Date & Time: December 21, 2022 - 7:00 p.m. 

Location: Kilbuck Township Municipal Building (343 Eicher Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15237) 

​Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83823850225?pwd=N2lsMlcxYTNpcGlFcUg5SjJ1bWtUdz09

The Quaker Valley Council of Governments is proud to announce that it has been awarded three Gaming Economic Development & Tourism Fund (GEDTF) grants through the Commonwealth Finance Agency. Funding through the GEDTF program is made possible through a state law requiring casinos to pay a daily assessment of 5.5% of their gross terminal revenues.

Sewickley Heights Borough - Public Works Infrastructure Improvement Project : $190,000 
​This project includes the installation of 4 new catch basins and 220 linear feet of storm pipe. Additionally, the project will include the reconstruction of 1,235 square yards of driveway and buffer yard. The project seeks to resolve sedimentation from degraded asphalt surface and improve surface to subsurface drainage to mitigate future impacts from heavy precipitation events.

Leet Township - Stormwater Improvement Project: $100,000
This project will reconstruct a failed stormwater management facility in the Old Sewickley Highlands neighborhood. 

Leet Township  - Township Park Improvements: $300,000
This project will include the restoration of the existing basketball court and deck hockey court at the Township facility including replacement of the surfacing, new fencing, new playground equipment, and construction of a War Memorial.

At its November 16th meeting the QVCOG Board of Delegates unanimously approved the 2023 Budget. Highlights from the Budget can be found below: 

Highlights

• 2022 Regional Asset District (RAD) revenues saw a substantial increase (based on 2021 revenue collections).By using current and available revenue data for the 2022 calendar year, another windfall is expected (estimated at $25,000.00). Please note, 70% of RAD revenues are pledged to the QVCOG’s Capital Fund while the remaining 30% are deposited into the General Operating Fund. For the 2023 Budget, an estimated $15,500.00 is expected to be transferred into the QVCOG’s Capital Fund;
  
• 2022 set the tone for the future of the QVCOG’s recycling programming with a record setting Act 101 Section 904 Recycling Performance Grant award (based on 2020 commercial and residential recycling rates). The QVCOG anticipates receiving a similar award amount ($20,000.00 budgeted for 2023). Of the award, it is estimated that $10,000.00 will be transferred into the Joint Recycling Fund. The remaining amount will be distributed to participating communities as well as used for collaborative recycling initiatives such as the glass recycling and yard waste drop off programs;
  
• There is projected to be a decrease of approximately $5,000 for CDBG Project Management. This continued decrease is due to a more accurate understanding of the time requirements associated with the administration of CDBG funding as well as lower administrative payroll expenditures when compared to previous years;
  
• No growth is expected within the QVCOG’s “Service Fee” revenue stream. To summarize, in 2022 Emsworth Borough ended its service agreements for both the Proactive Code Enforcement and Zoning Technical Assistance Programs. Please note, in 2022 Leet Township entered into a service agreement with the QVCOG for the Zoning Technical Assistance Program.
  
• The 5-year Waste and Recycling Contract (2022-26) includes a franchise free ($1 for each household serviced in the participating communities). An expected $10,416.00 will be deposited over the course of 4 quarterly payments into the general fund;
  
• General operating costs (i.e. rent, telephone, software, and technology expenditure) are expected to remain near or at current levels;
  
• Personnel budget expenditures for 2023 are projected to remain identical when compared to the 2022 Budget. A total of $6,000.00 has been budgeted for a seasonal intern through the Local Government Academy’s Municipal Intern Program. If selected as a host site, 50% of the intern’s wages would be reimbursed through the Program.
  
• A new line item is being proposed to establish an annual budget for the QVCOG’s Police Chiefs Committee. A total of $2,500.00 is being allocated towards the establishment of collaborative programming and training.

To summarize, the proposed budget allows for the continued growth of QVCOG services and programming while remaining conservative towards overall expenditures. A substantial portion of anticipated revenues ($25,500.00 or 14%) are slated to be transferred into the Capital Fund for future collaborative projects. It is the opinion of the Executive Director and Budget Committee that the proposed Budget accurately reflects the QVCOG’s ability to provide a high level of service to each of its 15 member municipalities and their residents for the 2023 fiscal year and beyond.
​

The QVCOG is proud to announce that it has received an additional equipment award from the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association in the amount of $13,379.73 through the "Latent Evidence Improvement Project". This grant award will be used to procure a a 48-inch floor model Safefume CA Fuming Chamber and a 36-inch floor model Drysafe Evidence Drying Cabinet which may be utilized by our region's 9 Police Departments.

