W. Pittston 
Crisci Becomes Mayor 
West Pittston Welcomed Its New Mayor At Monday Night's Reorganization Meeting.

3a 
Local Kitty Just Purrfect In Show 
A Ball Of Persian Fluff Is The Latest Champ In The Stable Of Some Dedicated 
Cat Lovers

By ROBERT SITTEN; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Tuesday, January 04, 1994 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1A QUICK WORDS: FORTY FORT PAYROLL 





FORTY FORT -- Borough workers may have to wait up to a month for their
first paychecks of the new year because of a temporarily empty treasury and
the new mayor's veto of a tax and sewer ordinance for 1994. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After being sworn in Monday night, new Mayor Robert Megatulski vetoed the
ordinance passed last month by Borough Council. He also issued a statement
which in part read: &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; "I cannot vote for the sewer ordinance or the increase in taxes because we
have had tax increases and many assessments already in 1993. I am especially
against taxing our residents for a particular category; then placing this
money into the general funds for wages and salaries," Megatulski's statement
said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 He also lamented the high cost of living in the community. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It is getting too expense to live in Forty Fort Borough, especially for
the elderly and lower income residents," he said in the statement. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Borough Council President Joseph Bilbow sent a memo Dec. 29 to borough
employees warning them of the possible delay in receiving their paychecks. In
the memo, Bilbow said outgoing Mayor John Gaiteri had refused to sign the
ordinance passed by the borough council and thus stalled procurement of a
$250,000 tax anticipation loan from Mellon Bank to cover expenses. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bilbow said Monday that the borough, after paying bills on Dec. 27, didn't
have enough money left to meet the $17,000 payroll. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We can't sign the loan until we have the tax ordinance," Bilbow said.
"It's like a salary -- a bank wouldn't loan you money for a car if you lost
your job before closing the loan." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The council on Dec. 27 approved the tax ordinance, which includes a
property tax rate of 46 mills -- an increase from 37.5 mills in 1993. A mill
is $1 for every $1,000 of a property's assessed value, which means a resident
whose property is assessed at $4,000 would pay $184 or $34 more annually. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Onto the tax ordinance the council also tacked a sewer ordinance, which
places an annual fee of $30 per household and $50 for commercial properties.
The council reached a tie vote on that ordinance at the Dec. 27 meeting, and
its future is in limbo because Gaiteri didn't cast a vote to break the tie. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That left the ordinance's fate to incoming Mayor Megatulski, who as a
council member was opposed to raising taxes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I've always voted against tax increases," Megatulski said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Earlier Monday, Susanne Stone, the borough's finance chairman, confirmed
that Megatulski voted against the ordinance as a council member. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Everything hinges on whether that ordinance is passed. If it isn't, we're
in trouble," Stone said. "If he (Megatulski) signs it, we could get the loan
processed and have paychecks out by Friday or early next week." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Otherwise, workers may be waiting until mid-February, after the next
council meeting Feb. 7, to be paid, Stone said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "They may miss the first four pay periods," she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Police Chief Robert Sulitka said Monday he wasn't angry about the
possibility he and his officers wouldn't be paid on time. "Who's there to get
angry at? The police have a contract; they'll have to pay us eventually," he
said. "I worry about the people who don't have a contract. They're the ones
who are going to have trouble." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A member of the borough's fire department, which is currently under salary
arbitration, didn't want to comment on the matter, and nobody could be reached
in the borough's streets department. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I'd talked to a couple of workers about this, and they just shrugged and
said, `Politics as usual,' " Stone said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Now that Megatulski has vetoed the ordinance, Stone said the council has
until Feb. 15 to come up with a new budget and tax ordinance -- unless the
council overrides his veto. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The council can override a veto with a two-thirds vote, or six yes votes.
If the budget has to be reworked to satisfy Megatulski, Bilbow said the
council could contract out borough services, such as sewer work. "That would
reduce our budget, but it raises the expense on the homeowner," Bilbow said.
"How happy is a homeowner going to be with a $150 bill to fix the sewer?"

Forty Fort Payroll Mayor's Veto May Delay Checks Incoming Mayor Robert Megatulski Said He Cannot Vote For A Tax Increase