With the police subcommittee report in, the Shenango Valley Intergovernmental Study Committee plans to start debating the subcommittee reports that have been finished so far.

SVISC, which is studying whether Wheatland, Sharpsville, Farrell, Hermitage and Sharon should merge or consolidate, created eight subcommittees, each handling an aspect of the organization of a new city.

When brought together, those proposals are supposed to show the details of a model city.

The reports started coming in April, but the committee has held off debating them. With six reports in, it's time to have the full committee discuss them, said study consultant Alan Kugler.

The committee tentatively set a meeting for 6:30 p.m. March 20 at the Wheatland municipal building to talk about the streets and recreation subcommittee reports.

Community and economic development and fire service reports are scheduled for April 29, and government structure and police reports are set for May 29.

Kugler acknowledged that a protracted discussion on any report could upset the proposed schedule.

"It's a tight schedule," he said.

Two reports have not been completed: from the water and sewer and finance subcommittees.

Kugler said he hopes the full committee can finish its work by the end of July with a recommendation on whether the communities, or some combination of them, should merge, consolidate, strengthen the sharing of services or do nothing.

"The only thing that can hold that up is the sewer committee," said Tom Tulip, director of the Pennsylvania Economy League's Mercer County office.

The water and sewer subcommittee was sidetracked by a dispute with a former consultant.

Subcommittee chairman Joseph Augustine, a Hermitage commissioner, said the committee put out requests for proposals for a new consultant, and received three offers, ranging in cost from $45,000 to $67,000.

The subcommittee has a $60,000 state grant for the study.

Augustine said that while the subcommittee was satisfied with an agreement proposed by the low bidder, HRG of Cranberry Township, Farrell solicitor Stephen Mirizio had numerous concerns about it. The subcommittee hopes to meet with Mirizio soon to try to resolve the issues, Augustine said.

The subcommittee still is discussing financial matters with the previous consultant, L. Robert Kimball and Associates, of Ebensburg, Augustine said.

The subcommittee fired Kimball because it had shown no progress, but Kimball claims it is owed $13,000.

Kimball is refusing to return documents it collected pertaining to the study until the issue is resolved, Augustine said, adding that the committee has copies of everything Kimball has.

The scope of the subcommittee's work also has changed. It was initially looking at building one sewer plant to serve all the people in a new city, but the state would not permit that. Augustine said the subcommittee is looking into creating a valleywide sewer authority.

The finance subcommittee needs all the other subcommittee reports to be in before it can complete a proposed budget for the model city.

You can e-mail Herald Staff Writer Joe Pinchot at

jpinchot@sharonherald.com