code.
Borough solicitor James Downey noted that the mayor might have waited 11 days to formally override the previously-approved funding ordinance.
“I don’t know when the mayor got it by mail, I don’t know all of the facts” Downey said of the uncertainty of the time frame and his decision not to issue a legal opinion on the validity of the mayoral veto.
“To say that this gets confusing would be a grand understatement,” he declared.
As a result, council decided to vote for an override even though the veto might have been invalid in the first place.
All along, Mayor Ledger had backed the three council members opposing the project, also questioning how the energy upgrade would be funded and whether the contract best protected the borough.
Before the override vote was taken, Ledger spent nearly a half-hour reading her single-spaced, eight-page veto letter on why she opposed the Johnson Control project.
According to the mayor, the contract did not fully disclose all the costs related to the project.
In her litany of objections, she alleged that the pact did not comply with state-mandated guidelines pertaining to municipal energy-saving projects.
Ledger also claimed that the borough would still be required to pay Johnson Controls even if the anticipated energy-savings were not fully realized every year.
The mayor listed the actions which she said would be required to satisfy her concerns, including “disclosing all the costs related to this project.”
“I don’t know when the mayor got it by mail, I don’t know all of the facts” Downey said of the uncertainty of the time frame and his decision not to issue a legal opinion on the validity of the mayoral veto.
“To say that this gets confusing would be a grand understatement,” he declared.
As a result, council decided to vote for an override even though the veto might have been invalid in the first place.
All along, Mayor Ledger had backed the three council members opposing the project, also questioning how the energy upgrade would be funded and whether the contract best protected the borough.
Before the override vote was taken, Ledger spent nearly a half-hour reading her single-spaced, eight-page veto letter on why she opposed the Johnson Control project.
According to the mayor, the contract did not fully disclose all the costs related to the project.
In her litany of objections, she alleged that the pact did not comply with state-mandated guidelines pertaining to municipal energy-saving projects.
Ledger also claimed that the borough would still be required to pay Johnson Controls even if the anticipated energy-savings were not fully realized every year.
The mayor listed the actions which she said would be required to satisfy her concerns, including “disclosing all the costs related to this project.”
“It is my hope that the borough council will consider the objections that I have raised and take the recommend actions to remedy them,” she read.
Council President Sherlock responded to the mayor’s treatise, saying that that “it sounded very good on paper, but none of this has been brought up before, except at the eleventh hour.”
Meanwhile, Councilwoman Dreisbach, who voted to uphold the veto, also objected to the contract, claiming that she had never seen the Johnson Controls paperwork before being asked to approve it.
“I need to see in writing what I’m voting for,” she complained, “Obviously there are problems here.”
However, Borough Manager Tom Bates said that it’s too late to modify the already-approved contract.
“By the way it wasn’t an energy-savings project,” Bates explained, stressing the distinction, “It was capital-improvement project.”
“We’re going to help the people of Morrisville,” he added.
Under the project, every streetlight in Morrisville would be replaced with the same type of LED lamps and wattage, something which Sherlock has said “will make the town very attractive and uniform.”
Currently, the borough spends about $120,000 a year for electricity to keep the streetlights on, a cost is expected to be reduced to around $70,000 annually with high-energy efficient lighting which is guaranteed to last 30 years.
Besides the electric costs, Morrisville pays around $25,000 each year to maintain the streetlights and replace the existing bulbs.
Council President Sherlock responded to the mayor’s treatise, saying that that “it sounded very good on paper, but none of this has been brought up before, except at the eleventh hour.”
Meanwhile, Councilwoman Dreisbach, who voted to uphold the veto, also objected to the contract, claiming that she had never seen the Johnson Controls paperwork before being asked to approve it.
“I need to see in writing what I’m voting for,” she complained, “Obviously there are problems here.”
However, Borough Manager Tom Bates said that it’s too late to modify the already-approved contract.
“By the way it wasn’t an energy-savings project,” Bates explained, stressing the distinction, “It was capital-improvement project.”
