NOVEMBER 25-DECEMBER 1, 2015
C E L E B R AT I N G 5 0 Y E A R S O F S O U T H H I L L S C O M M U N I T Y N E W S
Special delivery planned for Thanksgiving Outreach aims to serve hundreds this holiday By Harry Funk Multimedia reporter hfunk@thealmanac.net
Members of some local congregations are cooking up a holiday special delivery. “This is our fifth year of serving the community a Thanksgiving dinner,” Bob Steen of Cecil Township said about the annual outreach he helped start through the Crossroads United Methodist Church campus in South Fayette. His congregation has partnered with nearby Bethany Presbyterian Church in Bridgeville, which hosts the effort of getting a massive amount of meals ready. “Last year, we served 475 or so people, which was about 150 families,” Steen said. “We’ll cook this year probably about 52 birds. We’re estimating about 520 people.” Recipients of the Thanksgiving outreach usually come by way of recommendation. “These are not necessarily people who are poor,” Steen explained. “These are people whom we want to share God’s love with: moms who maybe are going through cancer treatment
SEE VOLUNTEERS PAGE 2 A volunteer starts to put dessert into containers in advance of last year’s delivery of Thanksgiving meals.
Pending bill would put tax increases in the hand of voters Senate Bill 909, dubbed the Taxpayer Empowerment Staff writer and Accountability Act, would selliott@thealmanac.net require school districts to put any proposed real estate tax As contract negotiations between Peters Townincreases up for a vote by refship School District and the union representerendum. In Peters’ case, if ing its striking 285 teachers drag on with no White the district is required to give apparent resolution in sight, a bill pending in teachers the salary increases the state Senate has the potential to shift their the union is demanding, then it could put the salary demands onto the backs of township tax- matter up for a vote and let the public decide. “The voters could control the destiny,” said payers.
By Suzanne Elliott
Joe Pittman, chief of staff for the bill’s co-sponsor, state Sen. Don White, R-Indiana. White introduced the legislation this summer. Already, more than 75 percent of the district’s revenue comes from township taxpayers. State funding accounts for nearly 24 percent of overall district revenue, while federal sources account for less than 1 percent, according to figures provided by the district. State money has not been received because legislators have failed to reach an agreement on a budget for 2015-16, even though the one for the prior fis-
cal year expired June 30. By law, the school district was required to adopt its budget by that deadline, and the $59.4 spending plan included a 3.608-mill increase, and brought the current real estate millage in Peters to 110.75. Peters was granted an exception from the state Department of Education to raise taxes above the state mandated cap of 2.03 mills. The district said the state has calculated the SEE BILL PAGE 2
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