Some positive and forward momentum was made last night when the Harrisburg Authority added a needed sixth member to make a quorum. The Authority has not had a quorum since May! Evidently Mayor Linda Thompson finally got her nominee approved after several months of lobbying.
Harrisburg City Council also approved making a one-time $3.3 million dollar payment on the incinerator debt via a budget transfer. Where did this money suddenly come from you ask? Ed Rendell, governor deluxe, basically gave Harrisburg money they would be receiving throughout the year in a lump sum. As you recall, the two bank accounts the debt payment was to come from had less than $2.00 between them.
There is still much division between Mayor Thompson and council on how to proceed with a long-term incinerator debt strategy. Harrisburg owes $288 million dollars!
Also Scott Balice Strategies is tapped to be hired with state funds to help Harrisburg out of their current financial black hole. Everyone on council is not on board with this decision and the City Controller said he will not sign off on paying Scott Balice Strategies until council votes in favor of the hire.
One member of council tried to make a motion to hire a bankruptcy lawyer to investigate filing for Chapter 9. However, the councilor was told his motion was inappropriate as it was at the end of the meeting. The meeting was quickly adjourned.
Sounds like Harrisburg isn’t out of the woods yet!
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