FAIRVIEW — Citing a lack of people interested in serving on council, the borough received court approval to reduce the number of council members from seven to three.

Butler County Judge Thomas Doerr approved a petition submitted by Jeffrey Shumaker, council president, to reduce the number of council members during a brief hearing Monday.

“We couldn't get anyone to fill the positions. That's why we had the hearing,” Shumaker said.

He circulated the petition, which was signed by 10 residents representing more than 5 percent of the 92 registered voters in the tiny borough that has a population of just under 200.

That 5 percent meets the requirements of the Pennsylvania Borough Code to petition the court to reduce the number of council members in a borough with a population under 3,000 from seven to three, attorneys Michael Gallagher and Sean Gallagher wrote in the petition that was submitted Oct. 31.

The code allows for a reduction from seven to either five or three council members, but council members argue in the petition that having five members would not work any better than having seven.

“Members of council aver that neither a seven- or five-member board is viable. More often than not there are vacant positions no one runs for. There is little interest in community members in the governance of their community. Having sufficient persons attend meetings to ensure a quorum is almost impossible,” the petition states.

Having three council members would adequately meet borough residents' needs and help alleviate vacancy and quorum problems, according to the petition.

“We had seven people until this year. Most of last year we had seven people,” Shumaker said.

He said a husband and wife who served on council resigned due to health issues and another husband and wife who served on council relocated, leaving the borough with three council members.

Appointments were made to fill the vacant council positions, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to find people interested in serving, he said.

“It's gotten really difficult every year. It's gotten difficult to find anybody,” Shumaker said.

He said the hearing lasted about 20 minutes and no one opposed the petition.

Doerr's order states current council members will remain in office until their terms end and no council members' terms can be terminated before they end.

The 2010 Census estimated the borough's population at 198. Other sources estimated the population to be 197 in 2014 and 190 in 2017, according to the petition.