Wednesday, December 26, 2012
The $29.97 million upgrade will replace the aging, fault-prone current system. Lower Merion Township has suffered from spotty radio coverage with the current system.
Last Thursday, Montgomery County approved the purchase of a $29.97 million public safety radio system, paving the way for the replacement of an existing radio system that dates to 1996 and has recently been plagued by numerous failures and shortcomings. Commissioner Bruce Castor, who led the committee charged with the task of guiding the replacement process, attributed historic significance to the upgrade. "This is probably the most significant piece of legislation and the most significant decision the commissioners have made in the five years I've been a commissioner and maybe in the 28 years that I've served in county government," Castor said. The county's existing system, which was also built by Motorola, suffers from numerous drawbacks…
Monday, December 10, 2012
The $409.7M budget adds money to the county's general fund for the first time since 2007.
The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners on Thursday unanimously adopted a $409.7 million operating budget for 2013, completing a year-long process that county officials said involved an essentially complete teardown and rebuild of the county's financial operations. Board chairman Josh Shapiro said the budget, which does not increase the county's property taxes, establishes "a positive, long-term path forward for our county." In addition to funding "core" county functions, the budget sets aside $2.6 million for the county's general fund balance, which had shrunk from about $100 million at the beginning of 2008 to about $20 million when the current county administration took office. The county's shrinking cash reserves had led to credit…
Thursday, February 16, 2012
County 9-1-1 dispatch earns accreditation; other notes from county commissioners meeting.
Montgomery County will have to reckon with "very, very negative" effects from the "bare bones" budget announced by Governor Tom Corbett last week, according to Montgomery County Commissioner Josh Shapiro. Shapiro cited the Parkhouse in Upper Providence as his chief example of the Corbett budget's impact. The facility for the aging and chronically ill will lose between $800,000 and $1 million of its funding under the Corbett budget. Cutting occupancy at the facility is not a solution, Shapiro said, because doing so would cut the Parkhouse's eligibility for other sources of funding. The county's office of Children and Youth also stands to take a big hit from the Corbett proposal and could lose $170,000 from its budget, Shapiro said. "The …
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Many voice support for tax increase to cover budget shortfall.
If the program-slashing preliminary budget the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners posted last week was intended to elicit a reaction from the public, it seems to have worked. Residents packed a county courtroom in Norristown on Wednesday for a public hearing on the budget, some waiting in line for up to three hours to speak to commissioners Joe Hoeffel and Bruce Castor on the importance of the county parks department, library system, Montgomery County Community College, and other institutions threatened by funding cuts in the proposed $384.4 million operating budget. Having already moved the Board of Commissioners meeting to the courthouse from its usual venue in the eighth floor boardroom of One Montgomery Plaza in Norristown, …
Thursday, December 1, 2011
On the chopping block: the parks department and library services.
Montgomery County residents may yet avoid a tax increase for 2012, but only at the cost of massive reductions or eliminations of iconic county services and amenities. A $384.8 million preliminary operating budget for 2012 would eliminate the county’s parks department and planning commission, while slashing or ending appropriations to the county library system, the Elmwood Park Zoo, Montgomery County Community College, and other institutions. The budget, which was approved for advertisement Wednesday by the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners, “would change county government as we know it,” according to James Maza, the county’s deputy chief operating officer. Proposed tax increase: $130 per homeowner If taxes are not increased, the …
Friday, June 24, 2011
The director of the county's voter services staff and his assistant will serve a total of three unpaid suspension days for failing to explain a registration error in May.
Upholding a recommendation made by the County Board of Elections in May, the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners announced this week that the director and assistant director of voter services would be suspended for failing to explain to the Election Board who was to blame for a voter-registration error. The combined suspensions amount to three unpaid days. The error in the Voter Services department led to about 3,200 voters being registered incorrectly as “unaffiliated,” county officials said. Upon review of the names, the department concluded that the people were already registered. Chairman James Matthews called the issue “substantial" and an "embarrassment to the county.” Voter Services Director Joseph Passarella will serve a two-…
Bob Guzzardi
8:17 am on Friday, December 2, 2011
Over the past ten years in Lower Merion, spending, borrowing and taxes have increased. Have we seen any increase in the quality or quantity of services? Have we seen any increase in the standard of living in Lower Merion? Despite massive spending on "education", have we seen any measurable improvement in student learning? more ›