The Rotary Club of New Castle will be learning about the PA Home Rule system this Monday.
Per the May 19, 2021 New Castle News article (https://www.ncnewsonline.com/news/local_news/home-rule-passes-transition-team-will-take-next-steps-in-process/article_3c462edb-9ee3-55a2-ac4d-baa2e7c1f604.html#:~:text=New%20Castle%2C%20PA%20(16103)&text=Home%20Rule%20passed%2C%20gaining%2060%20percent%20of%20the%20votes.&text=Home%20Rule%20charter%20commission%20Toby,asking%20them%20to%20vote%20’yes. ) The structure of New Castle’s government will begin to change after the Home Rule referendum passed by gaining 60 percent of the vote in May’s referendum.
Our speaker on the topic will be DEBORAH J. GRASS, OWNER, GRASS ROOT SOLUTIONS.
Debby has extensive experience working with communities across the Commonwealth of PA. For the past seven years, she has been the Owner of Grass Root Solutions, a full-service municipal consulting firm. Previously, Debby was the Borough Manager in Dormont Borough, Allegheny County, for 11 years, and the City Administrator for the City of Butler, Butler County, for four years. She worked for the PA Department of Community and Economic Development for four years as a Local Government Policy Specialist. She also led the Municipal Government Division as a Senior Consultant for Delta Development Group for six years.
Debby earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Administration degree from Slippery Rock University and did graduate-level work in the Master of Science in Administration (MSA) program there. She is a member of the Association for Pennsylvania Municipal Managers (APMM) and the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA). She is an instructor for DCED, PSATS, GFOA, APMM, and the Local Government Academy. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Hilltop Economic Development Corporation and the Tri-COG Land Bank in Allegheny County.
As a member of the New Castle Act 47 team, she provides technical support and assistance for community development, code enforcement, public outreach, and operational best practices. A New Castle native, she is deeply committed to advancing the City as it moves toward an Exit from Act 47 status.
