2006 News

December 28 , 2006

Bucks County "Year in Review:" From Flooding to Farm Preservation, 2006 Represents Progress and Constructive Collaboration

From the moment James F. Cawley, Esq. was installed as chairman of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 4, 2006, the county administration charted a firm course of streamlined services, integrated response and fiscal responsibility.

Indeed, by Dec. 20, when Cawley and fellow commissioners Charles H. Martin and Sandra A. Miller unanimously approved a 2007 operating budget that featured a zero percent tax increase for the first time since 2000, county government had made significant progress on a wide variety of levels.

“We are always looking for the best utilization of the county taxpayers’ money,” explained Chief Operating Officer/Managing Director David M. Sanko, who credited the BEST (Bucks Employees Saving Taxes) Committee for making several recommendations that helped facilitate no tax increase for 2007.

The year 2006 also will be remembered as the advent of electronic voting in Bucks County, as more than 56 percent of a registered electorate numbering over 415,000 discovered the accuracy, user-friendliness, and affordability of the Danaher full-face machines during the Nov. 7 General Election. The commissioners credited the BUCKS VOTES initiative, a three-and-a-half month public education blitz that touched each of the county’s 54 municipalities and all 415,000-plus voters, as well as newspaper, radio and television outlets, for maximizing public awareness of the voting changes.

Following is a month-by-month glimpse of the events that shaped 2006 throughout Bucks County government:

JANUARY

During the first commissioners’ meeting of 2006, inside the courthouse community room, Cawley assumed the chairmanship from Martin. During mid-January, the new chairman completed his whirlwind tour of all county municipalities by attending meetings of the Morrisville Borough Council and the Upper Southampton Township Supervisors. “We have had excellent working relationships with our municipalities for a very long time,” Cawley said upon fulfilling his pledge to visit all 54 Bucks communities. “My visits are meant to reinforce that.”

FEBRUARY

During their Feb. 15 bi-monthly meeting, the commissioners passed a resolution condemning the video game “25 to Life,” which infuriated the nationwide law enforcement community for characterizing “the killing of police and innocent bystanders as entertainment.” Joined in a united front against the game by District Attorney Diane Gibbons, Chief County Detective Frank Dykes and members of the Bucks County Corrections and local law enforcement community, the commissioners urged concerned citizens to “launch an effort to ban its rental or sale in the United States.”

MARCH

Following months of careful deliberation and consideration of resident concerns, the commissioners voted by a 2-1 margin (Commissioner Miller dissented) to purchase the Danaher ELECTronic 1242 full-face voting machine system during a spirited March 15 meeting at the Richland Twp. Municipal Building. The purchase, mandated by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002, followed upon the recommendation of the Bucks County Voting Machines Work Group Assessment, which pinpointed Danaher for its “full-screen ballot and similarity to the lever machines.” The commissioners cited the Danaher system as “proven technology” that met three primary criteria, including accuracy, easy of use and cost efficiency. Sanko stressed the need to stage an aggressive public-education campaign, starting immediately.

APRIL

On April 5, the commissioners promoted Don Jacobs to chief information officer, in which capacity he oversees a department of 55 information services employees. Jacobs pledged to create an “application of best business practices while balancing new technologies with taxpayer value.”

On April 11, the commissioners placed shovel to dirt at the groundbreaking of the county’s $6.5 million morgue/crime lab in Warminster Twp., which will centralize much of the work currently being disseminated throughout Bucks. “This is a long-awaited day that represents a great cooperative effort,” Cawley said of the facility, which will be completed during 2007. First Assistant D.A. David Zellis concurred, adding, “We need a state-of-the-art forensic facility.”

Also during April, county recycling planner Lale Byers announced the annual Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program. At five different sites (Lower Makefield Twp., Bedminster Twp., Warwick Twp., Bristol Twp., Quakertown), a record 5,498 participants disposed of 518,232 pounds of computers, batteries, fire extinguishers, pesticide, latex and other materials.

