We will continue to preserve farmland and open space
There are many adjectives we could use to describe the last two years, but “uneventful” and “easy” wouldn’t apply. The COVID-19 pandemic dominated our lives, our health care system and our economy since 2020 and, unfortunately, it isn’t over yet.
Still, here in Northampton County, we aren’t focusing on the past. We’re moving forward, doing what we can to mitigate the effects of the virus, preserving farmland and open space to combat warehouse proliferation, assisting our small businesses and concentrating on maintaining the level of fiscal and financial excellence we’ve achieved over the last four years.
My team is so diligent at eliminating unnecessary costs and applying for grants that, in the 2022 budget, we were able to cut real estate taxes by 1 mil, or about 8.5%.
This tax cut does not come at the expense of the county services so many of our residents rely upon. It results from a reduction in travel expenses, systems that improve the energy efficiency of our buildings and aggressively applying for grants.
We targeted the federal funding we received from the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan to programs to help our embattled municipalities and small businesses deal with the fallout from the virus.
Our Emergency Management department facilitated the distribution of personal protective equipment to first responders across the county, and our Human Services department set up programs to assist residents with rent, mortgage and utility payments.
The pandemic is a reality we cannot ignore, which is why we moved so quickly in 2020 to set up a drive-thru testing center and, when vaccines became available, we added those as well. Our current drive-thru site, at Coordinated Health, 2801 Emrick Blvd. in Bethlehem, expanded its hours after the Christmas holiday when the omicron variant surged.
Fortunately, with the decrease in cases, that site has been able to return to normal hours, but we know that it isn’t just COVID-19 that threatens the health of the people of Northampton County. Other infectious diseases such as influenza, tuberculosis and HIV affect our folks struggling with chronic conditions such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
In January, I began looking for a noncounty affiliated academic institution or hospital system to determine if Northampton County needs its own health bureau. A community resource that can coordinate information and deliver services to promote and improve public health may hold the key to improving maternal and child health while providing programming on preventive care.
Health Bureaus aren’t a magic bullet.
Counties without health bureaus did no worse in the pandemic than counties with them. But I’m hopeful that, should we choose to establish one, it will have a positive effect for our residents in the future.
Something else that has a positive effect on our health, both physical and mental, is parks and open space. Since taking office in 2018, I’ve moved quickly to preserve farmland and expand our systems of parks and trails.
While these areas have always been popular, the pandemic showed us that they are crucial to our quality of life.
One of the few places people could go to exercise and recreate during the shutdowns were our parks.
That’s why, under my administration, we’ve preserved 45 farms totaling 2,524 acres. We’ve also added three new parks: the Hexenkopf Ridge Preserve in Williams Township, the Little Martins Preserve in Lower Mount Bethel and the Spengler Preserve in East Allen, for a total of 297 acres.
While science developed a vaccine to protect public health, we used funds from the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan as a vaccine to protect our economy. More nimble and adaptable than large corporations, small businesses provide society with the innovation needed to adapt to change.
Early in the pandemic, quarantines, shutdowns and travel restrictions were necessary to protect public health. Closing of nonessential businesses likely saved lives, which made it all that much more important to make sure those businesses were compensated for their sacrifice.
We need the barbershops, the dance studios, the day cares and the spas as much as they need their customers.
Grants to small businesses such as florist, gyms, restaurants, etc. were the most direct form of help we could provide so, in partnership with the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, we’ve distributed over $22 million to over 1,500 businesses so far.
The grant money can be used for rent, payroll and other operating expenses. And I’ve personally heard from many owners about how important these grants have been to keeping businesses open and operational.
The past two years have been difficult, but Northampton County continues to look forward while constructing the groundwork that will carry us to a brighter future.