​After a discussion with the WM team and a re-calculation of the 2023 Fuel Cost Adjustment, the rate has been revised from a $0.12 increase (per unit, per month) down to $0.09 (per unit, per month). The new rate will take effect on January 1, 2023. This adjustment will impact the following QVCOG member communities: Aleppo Township, Avalon Borough, Bellevue Borough, Ben Avon Borough, Edgeworth Borough, Emsworth Borough, Glen Osborne Borough, Glenfield Borough, Kilbuck Township, Leet Township, and Sewickley Borough. A summary of the fuel cost adjustment that is included within the current Waste & Recycling Agreement can be found below:
 
Per the current Waste & Recycling Agreement, a fuel cost adjustment must be calculated for the second year of the contract which will go into effect on January 1, 2023. The fuel price variance shall be based upon a 52-week period (September 2021 - September 2022) as reported by the U.S. Department of Energy Weekly Retail for the price of On-Highway Diesel Price. Per the Agreement, fuel cost increases/decreases shall be calculated on or around September 1st of each year and become effective on January 1 of the contract year and shall be recalculated using the same formula and become effective on the same date each contract year thereafter.

The Quaker Valley Council of Governments Board of Delegates is proud to announce that dues will remain at 2022 levels in the coming year. At its October 19th meeting the Board unanimously voted to freeze 2023 membership dues at current levels.

Are you unsure what to do with your kitchen, garden, and yard scraps? Would you like natural, home-made compost for your lawns and gardens in the spring? Then, you can expand your recycling efforts to include kitchen scraps and yard debris by signing up for a Pennsylvania Resources Council (PRC) Backyard Composting Workshop to turn your yard waste and food scraps into a valuable resource for your garden.

PRC Workshops thoroughly cover the importance and benefits of composting, the process, setting up a compost pile, proper maintenance, and ways of using finished compost. Participants will receive a FreeGarden EARTH compost bin with attendance. This bin is an ideal bin for urban and suburban areas and has an 82-gallon capacity.

Cost: $70 single/ $75 household and includes one compost bin.

Upcoming PRC West Workshops:

Webinars
October 27: Register Here
November 16: Register Here
December 8: Register Here
In-Person Workshops
November 2 at PRC Pittsburgh Office: 828 W North Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15233  Register Here
To register online click “Register Here” after the workshop you wish to attend, or contact PRC at emilys@prc.org or call 412-488-7490 X 6.

The October Board of Delegates meeting will take place on October 19th at 7:00 p.m. at the Edgeworth Borough Building (301 Beaver Road, Edgeworth, PA 15143). Interested parties may participate both in person or over Zoom (link below). The meeting agenda and packet may be accessed below. 

Zoom Link: ​https://us06web.zoom.us/j/81301937122?pwd=S2ZxV0diTHFHZU5MQVp6VGpnbHE3UT09
​

Any interested municipalities looking to update their website and overall digital presence are invited to consider the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) Digital Governance Enhancement Program. CONNECT and GSPIA are looking to connect 10 municipalities with talented graduate students for this Pilot Program. There will be a limit of 10 municipalities, with 7 of these slots being held for communities who self-identify as having limited digital resources. All these slots will be allocated on a first come first serve basis. 

Benefits of this program may include: a new website design with digitally fillable and submittable forms as well as online payment for fees, fines, bills, and other taxes; training for staff to use digital tools, including any created by this program; and assistance in creating an internship program to digitize existing records. Only programmatic parts that your municipality chooses to adopt will be completed. 

This program will come at no additional cost to the participating municipality. Students will be applying for grant funding through public and private sources. Your municipality does not need to be a CONNECT community in order to participate. If you would like to learn more about this program or would like to participate, please email Bri Bovbjerg and Lydia Morin (contact info below).

Bri Bovbjerg                                                           Lydia Morin
Graduate Student                                                 Executive Director
School of Public and International Affairs        CONNECT
University of Pittsburgh                                        www.connect.pitt.edu
Bmb169@pitt.edu                                                 LydiaMorin@pitt.edu​