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Andrea Sullin

By JOLYN RESNICK jolynr@leader.net
 Wednesday, December 19, 2001 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 16A 





WILKES-BARRE - City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a 2002 general
fund budget of $35 million while transferring $150,000 to itself. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After the meeting, Council Vice Chairman Tom Leighton, who proposed
amending the budget to allow for the transfer, said council would use the
money to hire a solicitor, conduct hearings and investigate how the city pays
its bills. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Without discussion, council transferred $50,000 from the Department of the
Mayor budget of $6.283 million and $100,000 from the Department of
Administration's $9.56 million budget. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Council has the power to transfer up to 5 percent of the budget. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The mayor had budgeted $210,000 in 2002 for council, but council members
said it needed more. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We took it from the administration because we felt we could take from
those departments without hurting them,'' Leighton said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Assistant City Solicitor Tim Henry said after the meeting that Mayor Tom
McGroarty cannot veto the budget as adopted because the revisions amounted to
far less than 5 percent of the overall budget. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Leighton said the $150,000 represents less than a half of 1 percent of the
$35 million budget. McGroarty did not attend the meeting. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By passing the budget, council also approved McGroarty's suggestion to
eliminate the per capita and residence taxes. McGroarty has said it costs more
to administer and collect the taxes than the city receives. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In other business, Councilman Mike McGinley said he wants the mayor and
City Administrator Jim Hayward to attend a meeting to explain why contractors
working on the Park N Lock North expansion project had not been paid. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``Mr. Leighton asked specifically (at November's budget hearing) if the
bills were paid and the answer was clearly, `Yes,' '' McGinley said. ``I think
the answer was really, `no.' '' &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Leighton asked Council Chairman Jim McCarthy, who sits on the city's
Parking Authority, if the city had borrowed $3.2 million to fund the project,
as McGroarty had said. McCarthy said the authority is borrowing the money for
the city - and that the authority approved a short-term loan application on
Tuesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Also, council let stand a request by Scranton resident Thomas Hashem Jr. to
transfer a liquor license from West Wyoming to Wilkes-Barre. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Council approved the transfer last week, but had reservations when a city
resident provided them with information that Hashem was convicted of drug
charges in 1991. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Hashem, who hopes to open a pizza restaurant on South Main Street, told
council he was convicted 14 years ago and that he offered the information to
the state Liquor Control Board when he filled out the license application. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``I could have put someone else's name on (the license),'' he said. ``I
have nothing to hide.'' He also promised council that the city will never have
a problem with his eatery or with him. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jolyn Resnick, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7210. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

W-b Council Oks General Fund Budget, Allots Itself $150,000 More