Thursday, May 16, 2013
Submit letters to the editor at lansdale@patch.com or tonyd@patch.com.
To my Friends and Neighbors of Ward 3: My name is Daniel P. Dunigan, and I am the only experienced Republican candidate running for Council in Ward 3. I am proud to have been elected in 2009 by the residents of Lansdale, who valued my extensive professional experience in finance. That experience led to me being appointed to Chairman of the Borough’s Administration & Finance committee, a position I have held since being sworn-in in January 2010. As Chairman of the Administration & Finance committee, I led the current administration’s effort to restore the Borough’s fiscal health. In the decade preceding my term, the Borough was headed for bankruptcy as a result of continued deficit spending. Since my time as Chair, the Borough has been …
Monday, April 22, 2013
County's budget in quarter one sounds safe.
Steady as she goes! After fighting rough fiscal seas for the past year featuring $10 million waves of deficit and deep troughs of deferred infrastructure maintenance, Montgomery County’s fiscal ship apparently has come through the worst of the storm and has entered calmer waters. That was the message the commissioners received when Chief Financial Officer Uri Monson delivered his first quarter report for 2013 at the bi-weekly commissioners’ meeting. Monson’s report had three significant highlights: • The county now projects an additional $2.6 million in surplus than was projected on top of the nearly $2.6 million in reserves set aside to grow the county’s fund balance. • This is the first year since 2007 that the fund balance would grow…
Monday, February 25, 2013
Should Congress not act by March 1, a series of automatic cuts will take effect that affect thousands of middle class jobs, and cut vital services for children, seniors, people with mental illness and our men and women in uniform
If the sequester goes through on March 1, it could mean massive cuts to emergency services, mental health services, school funding, senior citizen services and more. Locally, the various National Alliance on Mental Illness programs continue to advocate for change before March 1. If sequestration goes into effect, more than 373,000 mentally ill adults and children could go untreated. The result could be homelessness, increased crime and increased hospitalizations. Carol Caruso, executive director of NAMI Montgomery County, said mental health and substance abuse programs could be cut by about 5 percent. Tack that onto the 10 percent cut that occurred in the Pennsylvania budget. "There is more slicing away at services in that area that are …
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Shouldn't your bank encourage you to save, instead of costing you money every month?
A dollar here, $2.50 there. Some bank fees may not sound like much, but in the long term, they can seriously add up. Banks are in business to make money, and they do that by keeping some of yours. Some fees, like overdraft and return-check fees, are easy to spot and easy to avoid. Then there are others, like maintenance fees and debit card "swipe" fees. The American Bankers' Association estimates that the average "free" checking account costs customers about $300 a year in fees to maintain. Here are some tips on avoiding some of these fees, and for getting the most bang for your proverbial buck at the bank: Direct deposit - Some banks waive monthly fees for checking accounts when you sign up to have your employer automatically deposit your…
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Supervisors voted unanimously Monday to move almost all of the $1.3 million surplus from the 2012 budget to its reserves fund
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Tuesday, January 29
With a $1.3 million surplus at the end of the fourth-quarter 2012, Montgomery Township Supervisors voted unanimously Monday night to transfer $1.1 million into the reserves fund. According to The Reporter’s Dan Sokil, Montgomery Township Finance Director Shannon Drosnock reported the surplus was due to strong revenues in 2012 from building permits and earned income taxes from the Wegmans project at Montgomery Mall and several housing permits. Total revenues in 2012 increased from the year prior by about $400,000 to $12.1 million, Sokil reports. The increase is attributed to $345,000 in building permit revenues and $159,000 more in earned income tax revenues, according to the report. Expenses in 2012 were in line with or below estimates, …
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Select the right health insurance coverage, and pay less.
Selecting a health care plan can be an overwhelming task, because the options and coverages can be seemingly endless. Which insurance company should you choose? How much of a deductible should you opt for? Is your current doctor "in network?" Which is better, a PPO (Preferred Provider Organization) or HMO (Health Maintenance Organization)? Consumer Reports has a guide to help you understand the different "managed care" options available, and to choose the best one for you. The features and differences are many. For example, if you don't want to have to worry about referrals and finding providers "in network," you may want to choose a PPO. With an HMO you might have to pay the full cost to see a provider out-of-network. Consider a plan's …
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Montgomery County Commissioners have embarked on a series aimed at informing the public about its plans and goals at the county level. Its first stop was Saturday in Lansdale Borough
Montgomery County Commissioners Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards — minus Commissioner Bruce Castor Jr., who had prior appointments — visited Lansdale Borough Hall Saturday to discuss the status quo of county government today. Among the points talked about included morale, reform and the "fiscal mess" that Chairman Shapiro said the commissioners inherited from the previous administration. It was all part of a new series aimed at keeping county citizens updated on the projects and legislation coming out of Norristown. "We believe engaging with the public all through the county is critical to our job," Shapiro said. "We do better when you tell us what's on your mind." Shapiro said the commissioners there are three things that are benchmarks …
Saturday, January 12, 2013
The key to excellent car maintenance is to find a mechanic before your car has a problem.
The time to find a good mechanic is not when your car breaks down, or after an accident. In those cases, you'll be pressed for time and may be too stressed out to do the research and make a good decision. So the time is now, to think about searching for someone you can trust with your car. Start by asking friends and neighbors for their input. Where do they take their cars for service and repairs? How long have they gone there? What type of relationship do they have with the mechanics there? Would they recommend them? Why or why not? If the same business is mentioned more than once, give that one serious consideration. You can also check Mechanics Files on the Car Talk forums for mechanics recommendations. The database includes over 30,000…
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Take advantage of after-Christmas sales to save big for next year.
On Dec. 26, many retailers slashed the price of their Christmas goods, as well as many of the products they overstocked but didn't sell during the Christmas shopping rush. Their loss is your gain: You can save 50 to 75 percent, and in some cases even more, on gift wrap and decor for next Christmas, and consumer goods you can use now and all year long. Retailers slash prices on other goods this time of year, to encourage shoppers who received gift cards to get out and buy. So if you're not totally shopped out, here's a how-to guide on getting great post-Christmas deals: What to Buy Gift wrap - Wrapping paper, gift bags, tissue paper, gift tags, boxes, tape, ribbon, bows. Since it never goes bad, you can buy for next year and beyond. Also …
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Even if you haven't started your holiday shopping, there's still time to do it right.
When I first met my husband, he would spend Christmas Eve, along with throngs of other panicked shoppers, dashing through the mall and paying sticker price for whatever gifts were left on the racks. With some careful training, he now crosses off his list (me), much earlier in December, without a hint of the frazzled emergency of Christmases past. He has also learned how to spot a good deal - and avoid a bad one - and how to stick close to a budget. Now if only he would wrap his gifts instead of giving them in shopping bags... If you're like my husband in his earlier years, the thought of Christmas being just over a week away probably makes the breath catch in your throat and gives you a stomach ache. But you still have time to find great …
ZDO
7:59 am on Wednesday, May 22, 2013
I would like to now how the average tax bill of a lansdale resident is under 400 a year. My tax went up 160.00 and I live in a modest half twin. more ›