Two weeks ago, Northampton County Council's meeting went on for nearly five hours. Last night's session was a scant 26 minutes. Both Council President Kerry Myers and VP Ron Heckman were absent, so the first order of business was the selection of a chair, Council member Lori Vargo Heffner was unanimously selected.
Council introduced an ordinance that actually gives a tax break to someone other than a developer. If passed, a county real estate tax credit of up to $250 would be provided to volunteer firefighters and volunteer EMS staffers.
County Council discussed this and numerous other issues over two days of committee meetings preceding last night's Council meeting. I'll tell you about them next week. I'd ordinarily cover at least some of them, but I am exhausted after a long day for me.
A vote of the heart and not the head. This is another shameless voter grab. Problem is just like the developer tax breaks, someone else must pick up the tab. So once again politicians like Hefner want to take some taxpayers money and give it to another group for their votes.
ReplyDeleteIt is a tax shift benefiting a few to be payed by the many. How about veterans, seniors or some other group. Another boneheaded move for political gain.
Sounds like you had a part in grumpy old men
DeleteWell deserved…..I’m happy to see my tax dollars go to these people…..by the it’s spelled “paid”
Delete@2:38- Another Republican who touts that he is all for the police, EMS, fire, military, etc., but when a Democrat wants to recognize them with a small tax break, they cry and redirect with "what about". You really don't care about anyone. The fire fighters donate a tremendous amount of time to helping the community and if they were to be paid it would cost YOU a tremendous amount of more money in taxes.
ReplyDeleteRepublicans are narrow minded- Penny smart and dollar foolish!
To the no-show councilmen: you had one job.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic idea. Now lets give a tax break to everyone who volunteers at Gracedale. How about a tax break for everyone who gives of their time to the boys and girls clubs or the Little league volunteers. How about a tax break for all the volunteers in scouting. let's really go for the vote and give a tax break to anyone and everyone who serves on a Board or Authority.
ReplyDeleteThis idea is ill conceived. Let the municipality with the volunteer fire departments and volunteer ambulance Corps give out the tax breaks to their volunteers. Isn't it bad enough that we who have police departments have to pay for the municipalities that still use the State Police?
We are all appreciative of the fact that volunteer firefighters are a special breed and save lives. This should be a municipal function not a county give away program.
1) I would support a ta break for volunteer firefighters and EMS. It is actually a vote of the head. Our volunteer force is dwindling and this is a small attempt to recognize real heroes who put their lives on the line even more than police. If you had to pay for a professional firefighter, your taxes would be much higher. I also believe there is an express statute authorizing this break that was e3nacted by a GOP state legislature precisely bc of the dwindling number of volunteers. This is not a GOP or Dem idea - it is simply a good one.
ReplyDelete2) 9:03, be careful about condemning people who were absent without knowing why. Sometimes it is horseshit. Now that people can participate by phone, it is hard to excuse an absence. But there could be very legitimate reasons why both were MIA. If they were out to attend a political rally like Zrinski once did, that's inexcusable. But in most instances, Council members who must miss a meeting have very legitimate reasons. If absence becomes chronic, I note it. I try to note absences but without speculation unless I know it is a bullshit absence.
How about a tax break for Veterans who gave years of their lives, 24 hours a day, to defend our Country. Stop this foolishness already. Council should stop meeting and save us taxpayers money and a lot of anguish.
ReplyDelete@10:52. YES! Veterans should get tax breaks! I bet a Democrat will eventually get that done. AND I bet you are a Republican.
ReplyDeleteannon 12:33,"by the its spelled paid"
ReplyDeletePoor grammar. FYI
Tax breaks won’t solve the problem of a disappearing volunteer fire service, they need to start paying more departments, even a fast volunteer fire department takes 3 times as long as a paid fire truck, stop putting bandaids on broken leg.
ReplyDeleteThis is a bad idea, as it once again pits groups of taxpayers against each other. As others have noted, there are many other groups and occupations that are equally deserving of such a break.
ReplyDeleteMore importantly (and as another commenter noted) firefighters and EMS are not a county function. There is no reason why a widow living on a fixed income living in Bethlehem (who is already paying for her own firefighters and EMS workers) should see her county tax dollars being used to help cover the volunteer forces of rich suburbanites who choose not to pay for their own.
This isn’t a tax break for a deserving group. It’s another disguised subsidy for the wealthy that will be paid for by the urban poor.
Another bailout for Townships politicians so they can avoid hiring a professional fire department. annon 1:10 is right. Many folks will carry the burden of a tax break for a group that may or may not need it. Hopefully McClure has the backbone to veto this if passed. Townships use state police to save money and now they want the county to help bail them out with fire department bailouts. When did the county get involved in subsidizing fire departments with county homeowner tax dollars.
ReplyDeleteAlso, can you imagine the potential abuse of this deal by an unscrupulous department making sure all the guys regardless of service get the tax break. Shameful. Hefner wants an issue for her run for county executive or state house.
SAY IT AIN'T SO JOE. This has got to be one of the most absurd ideas this crazy women has ever had. I thought her Commissioner ballot question was based on lunacy. Then her term limits border on insanity. Now this???????? We have got to vote her out of office so this lunacy stops. When is she up for re=election?
ReplyDeleteBernie is dead right about rewarding volunteer FD and EMS. This is an enormous net benefit to the public and pure sacrifice on the part of the volunteers. Gone are the days of the firehall social club...pretty much nobody has them anymore due to the liability. It's a thankless job and any way we can thank them is good. A paid FD is going to cost a fortune.
ReplyDeleteWhoever said we are subsidizing cheapskate municipalities who just have State Police is right about that. That is, basically, abuse of a resource intended for very rural areas. We should tax those people as has been proposed before.
Not county function. Misuse of county tax dollars. If I live in highly taxed Bethlehem or Easton, which includes funding for paid EMS and firefighter services, why should I have to subsidize those services in wealthier suburbs? Time for those townships and municipalities to pay taxes for professional life-saving services like cities do.
ReplyDeleteAs a proud progressive Democrat I’d much rather see that $250 go toward illegal immigrants in Northampton County who don’t work and contribute nothing to our county, than to American volunteers donating their time and risking their lives for the benefit of their neighbors and community.
ReplyDeleteSigned,
Every American who votes Democrat