Thursday, December 22, 2011
Commissioners cautioned no increase may not be sustainable.
The Lower Merion Board of Commissioners on Wednesday approved the 2012 fiscal year budget by a 12-2 vote, but several commissioners cautioned that the included measure calling for no real estate tax increas may not be sustainable in the future. It is the first time since 2006 that there will be no real estate tax increase in teh township, said Commissioner Scott Zelov. “Finally before me is the proof that a 0 percent tax increase is an achievable event,” said Commissioner Philip Rosenzweig. Rosenzweig said he was “extremely pleased” and hoped that the new budget would set a precedent. Passed shortly before midnight, the approved ordinance sets the 2012 real estate tax rate at 4.19 mills on each dollar of assessed valuation—unchanged from …
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
A final, $417.4 million budget was approved for 2012 by the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners.
The Montgomery County Commissioners approved a 2012 operating budget Wednesday that will increase the county's average property tax bill by about $80 per year. The $417.4 million budget preserves 2011 funding levels for Montgomery County Community College, the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library, and the Elmwood Park Zoo. Each of those institutions had been threatened with severe reductions in county funding in a preliminary budget posted last month. "There's a certain threshold we must maintain in order to provide the services our citizens expect," Commissioner Bruce Castor said. "I'm loathe to vote for a tax increase, but I simply don't see how we can continue to provide the services the county is expected to provide without one…
Monday, December 5, 2011
The township manager offers options in a memo.
Lower Merion's government is getting $6.9 million in "unexpected" tax revenue this year, Lower Merion Township Manager Doug Cleland told the Board of Commissioners in a memo in advance of Wednesday's Finance Committee meeting. Cleland's memo, posted on the township's website as part of the meeting agenda (and attached to this article as a PDF), explains that tax-obligation disputes settled after the preliminary budget was submitted Oct. 21 amount to about $6.9 million, which would put commissioners in the position of having too much money in their general fund, per township regulations. Cleland suggests working with the Finance Committee to plan how to alleviate that. The Main Line Times reported Monday that Ward 2 Commissioner Jenny Brown…
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 …
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Tax hike looms as axe hangs over county health department, community college funding.
"We're not talking about cutting dessert here. We're talking about cutting meals." Those were the words of Montgomery County Financial Director James Maza, as he briefed the county commissioners on what would need to occur in order to overcome a $44 million budget shortfall going into next year. Joined by county CFO Randy Schaible and other finance department leaders, Maza presented the commissioners with ten possible options to help balance next year's budget, including the elimination of appropriation funding to the library, community college and mass transit, as well as the elimination of certain county departments including the parks and recreation deparment, the planning commission, the health department and courthouse security. "We …
Beth Ladenheim
11:36 am on Tuesday, December 6, 2011
I agree with Commissioner Brown. The money shouold be returned to the taxpayers to spend as they see fit. more ›