Monday, April 22, 2013
County's budget in quarter one sounds safe.
Steady as she goes! After fighting rough fiscal seas for the past year featuring $10 million waves of deficit and deep troughs of deferred infrastructure maintenance, Montgomery County’s fiscal ship apparently has come through the worst of the storm and has entered calmer waters. That was the message the commissioners received when Chief Financial Officer Uri Monson delivered his first quarter report for 2013 at the bi-weekly commissioners’ meeting. Monson’s report had three significant highlights: • The county now projects an additional $2.6 million in surplus than was projected on top of the nearly $2.6 million in reserves set aside to grow the county’s fund balance. • This is the first year since 2007 that the fund balance would grow…
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick voted for the deal, which maintains income tax rates for people making less than $400,000 and couples earning less than $450,000 a year.
After months of negotiating, arguing and handwringing, the United States avoided tumbling over the dreaded fiscal cliff Tuesday night when the House of Representatives passed the Senate proposal by a 257-167 vote, CNN reports. After House Speaker John Boehner spiked an idea to re-open the Senate deal to add more spending cuts, Congress approved the measure with 172 votes from Democrats and 85 from Republicans, including Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (PA-8). "In August 2012, I voted to extend tax rates and other tax provisions for all taxpayers - a measure which the Senate refused to take up," said Fitzpatrick in a statement released by his office. "Throughout the fiscal cliff debate, my number one priority has been to maintain the lowest rates …
Monday, December 3, 2012
The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. tonight in the Upper Moreland Township Building.
- GOVERNMENT
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Monday, December 3, 2012
The following is the agenda for the Board of Commissioners' meeting tonight starting at 7 p.m. In addition to its regular monthly meeting, the 2013 township budget will be discussed. Regular Meeting Agenda December 3, 2012 7:00 p.m. DRAFT AGENDA – SUBJECT TO CHANGE Special Meeting to Adopt 2013 Township Budget Regular Meeting Finance & Administrative Committee Community Development Committee Parks & Recreation Committee Public Health & Safety Committee
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Shapiro: $413.8 million budget is 'an honest game of chess, not cheating at checkers.'
Montgomery County officials on Thursday unveiled a proposed $413.8 million county budget for 2013 that includes no increase in county real estate taxes and sets aside $2.5 million to begin replenishing the county's depleted cash reserves. Board of Commissioners Chairman Josh Shapiro called the budget "honest" while county CFO Uri Monson characterized it as a "first step" toward solving the county's fiscal woes, which have drained the county's reserves and led to downgrades from credit rating authorities. Shapiro said the $2.5 million allocation to the reserves was "a serious down payment on the future." "When our predecessors took office, their reserve fund stood at $100 million," Shapiro said. "When we took office it was a mere $20 …
Friday, November 2, 2012
Commissioners say they're still dealing with 'omissions of decisions' and 'lies' built into the financial situation they inherited from the previous county administration.
Montgomery County is well into the process of assembling its 2013 operating budget, but it's still having some trouble reckoning with its 2012 operating budget. In presenting his third quarterly budget update, county chief financial officer Uri Monson said that the county's operating deficit had widened during the third quarter, from $1.7 million to about $3.9 million. The deficit remains down from the $10 million figure identified shortly after the current administration took office in January. Monson placed the primary blame for the third quarter increase on state funding cuts for mental and behavioral health services, an explanation with which Commissioner Bruce Castor took issue. While acknowledging the state cuts, Castor, who has …
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Thursday, August 23, 2012
Tips to almost cut your electric bill in half.
Heating and air conditioning can account for almost half of your electric utility usage. By making a few small changes, you might be able to significantly reduce your monthly costs while increasing your family’s comfort level and also making an environmental contribution. Try these simple strategies for increasing your home’s HVAC efficiency and reducing your energy costs: A few degrees – Adjusting your thermostat by just a few degrees is a fast and easy way to reduce your energy costs. Of course, you don’t want to make your family uncomfortable, but they probably won’t notice a degree or two. You can save as much as 2 to 3 percent for every degree the temperature is raised in summer or lowered in winter. Energy audit – Your utility …
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Despite being prevented by police from protesting in front of the prison, the movement voiced their concerns regarding Governor Corbett’s priorities.
Decarcerate Pennsylvania protested the Graterford Prison expansion on Tuesday, though it was semi-thwarted when members of the Pennsylvania State Police prevented them from walking onto the Graterford complex. The group had initially planned to meet at Perkiomen Valley High School and walk to the prison entrance, but state police prevented them from making the trek citing safety concerns. “We prevented them from obstructing the highway – we did it for their safety,” said a Pennsylvania State Police Trooper. “People are going to start looking at them, and not pay attention to the way they are driving, so it is an issue of safety.” Despite the concerns from police, Decarcerate Pennsylvania member Hakim Ali believes that the police were not …
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
The protest seeks to raise awareness of the $400 million Graterford Prison expansion at a time when the state is cutting budgets elsewhere.
Members of the Decarcerate Pennsylvania movement will once again take aim at Governor Corbett on Tuesday afternoon, as a planned protest seeks to raise awareness to the $400 million Graterford Prison expansion at a time when state funding for education and health services is on the decline. "Governor Corbett just began construction of two new prisons on the grounds of SCI Graterford in Montgomery County," reads a recent posting on the DecarceratePA Web site. "Meanwhile, Corbett has slashed hundreds of millions of dollars from education, environmental protection, homeowners assistance, and healthcare and mental health services." As previously reported by Patch, the construction project at Graterford will establish two new prison facilities …
Friday, June 15, 2012
There's some great deals to be found at dollar stores, but there's also items to avoid.
Dollar stores can be a great place to find deals, but they can also be a wily drain on your wallet. While there are certainly wonderful deals to be discovered on things like clothespins and party supplies, dollar stores also sometimes stock their shelves with items that are not a bargain, things that are worth less than a dollar, and that may not be the same quality you’re used to. And remember: Just because something costs $1, doesn’t necessarily make it a good buy. On the list of things to stock up on at your local dollar store: And on the flip side, a basic list of what to avoid purchasing at the dollar store: Another way to avoid wasting money at dollar stores is to know the basic cost of things, and typical package size. If you didn’t…
Friday, June 8, 2012
Dr. Karen A. Stout, president of Montgomery County Community College, weighs in on the proposed by the county's CFO.
- OPINION
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Friday, June 8, 2012
“Now More than Ever” – This is the title of Montgomery County Community College’s 2012 Annual Report to the community. It is a title reflective of the growing importance of community colleges, across this country, in being part of the solution to addressing workforce development and educational attainment gaps that are holding back the Country’s economic recovery. It is this “now more than ever” need for community colleges that makes Wednesday night’s recommendation by the County’s CFO to the Montgomery County Commissioners to cut the allocation to the College by 25% – $5.25 million – so stunning and so potentially devastating to our community and its future viability. In 1964, when the College was founded, the Montgomery County …
jxjipper
10:03 pm on Tuesday, April 23, 2013
I don't think any Democrat Commissioner should even accept Marcellus Shale revenue because you all hate the idea of this exploration. You are accepting funds from the Evil Corbett to make you County solvent ?? Shame on all you anti-fracking hypocrites ie. anyone with a D after their multiple Voter Registration cards more ›