The fist of four Northampton County Council budget hearings is scheduled for today, 4:30 pm, in Council chambers.
According to Council member Bob Werner, Executive John Brown wanted them limited to two meetings. Council President Peg Ferraro refused, insisting on a full complement. Members may offer amendments.There are numerous ways in which a creative Council can get Brown's attention and force him to reverse himself on health care cuts. But if they simply reject his Budget, it becomes law.
Brown has proposed balancing the budget with a $20 million line of credit that he insists he will only use if absolutely necessary.
52 comments:
The budget fully guts Open Space, which is not acceptable. It only leaves a statutory mandated $1m for municipal parks.
Your reporting on this reflects Brown commenting that "open space advocates are on board with this," but I have spoken with some and they are adamantly opposed. Apparently Mr. Werner is as well.
The county has more important problems.
Leave open space alone. What did they do to bring on this financial crisis? Nothing.
How about comparing a 20 million dollar line of credit to "balance the budget" to giving a college freshman a credit card with a $10,000 limit?
You shouldn't do either. It's a recipe for failure.
The next thing we'll hear is he's floating a bond while interest rates are low; okay for capital projects, but not for day-to-day expenses.
Gutting Open Space is shooting yourself in the foot.
Last year the state gave NorCo $1.78 for every $1 taxpayers threw in for Farmland Preservation. So if you put up $1m, you get $1,780,000 simply for asking. Why wouldn't NorCo JUMP at the chance for such free money? And the $1m they already have, because we gave them $3.7m as 0.5 mill in our taxes specifically for open space.
But Brown is proposing to not fund Farmland Preservation at all. What bean counter came up with this plan?
Hey Bernie - are budget meetings public? Can you go and watch? Are you going to if they allow it?
Budget hearings are open to one and all, and can be viewed on video as well as in person. I will be there.
Hopefully one of them will realize that an increase of 2640% in employee out of pocket expenses for healthcare is just a little unreasonable.
Do I understand that if the Councel votes no on the budget the health care will remain as Mr Browns original plan?
What do his financial analysts consultant friends have to say?
gut them till it hurts
If Council fails to adopt a budget, the Executive's budget is deemed adopted. A no vote however, would demonstrate an inability to govern and disastrous for Norco Republicans who have a Council majority and Exec for the first time ever.
Council cannot "be creative." Any increase in spending must be paid for with either cuts somewhere else or a tax increase. There is no large reserve to tap as in previous years.
Open space advocates should urge Bob Werner to offer an amendment moving the table games money and/or the shale gas tax to farmland (not swampland) preservation. Losing the state match would be stupid. It's not "free money" but if we don't get it some other county will. Preserving farms is economic development.
Table games money can only be used for economic development. The law is very clear on this. You can't just change the law when it fits you, oh wait, Brown is doing it with this budget, I take it back
"advocates should urge Bob Werner to offer an amendment moving the table games money and/or the shale gas tax to farmland (not swampland) preservation."
Wait a minute. Your idea looks good for half a second except one critical detail - Open Space, including Farmland Preservation, IS funded by 0.5 mill of our taxes. What sense does it make to steal those funds to use for other things, and replace them with gaming revenue?
"Open Space, including Farmland Preservation, IS funded by 0.5 mill of our taxes"
No it IS NOT! Once again there is no dedicated tax for open space. The .5 mill was Stoffa's plan. Brown is not bound by it.
"Table games money can only be used for economic development."
Farming is a business. It's the largest sector of the PA economy! Mr. Brown so much as acknowledged that fact when he proposed moving open space and ag extension into DCED. Council should move the money and dare him to veto it.
Economic DEVELOPMENT means just what it says. A running business such as a farm, needs no money to develop the business
"Council cannot "be creative." Any increase in spending must be paid for with either cuts somewhere else or a tax increase. There is no large reserve to tap as in previous years."
Sure it can. Your second sentence reveals your own inability to grasp the concept. Brown can find his own office gutted with a $1 allotment, other than his own mandated salary. And that's just for starters.
"Do I understand that if the Councel votes no on the budget the health care will remain as Mr Browns original plan?"
Yes. They have to amend the budget. They also need to adopt legislation giving them veto power over benefits changes like Brown is imposing, and requiring some coverage.
OK so you want to see a Republican majority Council cut the Republican Executive's budget? raise taxes to pay for "Cadillac" benefits?
Norco Republicans need to show they can govern. This budget is their first shot. Failure is not an option.
A majority of Council has already told brown his new health benefits system stinks, and it is entirely possible that same majority will adopt legislation to prevent Brown from imposing a system that is going to kill at least one worker.
"Preservation, IS funded by 0.5 mill of our taxes"
No its not.
To readers. Peg D, wife of Jack D, passed away. She was a tireless fighter for saving Gracedale. She will be missed. he funeral is this afternoon in Bangor.
All in Gracedale owe her and Jack a debt of gratitude.
RIP Mrs. D.
