Published Thursday, July 15, 1999 The vote was unanimous, a surprise considering only two council members had spoken publicly in favor of it.
But council went along with the will of residents. Mayor Tom Stanton held a town meeting for citizen input and the sentiment was overwhelmingly in favor of joining the study.
"Mostly out of courtesy and that we have nothing to lose by participating," Stanton said when asked to sum up the people's wishes.
Council President David Cusick noted that only voters can decide to change a town's boundaries, but Councilman Donald Stinedurf put in his motion that the study's findings come back to council once it is complete.
Council members George Keryan and Lorraine Brown, who were for joining the study from the beginning, were named as council's representatives on the Shenango Valley Intergovernmental Study Committee.
The committee has held off electing leaders and setting meeting dates until Wheatland made a decision. The committee also is seeking requests for proposals from consultants to collect the information needed for the study. The city of Farrell has applied for a $50,000 state grant to fund the study and will have the final decision on hiring the consultant.
