Yesterday, I presented Bill Leiner's argument for community policing, and they certainly persuaded me. Having said that, Dean Browning raises legitimate budgetary concerns that should be examined and addressed.If you click on the above picture, you will see Dean's own detailed analysis of budget trends over the past two years, which worries him insofar as it relates to Don Cunningham's $4 million anti-crime package. Here's his findings.
1. Lehigh County's operating costs (paid for by real estate tax dollars) exceed supporting tax revenue. This has been the practice for several years and is actually nothing unique to Don Cunningham.
2. This defecit has typically been bridged by using a carryover of a favorable operating fund balance from the previous year end. This has been the practice since at least the 2004 budget.
3. The amount needed to bridge this budget gap has averaged $6.6 million over the past 2 years.
4. The favorable fund balance at the beginning of this year was $6.3 million.
5. Cunningham's anti-crime package would use a substantial portion ($2.9 million) of this balance. This means less money will be available when commissioners consider the 2009 budget.
6. The 2009 budget could be particularly tight given the state of the economy and what commissioners are hearing from Harrisburg. Browning has legitimate concerns about funding for Cedarbrook, changes in state programs, pension costs as well as the coast of other post employment benefits.
As Dean explains in an email, "the intent was not to derail the bill being considered. And it was not to imply that the Administration doesn't have a firm grasp on the numbers and the County's finances - it most assuredly does. But, as Don pointed out on Wednesday, we control the purse strings. As such, I wanted to try and give each of us some perspective before we committed the county to spending $2.9 million of a potential reserve while increasing the County's ongoing annual operating costs by $650,000 (or $1.2 million if Northampton doesn't join us)."
"Part of my concern with the package is that, in my opinion, it should be considered as part of the overall 2009 budget. There may be valid reasons why that was not possible so my intent with putting together my one page analysis was to try to give the other Commissioners (and the public) some context in which to consider the proposal."
Browning's main concern is the funding source for this initiative. he appears to prefer using the tax relief fund instead of general revenue. I believe, like Commissioner Leiner, that all nine Commissioners can still work this out and get some cops out on the street.
Update: The Morning Call today endorsed Cunningham's Safe Streets' proposal. "While it is true that police departments are not part of county government's traditional responsibilities, citizens have a right to expect elected officials to be innovative when it is for a good reason."
10 comments:
Dean's concerns are legitimate. We may have funds this year, but what about next year? What about the tight budget we see for next year, and the county health care clinic? We can't take on all these new expenses without seeing how the ones we've already committed to really cost.
Believe me, I know. I spent time on the local school board. These expenses change yearly and there is no way to see ahead. Not to mention the court house not being complete. We should wait a year or two before taking such a large step, follow through on something like this is of the utmost importance for the initial investment to not be wasted.
Dawn Berrigan
.... but didn't they agree to spend $3 million on a bunch of IT stuff for police? It's telling that several republicans would spend millions on IT, but refuse to fund any police in Allentown.
Anon 3:43, You are right. The justification there was that this would be an excellent example of regionalism, and is one thing a county can do that a municipality is unable to do. They are not quite sold on the concept of ciommunity police, and frankly, i think ythey need to hear from a few police chiefs about what a deterrent this is.
We are missing the point here. The issue isn't whether or not Allentown should have more police. The issue is why does Allentown have to obtain money from non-residents to pay for more police in Allentown?
Where did the $2.4 million in EMS tax revenue go? It was supposed to be used for more police. We have less police.
Why do we have 40+ more bureaucrats in City Hall since 2001 and we have 30+ less police? (And we might lose another 15 or so this year.)
Why are we depleting our sewer, water and police pension funds?
And, all this, with record revenue coming in year after year.
The issue is why is Allentown so fiscally mismanaged that we need County Welfare to prop up City Hall's continuing incompetence?
Put in fewer words, why give Allentown more assets to mismanage?
Scott Armstrong
Allentown resident
Joe, Scott,
1) EMS tax revenue gores to police, fire, ambulance, even restaurant inspections. it is not exclusively police.
2) You indicate there are 40+ more paper pushers in city hall now than there were in 2001. I remember this claim being made durinmg the "Allentown Speak Out" forum. I asked you then to identify these new positions. I'll happily list them.
3) The diminished police department just demonstrates the need for community policing in Allewntown.
4) I would not assume that all of these community police officers will be going to Allentown. They will go where they are needed.
5) The cost of reacting to crime is a countywide problem. 65% of its tax revenue goes to the cost of prosecution and incarceration. What Cunningham has proposed is a proactive program that will actually reduce that cost long term. After three years, if it does not do so, the county will have no incentive to continue.
"While it is true that [blank] are not part of county government's traditional responsibilities, citizens have a right to expect elected officials to be innovative when it is for a good reason."
For a point, let's fill in the blank with some examples:
"Garbage Pickup", "UGI Bill Collection", "Blog Spelling Police", "Bernie O'Hare Re-Education"
OK see the point? Anyone of those 'fill in the blanks' might be seen as a good reason, but it doesn't make it right. We have a level of government overstepping its bounds. That it becomes chaotic. Also, with not being bounds by 'rules', governments grow in power and potential tyranny.
Let's get scary, how about these blanks:
"Public Morality", "Religious Compliance", "Ethnic Registration", "Voter Education Requirements", etc, etc.
O_o
O_o,
I'm not talking about blanks. I'm talking specifically about community policing. If Cunningham is right, spending some money on that will reduce the county's burden of paying to prosecute and incarcerate criminals, which is the biggest burden on county taxpayers.
Also, it is only a matter of time before counties assume the role of police protection completely. It is more efficient and effective.
But we don't need no steenkin' blog spelling police.
How about the fashion police? I was walking Hamilton Street yesterday around lunch time. Pretty grim.....
The Allentown PD should do like the Reading PD and devote 80% of its force to DUI enforcement. Like the Reading PD does, the Allentown PD could not only fund itself but also ignore other crime. Police Departments react to crime, they don't stop it. In fact, stopping crime is never the goal of the PD; otherwise, none of them would have their jobs. Without crime, PD's can't exist.
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