Greensburg to vote on budget and work to recover from garage fire
Greensburg is set to pass a “plain, vanilla budget” with no tax increase, according to councilman and Finance Director Randy Finfrock, though the city continues to grapple with the fallout from a fire that destroyed its public works garage and some vehicles.
City council will vote Monday on the $12.8 million budget, which is nearly identical to the one for 2019.
Real estate taxes will remain at 25.05 mills for a 12th consecutive year, with a separate one-mill tax supporting the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library.
The city is holding off on planning any major projects until the Department of Public Works is back to full strength, Finfrock said. “We don’t have room for anything big, and we’re kind of hanging back to see what DPW is going to cost.”
A fire on Oct. 12 destroyed the public works warehouse on South Urania Avenue. Officials believe the blaze started in or around a street sweeper, which also was destroyed.
At least one other truck was destroyed and two others were damaged, said Kelsye Milliron, city administrator. Insurance appraisals are under way, so the total extent of the damage — and the price for repairs— has not been tallied.
The city received $350,000 in insurance payments as a result of the fire and expects more once appraisals are complete.
Council has approved leasing a truck to replace one lost in the fire. Next week, it is expected to approve buying a dump truck and skid-steer loader.
The biggest question is what to do about the warehouse, Public Works Director Tom Bell said.
The city fleet had outgrown the old warehouse, Bell said. Council will have to decide whether to replace it with a building of similar size, or build a new, larger structure, perhaps at a new location.
“My idea is to put everything under one roof,” Bell said.
Insurance is expected to pay enough to replace the old garage with a similar structure. Extra costs involved in a larger building would have to come from the city.
Council will meet at 7 p.m. to vote on the budget.
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