Thursday, December 15, 2011
Next year's city budget keeps taxes and fees in Easton at the same rates as 2011.
Easton City Council members unanimously passed the 2012 city budget Wednesday evening. The $28.8 million document calls for the same tax and fee structure as in 2011. Though the bottom line is essentially the same, a few notable line items include: Additionally Wednesday evening, the council passed a resolution directing the management of the city's fund balance. The resolution is desirable to municipal lenders, said city administrator Glenn Steckman and finance director Chris Hegele. Council members debated the resolution at their workshop meeting previously on Tuesday, ultimately making minor changes to the proposed ordinance, most notably substituting “should” for “shall” in places. Vice Mayor El Warner said she felt the change would …
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Easton City Hall
1 S 3rd St, Easton, PA
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Thursday, December 1, 2011
Only 4 council members vote in favor of budget, which means another meeting next week, or an automatic 9 percent tax increase.
After more than two hours of discussion Thursday night, Northampton County Council tried, but failed, to adopt a budget for 2012. Council had spent much of the night hearing from residents on proposed budget amendments, debating spending cuts and arguing over salary freezes and increases. But when it came time to vote, only four council members said yes to County Executive John Stoffa's $331 million budget. "Yes, we have no budget," Council President John Cusick said minutes after the vote. Councilman Ron Angle -- who lost the presidency to Cusick at the beginning of the year -- told Cusick he should have worked harder with the rest of council to get the budget passed. "It was your job to produce this budget. You have failed," said Angle…
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Northampton County Government Center
669 Washington St, Easton, PA
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Thursday, September 29, 2011
With projected revenue flat in a tough economy, expenditures were held at a less than half a percent increase.
Presented at a special meeting Thursday evening, the preliminary city budget does not raise taxes or service fees in the city, Mayor Sal Panto said. “To do this, we have addressed our finances and made significant changes on all levels, on both the expense and the revenue side,” he said. “Our goal, and more importantly, our responsibility to our residents is to live within our means.” Some highlights in the proposed budget that are planned for 2012, if passed, are: the plan to raise parking meter fees in the courthouse district to $1 per hour as allowed for by city ordinance, but not yet implemented $120,000 to support the city's Weed and Seed program, and its director taken on as a city employee, answerable to the city's administrator $…
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Easton City Hall
1 S 3rd St, Easton, PA
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Saturday, March 19, 2011
Organizer urges advocates of a wide range of social and economic issues to unify message.
Holding signs that ranged from pro-union to anti-war, about 50 people attended a rally Saturday at the Rose Garden in Bethlehem to protest state and national budget cuts and corporate tax breaks and loopholes. The rally was organized by Tom Ulrich, of We The People of Lehigh Valley, which according to its website promotes progressive causes. Ulrich told the gathering to “connect the dots,” to see the links between a wide range of social and economic issues such as unions, public schools, the environment, peace and social justice, and to unify over the impact of state and national budget cuts to these causes. Ulrich said democracy does not thrive when there is huge economic disparity between people. Craig Olsen, a naturalist from Lower …
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8th Ave & W Union Blvd, Bethlehem, PA
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Walt
12:51 pm on Friday, September 30, 2011
I do agree he is doing a nice job. However, let's not forget that Easton has the highest millage rate in Northampton County. And we also have an Earned Income Tax rate of 1.75%. I'm not exactly sure how our water, sewer and garbage rates compare to other cities but I know they are very high. Raising our tax rates or any fees would be making very unreasonable rates even worse. more ›