Northampton County's budget administrator, Doran Hamann, is predicting there will be no tax increase next year. In fact, despite the state's gridlock over its own budget and inability ti reimburse the county for human services, the county has continued pay all vendors. But don''t get the idea things are peachy. Hamann sees a bad moon arisin'.If the county is able to avoid a tax increase, it will be the result of a combination of cutting office expenses by ten percent as well as raiding the budgetary reserve for $10 million. The one ray of hope is that real estate tax revenue is showing a 1% growth.
Councilman Lamont McClure noted that Westmoreland County may soon terminate contracts with dozens of human service providers and agencies that care for children or mentally ill or retarded clients. It simply has no money. But as Hamann noted, that's why Northampton County's two month budgetary reserve is a good thing. "Up to this point, we have continued to pay all vendors." Northampton County Executive John Stoffa bristles at the suggestion that we stop honoring human services contracts. "Why would we cut those contracts? They help our most vulnerable people."
8 comments:
Wait for the massive Stoffa tax increase in 2010 and the huge Bond issue.
The bad moon is how Stoffa spent the seed corn and has run down all the money he was left. Now after the election the taxpayers will pay big time.
cha ching...cha ching!
How much of the "seed corn" did he spend? Be specific. Reference financial statements. You can't. Do you know why? Because the answer is none.
You just make up lies. Have you no shame? Have you no pride?
Up 'till now, Stoffa has been able to maintain a healthy budgetary reserve. It's part of the reason why the county has such a good bond rating. It's why the county can still affors to pay vendors when the state drops the ball.
Next year, Doran mentioned that it may be necessary to dip into that seed corn, possibly by as much as $10 million. But the county weill also be proposing a smaller budget for the second year in a row, thus enabling precisely that kind of activity.
Setting us up for the 2011 tax increase. I hear around 25%. That is before the huge Bond issue for projects.
That is very possible, and don't forgoet about those union contracts. They cost money, too. but Stoffa is doing his best to hold the line. Requiring two deputies per prisoner in a hospital at all times costs money, too.
He encouraged the unions and promised them the world to get elected. Now that he is in, he throws them under the bus. Everyone knows that is how he operates. That was dishonest to make all theose promises.
It would be if he did, but he did not. All the contracts negotiated ended up being pretty good, and they cost lots of money.
I happen to agree with ohare that the contracts are very good. Typical Democrat. That is why I and some others will be working to unseat Shuman from the chairmanship of the Republican Party.
He and the other Country Club types are not the Republicans of today. They are even worse than the Democrats because they wear a Party but have no principles.
Shuman lets a liberal career bureaucrat run unopposed for County Executive. Good Republicans were discouraged from running because of some ambiguous arrangement he has with Stoffa. The Chairman should be impeached.
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