New Borough Government in 2022

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Mayor Licia Cogley and Council President Lou Little
Mayor Licia Cogley and Council President Lou Little
Mayor Licia Cogley
Mayor Licia Cogley
Mayor Licia Cogley administers the oath of office.
Mayor Licia Cogley administers the oath of office.
Mayor Licia Cogley administers the oath of office.
Mayor Licia Cogley administers the oath of office.
Mayor Licia Cogley administers the oath of office.
Mayor Licia Cogley administers the oath of office.
Mayor Licia Cogley, West Mayfield's first female mayor.
Mayor Licia Cogley, West Mayfield's first female mayor.
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The Borough of West Mayfield ushers in a new local government at its January 3, 2022 reorganization meeting. Incoming Mayor Licia Cogley administered the oath of office to council members Jeffrey Seybert, Bill Heaton, and William Sepp. 

Technically, Ms. Cogley is West Mayfield’s first woman mayor in nearly a century, although Martha Ridings served the borough’s first and only woman burgess in the 1920s.

Council also chose Lou Little as its new president and Monica Sepp as vice president.  Committee assignments will assigned by the president.  And new this year is the ad hoc Centennial Committee open to all residents who want to be a part of the borough’s 100th anniversary celebration in 2023.

Council Reorganization — What is it?

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In January 2022, citizens of West Mayfield might be surprised to learn that this council meeting will be very different than all the others.

Here’s why.

Unlike cities and townships in Pennsylvania, boroughs are governed by a distinct section of state statutes called the Pennsylvania Borough Code. Title 8, Chapter 10 (“Powers and Duties of Elected Officials”) requires that “The council shall organize on the first Monday of January of each even-numbered year by electing one member as president and one member as vice president, who shall hold the offices at the pleasure of the council.”

Here’s a summary by the Association of Mayors of the Boroughs of Pennsylvania as to how this reorganization meeting works:

1) The reorganization meeting, like all Council meetings, must be advertised in a newspaper of general circulation at least three days in advance of the meeting. A meeting agenda must be made in advance as well.

2) At this meeting, the mayor (having been previously sworn into office by a judge) presides over council. This is one of the rare instances under law that a borough mayor has any authority over council.

3) The mayor swears into office all new and re-elected council members.

4) The mayor then presides over council as it elects its council president and vice-president. The mayor takes nominations from council members for each position (no second is required) and then each officer position is voted on.

5) After council has selected its officers, the mayor then turns the gavel over to the new council president, council is seated, and the newly reorganized body can now conduct borough business as usual.

Read more about this special meeting in the Pennsylvania Borough Code.

Santa’s Coming to West Mayfield!

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Santa’s Coming to West Mayfield! 

Sunday, December 19, 2021

Starting at noon until 3:00pm Santa will visit the borough by fire truck bringing treats to all our boys and girls.  When you hear the fire truck coming to your street, you’ll know Santa is near!

Matilda Little Free Library

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Borough resident Tracey Price has created a community library, which is located at 3615 Matilda St.–within walking distance for most borough residents. Grand opening for the library was October 2, 2021. The library is open to the public, and anyone can “take a book, share a book.” The cabinet will be open 24/7. There will be books for all ages and many genres. There is a street lamp directly across from the library, so it is well lit in the evenings. There are also cards for comments and to request books.

To learn more about the Matilda Little Free Library, check out this informative brochure.

Free Leaf Collection in West Mayfield

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red and brown leaves

Free leaf collection begins in West Mayfield Borough this year on November 1st and lasts throughout the fall season.

To arrange for pick-up, call the municipal building at (724) 843-8330 and leave a message.

Do not blow or rake leaves on roadways or sidewalks. All leaves must be raked close to the side of the road for collection.

Leaves placed in bags will NOT be accepted. 

As a reminder: Burning of leaves is not permitted in the Borough (Open Burning Ordinance No. 101019).

West Mayfield Community Halloween Night 2021

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West Mayfield Community Halloween Night 2021 will take place on Thursday, October 28th.

Trick or Treat time will be from 6pm to 7:30pm. (Note, the Beaver County Times and Ellwood City Ledger had previously published the wrong dates and times for our borough).

The West Mayfield Fire Dept. will provide safety patrols.

Residents are reminded to wear bright colored clothing for safe visibility, to carry flashlights, and to carefully inspect all candy before eating.

Feel free to download this free Scary Halloween Soundtrack.

ARE YOU PREPARED?

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National Preparedness Month (NPM) is an observance each September to raise awareness about the importance of preparing for disasters and emergencies that could happen at any time.

The 2021 theme is “Prepare to Protect. Preparing for disasters is protecting everyone you love.”

To learn more about each week’s theme, CLICK HERE

New Trash Pickup Day

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Starting August 9, 2021, trash pick up in the borough will change from Wednesdays to Mondays. The last day for Wednesday trash service will be August 4, 2021.

If you have any questions or concerns, please call J. Young Refuse, Monday through Friday, 8am to 4pm, 724-495-6199.

WHAT’S YOUR OPINION ABOUT . . . OUR CURRENT REFUSE SERVICE PROVIDER?

Council wants to know about your experiences with our current residential refuse sanitation service provider, J. Young Refuse. Are you satisfied with the service, or have you had specific issues such as trash not being picked up, damaged property, customer service problems, billing errors, etc.

Help us better serve the borough by giving us feedback through our website’s Online Citizen Comment feature. You can also provide feedback to Councilwoman Michelle McNeely at 724-601-6907 or mcneelymichelle50@gmail.comWe also ask you to be a good neighbor and share this post with other West Mayfield residents.