Patrick Lester says super rich Lower Macungie Township is getting ready to debate whether or not to stop mooching off the state police for their domestic policing needs:
Commissioners say they’ve begun researching the cost of police departments in neighboring municipalities and gathering crime statistics while they reconsider a long-standing debate: whether the township should have a law enforcement presence beyond what state police at Fogelsville provide.They say they’ll put that data before the public, possibly by year’s end, before deciding whether it’s time to create a police force, join a regional department or hire a nearby municipality’s police department to patrol the township.
Township officials know any of those options could mean the imposition of a property tax that hasn’t been levied in the township for years. Previous studies have yielded the same result: Residents didn’t want to pay for the service.
This is totally nuts. A town needs local police. It’s not the job of the state police to do local policing. This is one of the richest most Republican areas in the Lehigh Valley. Apparently they think Going Galt means mooching off everyone else.
It’s also totally predictable. What we’re seeing is Lower Macungie entering Stage 2 of the 5 Stages of Municipal Death:
1. Low taxes with prosperity2. Gradually rising tax rates and increasing demand for services.
3. Plateau of tax base with reductions in non-core services
4. Insufficient taxes or tax base with reductions in core services.
5. Loss of tax base and distress
First you start your new township on some farmland, and pretend like you don’t need any services and set tax rates way too low. Then the richest people flee higher tax places for the fake low tax rates. You get by for a few years and then Whoops! it turns out your township needs the same municipal services that every other town does.
Then people stop wanting to pay the increasing taxes, so David Jaindl builds yet another ring of suburbs on former farmland, forms a new government, and the new government Lower Macungies you with fake low tax rates and steals your residents and businesses.
But now your tax base has shrunk and you still need to provide the same services over the same territory, so you have to raise taxes again just to maintain the same service levels. More people don’t like the tax increases, so they abandon you for the new Lower Macungie, and on and on.
Every borough and township in PA is cycling through these stages, and they’ll all get to Stage 5 at some point. It’s a direct result of structural incentives built into PA’s crazyquilt system of local government.
On the practical question of what Lower Macungie ought to do about policing, I think it’s clear they should follow the lead of other forward-thinking munis and either join the Berks-Lehigh Regional Police who serve neighboring Upper Macungie, or partner with Allentown on a new regional police department. The ideal solution would be for Lehigh County to start their own county-wide police department and offer municipalities financial incentives to join. It doesn’t make any sense for policing to be the only part of the criminal justice system that’s not run at the county level.
On behalf of all the residents of Lower Macungie, feel free to blog about NYC, and keep NYC residents from coming here.
Funny how many people flee your idea of Nirvana.
And before you say it's government's fault, the fact is that if people didn't want to move, they wouldn't look.
I don't get it. Are you saying that rising taxes kill of any possibility for growth and prosperity? How does that square with your non-stop finger-nail-on-the-blackboard squeal to eat the rich to pay for social services?
Anon 4:39,
Of course you don't get it.
YOU are normal.
V. LENIN
"FIRST HOUSE DEMOCRAT CALLS FOR WEINER TO STEP DOWN"
http://www.cbsnews.com
"Having the respect of your constituents is fundamental for a Membger of Congress. In light of Anthony Weiner's offensive behavior online, he should resign."
ALLYSON SCHWARTZ (D-Pa)
==================================
I guess Schwartz feels Weiner needs to stick it somewhere else?
Why are property taxes the only way to pay for these services. Police are emergency service, why not an emergency services assessment? Every resident will count on these services so they should all have an equal share in paying them. Property owners that create stability in communities shouldn't have to rent their property form the govt.
Bernie spanks Jon on his blog today! Don't miss it! it's a riot!
Anon 7:07,
Technically, we are proudly banned from commenting the Fuzzy Bunny's blog.
Except for when we agree with The Pope, then our posts are allowed to remain…imagine that?!
Thanks for the heads up!
V. LENIN
speaking for the Historical Gang
What I'm saying is that a county-based police department makes sense and so does a county-wide tax base. When different municipalities have different tax rates, that makes tax shopping attractive. But if tax rates are the same across the entire county, no more tax shopping, and tax increases lead to less shifting around.
as always: one party, one leader, one world
Jawohl, ein Fuehrer!
E. HOENECKER
Anon 2:11,
People freely moving about the country without proper authorization from both What-Am-I-Gettings? and Big Government is bad.
Please make a note immediately.
J. STALIN
A County PD does make sense. Crime doesn't stop at an invisible line. An emergency services assessment could fund it. You still have State PD for more involved crimes, but county as a primary response. Just combined all the current local PDs and you have the work force. School districts and zoning would work at the county level too. All other services should stay at the current local level.
Fast
On a rough road riding
High
Up the mountains climbing
Twisting, turning
Further from my home
Young
Like a new moon rising
Fierce
Throught the rain and lightning
Wandering
Out into this great unknown
And I don't want no one to cry
But tell 'em if I don't survive :
I WAS BORN FREE
Free
Like a river raging
Strong
If the wind I'm facing
Chasing dreams
And racing Father Time
Deep
Like the grandest canyon
Wild
Like an untamed stallion
If you can't see my heart
You must be blind
You can knock me down
And watch me bleed
But you can't keep
No chains on me
I WAS BORN FREE
Whoa oh oh oh whoa!
———————————-
There WILL BE always people like ME ready to battle people like YOU.
WE, those of my kind, will never be conquered.
YOU, and your ilk, never have and never will succeed in implementing your illegitimate Rule
Tell your friends…