“We’re going to help the people of Morrisville,” he added.
Under the project, every streetlight in Morrisville would be replaced with the same type of LED lamps and wattage, something which Sherlock has said “will make the town very attractive and uniform.”
Currently, the borough spends about $120,000 a year for electricity to keep the streetlights on, a cost is expected to be reduced to around $70,000 annually with high-energy efficient lighting which is guaranteed to last 30 years.
Besides the electric costs, Morrisville pays around $25,000 each year to maintain the streetlights and replace the existing bulbs.
In addition to the streetlights, the company would replace windows and insulation in the 64-year-old borough hall, as well as new heating and air conditioning installed. Electronic sensors would also be placed in the municipal building, as well as the library and public works garage, which would also see improvements.
Several of the more than 30 residents who attended the two-and-a-half-hour council meeting also supported the street-light project, including Patricia Schell of Grandview Avenue. “It’s good for us as a whole,” she said during the public comment period. “This is something we need.”
But borough council might not have to repeatedly attempt to override Mayor Ledger’s veto. Dreisbach is not running for re-election and a candidate more favorable to the Johnson Controls contract might be elected in November, thus adding the sixth vote needed for an override.
In addition, Councilman Rivella is running for mayor to replace Ledger who is also not seeking re-election. If he wins, council could then appoint a replacement to Rivella’s unexpired council seat, which could also guarantee a vote to overturn the veto.
In other news, borough council issued a proclamation honoring the Morrisville Little League 10-11 year-old All-Stars for winning the 2013 Pennsylvania state tile for that age group.
Council President Sherlock handed out certificates of appreciation to the 12 players, as well as the team manager and three coaches, all of whom attended the meeting with friends and family.
“We’re proud of the group going all the way to the state championship,” she stated. “This is a recognition to the coaches, team and the borough of Morrisville.”
The next regularly scheduled council meeting is Oct. 21.
Several of the more than 30 residents who attended the two-and-a-half-hour council meeting also supported the street-light project, including Patricia Schell of Grandview Avenue. “It’s good for us as a whole,” she said during the public comment period. “This is something we need.”
But borough council might not have to repeatedly attempt to override Mayor Ledger’s veto. Dreisbach is not running for re-election and a candidate more favorable to the Johnson Controls contract might be elected in November, thus adding the sixth vote needed for an override.
In addition, Councilman Rivella is running for mayor to replace Ledger who is also not seeking re-election. If he wins, council could then appoint a replacement to Rivella’s unexpired council seat, which could also guarantee a vote to overturn the veto.
In other news, borough council issued a proclamation honoring the Morrisville Little League 10-11 year-old All-Stars for winning the 2013 Pennsylvania state tile for that age group.
Council President Sherlock handed out certificates of appreciation to the 12 players, as well as the team manager and three coaches, all of whom attended the meeting with friends and family.
“We’re proud of the group going all the way to the state championship,” she stated. “This is a recognition to the coaches, team and the borough of Morrisville.”
The next regularly scheduled council meeting is Oct. 21.
54 comments:
Is it true that it was a 5-3 vote to honor the little league players? I heard that Dreisbach, Smith, and Sanford objected to using boro paid paper to print the certificates.
Ledger do your duty and veto this.
It never ceases to amaze me how these people proudly strut their ignorance as if it is some badge of honor. I have news for you, it is your badge of shame: Rita, Debbie, Eileen and Todd. Shame on all of you for your failures and unwillingness to do the job you each sought and held. I( hope you all feel bad about yourselves, but I doubt that as you all seem completely unaware of just how ridiculous you are.
What do you mean? "You People?" :-)
No surprises here, the same idiots making the same excuses for their inability to get anything done.
YOU SUCK!!!
If Rivella wins for mayor, who's in line for the Ward 4 council appointment to replace him?
Jack Buckman???
As part of Morrisville Royalty, the job is divine right-fully his, innit????
