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| Nancy Run Fire Chief Jamie Hauze pitches firetruck |
Tom Nolan, representing Bethlehem Township, argued that emergency services are clearly included in what the legislature intended when it gave communities surrounding Bethlehem Sands Casino the first crack at gaming revenue. Those municipalities are Hanover Township, Hellertown, Lower Saucon Township, Freemansburg and Bethlehem Township
"If you keep whittling this down, you're putting money into the wrong account," he argued, referring to grants for other communities. But as might be expected, a Gaming Board member from one of those other communities disagreed.
Tony Pristash, an at-large member from Northampton, objected to "calling the other account the wrong account." He noted that surrounding communities, to be entitled to first crack at gaming revenue, must show a direct impact. Jim Pennington, another at-large member from Lower Nazareth, worried about the precedent this big ticket item would set in the five contiguous municipalities.
"Do they need it? Yes," said Hellertown representative David Heintzelman. "But I struggle with the word 'direct' impact."
Joe Kelly, representing Bethlehem, supported the grant, noting that Bethlehem Township is a back up to the two ladder trucks in service in Bethlehem. He said they have an obligation "to protect that asset," referring to the Sands casino. But Northampton County EMS Director Bob Mateff noted that numerous other communities also back up Bethlehem, including SeWyCo, Allentown and even Easton. He added it is rare to see both Bethlehem aerial ladder trucks go out of service.
Voting for the grant were Nolan, Freemansburg Mayor Gerald Yob, Lower Saucon representative David Willard and Bethlehem's Joe Kelly. Opposed were Heintzelman, Pennington, Pristash and at-large member John Dally. Chairman Jay Finnigan, who represents Hanover Township, was the final No vote.
"And let me tell you why. We have an aerial being specced [on spec] right now, and I couldn't justify giving Hanover $550,000.
Other grant requests were approved.
Hellertown: $213,155.03 to fund the cost of two police officers.How much money is available? According to Nolan, the Gaming Board's treasurer, $403,688 was received for the first three months of the year, down from about $440,000 last year.
Northampton County: $10,000 for interpreter fees.
Northampton County: $184,000 for gambling addiction treatment.
Lower Saucon: $29,342 for a police vehicle and $90,482 for the cost of an officer.
Bethlehem: $128,883 to remount an ambulance onto a new chassis.
Bethlehem: $75,000 towards a $400,000 sign program directing tourists to different attractions.
Freemansburg: $103,723 to replace two aging police vehicles.
Bethlehem Township: $99,181 for two police cruisers and $7,049 for a polygraph.
53 comments:
Sadly that horrible Frankenstein of an agreement Stoffa signed really screwed the county and the contiguous communities. Also why the Hell give the city of Bethlehem so much, they get their own direct source of money.
This is really sad.
What's sad is your own ignorance. These grants have nothing to do with Stoffa. They are developed in accordance with a state law that requires priority to be given to communities directly impacted by gaming. If you don't like this system, change the state law.
Mr. Nolan is absolutely right. The allocation of money to any place other than contiguous municipalities for impact is wrong. This vital impact fee structure was bastardized into a political vote getting machine for the entire county by unscrupulous vote grubbing politicians.
Money should only be given to the county and contiguous municipalities and not a penny beyond that.
End of discussion! Anything else eis politics.
But Nolan, in a fit of pique, voted against addiction treatment money for the County. He can't have it both ways.
Kelly is a joke. Only a matter of time until he ends up like Dolan and the rest of the Callahan posse. All should be brought up on charges by the DA for stealing / wasting taxpayer monies
Kelly would not know what a fire truck is unless his son read it to him in the little engine that could
The Little Engine That Could was about a train locomotive. Somebody didn't listen to their own son reading to them.
Bobby D will get rid of Kelly as soon as he can. Everyone wonders why Boscola hired him.? Some deal?
Wow...someone up late at night really has it in for Joe Kelly. Tell ya what: stop self-medicating.
This impact thing is such bs. The gaming share I agree with, to suggest some municipalities have an impact and no these do not simply based on the County is a stretch. I question why so many municipalities in Northampton county benefit from Monroe County gaming and so few Lehigh County municipalities benefit from the Sands. Time to re-evaluate the share distribution.
Also, municipalities that benefit from defined benefit should be forbidden from double dipping.
What exactly has Bethlehem done with the $34M+ it has received from the Sands that it feels compelled to double dip into both Monroe and Northampton County's share?
Maybe they can build a rest station for those from NY that sell their free vouchers.
What is really interesting is how Hanover Township, even though its a favored bordering Township to the Casino town, only applies for casino grant money out of Monroe County! Not sure why that happens and why Finnegan does not vote to support NORCO money going to his own community like the others are allowed to do and do?Politics? On a positive note that richies in Bethlehem Township can now pay for their own fire ladder truck and not pull some sort of governmental wellfareesque check from the casino!
