On Monday night, Upper Saucon Township voted to file its own separate suit challenging Allentown's Neighborhood Improvement Zone (NIZ). I am informed that Emmaus and Catasauqua Boroughs voted to sue as well, and will confirm that later this morning.
On top of these three municipalities, I've been told that Bethlehem City Council and Bethlehem Areas School District will take up the NIZ next week.
If all five of these governing bodies join or file their own challenge, that will amount to twenty different municipal governments and school boards.
Hanover and Bethlehem Townships are spearheading the challenge. Other municipal bodies that have voted to sue, in one way or another, include Bushkill, East Allen, Lehigh, Lower Nazareth, Lower Saucon, Palmer, Plainfield, South Whitehall, Upper Nazareth and Whitehall Townships; Hellertown and Stockertown Boroughs; and the Whitehall-Coplay School District.
Finally, the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors is slated to vote on intervening in the NIZ litigation, either today or tomorrow.
Updated 10:35 AM: At this point, Catasauqua has NOT voted to join the NIZ litigation, according to a borough official. I am still waiting to hear back from Emmaus or its Solicitor.
Updated 2:00 PM: Emmaus, like Catty, has NOT yet voted to join in the NIZ litigation.
Updated 2:35 PM: I just spoke to Jeff Dimmich, whose law firm represents Upper Saucon, Emmaus and Catty. He tells me that he HAS been authorized, by both Catasaqua and Upper Saucon, to sue over the NIZ. He will be filing his own suit to raise constitutional issues not presented in the original litigation. He questions whether this really can be settled because there is no mechanism that guarantees payment in lieu of taxes, and those are judicially unenforceable.
18 comments:
T-S-U-N-A-M-I
You are an ass
Wasn't the media just commemorating the "Hindenburg" disaster? Going down in flames.
What will become of the hole? Will the Farr Bldg challenge their tax assessment? The wall supports have become a new statement in civic art. Maybe the Pudd can get an award of some sort. Every cloud has it's own silver lining.
To sorta quote Forrest: "Ugly is as ugly does."
More than advertising wall space, let's hope the Farr Building stands. Isn't it going through a great deal of construction trauma?
Mr. Molovinsky had a great quip in the televised debate. Allentown does well with holes. It did well with Mayor Heydt's hole from the Hess's building. Now there is Mayor Fast Eddie's hole. We need more holes in our heads for this piece of legislation.
Time for the FAT LADY to sing!
ALLENTOWN: CITY WITHOUT DIVOTS?
Agenda Item, May 9th, Williams Township:
Neighborhood Improvement Zone
When PSATS weighs in they will be representing the interests of 1,455 townships in the commonwealth, which comprise 95 percent of Pennsylvania’s land area and are home to more than 5.5 million citizens — 44 percent of the state’s population. Pennsylvania’s townships are very diverse, ranging from rural communities with fewer than 200 residents to suburban communities of more than 60,000 residents.
What say Edwin?
What was amazing was that when Dr. Thode asked Councilman/Campaign Manager/Union Representative/Paper Boy/Mattress Salesman/Newspaper Publisher Fleck about the numbers, Fleck quieted down and changed the subject.
When you go to the doctor he looks for symptoms. I just discover the problem. It all goes back to his roots:
A Chicago native, Ed previously ran a college ministry, worked as a community organizer on Chicago's south side and held jobs with Lutheran Social Services of Illinois and Windows of Opportunity, an affiliate of the Chicago Housing Authority. He received his master's degree in urban planning and public policy from the University of Illinois and his bachelor's degree from the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, where he met his wife, Lisa. They have two young children, Mercy and Alex, who attend school in the Allentown School District.
He sounds like Obama.
No way a guy who honestly earned those degrees writes as poorly as Ed. His written communication is appalling. Third graders write better. Those institutions should lose their accreditaions.
The teabagger got oBAMA IN THIS SOMEHOW. mY TINFOIL TRI-CORNERED HAT HAS MORE TEABAGS THYAN YOUR'S.
These lawsuits should be thrown out and the development allowed to continue.
Move forward with the hockey arena.
How many lawsuits can the mayor settle?
The lawsuits will not be "thrown out." Beyond any doubt the enabling legislation for the NIZ tax is defective. The lawsuits are strong enough to go forward. At the vary least, the lawsuits will be in the court(s) for a long time. It is a safe bet that appeals will take place no matter which side wins initially. Although highly remote, arguments may be expected that could qualify the case for the U.S.Supreme Court. Informed...
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