Depends on who applies.
I think the search for a new councilperson first goes to the 4th ward. If nobody from the 4th ward applies, then council can ask for candidates borough-wide. I think council has to fill the seat within 30 days.
That would be a sight having Buckman back on council.
Tan, rested, and ready.
Buckman 2013
Sleeping on the dais in his cozy chair with his elbow up and his hand supporting his head while he sleeps during the meeting. Aw I remember those days.
Between you and Buckman, that makes one of you.
The 3 that vote no and the mayor who veto's all the time sound like whiny obstructionist losers.
Yes, I agree. I always think that no wonder progress is slow with people who refuse to see the value of working to move things forward instead of sticking to their obstructionism.
I wonder how the people who voted for Debbie Smith feel about her performance and voting record since they elected her two years ago. She hid her true intentions well and made promises she had no intention of keeping.
Maybe we can eliminated the new lighting on Bridge and Penna. and also Delmorr and Union. We don't need a brighter view of the Stockham Bldg. and the Pool. Why Why Why....do we let the same people continue to make haphazard decisions for Morrisville, while ignoring the priority issues this town faces! This Bates makes too much money while our council people make next to nothing. We need more than 2 fulltime policemen a night! Why do people stay in position for decades, never advancing to county commissioner or state reps. Maybe they are afraid, they won't be able to play their game of control anywhere else. Wake up people! We don't need more bad press, we are sinking to the bottom of the barrel. Do the research needed to make logical voting decisions, check out the campaign donations, it's public info. I think it's ridiculous that people in a 2 mile square town are showing thousands of dollars in donations. While some fund their own campaign and are not obligated to corporations or entities. It's time we begin to elect people who will do what will make our town a decent place, instead of being concerned with their contributors agendas. What we have here is the perfect example of hidden corruption and progressive egotism. The residents of Morrisville deserve the truth, from all of their officials. I personally don't think anyone but the police need a new shiny vehicle every five years. We live in a 2 mile square town! We need to consider the uncertain future, debt trickles down.
Maybe you can post a link to those campaign contribution sights.
Doesn't Mr. Bates make less than George Mount did when he was borough manager?
The pool, seriously? Council has been working to clean up that mess that most of them inherited.
"Why do people stay in position for decades, never advancing to county commissioner or state reps."
Okay, I started reading the paragraph and when I read this I had to laugh. I didn't know Jane Burger was a blogger. This is what she used to say, no kidding, before she ran for state rep. against Galloway. A couple of years ago she even spread a rumor that Rivella was going to run for county commissioner at one point.
And how Hellmann tried to run and was laughed out of Doylestown by the county Republicans. They all stay here for the same reason some people never advance out of the minors. No talent.
" it's public info. I think it's ridiculous that people in a 2 mile square town are showing thousands of dollars in donations"
- because it's not you???!!!
What matters to me is if people are working for the community, some have been and some have not been. If you have been working for Morrisville, I'll vote for you. If you haven't been working for Morrisville, leave it for the next sucker.
To the person who wrote the large post above, you are exactly what is wrong with Morrisville. Afraid your friends may not be elected so you have to change your strategy. You were smart not to sign your name to your post because then someone could sue you for some of what you've said.
The stockham bldg is private property. If you paid attention you would know what is going on with the pool.
Since you're good with numbers, look to see what the previous borough manager made then look at what Bates makes.
Campaign finance is public record. Nobody finances their own campaigns, even if they tell you they do. The difference I have seen for years is that the Dems tend to be honest about campaign financing reporting and the Reps aren't.
Even I can read the newspaper. New officers are being hired.
Your twists, turns and misinformation tell me that you are worried that your buddies aren't going to be elected. Your worried that Morrisville might actually continue to move forward without you, and your obstructionist pals won't even be there to VOTE NO ALL THE TIME.
Ugh, election time sucks. All the same old tactics are used to try to restore the same old guard of obstructionists.
