Over the past 10 years, Bethlehem's long-term debt has gone from $171 million in 2015 to $88.5 million today. Mayor Reynolds plans to knock it down even more, to $56 million by 2028.
Let me remind you that Reynolds, Donchez and Callahan are all Democrats. But this kind of fiscal conservatism is worthy of Elon Musk, Vibek Ramaswamy and anyone who considers himself a Republican.
You can say what you will about Willie's budget or his policies as Mayor, but his commitment to reducing debt is a very positive and fiscally prudent move that benefits the city residents over time.
I'll have more about Bethlehem's budget in the coming days.
21 comments:
Well, they did sell off the city to developers. So tax dollars CAN POUR IN AS WELL AS A NEW and LARGE TRANSIENT POPULATION. the OWNER OCCUPIRED Homes and APPARTMENTS ARE NOW GIVING WAY TO A NEW DYNAMIC.
BINGO and as they did, they ruined the soul of the city
Callahan was a good mayor. Donchez was a good teacher but a lousy mayor. Afraid of a decision unless 10 of his committee yes people said it was ok. wee willie self-centered jerk. Other than that, I can't think of anything polite or printable to say about him.
Revenue from the casino and massive warehouses have driven the fiscal improvement in Bedlam. Credit the leadership for reducing headcount.
As a resident and obvious tax payer I can consider this a huge success story.
Some local governments are trying to hold taxes, but some are not especially school boards Bernie Health insurance is going crazy hikes as high as 20% Our health care system is a total failure and Obama care was far from the answer 500000 people a year go bankrupt and more to come if nothing is done.
Don't/won't/can't hire cops (as posted here yesterday); save money. It's just that easy.
Remember when Space Cadet Eric Evans (Business Administrator) miscalculated funds from the casino?
Callahan had better hair than Willie.
How exactly are they accomplishing this debt reduction? What do the tax increases look like during the same timeframe? Always happy to see debt go down but context is needed to understand how it’s happening so it can be replicated.
"Bethlehem's budget calls for 170 officers, but at any given point in time, there are only 142-145 officers."
How much money does a de facto elimination of 25 cops save? Budgeting for 170 is dishonest, when there are only 142-145, no?
At least 3, and Bob threw Fed money at it too.
Can’t argue with the debt reduction success but Willie is a terrible Mayor who insulates himself from the public. He has no posted email address nor phone number nor open office hours like Donchez did.
He is nasty & vindictive and cost the Lutheran churches significant revenue by threatening developers not to bid against the city for those 3 church properties.
He should be in jail with Pawlowski for that restraint of trade action. Not to mention the Head of Parking authority threatening letter to the same Churches. Both the Mayor & BPA head should be sharing a cellblock.
Bethlehem has done a lot of smart development over the last 20 years which has brought in a lot of new tax revenue. Callahan and Donchez did a great job in starting to reduce debt. Im not a Reynolds fan at all but he has tried to continue the debt reduction despite his raising taxes last year. 9:02 you are spot on with what he did to the churches. The fact that hasn't been in any of the papers or on channel 69 is just ridiculous and typical of the far left media.
Another government body that screws their employees by cutting their wages through less benefits and low wages.
I give the three mayors mentioned credit for reducing city debt, but it's not as simple as it sounds. As the writer at 7:46 writes, it needs context. Why did the debt exist/what was it incurred for? How many city positions have remained open and what is the impact on city services? Borrowing for capital improvements and paying debt off over the anticipated lifespan of those improvements makes sense, and given the deplorable condition of parks like Saucon and Monocacy at Illick's Mill, many city streets, the Payrow Plaza paver surface, etc. not making needed improvements is just kicking the can down the road. And yes, how much of the federal money has been used to pay the debt down instead of maintaining city facilities and streets?
I did the real estate photography of the 3 churches for the realtor and was in touch with others affected by this situation. If people knew what was going on behind the scenes, the threats made, your assessment is pretty much spot on.
Mr. Grubb is spot on. Once again.
This post is about the reduction in long-term debt in Bethlehem. which is actually the product of three mayors.
Understand your point Bernie about the subject but the issue with this current mayor warrants your investigation as a good investigative reporter & lawyer.
Bernie is a Willie guy, so objectivevity isn’t the goal. It is no big deal really
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