Valencia not included in Adams-Mars merger
As residents of Adams Township and Mars borough consider a merger, Valencia -- the other borough positioned squarely inside the township — will not ask residents to contemplate the merger.
Valencia Council President Shannon McKenna announced Monday, March 9, at a regular meeting that during an earlier discussion with Adams Township, it was revealed that “after reviewing our financials, [Adams Township Supervisor Russ Ford] determined that it does not make sense for Adams Township to merge with Valencia borough, or to include us in that vote with Mars and Adams merging.”
Valencia struggles to obtain funding from an increasingly retired population that does not have an income to tax. Further, a sizable portion of Valencia does not pay property taxes, as it is a part of St. Barnabas, a not-for-profit senior living community.
During its own meeting on Monday night, Adams Township supervisor Russell Ford addressed social media rumors that Valencia would be added to the plans for the proposed merger.
“The rumor that Valencia is going to be added into this merger is false, and it’s not going to happen,” Ford said. “Mike (Tylka, township manager) and I met with Valencia today and had a discussion, so this is planned to only continue with Mars and Adams.”
The decision to exclude Valencia from the merger only further narrows the options available to Valencia, as it is tied physically to Adams Township, its only neighbor in Butler County.
Due to its growing expenses and shrinking income, borough leaders said Monday they will continue to look for ways to provide public services, some of which are already tied to Adams Township, to its residents.
Outside of the merger, the Monday meeting in Valencia covered road safety violations and burn ordinances.
Monica Palmer, who lives on Dodds Street, was the only resident to speak at the meeting, besides members of the council. Palmer worries that speeding on Butler Street, which is a drop-off location for local schoolchildren, including her own grandson, is an increasing public danger.
“We can sit in our living room and see the stop sign at Butler and Dodds Street, and at least half the people do not stop,” she said.
She was worried for years that someone would be hurt, but she resigned herself to the fact that this was just the state of affairs.
This changed as Palmer described only days ago, when another family member was almost hit waiting at that bus stop for her grandson. Afterwards, she began reaching out to the bus driver, Valencia Borough, and Adams Township for solutions.
The inclusion of Adams Township in the conversation is key for Valencia and its just over 500 residents, as Adams is contracted to provide policing services for Valencia.
After a discussion between Mayor Trosky and Palmer, the pair decided it would be best if the Adams Township Police Department be contacted, and as Palmer noted, “Within 10 minutes, there was a cop, sitting there on Dodds.”
Though the officer waited at the stop for only another 10 minutes, this was enough to begin to assuage Palmer’s fears. She did describe signs, lights, and other reminders to add to the intersection, and asked what else could be done, including a regular police presence.
This was answered by McKenna, who first noted that, “Roads are on our radar this year,” but clarified that “we can’t guarantee anything” due to Valencia’s financial struggles.
Mayor Trosky, though appreciative of the Adams Township Police, especially their secretarial staff and responding officers, who have worked to increase safety on Butler Street, was upset by the lack of communication from the department's leadership. In particular, Mayor Trotsky said, the police chief “will not return my calls.”
Next on the agenda was a major update to Valencia’s current burning ordinance, prescribing what can and cannot be burned, especially in regard to unattended fires. The main predicament, besides an update to the seven-year-old statute, is the enforcement mechanism.
McKenna, when reading over issues regarding a change to the current ordinance, expressed that police aren’t required to execute code compliance for Valencia. Grey described an incident as such that “An officer did come down once on a guy, and he just said no.”
Eagle Staff Writer William Pitts contributed to this report.
