subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Sat, Sep 06 2008 
Breaking News:  District 10 Scores  September 05, 2008 10:26 pm

Published July 04, 2008 10:04 pm - Crawford County’s four legislators split their vote on support of the state’s 2008-09 budget, which was approved Friday afternoon and sent to the governor for signature.

Crawford County legislators weigh in on Pensylvania's 2008-09 budget


By Jane Smith

07/05/08

Crawford County’s four legislators split their vote on support of the state’s 2008-09 budget, which was approved Friday afternoon and sent to the governor for signature.

Republican state Sen. Bob Robbins and Republican state Rep. John Evans both voted yes.

However, Republican Michele Brooks and Republican Brad Roae were both no votes.

Robbins and Evans both were especially pleased that the budget contained no new taxes or fees and the Rainy Day Fund was kept intact — despite proposals by the governor to use some of it for the budget.

All four were pleased that the budget included 3 percent increases for school districts — double what the governor had proposed.

“It was a tough budget, but it held the line on taxes and fees,” said Robbins about his vote. “There were some tough decisions. Obviously some people won’t be as happy as they would have liked.”

His concern was the economic situation. He said the state “did a very tough budget last year, but it kept us in a better position than with state’s around us,” he said, referring to the fact that some have deficit spending. “Looking forward to next year, it will be the same,” Robbins predicted, saying the state will be in the same situation next year until something changes.

Concerning other programs, he said the funding was held steady or decreased. “We will try to work on (funding for) those programs and get them back (funding),” he concluded.

Evans also hailed the passage of legislation and funding for infrastructure projects, including those making upgrades to water and sewerage systems. Senate Bill 2 calls for $800 million for water or sewer, storm water, flood protection and dam safety projects. The funds will be derived from the fund within the Gaming Act that designates money for economic development.

He also is pleased that the budget comes in under the rate of inflation at 3.98 percent.

“With state revenues taking a slight dip in the past couple of months and the national economy struggling, we knew we had to keep spending in check and not saddle our residents with any unnecessary tax increases,” Evans said.

Brooks cited several flaws that she believes could have serious ramifications in future years.

Although the budget increased funds for schools, she said programs important to the people of the 17th District have been cut or altered in a way that may have long-term consequences.

Both she and Roae voiced concerns that the budget only calls for 11 months of payments for Medical Assistance managed care programs —meaning the 12th month will be rolled into the next year’s fiscal budget.

In addition, Brooks is concerned about the commonwealth’s financial health during the next year. Revenues for 2008-09 have been projected at a 3 percent growth level, even with the 2007-08 growth recording just a 1.7 percent increase.



print this story    email this story   

Click here to load this Caspio Bridge DataPage.
Click here to load this Caspio Bridge DataPage.




monster
wheels
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premier Guide
Premium Jobs

Parenting SPECIALIST Part Time
Parenting SPECIALIST Part Time

The Bair Foundation, a non-profit Christian Foster Care Agency is looking fo
...>MORE

Nursing Home Positions / Rolling Fields
Team PLAYERS

Our Care Teams are currently interviewing for the following positions in our home:

...>MORE

BARTENDER
BARTENDER
POSITION AVAILABLE
Apply in person at Chovy’s! Italian
Casual Restaurant.
18228 Conn. La
...>MORE

Lot Attendant for Lake View Ford
Lake View Ford
Position Opening for
LOT ATTENDANT
We are looking for a lot attendant to join our team. M
...>MORE

Therapists / Family Services
FAMILY SERVICES OF NW PA
FAMILY BASED MENTAL HEALTH

We have openings in our Crawford and Venango County
...>MORE

See all ads

Premium Autos

See all ads

Premium Homes

OPEN HOUSE Sat 1-4
OPEN HOUSE
Sat 1-4
Beautiful 4 BR Country Home on 4 Acres. 2 BA, 2 Garages, Pool, Rec Room, Price $30,000 be
...>MORE

See all ads

Premium "Stuff"

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2008. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index