I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for the over 50 volunteers that participated in the Forks version of the Great American Cleanup PA.
It was cold and windy day and all the volunteers, myself included, had a good time cleaning up our township.
By the way, the post clean-up lunch was very good.
The following is a summary of the remarks delivered at the BACF Luncheon. These comments were delivered by several Forks Township Supervisors.
On behalf of the Supervisors and Staff of Forks, I am proud to announce that the State of our Township is vibrant and robust.
Some fun factoids about our township
According to the American Community Survey we have a population of 13,841 up from 8,419 in 2000. Families made up 73 percent of the households in Forks Township.
Financial Condition
We have raised taxes only twice in the last 16 years. Our current tax rate is 5.6 mils. This tax represents 8% of the total tax burden of a Forks resident. 18% of the total taxes go to Northampton County whereas 74% go to the Easton School District.
In this challenging economy we can take great pride in our financial management of the township. We have operating expenses of $7.93M with revenue of $7.93M. We are expecting a surplus of $971,765 for 2011.
Staffing note: 54 Full Time plus 18 part-time. 24 Police (23 sworn officers), 14 Admin. 14 Public Works 10 Road and 4 Parks, 2 Recreation.
Where is this money spent? Public Safety is approximately at 40% with Administration and Facilities at 27%. The least burden on the taxpayer is the Legislative budget at .9%.
Aside from taxes, where do we look for future revenue to support services to a growing population as residential development matures? The future economic engine for the township must be commercial development. Last year, 7 commercial developments valued at 13 million generated $202,800.00 in permit fees. These operations will generate on going additional EIT taxes and add to the real estate tax base. BCAF’s economic development committee chaired by Sharon Davis is exploring initiatives to showcase Forks as a great place to do business.
Public Debt
Current Debt is at 10.8 million. In 2009 our debt consisted of several loans for the municipal complex buildings, Community Center, fire trucks and public works equipment. In 2010, we decided to consolidate and refinance all debt including funds to finance the new public works garage. We secured a new consolidated loan for 11.3 million at the bottom of the curve in municipal rates last year, saving the township $766,000 in future interest over our former loans. We expect to retire the loan over 16 years in 2027. (Loan rate yield ranges from .40% o 3.8%)
Capital Projects
We are working on several major capital projects in 2011:
· Completion of the new Public Works Building
· Completion of the Sullivan Trial and Meco Road stop light
· Final decision on the amphitheater
Parks and Recreation
We are excited about latest additional to the township leadership team. We have hired our first Parks and Recreation Director – Rachel Sulzbach as Director of Parks and Recreation. Additionally, we are pleased to announce the hiring of Matthew Carfahno as our new Community Center Manager. We anticipate 2011 recreation revenue of $326,00.00.
In 2011, we are working on new Parks and Recreation projects.
Commercial Development
We are several major development projects well underway in our township
Residential Development
Housing permits have slowed over the last few years as the recession hurt homes throughout the Lehigh Valley. In 2010, we had 17 approved developments under partial construction containing 1261 residential units yet to be constructed. During that same year, we issued 75 housing permits and we still have 1261 housing units to be built as the economy recovers in 2011 and beyond. Right now, only 59% of the housing developments are completed.
Public Safety
Forks Township Volunteer Fire Department responded to 388 calls with 304 incident hours throughout the township and in Stockertown. Of the 388, 32% of the calls we related to vehicle accidents, 17% for activated alarms, with 8% of the calls we for structure fires. In total, the Forks Fire Department had 8,211 total volunteer hours. Firemen now have excellent training opportunities at our newly completed fire tower on Glover Road.
Forks Township Police Department with 23 full time officers responded to 7369 calls. Our police department has an extensive community outreach program, such as the youth police academy, child safety seat inspection, and the very popular bicycle safety program.
14 staff members: 10 assigned to roads and 4 to parks.
A special thanks to the Forks Township Public Works crews for their excellent snow removal and ice mediation this winter season, which was one of worst in years. This past fall our new leaf vacuum went in to service. We are now in a much better position to manage this organic waste for recycling.
This staff is responsible for 59 miles of roadway and 11 miles of recreation paths along with all the parkland.
Update: According to the Express-Times, the Easton Area School district is proposing for the teachers to return to last year pay schedule (think pay cut) and agree to a freeze pay for two years. Where is the proposal for the administration to return last year pay raises and agree to a two year pay freeze? This is about shared sacrifice!
