On Wednesday, Rochester Mayor Keith Jackson returns for a conversation with Matt Drzik on A.M. Beaver County. In case you missed last month’s conversation, click on the Facebook archived video below:

Frank Sparks starts your day with news at 6:30 on Beaver County Radio.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

“I think that where we are financially now is a very good path to be on. I’m really happy with that.”

Those words came from Sandie Egley, the Treasurer for Beaver County, in a conversation with Matt Drzik on the March 8 edition of A.M. Beaver County. Egley had recently released the Treasurer’s Report for 2021 (and early 2022) at the Commissioners’ work session one week earlier, and broke down the numbers that play a key factor in Beaver County’s finances.

On the plus side, the County collected 95% of taxes in 2021, a number that Egley believes is the highest amount in its history. She credits the hard work of her staff at the courthouse, as well as the technology that “turned the office upside down” and created a digital system that has made sorting and filing more efficient.

Conversely, Egley pointed out that the amount of interest retained in the County from a pair of bank accounts was considerably low, and that such a “stark difference” is not helping the taxpayers. “If we collect a quarter of a million dollars more in revenue every year,” Egley inquired, “we could reduce our tax, which is at 26 million right now. What if we could take it down to 24 million? Wouldn’t that be great for our taxpayers? This is kind of one of those things…it’s just so easy to do.”

Still, when asked about the financial status of Beaver County, Egley stated: “I would say it’s outstanding.” She said that the strides from the “poor financial handlings” from her time as County Commissioner to the present day have been impressive: “We’ve come a very long way in a short amount of time.”

To watch the full interview with Treasurer Sandie Egley, click on the Facebook feed below!

On the Tuesday edition of A.M. Beaver County, Matt Drzik talks with Beaver County Treasurer Sandie Egley about the ups and downs in the recent Treasurer’s Report released on March 2.

Frank Sparks gets your morning started with news at 6:30 on Beaver County Radio.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

Gerald “Duke” McCoy, the first-term mayor of Ambridge, spoke those words to Matt Drzik on the March 7 edition of A.M. Beaver County. Though Mayor McCoy has only been in office since January, he has been in Beaver County his whole life.

“I used to joke with people, but it’s the truth…I’m older than Route 65,” McCoy said. He feels that the creation of Route 65 led to the end of the “glory days” of Ambridge, but he sees an upswing in the future regarding new businesses and leadership with their hearts in the right place.

McCoy feels that the key to Ambridge’s future lies in the work ethic and connection between himself and the city council; a connection he feels has held Ambridge back in the past. He also spoke about the relationship that he has with similarly new department heads in the city, including Borough Manager Mario Leone (formerly of Monaca) and Police Chief John DeLuca (formerly of Beaver Falls).

To see the full interview with Mayor McCoy, click on the Facebook feed below!

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)
(Photo by Sandy Giordano)

Much like the fire departments, the police departments in Beaver County are facing a shortage of personnel in 2022. Factors to why the shortage is happening are numerous–financial issues, political pressure, and extra training among them–and the solution towards it may see consolidation of these departments to create fully-staffed units.

David J. Lozier, the District Attorney for Beaver County, joined Matt Drzik on the February 28 edition of A.M. Beaver County to talk about the plans to regionalize multiple municipalities into several departments throughout the county, so that smaller departments can have an equal role in both patrol and department protocol as opposed to simply being dependent on larger departments. “You create a board,” Lozier said, “and on that board they have votes. So you end up with say, Big Beaver, maintaining control of its police because it is a member on a board…a fixed percentage of their millage goes in to support the police department, but they share control in the region.”

Lozier sees the phenomenon of police shortages that are leading to regionalization as something that will turn around: “I think as we regionalize and as we’re able to increase the salary, benefits and pensions for the full-time officers…and eventually the politics will switch back, and you’ll end up with people supporting the police officers and going back to the academies. Right now, nobody’s going to the academies.”

To see the full interview with DA Lozier, click on the Facebook feed below!

Beaver County District Attorney David Lozier joins Matt Drzik following the 8:30 news on February 28 to discuss the future of Beaver County’s police department and possible consolidation of resources.

Plus, a weekend of Penguins, the ongoing crisis overseas, and it all starts with Frank Sparks on news at 6:30 on Beaver County Radio.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

“The key is to help everybody in Beaver County, as many people as we can, [and] to keep the standard of living to where it’s very affordable and palatable for those that need help.”

Those words reflect the mission of the United Way of Beaver County, of which Mike Rubino is the director. Rubino spoke those words to Matt Drzik on A.M. Beaver County on February 24, as he came in to talk about the United Way of BC’s “Matching Donation” campaign that runs until May.

As Rubino explained, the goal is to match a mark of $100,000 to anticipate a drop-off in donations as the COVID-19 pandemic slows and certain employers continue to struggle with employment. New donors will have their donations matched, and former donors who donate higher amounts than previously donated will have their added amounts matched. The money will go to multiple charities under the United Way of BC’s umbrella, that range from helping out the youth (YMCA) to senior citizens (Meals On Wheels).

To see the full interview with Mike Rubino, click on the Facebook feed below!

On the Wednesday edition of A.M. Beaver County, Matt Drzik will take a deeper look into Major League Baseball’s ongoing lockout and what it’s doing to the fans.

The show gets started at 6:30 with Frank Sparks on news.

(Matt Drzik/Beaver County Radio)

“It’s not here to be a burden to the community, it’s here to be a resource to the community and something we can be proud of.”

Marie Timpano, Director of The Cornerstone of Beaver County spoke those words to Matt Drzik on the February 22 edition of A.M. Beaver County in regards to the 24/7 men’s shelter set to be built in Vanport Township. She was joined by TCBC Shelter Manager Chris Anderson to talk about the shelter following the recent securing of funds for its pending construction.

Both Timpano and Anderson spoke optimistically about the opportunities that the men’s shelter will provide those struggling to live their lives on an everyday basis, and gratefully thanked all of TCBC’s partners that have helped make the shelter a reality-to-be. The construction process may have its delays due to the supply chain issues currently affecting the nation, but Timpano says that they hope to see the new shelter completed by late summer 2022.

To watch the full interview with TCBC, click on the Facebook feed below!