Shenango Valley Intergovernmental Cooperation Study Committee & Boundary Change on the Ballot by Denny Puko

Denny Puko (left) is a professional planner and works for the Governor's Center for Local Government Services southwest and northwest regional offices assisting local governments with planning and related matters. He previously was Executive Director of the Mercer County Regional Planning Commission, a joint municipal-county planning commission. Puko spoke about mergers and consolidations and used the Shenango Valley story as a case study. At the time, there was a Shenango Valley consolidation measure on the ballot for November.

First, Puko went over the legal context of the 1994 Merger Act, and then discussed the history of mergers in Pennsylvania, noting that from 1975 to 2004 there had been 22 consolidation proposals, with 8 passing. Puko presented the Shenango Valley case, explaining that Ferrel was in Act 47 bankruptcy and it was recommended that they consider consolidating. The study process included hiring a professional consultant, creating an advisory committee with 8 subcommittees to discuss different service provision, and other professional resources with an emphasis on partnerships and evaluation. The advisory committee did not recommend consolidation and the municipalities did not initiate it, but a petition was circulated and the referendum was put on the ballot for November 2004. Puko evaluated the factors leading to the outcome, noting that local leadership was strong and there was a sense of commonality, but there were also separate histories and segregation based on wealth. There was a history of cooperation, but Puko notes that critical issues were not resolved early enough. The process moved too slowly, especially within the subcommittees. Puko also feels that the proposal may have been too narrowly focused and restrictive. Ultimately, the referendum did not pass.

Click here to read the Shenango Valley Intergovernmental Study Committee Final Report

For more information on the Shenango Valley case, please listen to the George Gearhart and Anthony Moscato presentations from the 2005 Road to Excellence Conference Podcasts.