MAY

The county’s last election using the Eisenhower-era lever machines proceeded flawlessly during the May 16 Primary Election. The Primary also offered voters an opportunity to begin learning about the Danaher machines that would be used in November, as poll workers distributed more than 50,000 information brochures. “We are hoping to arrange as many training sessions as possible throughout Bucks County,” said Commissioner Martin, who doubles as chairman of the Bucks County Board of Elections. “We are confident these meetings will help the voters, by eliminating possible concerns they may have about the new technology and come November will go into the polling booths with confidence.”

JUNE

For the third time in two years, a Delaware River flood event devastated low-lying communities from Riegelsville to Morrisville, attracting local, state and national attention and concern. And for the third time in two years, Emergency Services Director John Dougherty coordinated mobilization, response and recovery efforts from the Emergency Operations Center in Ivyland. That broad-range planning and interagency cooperation ensured there were no serious injuries or loss of life during the 2006 flood, despite river levels that crested at 11 feet above flood stage in Riegelsville and six feet above flood stage in New Hope on June 29.

In conjunction with the American Red Cross, the county sheltered 37 people from 17 families at Lower Makefield’s William Penn Middle School. Within hours after the river began to recede, Dougherty and his staff began damage assessment. On July 14, county officials opened a Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in New Hope. The DRC assisted residents with federal and state relief applications, Small Business Association loans and other forms of short- and long-term counsel. “Today is a day of hope,” COO Sanko said.

On June 21, the commissioners announced the relocation of the county 9-1-1 center to Ivyland, where the EOC will be expanded to accommodate the emergency communications arm. When the annex is completed, Ivyland will provide a central location for Emergency Management, the Hazardous Incident Response Team, Emergency Health Services, the Fire Marshal, the morgue/crime lab and 9-1-1 operations.

JULY

Intensifying attention on the voter education effort, the commissioners convened the Voter Education Work Group. Under the direction of Theresa Savage, project manager, the group formulated plans for a multi-media campaign that enlisted the partnership of the non-partisan League of Women Voters. Named “BUCKS VOTES,” the program also relies on input from Comcast, Calkins Newspapers and other members of the business/government community. On July 25, the commissioners filmed a 3-1/2 minute educational video with Northampton’s Video Gold. It was subsequently featured on the county website (www.buckscounty.org), Comcast’s On Demand digital cable platform, local municipal access channels and websites, and DVD/VHS training sessions.

A busy July also included one of the commissioners’ more picturesque meeting sites, Tohickon Valley Park’s Pool Pavilion. As young swimmers frolicked in the background, Commissioner Miller was honored for 5,585 days of consecutive service to the board, becoming the longest-tenured commissioner in Bucks County’s illustrious history. Commissioners Cawley and Martin presented her with a bouquet of yellow roses and a large sheet cake bearing a message of congratulations. “This job is sometimes one of the most difficult that anybody could have, but it’s also a job that has a very high level of gratification every time we do something for the benefit of this county, any time we can help a constituent,” Miller told the gathering.

AUGUST

Traditionally one of the highlights of the government calendar, the Middletown Grange Fair was another success. In addition to the Aug. 16 public unveiling of the BUCKS VOTES campaign, which allowed fairgoers to test the Danaher machines with the assistance of a trained expert, this year’s Grange Fair featured the announcement of Open Space Task Force II. There were 51 letters of interest from county residents wishing to serve on the task force, of which 24 were appointed by the commissioners. Co-chairing the advisory group, which will offer a set of recommendations to the commissioners during the early part of 2007, are Bensalem Township’s Tony Belfield and Perkasie’s Hon. William Rufe. “This group will be instrumental in advising county leaders how to maximize the next phase of our initiative,” said Cawley. The initial meeting of Open Space Task Force II took place on Sept. 29, fittingly, at the Peace Valley Nature Center.

SEPTEMBER

As a gorgeous late-summer sunset framed the festivities, the commissioners preserved the county’s 100 th farm, the 127-acre Stott-Cohen property in Wrightstown Twp. Since 1989, the Bucks County Agricultural Preservation program has been a hallmark for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a valuable method of augmenting quality of life standards within the county. “The Stott-Cohen farm is a quintessential example of the type of Bucks County farmland we have aggressively sought to preserve,” Cawley said following an outdoor meeting that featured a barbecue and a reunion of dozens of the county’s first 100 farm preservation owners. “With its rolling vistas, lush greenery and top-quality soil, we have preserved a gem of a farm for our county.”

