2006 News
December 20 , 2006
Bucks County Commissioners Turn Focus to 2007 During Spirited Washington Crossing Meeting
Unanimous Approval of FY 2007 Budget with No Tax Increase, Support for Veterans Cemetery Project Higlight Busy Agenda
Conducting its final public meeting of 2006 in a facility described by Chairman Jim Cawley as “wonderful and historic,” the spacious auditorium at the Washington Crossing Visitors Center, the Bucks County Board of Commissioners held the line on taxation while setting the stage for a productive 2007 agenda.
Before unanimously adopting a $448 million 2007 operating budget – the first time since 2000 there has been no increase in the county tax millage – the commissioners approved resolutions involving 21 county departments.
“I think we’ve delivered what you asked for,” Finance Director Brian Hessenthaler told the commissioners upon recommending the budget. Cawley responded by commending Hessenthaler and his staff, including Deputy Finance Director David Boscola, adding, “I think I speak for all taxpayers in saying, ‘Thank you.’ “
Chief Operating Officer David Sanko similarly extended his gratitude for the extensive budget shaping, noting during his bi-monthly report, “This government is every day about doing things better than yesterday. This budget is not a license to spend. It’s a blueprint.”
The commissioners also announced their intent to continue discussions with residential developer Toll Brothers, Inc. “concerning a 27.4-acre portion of the White property,” which is located at the corner of Rte. 532 ( Washington Crossing Rd.) and Highland Rd. in Upper Makefield Township. The property would be used as a county “ Veterans Park,” as well as a gateway to the proposed National Veterans Cemetery.
“Hopefully, this will enable the ( National Veterans Cemetery) project to continue to go forward,” said Commissioner Charley Martin. “It would be a nice adjunct.”
Before an audience that included Congressman Michael G. Fitzpatrick, one of the driving forces behind Bucks County’s effort to secure the cemetery, Pennsylvania Rep. Scott Petri and four of the five Upper Makefield Twp. supervisors, Commissioner Sandy Miller added, “Government works best when all of the levels work together. This project is a fine example of that.”
In a letter to Toll Brothers, the commissioners expressed the ongoing desire “to share a mutual interest in negotiating a sale of this (White) property … if and only if the adjacent property is transferred to and developed by the U.S. Veterans’ Administration into a National Veterans’ Cemetery.”
Prior to the formal agenda, the Delaware Valley Philharmonic Orchestra (DVPO) presented a plaque of appreciation to the commissioners for their support of the DVPO, which was founded in 1954 and Levittown and is the only professional orchestra in Bucks County. Accepting the plaque, Cawley pledged to hang it “in a place of honor in the courthouse.”
A few highlights of the meeting’s resolution list included a new purchasing card agreement with PNC Bank that will result in a rebate of $17,000-20,000, according to Controller Ray McHugh; a $120,000 municipal open space grant to acquire a 5.4-acre conservation easement that is contiguous to six acres the county already owns; a $185,000 annual contract with Clean Venture, Inc. of Clayton, NJ to continue the popular Household Hazardous Waste Program for the next three years; and a $1.01 million, five-year contract with XSE Zerographic Supplies & Equipment of New Britain, PA to provide copier services through 2011. According to Purchasing Director Maureen McIlvaine, the copier contract represents a $500,000 reduction from the five-year contract the county negotiated in 2001.
Quoting Benjamin Franklin, Sanko applauded such belt-tightening measures, saying, “If you look out for the pennies, the dollars will take care of themselves.”
The public can view the adopted 2007 budget here , and at the Levittown and Quakertown government service centers, as well as at the courthouse on the fifth floor, public information.