Greensburg to vote on budget and work to recover from garage fire

Dec. 4--Greensburg is set to pass a "plain, vanilla budget" with no tax increase, according to councilman and Finance Director Randy Finfrock, though the city continues to grapple with the fallout from a fire that destroyed its public works garage and some of its vehicles.

City council next week will vote on the $12.8 million budget that is nearly identical to 2019's.

Real estate taxes will remain at 25.05 mills for the 12th year in a row, with a separate one-mill tax supporting the Greensburg Hempfield Area Library.

The city is holding off on planning any major projects until the Department of Public Works is back to full strength, according to Finfrock.

"We don't have room for anything big, and we're kind of hanging back to see what DPW is going to cost," Finfrock said.

The public works warehouse on South Urania Avenue was damaged beyond repair in a fire Oct. 12. Officials believe the blaze started in or around the city's street sweeper, which was destroyed.

At least one other truck was destroyed and two others were damaged, according to city Administrator Kelsye Milliron. Insurance appraisals are still underway, so the total extent of the damage -- and the price tag for repairs-- has not officially been tallied.

The city has received $350,000 in insurance payments as a result of the fire, and is expecting more once appraisals are complete.

Council has approved leasing a truck to replace one lost in the fire, and next week is expected to approve the purchase of a dump truck and skid-steer loader.

The biggest question is what to do about the warehouse, according to Public Works Director Tom Bell.

The city fleet had outgrown the old warehouse, Bell said. Council will have to decide whether to replace it with a building of similar size, or build a new, larger structure, perhaps at a new location.

"My idea is to put everything under one roof," Bell said.

Insurance is expected to pay enough to replace the old garage with a similar structure, but any extra costs involved in a larger building will come out of the city's purse.

Council will vote on the budget at it 7 p.m. meeting Monday.

Jacob Tierney is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Jacob at 724-836-6646, [email protected] or via Twitter .

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