Does anyone know if anyone from the police department has been to either of the Morrisville public schools to talk about what's been going on?
I like election time too.
Since you're so good with numbers, then TELL US what the salaries were. Hinting, nodding, and winking is another famous Morrisville technique. The Stockham Building may be private property but the blight it's fallen into is definitely the cause of the old guard council not providing a business attractive Morrisville for decades. New officer applications are being accepted. Finally. After all the neglect.
I would expect, you can do your own research, another classic example why our town can't get things done, most expect everyone else to do the work. Why don't you just express your opinion, that's what blogs are about, instead of finding who you can intimidate and lie on. Get some facts no republican laughed Hellmann out of Doylestown, he was very much supported to go up against Santisario, had the Judge agreed to the re-districting of our 3rd ward. This is why I don't visit this blog much, everyone is so misinformed. It's a shame, anyone that googles up Morrisville gets this site on the choices. That's why we have no businesses and new residents moving to our town. I mean why else wouldn't business come here? It's the prime place to open up shop, 3 bridges, cheap taxes, no negative news, no competition, unless you sell cigarettes or pizza. I remember a nice "high end" pizza man wanted to come here invest 300,000 in the center of town and he was frowned on and ignored, by our some members on our council. It wasn't the regular ones that are talked about negatively on this blog. That would have been a great move forward for our town, but instead, 4 years latter we still have an abandon bldg. in the center of our town. Get the facts and try to get open-minded, our town depends on you, each individually, to move forward and be restored.
LOL! So you were called on to present one fact and you self destructed into a meltdown of irrelevant babble. THAT'S why things can't get done in this town.
Okay, so first you cut on the pizza shops then talk about a pizza shop that wanted to come to town but didn't.
I happen to know that the talk above of a pizza shop in the Stockham Building is a lie. This never happened.
I remember someone wanting to put in some type of food business in the first floor.
To the poster above, you are correct, it was not approved and could not operate in Morrisville Borough.
What you left out is that the project also called for a strip in the building, so it was sent packing.
By the way, this was Mayor Ledger's project. She is the one who brought this project to town.
ugh..."strip club"
"This is why I don't visit this blog much, everyone is so misinformed. It's a shame, anyone that googles up Morrisville gets this site on the choices. That's why we have no businesses and new residents moving to our town."
My sincere apologies. I didn't realize that this blog is responsible for no businesses and new residents moving to our town. I know that since its first entry on April 11, 2011, this blog has been massively influential, not just in Morrisville, but worldwide, but are you sure there aren't any other factors involved?
The Internet....Serious Business!!!
Some people will never understand.
and just to ensure that the point is made...
From the Wiki:
The Internet is Serious Business is a catchphrase used sarcastically to mock another person’s serious tone or demeanor during an online discussion. This is commonly used to make fun of someone engaging in a heated and/or immature Internet conversation (i.e. politics, conspiracy theories and other similar topics), especially on sites that allow user-to-user interaction such as YouTube, Facebook and Twitter.
What is this? a car insurance commercial? Are you a French Model?
For the person who tated council voted 5-3 to honor the baseball team. Check before you post. For one thing we are all very proud of our players, and second, this cation was never a motion, it was a certificate of recognition. No votes were cast!
Check before you post.
Tated?
Cation?
Who gives a crap about this petty nonsense? Did you or didn't you have a copy of that contract before you voted no on the improvement project?
cat·i·on (ktn)
n.
An ion or group of ions having a positive charge and characteristically moving toward the negative electrode in electrolysis.
I don't believe that was really Eileen. She's far too much the coward to actually face the people who suffer from her ineptitude, even in these cloistered web spaces.
It's like the dueling 3rd warders from the other thread. It's easy to spoof a name. Another reason to avoid taking anything in here too seriously.
That being said, Eileen has a lot more to answer for than some citation for the baseball players. If she really came in here and posted, I would hope she'd take the opportunity to come clean about her record of failure and the real reasons for her obstructionism. That will happen when pigs fly.
