While the immediate crisis of paying state workers and continuing some essential services has been resolved, the state budget impasse continues. Whether you are a state worker, a vendor to the state, or depend upon a program that is threatened to be cut, we are all impacted by this frankly, intolerable situation.

Ultimately a final budget will be passed but while everyone is focused on the matter at hand, there are other important legislative initiatives under consideration that I'd like to draw to your attention:

A proposal (HB 1858), to allow counties the option of adding a 1% sales tax to be used for property tax relief and to augment declining state and local revenues, is being promoted by the local government associations. Originally entitled the County and Municipal Property Tax Relief and Collaborative Services Act, we are supportive of this legislation which gives counties and municipalities more options for funding critical services in communities. If we must pay more to fund the government we need, we like the idea of keeping the money in our communities to solve local issues. This legislation is changing on a daily basis, most recently with an amendment to relieve school property taxes too. We are watching this proposal closely and will keep you updated on it. If it becomes too "watered down" and does not help counties and municipalities, we will reconsider our support. ...More

Over 100 local municipal and community leaders from around the Philadelphia suburbs gathered in Norristown last week for the third "sneak preview" showing of two short documentaries in a series known as The New Metropolis which will air on some Public Broadcasting System stations in the fall of 2009. These films demonstrate the devastating impact of population loss and the cost of infrastructure policies that support "outward expansion" from cities and the older first suburban communities.  The New Metropolis examines the root causes and chronicles the challenges experienced in three first suburban communities in Ohio and New Jersey.  Following the previews, each of the three audiences engaged in a discussion about the relevance of the films to their communities and why they need to work together across local and county boundaries to address the problems articulated in the films.

If you missed this discussion and film event, there will be other opportunities to view The New Metropolis.  The film will air in Southeastern Pennsylvania on WHYY in October. Also, community viewings in several cities across the state will take place when the documentaries air on public television stations. 10,000 Friends and Good Schools PA are seeking partners in other parts of the state to host similar showings and discussions.  We will keep you posted about any future events.

As part of out ongoing effort to bring you the most relevant smart growth news from around Pennsylvania and beyond, 10,000 Friends now offers the "News" section of our web site available as an RSS feed. By adding this feed to a service such as Google Reader, you can receive current news highlights from 10,000 Friends as we add them to our website.  We believe this tool will help you to stay informed of the many important issues facing Pennsylvania's communities every day.


10,000 Friends has also joined the growing network of Twitter where we are connecting with Pennsylvania's political leaders, partner nonprofit organizations, and activists interested in our issues. If you are also a Twitter user, you can follow us @10000friends. Look for more ways to stay in touch in the future!

 

10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania works as an alliance of organizations and individuals committed to promoting land use policies and actions that will enable Pennsylvania to strengthen its diverse urban, suburban and rural communities. Through a diverse coalition focused on a positive agenda, we seek proactive solutions and options for local, regional and state leaders.