2007 News

September 14 , 2007

Commissioners Proclaim State of Bucks County “Stupendous”
Sept. 12 Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce (LBCCC) Features Poignant Address from Commissioner Sandra A. Miller

As a standing-room-only morning gathering in the St. Mary Medical Center Conference Room looked on attentively, Bucks County Commissioners Charles H. Martin, chairman, James F. Cawley, Esq. and Sandra A. Miller introduced themselves and the county’s diverse array of programs on a pair of large video screens.

Executing a new twist on their annual Lower Bucks County Chamber of Commerce (LBCCC) “Percolator” State of the County addresses, the commissioners capitalized on the popular forum to elaborate upon themes of open space and agricultural preservation, superb fiscal management, emergency services and capital expansion, and human services programs.

“Last year, I said the state of the county was excellent,” Commissioner Cawley told a crowd of more than 150 business leaders. “This year, the state of the county is stupendous.”

Leading the way to the podium was Commissioner Martin, who detailed the county’s plan to place an $87 million open space borrowing referendum on the Nov. 6 General Election ballot. Noting that portions of the county have been “quickly disappearing” as residential and commercial development proceed, Martin discussed how the referendum will help leverage more than $100 million of preservation matching funds.

“On average, this proposed borrowing will cost county taxpayers between $10 and $31 per year,” Martin explained, adding that more than 15,000 acres have been protected in perpetuity through the $59 million open space referendum that county voters overwhelmingly approved back in May, 1997. Martin also highlighted a new component of the proposed program, Delaware River preservation, which was recommended by the commissioners’ Open Space Task Force II – a panel of 24 county citizens from varied demographics.

Commissioner Cawley spoke of the county’s many efforts to continue enhancing its public safety infrastructure, including the upcoming relocation of the 9-1-1 Emergency Communications facility from the Doylestown courthouse to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Ivyland.

“Not only does it make sense from a security perspective, but it will allow dispatchers to pinpoint cell phone callers to within 40 fee of their location,” Cawley observed, recalling a recent accident he witnessed on Swamp Rd. that necessitated an emergency call and a lengthy conversation with dispatch to explain his locale.

Cawley also talked about next month’s opening of the county morgue/crime lab, also in Ivyland (across Jacksonville Rd. from EOC. The building will be the county’s first centralized morgue/crime lab. Plans also are moving rapidly to complete a Class “A” fire-training burn building in Doylestown, and a lower Bucks emergency training facility, so first-responders there can “spend less time traveling, and more time training.”

Before she was honored by the members of the LBCCC with a crystal plaque of appreciation, Miller reflected on her tenure as a county commissioner, which spans 16 years and more than 6,000 days. “The progress we have made together has been stupendous,” she said. “Still, the most rewarding aspect of this job is helping a constituent.”

During her tenure, the county has preserved more than 100 farms, built the state-of-the-industry Neshaminy Manor Nursing home, managed a budget that now includes $222 million dedicated to human services, and constantly upgraded its approach to emergency management. Commissioner Miller currently serves as the chair of the Bucks County Prison Oversight Board and as the commissioner director of the Bucks County Conservation District.

“We want to express our gratitude to Commissioner Miller for her service to a county that is rich in history and steeped in tradition,” said Clark Shuster, executive director of the LBCCC. “The one constant has been her dedication to constituents.”