Farrell Mayor William Morocco expects to field a call from the state about the city's Community Development Block Grant application.

The city gets the calls every year, so why should 2003 be any different? he said.

The grant is expected to be $380,000, but the potentially troublesome part is the public service allocations, which account for only $49,762.

This year, council is proposing giving $12,000 to the Shenango Valley Urban League for housing counseling and human relations investigations, $2,400 to Community Food Warehouse of the Shenango Valley, $2,000 to Mercer County Regional Planning Commission's rodent-control program, $10,000 to Farrell Recreation Commission, $20,862 for Farrell's share of the Sharon/Farrell Weed and Seed budget, and $2,500 to the rape crisis and domestic violence group AW/ARE.

Morocco said the city seems to have to justify the public service allocations every year.

"The need continues," he said Monday. "What do the powers at (the Department of Community and Economic Development) want us to do, turn our backs on the need?"

Consultants from Graney, Grossman, Ray, Colosimo and Associates, Grove City, said the other communities they work for set aside little or nothing out of their CDBGs for public services.

"The needs of Farrell are unique, even in the state," said Tom Graney Jr. "When you have something different from the norm, they're asking questions about it."

"I had to defend every single one last year and was successful and, if I need to, I will do that again," said City Manager LaVon Saternow.

Sharon and Hermitage also give money to public services and to some of the same agencies as Farrell.

Council is proposing to divvy up the rest of its CDBG this way:

   » Demolition of 10 to 15 abandoned, dilapidated buildings, $42,000.

   » Code enforcement, $100,000 to pay for the code enforcement officer, the fire chief and a part-time code officer.

   » Street and alley resurfacing, $132,000 to pave Adams Street from Broadway to Spearman Avenue; Union Street from Broadway to Lee Avenue; Negley Street from Spearman to Wallis Avenue and from Hamilton Avenue to Beechwood Avenue; Stevenson Street from Darr Avenue to Wallis; the alley between Webster Street and Roemer Boulevard from Stambaugh Avenue to the parking lot of Leipheimer-Tomon Funeral Home; and the alley between Bond Street and Negley Street from Indiana Avenue to Stambaugh Avenue. Council also plans to use $22,000 in repaid housing-rehabilitation loans for street work.

   » Grant administration, $55,000.

Council is planning to approve the CDBG application March 24 but that could change, Graney said.

"DCED has not issued the final numbers, yet," he said. "The president just signed the federal budget a week ago and DCED is still crunching the numbers."