City Strip District Tow pound auctioning off unclaimed cars The city towing pound will auction off vehicles at 10 a.m. today that people haven't picked up. The city sells the abandoned cars at auction the last Wednesday of each month at the city tow pound in the Strip District. Bidders pay a refundable registration fee of $50 and must have a valid driver's license. Steve Hovanec, a clerk at the tow pound, said they usually send out 20 to 35 cars. The cars are held for 30 days before going to auction. "Most are in pretty bad shape," he said. The cars are sold "as is." The initial bid is $50 and if there is no bid, it is sent to a salvager. South Baldwin Township Hearing waived by tax collector accused of theft James Vidt, a former tax collector for Baldwin Township and the Baldwin-Whitehall School District, waived a preliminary hearing Tuesday on charges of stealing more than $108,000 in tax money. Vidt, 46, of Sleepy Hollow Road in Castle Shannon, who appeared before Whitehall District Justice David Barton, is charged with theft for failing to make the required disposition of funds received and is free on $100,000 bail. The former tax collector, who resigned in February 2003, allegedly took $108,172 paid to him by taxpayers and tried to cover up the theft with $96,396 in payments from two taxpayers whose payments he had not reported, according to court documents. Upper St. Clair schools Board raises taxes Residents of the Upper St. Clair School District will face a 1.52-mill tax increase for the coming year. The school board voted 7-1 this week to approve a final $48.7 million 2004-05 budget. The spending plan increases the school district's property tax rate from 20.26 mills to 21.78 mills. The owner of a home assessed at $100,000 will pay an additional $152 a year with the new rate. The budget increases spending by $1.7 million over the previous school year. Administrators said the additional spending relates to increased costs for employee benefits and salaries and almost $500,000 in debt services for a 2002 bond issue for elementary schools. Board member Mark Trombetta voted against the new budget, and board member Albert Ferrara was absent. Collier Manager approved by unanimous vote Jeanne Creese was appointed manager of Collier by a unanimous vote of the township commissioners Tuesday. Creese, 33, was the manager of Rochester Township, Beaver County, until resigning to accept the position with Collier. She graduated from Geneva College with a degree in accounting and economics and lives in Rochester Borough, Beaver County. Her new job starts today, and her salary will be $50,000 a year. She is filling a new position recently created by the Collier commissioners. Previously the township employed a manager/secretary. Twenty-three people applied for the job, officials said. East Plum schools Budget approved with 1.8-mill increase The Plum School Board in a 5-4 vote Tuesday night approved the $46 million budget that contains a 1.8-mill increase for the coming school year. Board members Sue Caldwell, Dan Lioy, Tom McGough and Paul Olijar voted in the minority. "There is absolutely nothing in there (the budget) to eliminate without affecting the education of the children," said Jeff Matthews, finance committee chairman. He said much of the increase was due to salary and benefit costs mandated by contracts. The increase raises the district's tax rate to 20.8 mills. The annual school tax bill for the owner of a home assessed at $93,900 increases by $169 for a total of $1,953. Penn Hills Tax hike approved and surplus tapped The Penn Hills School Board voted Tuesday for a 0.91-mill tax increase to cover a $60.2 million budget for the coming school year. With the new tax rate of 19.91 mills, the owner of a home assessed at $100,000 will pay $1,991 a year in property taxes to the school district. In Penn Hills, one mill generates about $1.4 million. Also to prevent a shortfall, the district will use nearly $1 million of its $5.3 million surplus. Since the preliminary budget was adopted in May, proposed expenses have increased by about $250,000, including $60,000 for the Penn Hills Academy program at Penn Hebron Elementary School, $75,000 in grants for a new public library and $200,000 a year for a proposed $5 million bond issue for capital improvements. Mon Valley McKeesport State to decide on charter school The state Charter School Appeal Board will decide July 27 or Aug. 17 on whether Propel Charter School can open a school in McKeesport over the objection of McKeesport Area School District officials. Lawyers for Propel and the district made their arguments during an hourlong hearing before the appeal board in Harrisburg on Tuesday. Propel opened its first school in Homestead in 2003 after the appeal board overruled the Steel Valley School District's denial of Propel's application. Propel also is appealing the Montour School Board's denial of its application to open a charter school in Robinson. Propel officials will have a meeting from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Laketon Heights United Methodist Church in Penn Hills on their plans to open a charter school somewhere in the East Hills. West Moon Area schools Superintendent awarded contract