The LuLac Edition #3665, December 10th, 2017
HOWE EVENT MONDAY NIGHT
LAFLIN LAUGHS AT ALL OF US
LAFLIN LAUGHS AT ALL OF US
Have you seen that Citizen's Voice story about the Laflin Borough Council fighting Jenkins Township about a shared agreement with police forces? Their reasoning is a slap in the face to all Pennsylvania taxpayers. Here’s what’s going on.
The other night, Commissioner Linsky from Jenkins township (right on the border of Laflin) went to a Council meeting in the enchanted village of the entitled and broached the subject of having Jenkins Township enter into an agreement to provide police coverage for LOL. (Little old Laflin). The estimated cost was $69,000. Council members balked and residents said that it didn’t make sense for the burg of brittle egos to pay anything. Their reasoning is because State Police protection was already in place for free, then why should THEY pay for it? After all Laflin lapdog leaders suggested, “We’d have to raise taxes!”.
My opinion here is that a bedroom community like Laflin should pay for their own police especially after they rejected an agreement from a neighboring entity to provide it. At a fee of course but somehow people in Laflin feel they are entitled to free police protection from the staties. State Police protection should be provided in rural areas where there are miles between houses. Not in a little place on the map with gorgeous homes whose taxpayers are too cheap to pay for government services. I say taxpayers because they elected a team that promised no new taxes for police protection.
The time has come for little pissant communities to pay their fair share especially when it’s offered to them on a silver platter. The State Police should pull out. Or maybe every other town should disband their police departments and ask for the State Police to take over.
What kills me is this. It’s okay for our tax dollars to go to fund little lazy Laflin but oh God if a mother in this state is on the WIC program……those mom and kids are dubbed freeloaders.
A very few might be, but I’m sure Laflin residents will pick them out because it takes one to know one.
RABO AND DOBASH TALK ABOUT COUNTY RAISES
(Photo: Pinterest)
We got two letters in the e mail bag, first from Mark Rabo and then in response from Council member Kathy Dobash. Both are concerning county raises for employees in a government that is still not out of the woods debt wise. On Dec 7, 2017 4:34 PM, "Kathy Dobash"
I ask you to stand with the taxpayers of Luzerne County.
Do not let the Chief Solicitor blur your judgement. We do have the power to reduce the amount taxpayers pay for employee healthcare.
We must consider the burden placed on the taxpayers when the County Manager asks you to stand with the government employees. The taxpayers are paying for all salary and healthcare increases.
It is in the Charter, the precedent is set, what was legislative in the past is legislative now.
The Manager does not require more power and more tax dollars to give away as he chooses.
A solicitor opinion, is just an opinion. It is not an order to follow. Usually the Chief Solicitor gives an opinion that leans towards her boss, the County Manager.
We set policy.
Wake up please. Every year the budget has increased. If the Manager and Division Heads were doing a great job, the spending would be reduced. Our general fund budget spending increased from $121 million in 2012, to the Manager's requested $141 million. That is a high spending rate increase. Only give what is necessary and make them negotiate and tighten their belts.
The merit based policy was never shown to County Council. These salary increases are in the position budget for all positions. If you do not support elimination of the salary increases, then support giving only a small amount for each Division.
Also, scrutinize the five new contracts under negotiations. To get an update on these contracts I had to request an executive session meeting. We should have more information and updates on these negotiations. Why should the taxpayers pay for the increased costs to Healthcare? Next year the taxpayers should not pay the increased cost of $700,000!
Merit pay raises need to be implemented for all employees. These across the board union raises are no longer affordable.
Please consider all options and stand with the taxpayers before you vote on December 12, 2017.
Kathy Dobash
Luzerne County Council Member
Hazleton, PA
Mark Rabo Dec 7, 2017 5:36 pm
Mark Rabo
Council Member Dobash,
I'd strongly suggest that you and the rest of the council change the administrative code to make it mandatory for the County Manager to only put in a request for merit raises based on their performance not on just when the employee was hired. To have the taxpayers pay 100% for the cost of health care especially for the division heads is unsustainable based on the salary they get where they're paying nothing for their health care costs. In the private sector, upper management is not getting health care fullly paid for by the company as the costs are coming out of their salary.
Upper management and senior staff can opt to take a salary freeze for 2 years if they are not adding any other costs to their division meaning positions in order to continue to get their health care coverage fully paid for or the additional positions they want in exchange for them having to foot the bill for their health care coverage themselves. The County Manager, Division Heads, and their senior staff have to understand the fiscal responsibility you have to answer to the taxpayers who finance this County. You can't afford to pay out more than you collect in revenue every year just to preserve the status quo. If any of you truly ran a business, you'd know exactly what I am saying to you. The County property tax is the 2nd most costly tax a homeowner pays for and the quality of service they're are paying for is nowhere near the same as if the county services offered are the same as in states where they provide police coverage for the entire county or for schools in their counties. PA has 3 separate entities that collect tax on property except for Philadelphia which has only 2. So instead of the majority of council giving away the store at the Manager's discretion, I'd ask for all of Council to be judicious and scrutinize very vigorously when it comes to how the taxpayers money is being spent in every aspect of your approved budget through the year rather than only at the budget meetings.
