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| Karen Collis and Jay Finnigan |
At their September 26 meeting, the Board voted unanimously the remaining $476,000, with $188,000 going for impact grants and $289,000 in awards for communities with no need to show impact. .
The impact grants went to Bethlehem Tp ($50,915 for a police vehicle); Hanover Tp ($11,675 for body armor); Hellertown ($43,626 for police SUV); Lower Saucon Tp ($24,981 for unmarked police car);and Freemansburg ($15,788 for body armor and $41,000 for license plate reader).
The $289,000 in uncommitted funds were awarded as follows:
Nazareth - $25,000 for police patrol and safety enhancements.Twenty municipalities were unsuccessful. Only $289,000 was available for $764,000 in grant requests. These were ranked by gaming board members in advance of the meeting, and only the highest-ranked proposals were approved. So Bethlehem lost out on body armor for first responders, while Easton failed to get funds for pedestrian improvements on Northampton Street. So did smaller municipalities like West Easton .
Palmer Tp.- $25,000 for body armor. This is an upgrade and includes plates for front and back kill zones.
Stockertown - $25,000 for police vehicle.
Forks Tp. - $25,000 for AWD police intereceptor
Bangor - $25,000 for K-9 vehicle.
Walnutport - $25,000 for new police unit. (This funds only a portion of the cost).
Lower Mt. Bethel Tp - $24,420 for speed radar message boards. These are solar-powered, with a battery back-up.
North Catasauqua - $25,000 for equipment upgrade.
Tatamy - $11,342 for emergency services.
Glendon - $25,000 for town hall improvements
Bath - $20,231 emergency services equipment upgrade
Wilson - $24,630 self-contained breathing apparatus
Hanover Tp. - $8,100 for speed message boards for Macada Rd, Southland Dr and Highland Ave.
The nine-person Board includes Joe Kelly (Bethlehem), Tom Nolan (Bethlehem Tp), Gerald Yob (Freemansburg), Jay Finnigan (Hanover), Dave Heintzelman (Hellertown), Dave Willard (Lower Saucon), Tony Pristash (Northampton), John Dally (Pen Argyl) and James Pennington (Lower Nazareth). Karen Collis is the Executive Director.
At the end of the meeting, Collis was thanked for her work in putting together all the applications.
"Did you get the flowers we sent?" asked Tony Pristash. "I think Mr. Heintzelman has the flowers," joked James Pennington.
Heintzelman is a funeral director.
It is sad that a casino impact fee has become a slush fund for local municipalities not even remotely affected by the casino. Also the "Board" takes care of its own. Hanover twp. got money for a sign?? Nice job Finnegan.
ReplyDeleteHow does Bangor figure in? It is really sad that the county has to deal with numerous human service issues related to gambling but we have this good old boy network of you scratch my back and I will scratch yours throwing money all over the county.
This is even more appalling than Reitman's bond issue. Shameful!
I see Northampton County didn't receive anything. Oh That's right, County Council can just raise taxes for any project needed. This could have been seed money for any type of study, report or consulting services on the prison situation. But no, we'll just raise taxes; it is a lot easier!
ReplyDelete@7:20 "I see Northampton County didn't receive anything."
ReplyDeleteThe money this gaming commission distributes is money from slot machines revenue. Don't worry, the County gets plenty. The county receives money from table games revenue, the same casino that is number one in the state for table games revenue. Ask John Brown what he does with it.
Actually the county sought and was awarded over $200,000, earlier his year, in the first round, for money to provide counseling and housing for gambling addicts, interpreters for the courts and some coroner services.
ReplyDelete"It is sad that a casino impact fee has become a slush fund for local municipalities not even remotely affected by the casino. Also the "Board" takes care of its own. Hanover twp. got money for a sign?? Nice job Finnegan.
ReplyDeleteHow does Bangor figure in? It is really sad that the county has to deal with numerous human service issues related to gambling but we have this good old boy network of you scratch my back and I will scratch yours throwing money all over the county."
The first round of grants are for communities surrounding the casino, and applicants must show impact. But what is impact? That is defined nowhere in the legislation and board members have complained they are forced to guess. Public safety improvements have been noncontroversial and usually are granted, unless the municipality is a pig about it.
The next round of grants go to any municipality and there is no need o show impact. But it makes sense that a K-9 vehicle would be more attractive than a basketball court or sidewalks at a park.
Gerrymandered benefit that must be fixed before any expansion.
ReplyDeleteWhat was to be s something of benefit to the host city and county has been politicized into a political grab-bag. Shameful. The worst piece of pig trough legislation passed.
ReplyDeleteWhat happened to the entire concept of "impact fees". Frankly at this point I hope the casino goes to court and gets it rescinded. What we have no is shameful.
Gaming impact argument is a joke. The impact money that is being spent hardly does anything for adverse effects of gaming. It is nothing more than another revenue stream that now becomes an annual line item in a budget.
ReplyDeleteTom Nolan in Bethlehem Township loves his police cars. They buy 4 or 5 a year.
ReplyDeleteDoes the off track betting near the airport generate local share?
ReplyDeleteI know nothing goes to NC.
ReplyDeleteThis is just the shady scam whereby these no tax townships have found a backdoor to fund their pet projects. When was the last tax increase in Hanover? Why bother when you have your guy chairing this nice slush fund piggy back. Sad an impact fee has turned into a way to not raise your taxes to get quick cash.
ReplyDeleteso much for those tax breaks we in Bethlehem were supposed to get from the casino. I guess they didn't "lie" our taxes only increased 3% instead of 5%.
ReplyDeleteNow that the court has ruled the host fees unconstitutional wait for the massive tax increases in Bethlehem. It will truly be a "city without tax limits". The current crew of Bethlehem officials have no fiscal ability between them. We are screwed.
ReplyDeleteHopefully the decision will extend to this cash grab bag scam of these grants. Time for Finnegan and company to raise taxes for their new toys.
You still haven't learned to spell names correctly or is it intentional. When you know how to run your Township you don't need to raise taxes. Hanover is happy to have Finnigan.
DeleteBethlehem is officially dicked. Better sell your homes now.
ReplyDelete