Click here to subscribe today or Login.
Friday, June 06, 1997 Page: 2A
Administrator departs with harsh complaints
It’s official: Administrator Paul Keating has left the city. City Council
accepted his resignation at its regular meeting on Thursday.
In a letter to council, Keating wrote he was the target of “local political
bullets.” He added that an administrator’s success goes only as far as the
cooperation he has with council and other officials.
But if there were any hard feelings among council members, they didn’t show
them.
“Paul Keating did a great job while he was here,” said council member Ben
Grevera.
A search committee will seek a replacement for Keating, who was present but
not seated with council. Keating, who recently was named Kingston
administrator by Mayor Gary Reese, said nothing about his resignation.
In other business:
Solicitor Bernard Kotulak said it would cost the city $174,000 to refund
excess per capita tax the city has been collecting since 1980.
Kotulak said the minutes from a 1979 council meeting indicated that council
passed a $5 tax, but a typographical error by a clerk listed the tax as $10 in
the city’s book of ordinances. State law permits the city to charge only $5.
“This was a mistake made almost 20 years ago,” said council member Joseph
Mikolinis.
Because of the statute of limitations, residents are entitled to a refund
for the years 1995, 1996 and 1997, said Kotulak.
“We don’t have 174,000,” the solicitor said. He added that council does not
want to borrow the money or raise taxes.
Kotulak said council is exploring options to refund the money without
incurring debt. He said council probably will act on the issue within the next
few months.
Council voted to repay $51,000 to the sewer account. The money was
transferred to the general fund in 1996 to pay salaries.
— Pat McGlynn