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Municipal manager wraps up Mt. Lebanon career

By Harry Funk 3 min read
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Steve Feller gets a kick out of a comment during his final commission meeting as municipal manager.

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State Rep. Dan Miller, left, D-Mt. Lebanon, presents Steve Feller with a House of Representatives proclamation in his honor.

For 14 years, Steve Feller was a fixture at meetings of the Mt. Lebanon Commission as township manager.

He attended his final one in that position Oct. 13, prior to his leaving Oct. 15 to take a position as trust administrator and chief administrative officer of the nonprofit Municipal Risk Management Inc. in Franklin Park.

Municipal planner Keith McGill will serve as interim manager, as approved by commissioners Tuesday.

Feller received commendations from the commission and from the state House of Representatives, as presented by Rep. Dan Miller, D-Mt. Lebanon, who is a former commissioner.

“It’s certainly been a privilege and an honor to be associated with a local government that really is recognized around the state as being one of the finest local governments,” Feller said. “Just to be a part of that has really been a privilege over the years.”

He said that when he told his mother he wanted to be a city manager, she discouraged him.

“She said, ‘They’ll spit on your children,'” Feller recalled. “She was really wrong. This is really a rewarding career. This has really been a place where I can feel like I made a difference and see the results of the efforts that are made.”

He received accolades for his work from each of the commissioners.

“I deeply appreciate the dedication that you had to this community and the service you provided to this community,” Kelly Fraasch said, thanking him for his efforts.

GovHR USA, the consultant that is assisting with the search for a new municipal manager, has set up an email for residents who want to provide input: mtlebanon@govhrusa.com.

In other business at Tuesday’s meeting:

• Commissioners approved an ordinance to refinance two series of 2010 general obligation bonds.

The savings in debt service costs amount to $567,546, in present value, on $9.9 million worth of bonds, which were sold earlier that day at an average interest rate of 1.8 percent, according to Nicholas Falgione of underwriter PNC Capital Markets.

When commissioners approved the bond sale at their Sept. 8 meeting, the anticipated savings was about $400,000. A drop in interest rates during the ensuing five weeks increased the net amount for the municipality.

• A public hearing was scheduled during the Oct. 26 meeting to address an ordinance that would adjust the commissioners’ goals regarding the municipality’s unassigned fund balance.

The administrative code has a requirement that the fund balance, representing money that is budgeted but not spent, should be 10 percent of total expenditures and cannot fall below 8 percent without corrective action.

The change would raise the goal from 10 percent to 12 percent, and the minimum to 10 percent.

Also, the fund balance is to be increased progressively above 12 percent, with the target at 15 percent of expenditures.

Commissioners often assign a portion of the money to pay for various projects that are not included in the budget at the start of a given year.

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