7:53 "saving farms is economic development" is a naive statement at best. Farmland preservation was started as much to slow down the over-development of open space, not as an economic development tool. It is true that agriculture is an important component of Pennsylvania's economy, but in addition to having locally grown produce and livestock available, the goal is to help farmers keep their farms when the temptation to sell to developers is so strong. There often are conflicts between the goals of economic development and the need to preserve open space. That is why that division should NEVER be under DCED. Its integrity is more important than the disingenuous argument that it should be a part of the county's economic development. Let's hope that the Farmland Preservation Advisory Board sees through this ruse and opposes DCED gobbling up, and in the process destroying that fine program.
In response to 12:56.........the county doesn't have a Cadillac plan! Mr. Brown himself has admitted that it's not a Cadillac plan in numerous meetings. Please stop promoting this misinformation as truth!
12:56 you obviously have no idea about gov't at all, gov't works best with compromise. It seems that this administration can only govern through consultant.
"All in Gracedale owe her and Jack a debt of gratitude."
The rest of us also have a debt. One that continues to drain the coffers.
Did I hear Mr Brown correctly? He paid for the C3 contract out of the fund that they use to pay for employees health care claims?
Probably. There are trust funds for medical and workers comp. That money is used to pay out claims and for administrative costs. It can also be used for related services like risk management and cost-control.
Brown reportedly said at the budget meeting today that the $20m is part of the budget, and that without it the county themay go into the red. Therefore he plans to use a part or all of it.
Suck it up - raise taxes a little each year to pay for PRUDENT spending.
Look for areas where economies can be had.
Ask the employees for suggestions and reward them with a percentage of the savings.
You'll be amazed on how fast the "culture" changes.
The employees know best, not a first time Executive who is managing by consultant. In the long run, outsourcing rarely works, and we have no "bottom line" to improve as we're not a profit-making private company.
Assemble a "Council of Employees" and tap their collective brain(s) on how to improve processes and cut expenses.
Does anyone know how much the millage would have to be increased to cover the 20 mm figure?
A little perspective might be useful.
Anyone (besides Bernie)?
I can't answer?
Go ahead...answer if you must...it's your blog after all.
I would consider it a public service.
$20 million would be between 2 1/2 and 3 mills. That money, if borrowed, would have to be paid back with interest. It is totally unrealistic.
Two years ago, I stated we need a tax hike. We do need a tax hike and can get by with 1 1/2 mills. We can't borrow our way out of a deficit.
And can we translate that number into a "typical," or average tax bill?
Call Dee Rumsey...I smell a referendum coming...just sayin'
(Sometimes it's good to be a title searcher)
I remember advising Stoffa a few years ago on Gracedale.
I said he should control the referendum, and ask the taxpayers if they were willing to pay t he price to save Gracedale.
Needless to say, he didn't take my advice then, and look where we are now.
Do you honestly think he could wave a magic wand and change the language of the initiative question? That is the language upon which a committee of 12 relied. It could not be legally changed or it would have been.
Thank you for the civics lesson.
I advised him to prepare his OWN referendum long before the "Save Gracedale" group had their's.
Perhaps they were eavesdropping on us and copied the idea themselves?
Clearly, they were victorious.
You never answered the millage question. How much m ore would the average property owner have to pay for the 1 1/2 mil or even the 2 mil estimate.
How much would it cost Joe Taxpayer?
inquiring MINDS WANT TO KNOW.
If you advised him to prepare his own referendum question, that was bad advice. There is no way we could have won bc passions were too high. It would pass again.
Two mills on a home assessed at $75000 is $150
Wrong Blogger Breath!
This advice was given BEFORE the bidding began to buy/lease Gracedale. Before the proposals even.
My advice was simple..."do you, the taxpayers want us, the County to keep Gracedale for the next xxx years, knowing we will pass on the annual subsidy directly, as a tax increase?"
How do you think this would have turned out?
We would lose overwhelmingly.
68.19 is the total millage today for a person living in Northampton Borough, in Northampton County. Two (2) more mils would equate to a 2.9% overall increase.
Is the County health plan/County budget worth it?
Losing means he could have sold the place then, doesn't it?
Was that an "AHA" moment?
No, I said WE would have lost. Overwhelmingly. That is the reality. Too many people wanted that home and were more than willing to pay for it. The people have spoken and it is time to move on.
I hate to admit it, at least in public, but on this one, you're right.
Can't change history.
I have a relative in Cedarbrook, the Lehigh County "version" of Gracedale.
I would have gladly paid a mil more each year to keep the place in the black.
Had we passed on the subsidy cost to the taxpayers, who voted overwhelmingly to keep Gracedale, would we be short today, where Brown wants to borrow 20 million dollars?
Probably not. And you're right, the taxpayers would have paid the extra little bit to keep Gracedale, and a mil a year for each of the years since the discussion began would probably limit this year's deficit, if not eliminate it altogether.
The problem with all this "in order to keep Gracedale going would you be willing to pay XXX amount more.." nonsense is there was never an honest consensus on the real cost.
Even the Stoffa/Angle coalition swung wildly on the cost depending on the mood of the day.
The only honest provision could have been "the county continue to financially support." To insert a number or a tax would have been dishonest.
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