Montco Commissioners Joe Hoeffel, left, and Bruce Castor at the Wednesday budget hearing at the county courthouse
This is the same county government that typically draws about zero citizen participant-observers – other than an occasional election reform advocate or three – to their meetings. If you’re not a contractor, bond marketeer or have some other business-connected relationship with the board and you’re not up for some award and a photo op with the commissioners, you’re not apt to be there at 10 a.m. on a Wednesday.
Except for yesterday. That’s because what’s unfolding in Norristown these days is so out of character, so unprecedented and bordering on the bizarre that, well, people are starting to pay attention. Not even the recent county election with the unprecedented millions spent to get notice could accomplish that trick, given that turnout was barely beyond the normal 30 percent. Of course, with talk of dumping a park system, closing libraries, shuttering the planning commission and either crippling the community college or forcing a major hike in tuition, the stakes are both high and clear-cut. And they clearly overshadowed the latest media circus around the Matthews arrest.
Paul Baumgartner of Franconia Township speaking from the overflow room to the commissioners by closed circuit TV
Newly minted Chair Joe Hoeffel, taking over for Jim Matthews, who resigned the chairmanship but remains on the board in the wake of his arrest for perjury the day before, and new Vice Chair Bruce Castor, who took Hoeffel’s previous position on the three-member board, sat in front and appeared to be listening intently. Matthews did not attend, saying that his presence might have diverted attention away from the speakers.
The universal sentiment of the many speakers was to save vital services that support communities and families, even if a tax increase is required. Paul Baumgartner of Franconia Township, a self-described Tea Party member, was unabashedly in favor of a tax increase and he pointed to other Tea Partiers at the meeting who felt the same way. “No doubt about it,” he told Citizens’ Call. “Parks being eliminated – it’s crazy. “I don’t know how there could be a $40 million deficit. Poor policy, poor government.”
Hugh Donnelly said that when he first decided to come to the meeting, his intent was to complain about the possibility of higher taxes. But “after listening to all these fine people, I got my head blown up . . . It has to be done. If it means that my real estate taxes have to go up, I guess I’m going to have to bite the bullet.” Donnelly also recommended that the commissioners find a bigger room the next time they hold a budget hearing.
The Montgomery County Community College (MCCC) budget is penciled in for a $2.5 million reduction. According to Director of Communications at MCCC Alana Mauger, who spoke at the hearing, the county funded just under 25 percent of the college’s 2010-11 operating budget of $72 million. No figures were immediately available for the current budget, although she thought they would be similar. She did say, however, that a tuition increase of up to $11 per credit hour, or a hike of 11 percent, is possible if none of the $2.5 million is restored.
Christine Chiodo of Glenside delivered 1,753 “post card petitions” urging the commissioners not to cut the MCCC budget. The petition campaign was organized by the student government association. Chiodo told her personal story of intending to go to Temple University but deciding at the last moment to start out at MCCC because it was cheaper. She said she values the education and social environment at the college. “Cutting the budget is really going to affect us,” she declared, citing a possible tuition increase of $11 per credit hour. “I want you to go home and think about it,” she instructed the commissioners.
A roused overflow crowd at One Montgomery Plaza, across the street from the main hearing room in the county courthouse
Kim Henderson of E. Norriton Township, who home schools her son, told the commissioners, “Please don’t take our quality of life away.” Home schooling, she explained, emphasizes hands-on learning and historical sites, which are administered by the county’s Department of Parks and Heritage Services, are an important vehicle for her son’s development.
A high school student spoke passionately about the need to maintain quality public libraries, as someone with learning disabilities and having “had to to fight for access to a free and fair education.”
“This is not the solution,” said Sarah Stuart, campaign director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, who registered shock that Montgomery County would propose to eliminate the Parks and Heritage Services department. “Not only will it hurt the county but the entire region,” she said. “We urge you to preserve and protect the county trail system.”
The executive director of the Montgogmery County-Norristown Library, Kathleen Arnold-Yerger, spoke of the widely used services of the library and its relatively low cost to the county ($3 per resident). She reported 761,197 computer users and that wireless usage was up 50 percent in the main library in Norristown. “People tell us that they can’t afford the cost in their own homes,” a gap the library has been able to fill.
Marion Phillips, Board President of the Montgomery County Library Information Network and Consortium (MCLINC), which operates an integrated online library system for county residents, said that 94 percent of the county population takes advantage of the system and that budget cuts would be harmful to large numbers of people.
Sandy Marshall of Towamencin Township asserted that all the budget cuts endangered the county’s future. “What business would locate here if there were no services available? Who would buy homes without parks, libraries and community colleges? Please don’t destroy our county with these budget cuts and save these services for our citizens.”
A line of students from Souderton Charter School Collaborative waiting to speak
They opted for the latter. Nineteen students trudged to Norristown and scampered up the county courthouse steps into Courtroom A to give officials a polite piece of their minds about the need to maintain the services they consider important to their communities and their families.
