New Fayette commissioner named chairman
Fayette County's top vote-getter is the new chairman of the board.
And one of the first orders of business for Democrat Commissioner Al Ambrosini was to reopen the county's 2012 budget.
That move was backed by the two veteran commissioners, Democrat Vincent Zapotosky and Republican Angela Zimmerlink, who elected the first-term commissioner to the top post during a reorganization meeting on Tuesday.
Ambrosini takes over the chairman's duties from Zapotosky.
Zapotosky was elected vice chairman, while Zimmerlink was named secretary.
The board will meet at 10 a.m. today to begin work on the budget, Ambrosini said. He said he is optimistic the board will move quickly to make revisions and adopt a new spending plan by the end of the month.
"The plan is to work the rest of the week and have it pretty much revised, or amended, by the 10th," Ambrosini said. "Then we want to adopt it -- we'll have to see about setting a meeting -- by the 19th."
Zapotosky, Zimmerlink and former commissioner Vincent Vicites last week adopted a 2012 budget to meet a Dec. 30 deadline, but with the knowledge it would be reopened. Warren Hughes, county manager, said because Ambrosini is new to the board, he had the legal right to reopen it when he took office.
The board revised its meeting dates for 2012. Beginning in February, agenda meetings will be held the second Tuesday of every month at 10 a.m. at the Public Service Building, 22 E. Main St., Uniontown. The voting meeting will be held at the same location at 10 a.m. the third Tuesday of the month.
For January, Ambrosini said meeting dates will be contingent on action that must be taken once the budget is ready to be re-adopted. He said the dates will be advertised, once determined.
New this year, commissioners will meet 8:15 a.m. every Monday in a work session to discuss "administrative issues," Ambrosini said. There will be no deliberations or actions taken at the meetings, which Ambrosini said are aimed at improving communications.
Upon the recommendation of their solicitor, Joe Ferens, the Monday morning meetings will not be advertised because there will be no deliberations or actions taken at them, Ambrosini said.
