Millcreek supervisors take step toward government study commission ballot question

Millcreek Township supervisors will consider asking voters whether a government study commission should be formed to consider other forms of government for the township.

Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to direct their solicitor to write an ordinance to put the question on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.

Supervisors are expected to vote on the ordinance at their next meeting on May 28. If they approve it, Millcreek voters will answer the question:

"Shall a government study commission of seven members be elected to study the existing form of government of Millcreek Township, Erie County, Pennsylvania, to consider the advisability of the adoption of an optional form of government and to recommend whether or not an optional plan government should be adopted?"

Millcreek Township is managed by three elected supervisors who are paid township employees.

Former Millcreek Township Supervisor Sue Weber has led a push for the government study commission.

"There was a government study commission years ago. We need a study commission because that was a long time ago and it's time that we look at things again," Weber said Tuesday. "When you examine things at a deep level you come up with good ideas from other areas."

A government study commission elected in 2011 recommended that the township continue to operate in accordance with Pennsylvania's Second Class Township Code, which permits townships to be managed by three or five supervisors and allows supervisors to decide whether to hire themselves as employees or hire a manager.

The potential cost of the study is a concern, Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Kim Clear said. Clear had proposed investigating the cost and setting parameters for the study before voting on whether to place the question on the ballot.

Clear ultimately agreed with residents who said that the township can approve the ballot question and inform residents of the commission's estimated cost before they vote in November.

"I'm used to making decisions knowing the cost in advance," Clear said. "All of us take our jobs really seriously. But you're right; we can determine the money later."

The proposal: Why Millcreek group wants township supervisors to approve government study referendum

Supervisors' vote directing that an ordinance be prepared for their consideration followed a special public comment period on the government study proposal during supervisors' Tuesday business meeting.

A dozen people addressed supervisors or sent statements to be read in support of a government study commission.

"In my 40-plus years of business, I have observed that the most successful outcomes occur when leaders continually seek better and improved methods of operation," retired GE Transportation Vice President Tina Donikowski said in a statement read by Weber. "Maintaining the status quo in light of an ever-changing environment leads to inefficiencies and waste."

Retired businessman Art Oligeri asked supervisors to approve the study commission to determine "best practices" for the township.

"As a businessman, I always looked for better ways to be more effective," Oligeri said. "One of the things I always looked at were our peers, and whether their way is better or our way is better. If 25 (of Pennsylvania's high-population) townships are doing something different than Millcreek — and I'm not saying who's right and who's wrong — I think we have to study it and to always look for best practices."

Elected officials aren't always the best municipal managers, retired attorney Jim Steadman said.

"There's a big difference between running for office and being elected, and being qualified for the job," Steadman said. He gave examples of municipalities run more effectively since hiring professional managers and said that Millcreek should at least consider a manager or other form of government.

"You have nothing to lose and everything to gain," he said.

The township would not be bound by a study commission's recommendation. Voters ultimately will decide if Millcreek should have a professional manager, mayor and council, or other form of government.

If supervisors fail to authorize a ballot question on a government study commission, residents can petition to get the question on the ballot. But time for collecting the prescribed number of signatures is running short, residents told supervisors.

"Don't make people go out and do a petition drive," former Millcreek Supervisor John Groh said. "You're just going to irritate them."

Contact Valerie Myers at vmyers@timesnews.com.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Millcreek supervisors take step toward government study referendum