Letters to the Editor for May 18

Here are today’s Letters to the Editors…

Submitted by Falls Township Resident  Mike Falkevitz:

In 1965 the Pennsylvania legislature and then Governor William Scranton enacted many sweeping changes in Pennsylvania, one of which was the passage of Act 511. The Local Tax Enabling Act allowed for most local municipalities and school districts to enact an Earned Income Tax (EIT) of up to 1%. Despite receiving $12 Million annually from Waste Management activities and regardless of the almost $54 million in the long term savings fund, Board of Supervisors Chairman Bob Harvie is pushing the Board of Supervisors towards enacting an EIT.

Their reasoning is that “other municipalities have it, why should our residents pay to another municipality?” When this sentiment was made by our Board Chairman Bob Harvie, I literally had my 5 year old sons face pop into my head. The only difference between the arguments made by Chairman Harvie and my son is my son wants to ride his scooter in the street like his brother who is 17 and Bob Harvie wants to raise taxes on every working family in Falls Township.

Falls Township has a higher average home price than similar homes in Bristol Township because we have a lower property tax rate and no EIT. Both of these negatively affect home values directly as they make Bristol Township more expensive to live and raise a family in. With a higher property tax millage and a 1% EIT split between Bristol Township and Bristol Township School District comparable homes cost 5-10% less. But don’t take my word for it, call any Realtor and look at comparable properties.

How about instead of an EIT we look to cut wasteful spending such as having to pay for 2 solicitors at every township meeting @ $600/hour for land development issues? Maybe Supervisor Jeff Dence could stop calling township professionals and adding billable hours to every monthly bill (as he proudly states he does regularly during township meetings)? After all, Township Manager Peter Gray makes almost $130,000 year, I am sure he can have someone take care of issues with contractors working in Falls Twp.

Or is the interest in an EIT Bob Harvie’s answer to bringing revenue in to take care of the solicitors and engineers that so handsomely contribute thousands every year to the Falls Democratic Club? After all, he wants to build a $15 million dollar township building and the long term savings from the Host Community Fees (HCF) paid by Waste management has become stagnant. While Dorothy Vislosky said we could be a “tax free” Falls Township, Bob Harvie and his Rubberstamps spending these millions faster and faster.

Please attend the next Supervisor Meeting and say no to an Earned Income Tax. Falls Township working families pay enough in taxes already. The special interest that make double the median income in Falls can tighten their own belts and Bob Harvie & the Rubberstamps can stop wasting township revenues on more and more engineering studies.

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