September also provided a valuable reminder for all residents, as it doubled as Emergency Preparedness Month. In addition to unveiling the “Ready Bucks” preparedness campaign, the commissioners hosted the first “Family Preparedness Day,” Sept. 16, at the EOC. The event offered the people of Bucks County an inside glimpse at emergency resources, personnel and planning.

OCTOBER

The onset of fall coincided with a series of “State of the County” breakfast meetings, sponsored by the Lower Bucks, Central Bucks and Upper Bucks chambers of commerce. During these meetings – held, respectively, at Bensalem’s Belle Voir Manor, Doylestown’s Waterwheel and Quakertown’s James Michener Library, the commissioners spoke about issues related to emergency preparedness, open space preservation and voting education. At each function, members were invited to try the Danaher voting machine and spread the word as to its ease of use. Commissioner Cawley lauded the state of the county as “excellent.” Each meeting featured a question and answer session with the county’s top elected officials.

Throughout the year, county officials continued to upgrade the county website, including a direct link to Sheriff’s Sale items and expanded services. Gradually, the website is helping residents access more and more information that was previously available only by visiting the courthouse in person.

NOVEMBER

The BUCKS VOTES initiative came to fruition on Nov. 7, as more than 233,000 county residents flocked to the polls to cast their ballot on the new machines. Martin felt the large turnout was a tribute to the wide-reaching voter education effort, which succeeded in putting the electorate at ease about the new technology.

On Nov. 18, at three strategic locations (upper, central and lower Bucks), the county provided 3,325 influenza shots during the first-ever Pandemic Flu Drill. A preparatory exercise that integrated the Health Department, Emergency Services, the Major Incident Response Team (MIRT) and the American Red Cross with medical and non-medical volunteers, it featured a unique drive-thru site on New Falls Rd. in Bristol Twp. The drill’s two main goals, to test response procedures in the case of a pandemic flu, and to inoculate Bucks County residents against the flu this season, were met in spades, according to Cawley. An average of 554 vaccines per hour was administered during the six-hour drill.

“We received tremendously positive feedback at all three points of dispensing (PODs),” noted Commissioner Cawley. “The county will now conduct a thorough critique of our performance, so that we can carry forward those procedures that were successful, and make adjustments where improvement is needed.”

Cawley, who was joined by Martin and Miller at various locations for drill, added that the time to make these types of assessments is now, before a real emergency occurs.

DECEMBER

After months of working closely with department leaders to contain costs, Finance Director Brian Hessenthaler and Deputy Finance Director David Boscola presented a $448.2 million Fiscal Year 2007 Budget to the commissioners. The budget, which contains a zero percent tax increase for the first time since 2000, was approved unanimously by the commissioners during their final meeting of 2006, Dec. 20, inside the scenic auditorium at the Washington Crossing Visitors Center.

“It was important to all three commissioners that we not spend a dollar more than is needed,” said Cawley. “We knew we were on the right track with the proposed budget, but we also knew more could be done to contain costs. I thank Mr. Sanko and Mr. Hessenthaler for their hard work in reaching our long-stated goal of no tax increase for 2007.”

County officials also anticipate great benefits from the implementation of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementation, which will bring state-of-the-art software to county departments and eliminate excess duplication of documents. According to CIO Jacobs, the ERP program represents “the best single action to improve function.” As a result, it will provide value to county taxpayers while increasing government efficiency.

Pictures: 1. Commissioner Cawley in a fire truck during Emergency Preparedness Month, September. 2. Groundbreaking at the new morgue/crime lab in Warminster, from left to right: Joe Bush, Public Works Director, Coroner Joseph Campbell, Commissioner James Cawley, Commissioner Charles Martin, Commissioner Sandra Miller, First Deputy District Attorney David Zellis, and a Warminster Township Official. 3. A view of Yardley Borough during the June Flooding. 4. From Left to Right: Elaine McAnally, Commissioner Miller, Commissioner Martin, Commissioner Cawley, former Commissioner Andrew Warren, and Roberta Foerst. 5. Families from the 100 farms preserved at a Commissioners Meeting/Dinner in honor of the 100th farm preserved.