extension The Moon Area School Board has approved a five-year contract extension for Superintendent Alex Meta. Meta was hired as superintendent in June 2002 with a three-year contract. With the extension, his contract will run through 2010, school board President Mark Scappe said. His $118,000 salary was not changed. Scappe said the board extended Meta's contract to keep him on through upcoming building projects and contract negotiations. Meta, formerly the district's associate superintendent, replaced Susan Taylor, who resigned in May 2002. Carlynton schools Administrative posts cut to save funds The Carlynton School Board voted to eliminate three administrative positions Tuesday night to save about $185,000 in the coming school year. The board voted 8-0 to eliminate the position of transition coordinator, filled by Mike McConnell, who helped prepare special education students for the work force. It voted 6-2, with board members Sandra Hughan and Robert Veres dissenting, to cut the assistant to the principals post, filled by Michael Crown. With Hughan dissenting, the board voted 7-1 to eliminate the director of curriculum position, staffed by Adrienne Lancaster. School officials said Lancaster and McConnell might be eligible for other positions in the district and that they were unsure of Crown's status. Board member Susan Demko was absent. Region Allegheny County County job cuts 'are on track' An unspecified number of Allegheny County employees -- possibly 200 or more -- can expect to receive pink slips starting today. Facing a $30 million budget deficit, county Chief Executive Dan Onorato has pledged to reduce the payroll by 500 employees through a combination of layoffs, retirement and attrition by today. "We are on track to meet our deadline," county spokeswoman Alison Detar said Tuesday. She declined to elaborate. Onorato has tentatively scheduled a news conference for Thursday to disclose the number of employees being laid off and the number who qualified for an early retirement buyout. More than 200 workers applied for the buyout package. Another 80 employees who have quit since January and haven't been replaced. Property assessors may need a license The state House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill Tuesday that, if ratified by the state Senate, would require Allegheny County property assessors to get a state license. State senators are not expected to vote on the bill before the end of the week, when the Legislature recesses until the fall. If the bill passes, assessors working for the county would have three years to get Certified Pennsylvania Evaluator licenses, which are required in every other county but Philadelphia. Supporters say the measure will hold assessors accountable for bad valuations and help restore public confidence in an assessments office criticized for being poorly run. Armstrong County Ford City's founder back in bronzed action After a brief respite for repairs, John B. Ford's bronze statue was back in the central community park in time for Ford City's Heritage Days, which started Tuesday. The statue of Ford City's founder was damaged last Thanksgiving when it was dropped by several young people attempting to remove it. Borough Councilman John Rudosky said the statue was repaired by John McCombie, a bronze-work craftsman and owner of Crooked Creek Galleries of Indiana, at a cost of $5,000. The statue, originally installed in 1891, was put in place again last week, he said. Eight people pleaded guilty to criminal mischief on June 10 in connection with the toppling of the statue. Each was fined $300 and ordered to pay nearly $800 in restitution. Butler County Community leader gains national post James Kennedy, a Butler County commissioner and immediate past chairman of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, has been named president of the National Association of Regional Councils, an association advancing regionalism in issues such as transportation, community and economic development and the environment. Kennedy addressed the national group at its annual conference in Chicago on Tuesday and talked about the power a region has to make real progress when its communities work together and speak with a single, regional voice. The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission covers a 10-county region. Crawford County Sandhill cranes nest in the area A pair of sandhill cranes have nested in Cambridge Springs, Crawford County, only the third place in the state known to have a nesting site for the rare cranes, birding specialists say. Jerry McWilliams, a northwestern Pennsylvania bird specialist who spotted the birds, said the cranes usually don't nest east of Illinois or Indiana. But, he said, the birds have been moving east over the past few years. The discovery is exciting birders across the states, but it might be tough to find the cranes. Officials said the birds have been keeping out of sight since last weekend. Datelines In Etna, the Etna Elks and Community Blood Drive will be from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 6 in the Etna Elks Lodge, 118 Locust St. Blood donors are asked to bring identification.

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