WTF is tated? cation? And she is telling people to check before they post? Maybe it is just illiteracy at work. That makes more sense than that post.
Cation
1. a positively charged ion that is attracted to the cathode in electrolysis.
2. any positively charged ion (opposed to anion).
But I doubt the poster meant that. I doubt the poster understands the real definition anyway.
"Hellmann tried to run and was laughed out of Doylestown by the county Republicans"
"no republican laughed Hellmann out of Doylestown, he was very much supported to go up against Santisario"
Once I stopped laughing, I realized that the poster was serious and the Republicans must have no bench strength if the dictator-like lip curling and snarling failed president of the Morrisville school board was their premier candidate.
I believe that was the real Dreisbach. So she & Pete & Repeat didn't vote against honoring the baseball team after all? Congratulations, your commendations are in the mail...of your dreams!
I endorse Hellman running time after time to guarantee defeat. Doylestown- is that the nerve center, where the real brains of the operation are?They must have an arsenal of lapel pins.
I don't visit this blog much. I prefer to gets my facts straight from soc's like Lie-hock who can't tell the truth or get a story straight if their life depended on it. Every blessed thing they say it seems you dig a little deeper and you find it was a lie, wrong, distorted, delusional, exaggerated, irrational, dysfunctional, misguided, extreme, you name it, none of it good.
Anonymous said...
I believe that was the real Dreisbach.
Based on the idiocy of that post, and the illiterate manner in which it was written, you may be right.
Thanks for your service. See you in court?
but..but..,. I deserve it! I'm not like those people I point fingers at. With me it's different.
Brain Scans Show Why Psychopaths Don't Feel Your Pain
Posted: Wednesday, September 25, 2013, 9:00 AM
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 25 (HealthDay News) -- Among other traits, psychopaths feel a lack of empathy when other people are in pain, and brain scans now reveal why that is.
Psychopathy is a personality disorder marked by callousness, manipulation, sensation seeking and antisocial behaviors. About 23 percent of people in prison are psychopaths, compared with about 1 percent of people in the general population.
In this study, researchers used functional MRI to observe brain activity in 121 inmates at a medium-security prison in the United States who were divided into three groups based on the levels of their psychopathy: high, moderate or low.
The participants were shown pictures of physical pain, such as a finger caught in a door or a toe trapped under a heavy object. They were first asked to imagine that these accidents happened to themselves and then to imagine that they happened to others.
When highly psychopathic inmates imagined themselves in these painful situations, they showed higher-than-normal activity in certain brain regions involved in empathy for pain. But these regions failed to become active when they imagined others in pain.
Moreover, when imagining other people in pain, highly psychopathic inmates showed increased activity in a brain area known to be involved in pleasure, according to the study, which was published Sept. 24 in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
The findings may help lead to new treatment approaches for psychopaths, the researchers said in a journal news release.
This came in as spam, but I dunno, somehow it seems appropriate.
It doesn't matter if it was the real Dreisbach or not. It was probably meant as satire. It's not Colbert or Stewart level satire, but it works. For example:
The first ward in Morrisville recently closed all streets to motor vehiches of all types. First ward council members Eileen Dreisbach and Todd Sanford were instrumental in bringing this legilation through the Morrisville borough council. "I was tired of the trucks and cars all day long", said Dreisbach, "It's time to get back to basics." Sanford echoed Dreisbach, "Morrisville was at its best when the people had no lights, power, water, or gas powered vehicles. It saves on street repairs and plowing too. Keep the taxes low!"
The sad sick thing about it is that it sounds real.
Recently someone said to me that instead of spending all that money on street lights we should be dumping it into the police department.
When I walked away from this person I thought a couple of things.
1. How ignorant. This person is dangerously misinformed.
2. Someone is feeding the community more BS.
3. I really need to stop talking to anyone who is overly negative & doesn't want to move things forward.
With all the geniuses we have in town, you'd think we'd be in better shape.
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