Thanks for your attention and consideration,
Mark Rabo
posted by David Yonki @ 8:59 AM
14 comments
14 Comments:
The system is designed to be exploited. It is not either or. The smart ones, rich or poor, are the ones who exploit it to maximum benefit.
Re: Laflin
Holy dear Jesus! I cannot believe I'm actually saying this but here goes.
... "Yonki I agree with you!"
Yonki it is obvious you don’t have the whole story in regards to Laflin the fact is Laflin does not have the money to give to Jenkins Twp Laflin has a surplus of 65k for 2018 which means no surlplus for 2019 or 2020 .if Laflin enters into contract they will have no money left
the fact is Laflin does not have the money to give to Jenkins Twp Laflin has a surplus of 65k for 2018 which means no surlplus for 2019 or 2020 .if Laflin enters into contract they will have no money left.
IN RESPONSE
Okay then when a service is needed, you don't plan for it? Did this Council NOT watch its budget for the year?
They should do what other communities have to do. RAISE TAXES.
Why should one community that is not rural and has a willing partner next door cry poverty when
1. They didn't plan for this eventuality.
2. The leaders are too cowardly and cheap to raise taxes for a needed service.
Hey I don't care if they deputize half the town with Barney Fife's but they have a professional force next door.
The State Police are great at what they do but they can't be in 10 places at one time. And what about that fire a few months ago? Didn't that send out alarm bells to the elected officials?
My point is it is not rural, the homes I'm told are resort like and a responsible town makes its own way and doesn't take the easy way out.
Funny how one person's "service" is a priority when it involves a community "set" but when a service is offered to a struggling entity new to this area it's a hand out.
Completely off topic, I read an article in the Hazelton newspaper about LA Tarone. I googled his name because I was trying to remember something and came across this site
http://latarone.com/
Did you know about this?
What a wonderful tribute to the man.
Completely off topic, I read an article in the Hazelton newspaper about LA Tarone. I googled his name because I was trying to remember something and came across this site
IN RESPONSE
I did not know that. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. I'll make sure I share it.
Off topici fine BTW.
Thanks!
Re: Laflin
Mr. Yonki, I'm going to give you a piece of advice...before you call yourself a "writer", you may want to do some research and get your facts straight. Let me clear some things up for you. HERE'S what's going on. Mr. Linskey, with an "E", (learn to spell the important players' names), is NOT a commissioner, he is Jenkins Township's SUPERVISOR. Jenkins Township is not right on the border of Laflin, it borders Laflin. Big difference. He didn't come to a council meeting on the 7th, our council meetings are on the second Tuesday of each month. The next is tomorrow, the 12th, please do join us. This was a special meeting, called by the current corrupt council and Jenkins Township. Please don't call Laflin an "enchanted village". It's a slap in the face to the residents of times long ago, who worked so hard to transform Laflin into a borough in 1889, just to earn the privilege of having a council and voting. Current council is doing enough of that. You're awfully snide calling our citizens entitled. My parents bought our property to escape the Agnes Flood, after losing EVERYTHING they had. My father was a heavy equipment operator, my mother a substitute teacher. They were proudly building our home when they received word of my upcoming arrival. We were POOR. My parents worked hard, my mother didn't know a soul in the school district to obtain her job, my father was laid off in the winters and used that time to take care of his kids during the day and put himself through electrician's school at night. Does THAT sound affluent or "entitled", sir?? My father worked 2 jobs to put braces on our teeth, help my mother work toward her master's degree and allow us to take a vacation. What you don't realize is that MOST of the 635 homes in Laflin Borough aren't AFFLUENT and are mostly blue collar workers who are trying to escape the city life of crime, drugs, and want to live quietly. How DARE you insult the hard working people of "Little old Laflin"?! I'm not finished...
