10.01.12
UPDATED: The PA Senate Agenda for the Harrisburg Incinerator Finances Public Hearing
Update below in blue.
Chair of the PA Senate Local Government Committee, Senator John Eichelberger, posted the Agenda for the Thursday, October 4th 10:00am public hearing on “Debt Structure of Distressed Harrisburg Incinerator.”
The Agenda
10:00am Call to Order and Introductory Remarks
- Senator John H. Eichelberger Jr., Chairman
- Senator John Blake, Minority Chairman
10:10am Summary of Forensic Investigative Report
- Steven A. Goldfield, Esq.
[Lunch]
Dept of Community & Economnic Development
12:30pm
- Bernadette Barratini, Esq.
- Tim Anstine, Esq.
- Fred Reddig
Representatives of Local Government
1:30pm
- Eric Papenfuse (former Authority Board member)
- Fred Clark (former Authority board member)
2:30pm
- Dan Lispi (former Director of Special Projects)
- Stephen R. Reed (former Mayor)
4:00pm
- William Cluck, Esq. (current Authority Board member)
4:30 Adjournment
Not all of the listed participants have confirmed their presence at Thursday’s hearing. Per the executive director of the Senate Local Government Committee, K. Lee Derr, Esq., former Mayor of Harrisburg Stephen Reed, Fred Clark, and Dan Lispi have not confirmed that they will testify. Stephen Reed and Fred Clark have confirmed they will testify.
Because of an administrative error, longtime City of Harrisburg manager and current Director of Finance, Robert Kroboth, just received his letter today; thus, hasn’t had time to consider the request. Per the Senate Local Government Committee’s suggestion, Robert Kroboth will be recalled for the next hearing tentatively scheduled for October 29th. He has agreed to do so.
All others have confirmed they will appear to testify before the Committee.
Letters went out on September 24th. The letters are requests to testify and not subpoenas. Therefore, there is no mandatory appearance required. The Senate Local Government Committee does have subpoena power with a majority vote but has not done so yet.
Lee Derr stated, “The intent is to proceed with the hearing even if some do not appear. We will then address that issue if it arises.”
This is the first in what is expected to be at least two public hearings on the findings of the Harrisburg Incinerator Forensic Audit Report. Many in the public have questioned the intentions of the Senate Committee to critically examine the matter due to the fact it was the PA Senate that not only passed the municipal “takeover” law in October of 2011, but also supported the six-month Chapter 9 Municipal Bankruptcy prohibition, which prohibits the City of Harrisburg from filing for bankruptcy. The prohibition ends November 30th.
Minority Chair of the Local Government Committee, Senator John Blake said of the hearings, “As legislators and as chairs of the Senate Local Government Committee we are not prosecutors or a Grand Jury. Our focus in these hearings must be on the interests of taxpayers. We need to collect testimony and obtain clarity where possible on the findings of the forensic audit and use that information to ensure that, in the future, PA taxpayers not be burdened by excessive or irresponsible public debt.”
PA Senate Committee on Local Government
Officers
Eichelberger, John H., Jr. , Chair
Vogel, Elder A., Jr., Vice Chair
Blake, John P. , Minority Chair
Scarnati, Joseph B., III, ex-officio
Majority (R)
Alloway, Richard L., II
Brubaker, Mike
Robbins, Robert D.
Smucker, Lloyd K.
Minority (D)
Schwank, Judith L.
Stack, Michael J.
Yudichak, John T.
Hearing date, time, and location: Senate Local Government Committee Hearing on HBG Incinerator Finances
Archive articles on the PA Senate Committee investigation of the Harrisburg Incinerator Forensic Audit:
- 9.22.2012: Senate Committee Hearing On The Harrisburg Incinerator Forensic Audit Set for October 4th
A summary of and access to the Harrisburg Incinerator Forensic Audit Report: Harrisburg Incinerator Forensic Audit Report
Why is DEP not included in these hearings, didn't they levy fines against the Harrisburg Incinerator? Who paid those fines? Where did the waivers come from? Are not Environmental Impact Studies related to the Health Safety and Welfare of the Public. Especially, in light of the fact that this is designated an "Environmental Justice Community"?
By the way, my Civil Suit before Judge Rambo in Federal Court is scheduled for Tuesday! While the corporate news is trying to keep this undercover, I would appreciate if you would cover the proceedings and report on what takes place.
Historical Information for your review can be found at Stoptheburn.com a website maintained for Historical purposes only. I was a member of The Coalition Against the Harrisburg Incinerator and I testified before City Council, DEP Public Hearings, and was part of a suit before the Environmental Hearings Board. The suit has been removed from the site, but the same players who are involved in this forensic audit were involved in this hearing. There was a finding that the Environmental Justice Issues fell under Federal not state jurisdiction.
Here's is a recording of the November 5, 2009 testimony in front of City Council that Diane refers to: http://www.todaysthedayhbg.com/todays-podcast/. The Mike Ewall testimony is in Part 1. There is also a link there to a transcript of Ewall's tesimony as "Coalition Against the Harrisburg Incinerator."
CORRECTION: The podcast linked above is from 2003, not 2009. November 5, 2003 City Council vote on the HBG Incinerator retrofit. Definitely worth a weekend listen.
I love this format and method of information organization. Thank you for the clarity!