Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
According to NorCo Controller Tony Bassil and his Lead Auditor, Paul Albert, Northampton County's overall debt should drop by $12 million this year.
In 2020, the County owed $116 million on various bonds issued by the county for capital improvements. But this year, that indebtedness is expected to be just $104 million.
The County is paying about $13.3 million this year in debt service If the County can refrain from borrowing, it will be completely debt-free in 10 years.
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
Good job NorCo.
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone know NorCo's ratio of productive class net taxpayers to dependent class tax consumers vs Lehigh County's ratio? That could be instructive.
I find your division of Americans into classes to be racially tinged and unAmerican.
ReplyDeleteCareful there, Ohare. We've seen it doesn't take much to turn your own comrades against you with honest replies like the one above.
ReplyDeleteLamont is doing such a great job with the county and it would be great to be debt free in 10 years, imagine the mess we would be in if a fool like Lynch won
ReplyDeleteRepublicans for McClure
Where is Ron Angle when we so desperately need him?
DeleteHow much of that is because of the federal money we are seeing because of Covid?
ReplyDeleteNice campaigning for McCluless.
ReplyDelete"How much of that is because of the federal money we are seeing because of Covid?"
ReplyDeleteSo far as I can see, none. The money provided to the county under the CARES Act or American Recovery Plan Act is restricted.
I believe the reason debt is going down is because of the way the bonds were issued and sold. That would be good fiscal stewardship by McClure, John Stoffa and even John Brown.
By the way, the annual statement of indebtedness is a requirement of the Home Rule Charter and is unrelated to any campaign. It is something people should see annually to ensure that a county government is fiscally responsible. If we see debt constantly going up, that's a red flag. It makes sense there should be some debt. Right now the county is paying about two mills per year in debt service. That figure is actually a bit high and prevents the county from investing in its most important asset - the employee. On the other hand, the county's assets must be maintained.
It's almost like the elected politicians, both present and past actually know what they're doing.
ReplyDeleteWell when you don't give your employees a reasonable raise in years it helps a lot with the bottom line.
ReplyDeleteImagine some troll thinking transparency is a bad thing. Shocking!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the comments about employees and raises. Here's a thought - the job market is BLAZING hot. Go get another job if you're not happy.
ReplyDeleteLast I checked, even in the Peoples Republic of Northampton County we do not have indentured servitude.
But for chrissakes stop your bitching already.
That's a great thought. let's have a county with a bunch of ppl willing to work for peanuts. Just tell good smart ppl to leave.
Delete2:52pm - Careful, that's what you capitalist bootlickers said to the service industry workers and now they have and you're crying about it because "nobody wants to work".
ReplyDeleteThe fact is, Northampton County employees have been underpaid for years. Long wage freezes and then a few pithy cost-of-living raises, paired with increases in insurance costs, have left many of us earning less in real dollars than when we started. I've been with the county for 15 years and according to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) I earn about $3000 LESS per year than when I started when accounting for inflation. This is not sustainable. Private industry is finally having to grapple with how underpaid American workers have been for decades and wages are starting to increase. I just hope Northampton County gets on board, and soon!
@5:08 but don't forget the politicians keep voting themselves raises above everyone else. The do whatever they want and screw the rest of the suckers.
ReplyDeleteYour comment is complete and utter horseshit. I can criticize pols for lots of things, but on a local level, they are woefully underpaid. I have no idea why you are spewing a complete lie.
ReplyDelete"Careful, that's what you capitalist bootlickers said to the service industry workers and now they have and you're crying about it because "nobody wants to work"."
ReplyDeleteYou conveniently left out the part where the government started paying workers more dough to sit on the couch. It's been in all the papers, although it defies your ridiculous narrative.