As I have stated in the past, I believe the public sector unions and the local municipalities must find a way to create viable financial models to avoid overtaxing our citizens.
In the case of the Easton Area School District, the school board and teachers union seem willing to have another public standoff in order to solve the approximately $14.0M budget deficit. According to school district figures, even if the teachers agree to a one year pay freeze, the savings would only be total $7.4M per year or about half of the budget gap. Additionally, the one year pay freeze proposal does not address the long-term financial viability of the Easton School district.
If the school district is correct and the average teacher pay raise is really 12.57%, then the school district has no financial pathway to solve its future budget gaps.
So here is the bottom line. Both the teachers union and school board need to re-open the union contract and find a viable financial model. Additionally, the school board needs to freeze all administrative pay raises and find additional cost reductions programs. This must a shared sacrifice between the administration and the teachers. I think we can all agree our kid’s education and well being are at stake.
If both sides continue these counter productive conversations, our school district could be broke, our kids will receive a horrible education, and the broader Easton community will suffer. It is time to have real adult conversations.
Get Involved!
In the past, I have posted data from the American Community Survey containing interesting facts about our township.
Finally, the official census data is available. Here is the results for Forks Township.
We were the 7th fastest growing township from 2000 to 2010. Yikes! Just a quick view of our neighboring townships:
City of Easton
Stockertown Borough
Palmer Township
Prepared by The Pennsylvania State Data Center
Forks Township has 5,254 households with the average household size of 2.63 and an average family size of 3.16.
| HOUSEHOLDS BY TYPE | |
| Total households | 5,254 |
| Family households (families) | 3,835 |
| With own children under 18 years | 1,972 |
| Married-couple family | 3,429 |
| With own children under 18 years | 1,808 |
| Male householder, no wife present, family | 64 |
| With own children under 18 years | 0 |
| Female householder, no husband present, family | 342 |
| With own children under 18 years | 164 |
| Nonfamily households | 1,419 |
| Householder living alone | 1,302 |
| 65 years and over | 469 |
| Households with one or more people under 18 years | 2,023 |
| Households with one or more people 65 years and over | 1,203 |
| Average household size | 2.63 |
| Average family size | 3.16 |
School Enrollment: We have 3,632 kids in school with the majority of kids enrolled in grades 1-8 and 683 in high school.
| Population 3 years and over enrolled in school | 3,632 |
| Nursery school, preschool | 400 |
| Kindergarten | 323 |
| Elementary school (grades 1-8) | 1,687 |
| High school (grades 9-12) | 683 |
| College or graduate school | 539 |
Educational Attainment: We have 3711 residents with a bachelor degree or higher.
| Population 25 years and over | 9,446 |
| Less than 9th grade | 100 |
| 9th to 12th grade, no diploma | 439 |
| High school graduate (includes equivalency) | 2,673 |
| Some college, no degree | 1,771 |
| Associate's degree | 752 |
| Bachelor's degree | 2,356 |
| Graduate or professional degree | 1,355 |
| Percent high school graduate or higher | 94.3% |
| Percent bachelor's degree or higher | 39.3% |
First, I find the murder of innocent children who were born alive in a Philadelphia abortion clinic morally reprehensible and utterly repugnant. If the doctor’s actions are proven in court, he should be punished to the fullest extend of the law.
Now what happens? If you are a pro-life advocate you will want the abortion clinic shutdown. If you are pro-choice advocate you will wonder how this could happen and what kind of regulations could be implemented to prevent future tragedies.
This answer is not easy. As abortions are legal in the United States, Governor Corbett cannot shutdown the clinics based upon his personal beliefs. The Governor can ensure the abortion clinics strictly follow the letter of the law and legal abortions are performed in a safe manner.
Given, I am a pro-life advocate, I am reminded of a difficult decision my daughter made 8 years ago, as she bore a child out of wedlock. She made the decision to have her son, my grandson, so he could enjoy a full and healthy life. A decision even more remarkable, as my grandson has been recently diagnosed with autism. I am proud she chose the gift of life, not the anguish of abortion. Had she had chosen a different path; I would not have the opportunity to see the world through my grandson eyes. He is a remarkable 8 year old!
As Governor Corbett weighs his options, I pray he holds firm with his personal beliefs, but also remembers he has the obligation to uphold the law of the land.
