Author: Joe Viechnicki, KFSK

Members of the Petersburg Volunteer Fire Department turned out to the borough assembly meeting Monday night to honor retiring chief Doug Welde and to ask the assembly to fill a vacant paid position. The volunteers say the emergency medical services coordinator is needed to help respond on ambulance calls and train volunteers to do the same.

While the Petersburg borough’s proposed budget for the upcoming year does not yet cut hours in the community gym and pool, there are closures in that facility planned this spring. The reason is a severe staffing shortage.

Petersburg borough officials are proposing a budget that would slightly increase spending for next fiscal year, despite months of discussions about budget cuts. The borough assembly starts its review of the spending plan April 17 and will start voting on it in May. However, it’s expected this budget will have to be revised significantly once state law makers decide on funding levels for municipalities.

Petersburg’s planning commission hopes to be voting next month on recommended changes to the borough’s newly adopted development code. That will be after the borough notifies owners of industrial property about potential changes to allowable uses of that land. They’re also reconsidering a change that allows manufactured homes on residential property.