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Union City Council unanimously approves bridge grant application, tax exonerations and a set of budget moves
Summary
On June 25 the Union City Borough Council unanimously approved two tax exonerations for properties purchased by the Erie County Land Bank, authorized a $400,000 Multimodal Transportation grant application for a Willow Street bridge replacement, and approved multiple funding and administrative actions including liquid fuels disbursement and a PLGIT account transfer.
Union City Borough Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a slate of resolutions and administrative motions intended to fund local infrastructure, clear tax titles on two properties and move capital funds to higher-yield accounts.
The council passed two tax-exoneration resolutions for properties purchased by the Erie County Land Bank at 11 Maple Street and 48 Atlantic Street and approved a resolution to apply for a $400,000 Multimodal Transportation Fund grant to replace the bridge on Willow Street. Councilor Osborn moved the grant resolution and Councilor Kerns seconded; the motion carried unanimously.
The borough approved paying a Cross Paving invoice of $104,740.81 by disbursing $92,130.00 from the Liquid Fuels fund and $12,610.81 from the General Fund. Council also approved applying $15,625 in county aid toward the Suit-Kote seal coat payment for the 2024 seal coat project.
Council authorized giving 2–3 loads of millings from the paving project to the American Legion ballfield and directed that material taken to Union Township be ground there; previously approved millings will be delivered to Evergreen Cemetery.
On grants and community programs, council accepted the borough’s $100,000 ECGRA Renaissance Grant and approved four Renaissance Grant applications totaling $17,675 for the 2023/2024 grant period, leaving $750.49 in that cycle; two additional applications totaling $9,452.65 will carry over to the 2024/2025 grant period.
Financial housekeeping included approval to open a PLGIT Checking & Prime account and transfer approximately $140,000 (majority of the capital equipment funds) from the borough’s Northwest account to seek a higher interest rate. Council also approved posting removed playground equipment for sale on Municibid and noted that the Union City Volunteer Fire Department repaid an ambulance loan in full ($59,250).
Votes at a glance (motions recorded in the meeting): • Tax exonerations for 11 Maple Street and 48 Atlantic Street — approved unanimously. • $400,000 Multimodal Transportation Fund grant application for Willow Street bridge — approved unanimously (mover: Councilor Osborn; second: Councilor Kerns). • Liquid fuels disbursement to Cross Paving ($92,130 from Liquid Fuels; $12,610.81 from General Fund) — approved unanimously. • County aid application of $15,625 toward Suit-Kote seal coat payment — approved unanimously. • Millings: transfer, grinding arrangement and 2–3 loads to American Legion ballfield — approved unanimously. • Renaissance grant approvals: four awards totaling $17,675, two applications carrying $9,452.65 to next cycle — approved unanimously. • PLGIT account opening and approximate $140,000 transfer — approved unanimously. • Authorization to post playground equipment for sale on Municibid — approved unanimously.
Why it matters: The combined actions fund immediate paving obligations, advance a major bridge replacement application, and free up capital funds for a better return while advancing small-scale blight-remediation projects through Renaissance grants. Several items require follow-up (grant award decisions, millings tracking, and the PLGIT account setup) before program actions are complete.
Next steps: The borough will submit the Multimodal grant application, coordinate grinding and tracking of millings with Union Township, and complete the PLGIT transfer once account setup is finalized.