Why does Bethlehem Township need a polygraph? Isn't that something used in the court system?
The casino is fully sprinklered and more likely to be attacked by Godzilla than catch fire. Bethlehem Township has shown total disregard for it's taxpaying citizens by continuing to deny them a full-time professional fire department. They have no need for such a truck, it is only so they can show it off in parades. This was a good decision.
Bethlehem has shown no impact from the casino, that money should go to the other parts of the county? Really? What about the half of the money that Lisa Boscola and John Stoffa gave away to Allentown and Lehigh county, that they just spend on anything? NORCO should have available to us around 8 million a year from the casino, that we host. There is the place you need to have your argument. Get NORCO gaming money back to NORCO and Nolan can have all the fire trucks he wants
6:40,
You show a disregard for the taxpayers of Bethlehem Township by suggesting that their real estate taxes more than double to satisfy your yearning for a unionized, paid fire department.
You won't be saying that when they stop volunteering and your left with only the option of hiring a real department. Volunteering is down across the country. I have one question for you, who says the property taxes would Double?
He's probably one of the volunteers who is afraid his little dream of playing fireman will vanish. What's he going to do with 7 pagers and enough blue lights to open a chain of K-Marts?
Maybe if you are equating human lives and property with dollar bills you should have your priorities re-evaluated?
Did Mayor Yob use any casino money to pay for the new department patch design for the Freemansburg police?
One official even told the board on a prior occasion that the do not even budget for police vehicles. In some case the gaming money is not a supplement for impact, it is treated like an entitlement.
The law indicates impact and Tom Nolan just believes the gaming authority is municipal welfare. Did they budget for the fire truck? The Bethlehem Township commissioners got it right last week when they voted him out as president now you know why. The "wrong" account, how arrogant!
Freemansburg also needs to stop expecting handouts. Nolan and Yob are both money grabbers when you view the tapes. Neither votes no on anything for the fat five.
I support the Cities receiving a defined benefit, however, is it true that Allentown receives 75% of Lehigh County's share? Is this on top of a defined City benefit? Sure would be nice if the public knew exactly what each Northampton County municipality has received from the state gaming system and what they spent the money. Then, you can try to spin how gaming has impacted each municipality. It should have greater benefits to Lehigh County municipalities beyond Allentown. This backroom Legislation even left Easton without benefit the first time around. The initial impact has been addressed. Time for Sen Browne and Boscola to rethink the gaming benefit in the LV.
This was another backroom deal in Harrisburg. Just like the NIZ, CRIZ, the arena, the casino, and the baseball stadium. Unlike those deals Browne, Boscola, and the senator in the new seat (Parsons hopefully) need to revisit this out in the open. There is no reason for Norco to get funding from Monroe County. Allentown has the NIZ for all kinds of projects. The only Lehigh County municipality "impacted" is Fountain Hill.
We're discussing a process of pie slicing when what's really being served is soup. If the casino were a (pardon the analogy) nuclear bomb, we'd be looking at a series of concentric circles with the ore bridge at the center with the greatest need going to ground zero, with I additional support going to subsequent rings of lower damage. The dotted lines on the map used to define impacted areas are the best - the only? - way we have to handle the process today. Failing elimination of municipal borders within counties in Pennsylvania (works dine in Maryland, by the way), distribute by census tract, which breaks municipalities up into even smaller areas than wards. That won't happen either.
"Kelly would not know what a fire truck is unless his son read it to him in the little engine that could"
I wish this nonsense would stop. All you succeed in doing with these anonymous attacks is cheapen yourself. I allow this crap bc Joe is an elected official and I have to tolerate some nonsense, but unless you accept responsibility for what you write, you have only established that you are a coward and dishonest.
"We're discussing a process of pie slicing when what's really being served is soup."
Well said.
7:20,
Do the math. The total current municipal contribution to the fire companies in Bethlehem Township is around $500K (9th lowest in the Lehigh Valley, according to the Myner Center). This is to cover operating expenses, not wages. How do you propose to pay for the staffing without raising taxes?
We border the Monroe casino, ergo we are allowed to apply for non committed funds when they request grant applications. Now if Norco had ALL of their casino revenue monies here, it would be a different story and the monies could be sent around to all Norco municipalities. But over half of it is gone to Allentown while they poach all of our business start ups with their NIZ breaks on sq ft for lease.
Let BT get a little more creative and go after insurance companies for grants. After all how much money is saved by having the latest equipment not to mention lives. Whats up with wearing out expensive fire equipment responding to every car accident. Also theres the downside to all the commercial development over the years. How about grants for bomb sniffing dogs and metal detectors for every school room door. What next.
More benefits based on a municipal border. Easton benefits because it is third class which I support. However, how can you with a straight face justify Bethlehem benefiting from Monroe County but if you are not contiguous the Bethlehem, there is no impact. How us it that you live 40 miles away from Monroe County gaming and you municipality benefits from gaming, however, if you 5 miles from Sands and liven in Lehigh county, you need not apply.
