‘State of the County’ report is released
Democrats paint rosy picture; Republican board member points to two years of tax hikes
The state of Montgomery County is strong, according to commissioners’ Chairwoman Val Arkoosh.
The annual address discussing the strengths of the county and yearly progress of its initiatives were delivered Thursday by Arkoosh, highlighting projects in infrastructure and initiatives in human services and public safety.
“Every day our team asks what can we do in county government to build partnerships, anticipate and avoid problems and improve efficiency,” Arkoosh said. “We measure our success in the vibrancy of our economy, the health of our communities and the thoroughness with which we meet the needs of the people we serve.”
Commissioner Joe Gale, the only Republican on the board, emphasized fiscal weaknesses he sees in the county’s spending and said he believes spending should be reeled in.
“It’s important to take the rose-colored glasses off and see where we can improve,” Gale said, mentioning two consecutive years of large county property tax increases.
“Closing the gap between expenditures and revenue requires either raising taxes or decreasing spending, and in this year, in 2017 the operating budget increased from $389 million in our operating budget to $409 million in our operating budget,” he added.
Arkoosh said that Gale’s comments reflected “philosophical differences” in priorities for the county. The annual address focused more on the results of the county’s spending. Arkoosh highlighted the $5 motor vehicle registration fee added in 2016 as a means to fund major infrastructure projects.
“Our transportation priorities include aggressive plans to keep out more than 130 county owned bridges structurally sound. Over the last few years we’ve successfully replaced or repaired 16 bridges that were deemed structurally deficient and we have 34 bridge projects in our capital budget in 2017,” Arkoosh said.
The Lafayette Street Extension Project and the early stages of a high speed rail project to connect King of Prussia to Philadelphia were also mentioned as a means to connect residents in communities throughout the county and to resources in Philadelphia.
The State of the County report also gave a summary of some of the public safety measures implemented over the last year, with special focus on the fight against opioid addiction and overdoses. Arkoosh announced that all 49 police departments in the county have agreed to begin carrying the overdose-reversing drug naloxone.
“These local police join our EMS teams, the health department and local pharmacies on the front lines in providing help to those in danger of an overdose. In 2016, between our police and EMS, we’ve had more than 700 lives saved as a result of Naloxone,” she said.
The address was followed by an update on the implementation of the county’s strategic Montco 2040 plan, which focuses on connected communities, economic initiatives and sustainability.
Jody Holton, executive director of the Montgomery County Planning Commission, gave a detailed report of measures taken in 2016 to achieve the goals outlined in the plan, as well as plans for implementation in 2017.
The Schuylkill River Trail, which will eventually connect from Philadelphia all the way to Pottstown, is one of the measures discussed in the plan. The first phase of construction on the Pottstown section is scheduled to begin this year.
“While trails, parks and farms may seem like nice amenities, they are also significant drivers for home values, economic development, tourism and new residents to the county,” Arkoosh said.