Debt Watch Harrisburg, a capital city watchdog group, will host a public forum next week on receiver David Unkovic's proposed recovery plan for the debt-ridden city.
The forum will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 28 at the Midtown Scholar Bookstore on North Third Street, located across from the Broad Street Market.
The group said it will review plan highlights and its likely impact on the city. Harrisburg is saddled with more than $317 million of incinerator debt.
The Commonwealth Court will hold a hearing on the plan at 10:30 a.m. March 1 in Courtroom 3001 of the Judicial Center on Commonwealth Avenue in Harrisburg.
Unkovic, who was appointed in December, filed his plan on Feb. 6. The proposal calls for the valuation of the city's assets by April and to close on transactions by June. In addition to the incinerator and parking, Unkovic wants to look at management and operation of the water and wastewater assets.
The plan, which Mayor Linda Thompson said she supports, also includes negotiating concessions from the city's three unions, increasing the residential earned income tax by 1 percent and bolstering other city service fees.
Unkovic also included in his plan the hiring of a full-time chief operating officer at an annual salary of $110,000. The city is in the process of interviewing candidates for the post.