I want to testify when the Sands gaming license is proposed for transfer.
9:58 Thanks Mr. Nolan.
10:32,
The funds requested were to HELP in financing the replacement a 25 year old aerial (which is the maximum life to be rated by Factory Mutual), and a 15 year old rescue truck, which has mechanical and body problems. These are being replaced out of necessity, not vanity.
Great video of that meeting here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6li7kZvMrs
-Clem
These are not luxury items, to be sure, and the need is there.
10:58,
The way the law is written, municipalities in adjacent counties can apply for funding. As far as I know, Monroe does not have a gaming commission, putting the responsibility of allocation in the hands of the Commonwealth. There is likely less scrutiny, and lesser schmoozing at that level (which is probably why Finnegan likes it). And, it would be safe to assume that the out-of-county funding is what is known as "indirect" or "non-impact".
11:36. I can see you pay attention. Kudos to you.
8:17,
Please get your facts straight. Tom Nolan resigned as president of the BOC, he was not voted out. As a result of Mr. Nolan's resignation, Mr. Zawarski (and possibly Abe Atiyeh)finally got what he was denied at the reorganization in January.
Freemansburg needs all the monetary help they can get. Their tax base is crappy, at best.
Use the polygraph to test Dolan to see if she is lying. #FAIL & #WASTE
11:44 Get the facts right, Mr. Nolan resigned so save face. Again, he was pushing his plan for the farm and not the Board's Just remember he spells team - TIIM. It's all about HIM.
B/T needs fire and EMS equipment.They are volunteers of the higher quality. Ems is paid but fire is not and they are handling a venue the size of Easton and supporting outside areas as well. See, Fire Equipment and trucks are used hard and they have functional problems after early hours of operation compared to a tractor that pulls a load on the highway.Developers are te ones that should be sending in the cash to protect Bethlehem Twp. Not tax payers --Old Peter
Well stated, Mr. Cochran.
4:10,
Mr. Nolan may have resigned to save face, but the BOC has done little to advance the master plan for the park. Too many egos, too little compromise.
I don't see any funds directed at our project to place a dome over the quarry as a first step to bringing the Cubs to play Major League Baseball in the Lehigh Valley. I guess the squeaky wheels get the grease. Back to the NIZ path. I urge all surrounding municipalities to support this worthy project.
Respectfully yours,
The Committee To Build The Chapman Dome
Don't give up hope, Chapmsn!
Well when one of those dozens of casino buses overturns or gets in a wreck on Freemansburg Avenue or Route 33, hoping that the Casino Authority mans up and takes the heat when its determined that the Township equipment is subpar. No impact my ass. Those buses run up and down Freemansburg Avenue and Route 33 everyday. Just stand there for a bit and anyone can see.
10:31. Bullshit. Stop posting here Nolan, you know that your traffic incidents have gone down every year since the casino was opened.
10:31 Really Yu know damn well that every Year Bt officials give money to both departmnets IE: BTVF & Nancy Run and have been for years all Theses depts. are doing is trying to get money they don't really need When Bernie roecker ran Nancy Run You never seen Him beg for money because He knew how to deal with the Township authorities
Retired 14--
just a few months ago Nolan and the gang were saying how they would NOT fund the volunteer fire departments. wasn't that in the paper ?
7:30,
Please step into the time machine and return to the 21st century. The cost of fire apparatus and equipment is very expensive. It has nothing to do with Bernie Roecker's influence. For decades, revenue from new development provided the funds to cover capital projects. For years, the Commissioners had a hands-off attitude with the fire companies, and gave them what they wanted, with little question. Now that the development is practically nonexistent, it's a different story. The sad part of the story is that they could have avoided this years ago by increasing revenue, to compensate for the decline in revenue due to the lack of development in the Township 7+ years. Requests for capital improvements were denied, because the revenue was flat. Now, they are behind the 8 ball, and are borrowing a ton of money.
Like most elected officials, it's more important to get re-elected than it is to do the right thing for the long haul.
9:24, no .
Northampton County is for the most part a suburban community. While volunteer fire companies and depending on the state police may still work in the Pennsylvania "T", it is a quaint old early 20th century practice that is no longer feasible.
Time to break up all these competitive little empires of fathers and sons up, and create professional departments. Then you would have decisions made with less concern about "who has a nicer truck for the parades" and more about just doing a job.
2:56,
The municipalities who opt for lavish bells and whistles on their fire trucks are getting fewer, due to tighter financial oversight. While I do agree that "parade pretty" fire apparatus is a waste of money, please don't bash the long standing tradition of volunteerism. These folks take great pride in serving their communities, and should be praised for doing so. If it isn't broken, don't break it, and then fix it seeking to be the savior.
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