SVI is asking the communities involved in the Shenango Valley Intergovernmental Study Committee -- Wheatland, Sharpsville, Hermitage, Sharon and Farrell -- to pay $500 to defray the costs of the summit.

The committee is studying whether the towns should consolidate or merge, and the summit is designed to address issues related to either possibility from a "social justice" perspective.

In denying the request, council members said Thursday the money was not in their budget, said borough secretary Sharon Stinedurf.

Farrell council tabled a request for the same amount Monday.

SVI has invited John Powell, chairman of the University of Minnesota Law School's Institute on Race and Poverty, and David Rusk, a former New Mexico legislator and former mayor of Albuquerque, to participate in the summit.