Tarentum, Brackenridge will consider sharing services

Tarentum and Brackenridge officials will team up to consider sharing certain municipal services to save tax dollars.

It’s an idea Brackenridge Mayor Lindsay Fraser said makes sense because of the proximity of the two boroughs.

“Given the geography, maybe we can, hopefully, look at merging some of our services,” Fraser said.

The boroughs are adjacent to each other along the Allegheny River. Tarentum operates with an $11 million budget, while Brackenridge finances are about one-tenth that amount.

About 7,500 people live in the two boroughs.

For years, the recreation committees of both towns have joined forces to offer holiday parades and other social events.

Fraser’s proposal looks at particular municipal departments where intergovernmental contracts might benefit both communities. For example, Brackenridge is currently without a zoning officer.

“We have money in our budget for wages,” Fraser said. “It’s not a lot, but it’s still hard to find someone with appropriate credentials.”

Fraser’s initial idea is to contract zoning from Tarentum and help offset the lost hours with Brackenridge employees who are paid to do lesser duties.

“We have one or two people that could enforce a quality-of-life ordinance, so instead of having your zoning officer arguing with people about high grass, they could be working on facade improvement and other big issues in both boroughs,” Fraser said. “Both boroughs could get more time out of the employees doing what they are qualified to do.”

Tarentum Council President Scott Dadowski said he is in favor of weighing the options.

“Any way we can work together and be good neighbors is good,” he said. “How we get there, I don’t know, but I don’t think anyone would disagree.”