South Whitehall Commissioner Candidates Address Budget, Services

With the primary only a week away, Patch has posed SIX QUESTIONS to the candidates for  Commissioner in an effort to help voters get to know them better.

Through Thursday, Patch will provide the candidates' answers, two by two.

Patch reached out to all six Republicans running for the three seats on the board. There are no Democrats running, but several of the Republicans plan to seek the Democratic nomination as a write-in candidate.

Each candidate was sent the same six questions last week, and they were given until Monday, May 9, to respond. Patch solicited questions from readers, and so the questions reflect readers' concerns.

The candidates were asked to respond in three to four sentences. Their answers are presented in full, and unedited. 

If a candidate did not return the questionnaire, "Declined to Participate" appears next to their name.

The candidates are listed in the order they will appear on the Republican ballot in the primary on Tuesday, May 17.

Today, the candidates respond to questions about budget shortfalls and township services.

QUESTION: South Whitehall used half of its reserve ($4.3 million) to balance the 2011 budget and to avoid a tax increase. With expenses rising and revenue flat, how do you specifically propose to deal with a budget shortfall next year? Should the township continue to use reserve funds to bridge the gap between revenue and spending?

 * R.A. (Rene) Rodriquez: The use of reserve funds as a budgetary resource is appropriate. However, a reserve approximately equal to 10% of the budget should be maintained for emergency occurrences.  The assumption that there will be budgetary shortfall is not a given. However, if one should occur, there are sufficient discretionary expenditures in the normal expenditures that could be delayed to prevent a tax increase. The possibility of changes in contract terms could also be explored.

* Glenn Block: I will use my 29 years as a Certified Public Accountant and my specialty as a forensic (investigative) accountant to discover why the township is spending more than we are taking in.  I hope to further uncover specific expenses that are wasteful so that they can be eliminated without decreasing the quality in township services in an attempt to hold off on raising taxes.  We cannot continue to deplete our reserve funds and claim to our residents that we have a “balanced budget.” The township should solve their deficit spending problem by voting for experienced candidates with a strong budget and financial background so that those individuals can examine the best methods and solutions to eliminate our having to further deplete our capital reserve funds.

* Brian Hite: The reserve funds are there for dire unexpected needs such as an unplanned replacing of a large piece of fire equipment or other key element to the public safety and welfare, not long term budget balancing.

I would go through the budget line by line and focus on the professional services and consultation fees the Township has been paying as well as reviewing all the "assigned" vehicles and their usage annually.

Cost analysis should be ongoing to provide the commissioners with the proper information financially to allow them to make proper and vetted decisions.

South Whitehall already has the second highest township property taxes in Lehigh County, there is no reason that the spending cannot be in line with revenues without sacrificing public safety and township services while waiting for the local economy to improve.

* Dale Daubert (Declined to Participate)

* Heidi A. McMahon (Declined to Participate)

* David Bond: This question is very complex and difficult to give a short answer without leaving out key points. Overall Revenue must exceed or maintain at the same level as expenses as a solid business practice. This allows for appropriate fiscal responsibility. It is inappropriate without all the facts to fairly judge the decisions to use the reserve as a good or bad solution to the budget deficit. I do not think we should depend on the Reserve as general practice to cover gaps between revenue and spending, rather use it as a crutch during special situations that can arise. We must have a clear plan to pay back the reserve as soon as possible and explore options to bridge the gap to balanced budget.

QUESTION:  Which township services do you view as highest priority and should have current expenditure levels maintained or increased?  Which township services can be trimmed?

 * R.A. (Rene) Rodriquez: The highest priority services provided by the township are emergency services through the police service and equipment for the volunteer fire companies.  Because the township has always treated these services as a priority, there is no need to increase expenditures there. Services that could be trimmed are maintenance services of roads. The township has always had an priority to maintain the condition of public roads. This schedule could be stretched to provide budgetary relief.

* Glenn Block: Our police, firefighters and rescue personnel should always have the highest priority regarding township services.  Coordination with our police and fire chiefs is imperative and an integral part to the safety and well being of our community. As Commissioner, I will carefully examine the books of the township with my CPA skills to specifically determine which expenses should be cut.

* Brian Hite: Public Safety will always be my highest priority, the volunteer fire departments and the police department will always have the finest equipment, training and support that the township can provide to them.

The funding for Fire and Police equipment should be analyzed to assure that there are sufficient funds available to buy the proper equipment in a timely manner while taking in to account price increases and new federal and state requirements.

I would question why the public works department sublets out so many projects that the current work force could be performing especially when no one knows the history of our roads and infrastructure better than our current public works employees.

Township services are the backbone as to why we all live here, no essential services can be trimmed without first scrutinizing the in house professional services (legal and engineering) contracts and consultant fees the township has been paying for years. 

* Dale Daubert (Declined to Participate)

* Heidi A. McMahon (Declined to Participate)

* David Bond: All of our services are important. All are related and one can not work well with out the other. Once again I think this would require more facts and data to allow us to explore options with the Township Management and Staff to initiate cost avoidance and saving methods. In other words explore efficiencies, economy of scale and improve overall productivity which in itself helps everyone.

Tomorrow: The candidates weigh in on the township's solicitor/engineer search. And they tell you why they are the best choice for township commissioner.