Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Public Finance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Residents urge council to reject pass-through grant to King's College amid state budget cuts; call for more institutional contribution
Summary
Public commenters urged Wilkes-Barre City Council to vote against allowing King's College to apply for or receive a pass-through grant, citing large proposed state budget cuts and asking that the college contribute more to local needs.
Multiple public commenters objected to a proposed city pass-through that would allow King's College to apply for a grant for a student center, arguing the request is tone-deaf amid proposed state and federal budget cuts and the city's own fiscal constraints.
Angel Mathis (public commenter) said the request was "tone deaf" given large proposed state cuts and urged council to "please vote no." Mathis referenced a broader federal and state funding picture, saying proposed cuts could reduce services for vulnerable residents.
Bob Kalaboski and another resident pressed similar themes. Kalaboski said the college has benefited from city assistance in multiple ways and argued the institution should provide more direct financial support to the city, such as paying more toward police and fire protection costs or making larger voluntary payments in lieu of taxes. He also raised an unresolved grievance about legal expenses tied to a prior suit involving the college and a former administration.
Nut graf: The remarks surfaced two recurring public concerns: whether the city should act as a conduit for grant funds to private institutions and whether large nonprofit or educational property owners should contribute more to municipal services or relief programs.
Speakers referenced the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) and asked whether the city's role as conduit means approval is a foregone conclusion. A commenter asked whether the money would come from the general fund; that specific funding source was not recorded in the meeting as finalized. No formal council vote on the King's College pass-through was recorded in the transcript; these were public comments during the pending-legislation portion of the meeting.
Ending: Commenters said they would like the city to seek concessions from the college (more payments or student benefits) before approving future pass-throughs; no council action or formal response committing to such conditions was recorded on April 10.
