September Meeting:
Some thoughts on the previous meetings:
Public Comment on the Tax Cut Proposal:
As the Kutztown Patriot reported, the thoughts of the majority of the residents present were best summed up in the quote, “We don't want our money back.”
These residents feel that they will benefit more from increased spending on Park and Recreation, than they would benefit from the proposed tax cut.
It seems my “Does It Pass the G.T.M.A.G. Funding Test?” newsletter article offended some residents. Someone commented that the article did not correctly detail the procedure the government uses to take a house for back taxes. The article was not intended as a tutorial on procedure, the point is that taxes are collected coercively. Obviously, there is a threat of loss of property, or imprisonment for not paying your taxes. The point of the article was to say that we need to be careful that money that is collected from everyone benefits the taxpayers as a whole. Special favors out of general taxes to benefit a few are a misuse of government power. The article also makes the point that these issues are avoided altogether by making special programs as self funding as possible.
Weird Rumors:
There seems to be a whisper down the lane phenomenon occurring about our local government, or perhaps some people are spinning things for what they perceive to be their political gain. The list below addresses some of the misinformation I've heard.
The proposed tax cut would not affect self funding programs like T-Ball, Community Days, and the Car Show. These are run by volunteers, and do not appear as a line item in the budget.
The rumor is, “The supervisors did not vote to put the five member board question on the ballot because they do not want the people to decide.” The purveyors of this rumor say the board should have voted to put the ballot question on, once the signature requirement had been reached. I can only speak for myself on this. If I had voted to put this question on the ballot, I would be creating the impression that I favor a five member board. It would have been completely reasonable for residents to assume that their existing three member board wants two additional members. The real questions are: Who is pushing for the 5 member board? What is their agenda? Who will (if we indeed get a five member board) seek to run for those open seats? If elected, will they, act in the best interest of the township residents as a whole, or will they only favor a few?
The tax cut proposal never included using a line of credit to pave the roads.
The rumor is, “Supervisor Roy Timpe has changed over the years. His recent Does It Pass the G.T.M.A.G. Funding Test? article proves it.” Well, the fact is Roy Timpe first ran in 1999 on a limited government platform. Roy Timpe ran for re-election last year on a limited government platform. The people has six years to figure this out, and last year voted nearly 2 to 1 to re-elect Roy Timpe in both the primary and the general election. This piece on taxes was first posted in November of 1999 and has been on this website ever since. It is very similar to the GTMAG piece. You can accuse me of repetition, but do not accuse me of abandoning my principles.
The DEP is not fining the township. The township is investigating ways to avoid saddling our residents with on lot septic systems with a DEP mandated 3 year pump out schedule. The DEP mandate is a “one size fits all” effort to prevent private systems from leaking. Currently the township can pump out a failed system at the owner's expense, and fine the owner up to $5,000 per leak. Most times this is a powerful deterrent considering a typical pump out is less than $200. Maidencreek's most infamous private sewage leak was the Martin Mobile Home Park. In that case the high cost of repair made the $5,000 fines quite trivial. The supervisors authorized the solicitor to pursue an injunction with the Court of Common Pleas to shut the system down, if the owner did not meet our deadlines in repairing the system. The owner sold the property to a responsible owner, who promptly fixed the system. One lesson here is that the DEP pump out mandate would have been absolutely useless in dealing with this failed system.
The supervisors did not take some $62,000 from Park and Recreation to work on the roads. Maidencreek has a “fee in lieu of” ordinance that requires developers to pay $750 per building lot for the Park and Recreation Budget. “The Village at Summit Crest “ retirement mobile home park will be accessed via Hill Road opposite the entrance to the community park. The developer of “The Village at Summit Crest “ was of the opinion that he did not have to pay the fee in lieu of and promised us a legal tussle if we tried to collect it. On the other hand, the developer was not obligated to pay anything to improve roads in the township, but the developer saw the improvement of the intersection of Park Road, Hill Road, and the community park as a desirable goal. The intersection is already a problem, and will have to be improved with or without the addition of the Retirement Village. The developer offered to pay money to improve that intersection. The amount agreed was about $120,000. This placed your supervisors in the position of deciding to pay a lawyer to get the $62,000 for the park, or forgo the $62,000, and get some $120,000 to improve the intersection, including the entrance to the park. There is no doubt in my mind that the supervisors scored a victory for the taxpayers of the township that day.
Community Days September 30, 2006 at the Community Park & Car Show October 1, 2006
Congratulations to the volunteers that put on Community days and the car show. I hope all had a good time.
The event went well despite some cloudy cool weather. Meadowood Music provided good entertainment. The Jam from 2:00 to 4:00 PM went well. There were many booths from various organizations. The Lion's Club had their hot dogs, hamburgers, and their ever popular waffle ice cream sandwich.
I spent a little time in the dunk tank raising money for Fleetwood Soccer. With so many people angry at me over the tax cut proposal, and the same people saying $40.00 means nothing to them, I thought we had all the ingredients for a good fund raiser with me in the dunk tank. It seemed to work out well.
The car show went well too. I spent most of the afternoon talking to a man from Lenhartsville who restored his Model “A” Ford. I never knew those cars had an adjustable suspension. It is interesting seeing cars from a time when the reliability we have come to expect from all makes and models was a rare thing. They were the high tech of their day, and there was much radical innovation, not the least of which was the Crosley tin engine.
You can view copies of the meeting minutes here:
http://maidencreek.net/Supervisors/SupMinutes.html
I still have copies of the Fredrick Bastiat book “The Law” available to Maidencreek residents. Email me if you want one.
Paid for by Roy Timpe