Daniel Nixon of Lansdale spoke movingly about his dad and him training on the Perkiomen Trail for an annual bicycling fundraising event for Multiple Sclerosis research. His dad has MS and Daniel has auto-immune disorders. The two ride together to prepare for the “City to Shore Ride” that takes place every fall. It’s a special time for them both, and he can’t imagine not being able to ride safely together on the Perkiomen Trail in anticipation of the big event. He only hopes that the trail will continue to accommodate them.
Daniel’s teacher at the Souderton Charter School, Paula Mandracchia, thanked the commissioners “for teaching us about public input and that people can have a voice.”
The reactions of Hoeffel and Castor were uniformly positive. Hoeffel found the hearing to be “interesting and useful.” He said he heard “many good suggestions and lots of support for county amenities like parks and libraries and for a tax increase to pay for all of it.”
Castor said the experience “made me proud to be an American, where people can come in and talk directly to their elected officials about what’s troubling them.”
Upcoming commissioners’ meetings on the budget are scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, December 13 through Thursday, December 15 at One Montgomery Plaza, eighth floor, in Norristown. Final adoption of the 2012 county budget is scheduled for Wednesday, December 21 at 10 a.m., same location.
It is wonderful to see a group of residents showing up to a public meeting and telling the public servants not to cut programs; raise taxes. This is the only realistic solution. The cost of doing business generally increases over time. That is part of the price paid for living in an organized society. And it is reasonable to expect that we as taxpayers will be asked to pay for what we have. After all, the programs and assets that would be cut are investments in our community; not a burden or scourge as we might hear some minority of the populace state. We the people have made long-term investments and as such have resources and services that improve the quality of life to use or draw from as needed. The concept that when costs raise – as they will – that we have a spending problem, as some in the Nations’ Capital wrongly say, is ludicrous. What we have is a revenue problem, easily corrected, and largely supported whether at the national or Montgomery County level. Our County taxes have remained static for the past few years and it is time for an adjustment.
So I say this to our Commissioners – listen to the people: do not cut into our investments; make reasonable and accountable increases to the revenue collected. Make short work to this and let us move on!
Amen!
Too much suburban and exurban sprawl and the increase costs for County roads and bridges is unsustainable economically, environmentally and in regards to finite fossil fuel supplies. We cannot afford the ongoing cost of so many miles of roads and so many bridges, let alone the cost of fuel. As much as possible, citizens should use commuter rail and freight should be moved by rail except for the last few miles to reduce energy consumption and GeeenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions by 75%. The MontCo Planning Commission must let the younger planners replace the older with a switch to a 21st century mindset and away from our present culture of automobiles where incredibly, County growth has been measured by Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT.)
I have attended many of the meetings – sorry I missed this one. Great report. Thank you.
Instead of immediately jumping to cutting services or raising taxes, why don’t we get a forensic accountant in to go through the current budget and find the leaks and seal all those bleeding arteries. Let’s make sure we are not overpaying for services, including tax collection, and make certain all the taxes that currently should be collected, are being collected. A little common sense please and no jumping to conclusions.
This is what results from the loss of sound Republican fiscal policies after Matthews essentially turned County government over to Hoeffel and the Democrats. Before their term began in 2008, the County enjoyed a $100 million (I think) surplus. Now it’s at a $435 million deficit!
Since Shapiro-Richards have promised “no new taxes” – like good Tea Party candidates – and with Matthews’ arrest possibly paralyzing the Commission for the duration of their current tenure, it could be a very interesting 2012 for Montgomery County.
Here’s to zero-based budgeting!
First, I sincerely believe that there should be more than 3 County Commissioners. 5-7 would bring more ideas and hopefully prevent the political alignments to gain more power.
Second, the County does nothing for this township other than suggest more traffic, wider roads, adding lanes, large overhead signage etc. The Easton Road flood project and then tying into Keswick Ave. has done nothing but flood our homes and ruin our property values. We got rid of our township health department and now have the county’s health department serving us —- those of us who attended the meeting with County Health officials, after the flooding, know what a waste of time that was!! To tell residents, weeks after the flooding and sewage seeping in the homes to remove drywall or use bleach and not let kids play on the grounds where sewage overflowed was laughable at best and most certainly an insult to those homeowners affected by the flooding…that the County helped to make worse. The two County Health Dept. officials were inept and totally devoid of understanding the scope of the situation.
So much for giving up our own health dept. We certainly got nothing – or did we??? Was a deal made to include this township in the County Health Dept.?
Now we get to giving up our 911 dispatchers so that the County can handle our emergencies. Have you tried calling for help or to report a non-emergency problem?? Frustration beyond words! I for one have given up seeing drug selling, traffic violations, illegal parking etc. I use to call our township police department to report those small crimes that erode the quality of life in our neighborhoods – but, two experiences calling the 911 (which we were told to do at a Wyncote civic association meeting by the police chief) made me realize that we have lost a valuable service in this township. Having local dispatchers, who know every street and local issues, was priceless. I always knew that when we called to report that kids were breaking bottles on the tennis courts, driving vehicles all over the ball fields, drinking in the park etc., our police would arrive in good time. Now, you have to call 911 and you are treated as if you are a nuisance – the County dispatchers could care less about such issues. So, we just don’t bother anymore.
The County is worthless in terms of our property values being maintained. But, it is good for hiring your political friends and relatives.