Let me tell you WHY it doesn't make sense for us to give up the surplus of $65,000 left over, that really SHOULD be $87,000, but none of us can get a straight answer as to HOW $22,000 disappeared in a month. Outside of the actual borough sign that says, "WELCOME TO LAFLIN", PSP patrols 315 and 81, continuously around the clock and they handle those calls on tax dollars, including OURS, Mr. Yonki. It literally takes them 3-5 minutes to respond to one of our calls because they swing into Laflin Road from 315. We have approximately 1,502 residents living in 635 houses and besides the calls on 315 and interstate 81 we consist of MAYBE 2 calls a MONTH. If you check the statistics from the FBI and PSP websites, in 2016, which was the last full report year, we had a total of 5 reportable crimes with 1,488 residents and NONE were violent crimes. In the SAME year, a neighboring community (Hughestown), had only 1,398 residents, had police presence and had 53 crimes accounted for, 18 were violent. Another community in western PA had less than half the residents we have and had 56 reportable crimes and 12 violent crimes. Guess what?! Police presence! They have it! Go ahead, check my facts. What is my point? We're not saying we should ride the gravy train, we have inflated egos, we have FREE protection and shouldn't have our taxes raised, or we're taking the easy way out! We're being fiscally responsible and thinking. THINKING! Are YOU?! By the way, for someone who knows so much about, well, EVERYTHING...one would think you'd know that TAXES pay for PSP coverage. Mr. Yonki, if you're so busy driving through Laflin and being jealous of some people's "resort"-like homes, I have some advice for you...you should have worked harder and be less judgemental and realize that those same people are paying MORE taxes than you are! THOSE people are paying PSP's salary! Did you know that Laflin residents are paying anywhere from $1,400-$29,000 in taxes?! That averages to $15,200 when you really think about it, but truly, most of us probably pay somewhere between $3,300 and $5,000. Can YOU afford that? Are YOU paying that much? So, Mr. Yonki, we ARE paying for our own police coverage, and in theory, we're ACTUALLY paying for every single resident and non-resident that passes through our borough on highway 315 and interstate 81, when you think about it and not even complaining. However, not that you've mentioned it, maybe you all should start paying US. This may be a little long winded, but I have a lot to say because this has gone too damn far. You've given your opinion, and frankly, none of us really care because you don't matter. However, I'm going to make something perfectly clear. The reason Laflin rejected police regionalization is because the first year would have cost $185,000, WITH a grant. As you can see, our current back door, lame duck council that plans on illegal agreements withered away our budget and surplus to nothing and we'd never be able to afford that. The second year would cost around $215,000 with no grants. 2 calls a month...worth $215,000 per year? Because it's not fair to neighboring communities? Boohoo.
Would ANYONE be able to afford this with only 635 households?!
I guess you haven't taken into account the elderly, disabled, lost jobs, single parents with several kids and a spouse that suddenly passed away. You're the one who's speaking of judging WIC, Mr. Yonki. You all have the opportunity to do what YOU want as well. You're just angry because you didn't think of it first and you live in cesspools of chaos and destruction. Are you willing to pay more to get away from it? Too cheap? Nope! We pay MORE than enough to get what we deserve and need better infrastructure. We hardly elected a team that promised no new taxes for police protection. Tsk tsk, Mr. Yonki. A political analyst? You need a new job, sir. "Pissant" communities? You sound angry. Maybe you need a hug. Nothing was offered on a silver platter. LOL $65,000-$69,000 for sub-par police officers who can barely get themselves out of their vehicles, file lawsuits against their departments because they'd rather not work, officers who cheat on exams or are nowhere near their jurisdictions? Sir, I'd wait the extra 5 minutes to have PSP handle my situation...ANY DAY, ANY TIME. By the way, my husband is ex military and was in local law enforcement for 16 years and has been in federal law enforcement since 2001. I support law enforcement officers and it's a CRIME to hear an officer say they'd watch someone die before they respond if Laflin didn't regionalize, or for a chief of police and supervisor to NOT know that mutual aid still stands if a borough doesn't have a police department. Would YOU want them working in your borough, let alone paying them $65,000 or more for only 2% activity?! Also, if Governor Wolf does have areas pay a $25 per person fee, per year, for PSP protection, I'd gladly pay it, as I'm sure the other residents would as well. Unfortunately, areas under 4,000 residents are capped from paying. What kills ME is THIS, the fact that you not only assumed what Laflin residents would think about the WIC program is disgusting. I actually support it, it feeds women, infants and children in need. I give to charities constantly and my husband and I teach women's self defense classes and donate the monies to charity. The backhanded way that you blame Laflin for thinking this and then said there are some that ARE freeloaders is digusting. Little lazy Laflin isn't so lazy, Yonki. We keep fighting for ourselves and aren't going to stop any time soon. #LAFLINSTRONG
P.S. Learn some punctuation and sentence structure before your next book. It's atrocious that you've been published. Oh, and don't forget how to spell MY name, you're going to be seeing it. A LOT.
Maureen Zavislak-PROUD resident of Laflin
This comment has been removed by the author.
This comment has been removed by the author.
11:10, 11:17, 11:26pm:
IN RESPONSE
Maureen Zavislak: Thank you for your enlightening and passionate information you shared with our readers.
There are certainly challenges in local government and especially police protection.
I am very happy with where I live, not angry, not in need of a hug and work very hard. WB is not a cesspool and Laflin is not lazy. I apologize for those over the top remarks.
Your passionate points are well taken and quite frankly appreciated. The comments regarding someone dying before any entity would help in any circumstance or view by a government body, whether it be regionalism or anything else is not fair as well.
That said, regionalization has worked in many areas.
Thanks for the invite to the meeting. I have medical testing on the 13th so that would prohibit my attendance.
But thank you for all your information and as you can see, we publish all your information to even out or correct any misconceptions I might have portrayed.
Thanks for sharing and reading.
7:30 AM Delete
Editor's Note: Comments 7:29 and 7:30 am were deleted to insure grammatical accuracy in comment 7:31AM.
Here's my take on all of this and you have stated this before. When big time Republicans cut government spending on the national level, like revenue sharing (I'm dating myself here) local governments pick up the responsibility and sometimes can't afford it. I leads to the frustration we see everywhere.
Cutting taxes at the top leads to more stress on the bottom. Simple as that.
Post a Comment
<< Home