The council has provided NO PLAN for addressing budget short falls! The solicitor said that the books were balanced with $6,500,000.00 from the reserve fund. There was nothing mentioned about the 2011 shortfall. When asked what the status of the 2011 budget was, the reply was…"the budget is the budget". What the heck does that mean? Are the councilmen trying to tell us that there is no projected shortfall for 2011? How would that be possible when revenue from taxes is down, they only laid off 6 people and were well over their snow removal budget (for the second year in a row).
We are curious to see what the Council and the Mayor are doing to balance this year's budget. The Mayor has blank authority, with no oversight or input from the Council regarding moving monies from one line item to another. We would like to see a monthly report on what monies were moved from what line item to cover budget shortages. We would also like to see a monthly report on what projects, purchases or hires were eliminated due to the line item transfers.
When former Councilman Allen asked to see the investigative report into discrimination within the Bensalem Township Police Department, he was refused. When former Councilman Allen asked to see what involvement the then acting Director of Public Safety had with the discrimination reports, he was refused. The council blindly went ahead, and hired Fred Harran as the Director of Public Safety!
Director of Public Safety Harran STILL has not provided a plan for funding the paid firefighters in Bensalem. The only answer we have had so far was from the Mayor who stated that the funding will come from the fire protection line item. Gee…that answers everything!
When the Director of Public Safety shut down the Union Fire Company reporting public safety issues, the council said nothing! When the Director of Public Safety refused to provide any of the issues to the Union Fire Company, nothing was done by the council. When a member of the council repeatedly interfered with projects initiated by the Union Fire Company and held secret meetings with the Director of Public Safety and a former member of the fire company who left after he was being investigated for improper conduct, nothing was done. In fact, the township was forced to supply a letter to the Union Fire Company stating that they had NO INFORMATION (despite repeated claims by a councilman and the Director of Public Safety) that the land the fire company wanted to purchase for a new station and special needs citizens campus that the land was contaminated and would require millions of dollars to clean up!
Despite being told by the Mayor in front of members of the Union Fire Company to stop interfering with a marine unit grant the Union Fire Company was awarded, the Director of Public Safety and a member of his command staff filed unfounded and slanderous complaints about the project with the Department of Homeland Security. When it was brought to the attention of the Mayor and Council, nothing was done.
When the Union Fire Company wanted to provide a paramedic ambulance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to Bensalem at no cost (requiring no tax funds), the Director of Public Safety and a member of the council interfered with the project. Now, the township raised taxes for the current ambulance service and has provided no additional service to the community! We suppose it is better to increase taxes and maintain the current level of service which during a November 2010 council meeting, the EMS provider and the Director of Public Safety stated was below the national response time standard. The Union Fire Company plan would have provided an additional advanced life support ambulance around the clock. The current EMS provider placed an ambulance in the Cornwells Fire Company station AFTER the Union Fire Company project was made known. This ambulance is only there from 12 noon to 10:00 P.M. six days a week. The project that the Union Fire Company wanted to implement would have paid for itself and provided additional funding to the fire company. Sounds like a good plan. Why didn't the Mayor or the council support the plan? A leading doctor in emergency medical response reviewed and endorsed the project.
When the Director of Public Safety announced in the beginning of July that it would cost $8,000,000.00 to complete a training center that was opened in 2010 as the "best in PA", the council said nothing. When asked when they were told it would cost $8,000,000.00 to complete a facility that was supposed to have been done already…no comment. This meeting, Councilman Kisselback stated he thought the Director of Public Safety said he needed $400,000.00. The point is councilman, when did you learn it was not done and what have you done about it?
Councilman Knowles nominated a person to take the place of outgoing councilman Szafran. The vote was tied two for and two against. Instead of moving on to another potential candidate, the Mayor voted to install Mr. Mathieu. How does that make sense? There were additional candidates that could have been considered. I guess we know who the Mayor wanted. Where does it say that the Mayor breaks the tie? We thought the Mayor worked for the council. We guess we learned differently last night.
Now there is another race issue within the Bensalem Police Department. Do the citizens of Linconia really believe that the Director of Public Safety will be able to investigate his department? All they have to do is look at the fiasco he created with the Union Fire Company to get that answer!
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