Altoona's Act 47 coordinator will hold a public meeting to take comments on the city's financial recovery plan at 6 p.m. Oct. 9 in the auditorium of the Devorris Downtown Center, 1431 12th Ave.
City Clerk Linda Rickens said John Espenshade of Stevens & Lee, the Act 47 coordinator, sent the email to set up the meeting before City Council met Wednesday.
The meeting is "non-mandated" - not required by Act 47 - Espenshade has said.
It will enable the coordinator's team to take comments that could end up as part of the recovery plan.
"It's a good opportunity for business owners and residents to let the Act 47 team and Stevens & Lee know what they are thinking," Councilman Dave Butterbaugh said. "The more people who get involved the better."
The team has spent months gathering documents on city finances, organizational setup and personnel and has been talking to city officials and agency, business and community leaders.
More recently, it has been putting together the plan itself, working with city officials to coordinate the plan with the city's 2013 budget, a spokesman for the state Department of Community and Economic Development has said.
City Manager Joe Weakland said he doesn't have "the faintest idea" how Tuesday's meeting will go.
Eventually there will be a mandated public hearing on the plan before council can approve it.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 949-7038.
