Politics & Government

Major Crime Down in Baldwin Boro

And other notes from Tuesday night's Baldwin Council meetings.

Major Crime Down

Baldwin Borough police Chief Michael Scott said at Tuesday night's regular Baldwin Council meeting that major crime in Baldwin has gone down in recent years.

The amount of Uniform Crime Reporting Part 1 crimes in the borough, which include criminal homicide, forcible rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, larceny-theft, criminal mischief over $500, motor vehicle theft and arson, was down 4 percent in the borough from 2011 to 2012, Chief Scott said, despite multiple burglaries toward the end of 2012.

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And from 2010 to 2011, that amount was down 18.6 percent, he said.

New Parking Restriction in Cross Street-Gardenville Road Area

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The Baldwin Council unanimously approved an ordinance on Tuesday that prohibits parking on Cross Street within 100 feet of Cross' intersection with Gardenville Road.

Special Meeting on Jan. 22

Borough Manager John Barrett reminded those in attendance on Tuesday that the council will gather again on Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. for a special meeting regarding the borough's 2013 millage rate and budget.

The meeting will be held in the council chambers of the borough municipal building along Churchview Avenue. The meeting is open to the public, and should circumstances dictate, it would be moved to the municipal auditorium of the same building.

Barrett expects that the council will take three actions on Jan. 22: adopting a revenue-neutral millage rate of 5.15, advertising for a final millage rate of 5.41 and formally adopting a 2013 budget.

Council Vice President Michael Stelmasczyk wished to clarify on Tuesday why the council is deciding to take advantage of a legal provision that allows borough leaders to collect taxes at a 105-percent rate this year instead of just 100 percent.

Stelmasczyk said that the extra money is being collected as a safeguard in order to counteract any successful or partially successful Allegheny County reassessments appeals.

"That's really what the necessity is," he said. "It's not that we want to simply take advantage of the additional 5 percent."

Fencing at Curry Hollow Shopping Center

Barrett said that the recent appearance of fencing in the Curry Hollow Shopping Center parking lot is there to prevent vehicles from parking in certain areas. The shopping center's owners do not wish to maintain the entire parking lot, such as plowing snow, during the winter.

Nevertheless, Barrett said that the owners have received notice that they need to raise that fencing by 2 feet in order to be in compliance with borough code.

Grant Money For Local Emergency Workers

Three emergency crews in Baldwin Borough have requested and been awarded money through Pennsylvania's Volunteer Fire Company and Volunteer Ambulance Service Grant Program: Baldwin Emergency Medical Services (requested $35,000 and received $26,419.27), Option Independent Fire Company (requested $15,000 and received $11,500) and South Baldwin Volunteer Fire Company (requested $15,000 and received $12,792.76).

Mayor Absent

Baldwin Mayor Alexander R. Bennett Jr., who is on vacation, was absent from Tuesday's meetings.

Streetlights Remain an Issue for Some Baldwin Residents

Read here.

Baldwin Council Mulling Ryan Homes Decision

Read here.

Click here for more Baldwin Borough news.

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