Michael Wright said he has no problem with the Farrell Recreation Commission's summer program and thinks it has done a lot of good over the years.

But the Farrell Area School Board president said the district has been paying an unfair share of the cost.

The district traditionally has paid $27,500, while the city has given $5,000 from its general fund. The commission is a joint venture of the school district and the city.

"If we want to make this a full partnership, we should make this 50-50," Wright said Monday.

City Manager LaVon Saternow said council considers the $10,000 a year it carves out of its annual Community Development Block Grant for the commission part of the city's contribution.

Mrs. Saternow said council has not been asked by the school board to contribute more, and added that it would not be possible to pay more this year, pointing out that the city's budget is already set.

"If council wants to do that in the future, that's their decision," she said.

School Director James Guerino, who also is on the recreation commission, said the district is contributing "far too much" to the commission, but acknowledged some of the money comes back to the district in the form of salaries of coaches hired to run basketball, volleyball and physical fitness programs at the school as part of the summer recreation program.

School Director Joseph "Peppy" Costa said it's "unrealistic" to think council would pay as much as the school board, but added, "Maybe they'll come up with a few thousand more."

Superintendent Richard R. Rubano Jr. suggested reducing the district's contribution as a budget-cutting move.

"My personal opinion is the school district should not be running a recreation league," Rubano said, acknowledging that he was hired by the commission when he was a college student.

The school board made no mention of the commission's recent audit, which showed that $20,053 was spent last year without invoices being kept to show what the money was used for, an apparent violation of CDBG rules.

The audit also showed that payroll taxes were not withheld from employees for the last pay period of last summer's recreation program.

Mrs. Saternow said she has been told that state officials would be probing the commission but does not know when it would begin.

The school board also did not mention a request that the board split the cost of the audit, $3,200. Council agreed Monday to pay $1,600 to McGill, Power, Bell & Associates LLP.

Mrs. Saternow said she talked with Rubano about splitting the cost. "My understanding is he would put the other half to the school board," she said.