SLIPPERY ROCK — The borough’s solicitor is looking into whether a bulk trash fact finding commission’s meetings will be public.

Borough council voted earlier this month to form the committee. It will have one council member, one member of Slippery Rock Development, borough residents, landlords, borough business owners and representatives from Slippery Rock University. Council will appoint members at its Aug. 6 meeting.

When council voted to form the committee, Vice President Christy Tichy said that it was not likely that the committee’s meetings would be public.

On Tuesday, resident Mike DeVault told council that having the meetings not be public could be in violation of the state’s Sunshine Act.

Council President Dave Miller told DeVault that it is possible that the committee, as a non-decision-making body, would not have to have its meetings public. However, he said that borough solicitor Neva Stanger will look at the Sunshine Act and see how it applies to the committee.

Last year, council voted on a three-year garbage contract with Tri-County Industries, which included changing the date of bulk trash pickup from May, the same week as SRU’s graduation, to March. Since May, several residents and landlords have urged council to return to the later date.

After speaking to council, DeVault asked if any council members wanted to sign a petition that he and others are circulating asking for the date change. Council members declined, with Councilman Royce Lorentz saying it would not be prudent to sign something before the committee studies the issues and makes a recommendation.

Councilman Bob Bowser said, if the public got involved with the issue last year, council would have had a chance to get their input before voting.

“More people should come to the meetings before the fact, not after the fact,” Bowser said.

Councilman Jerry Heller said council spent three to five meetings discussing issues surrounding bulk trash last year before voting. “It was studied,” Heller said.

However, he said he feels that council did a poor job of educating the public about the decision and the issues before voting, and should have tried harder to get the public involved.