York City Budget: Parties Scramble To Find Solutions

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting York County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

York’s budget woes have set off a scramble to find ways to save positions in the departments that could face the deepest losses — police and fire — and triggered a whirlwind of questions about what would happen to the city if a balanced budget can come only at the cost of cutting public safety personnel.

Mayor Kim Bracey‘s budget, which she introduced Tuesday, would cut 46 positions in the police department and eight fire-fighting jobs, and would cut the city’s work force from 412 employees in 2014 to 315 next year, documents show. Bracey said she was faced with few options and asked community partners, legislators and the county for outside help.

As of Friday, “no one has knocked on the door,” she said.

She has called for union concessions. Bracey said she will meet with fire union President Fred Desantis on Monday, and the city already is in negotiations with the Fraternal Order of Police. Police union president Mike Davis said he is “committed” to reaching an agreement before the end of the year.

Read more: http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_26992449/york-city-budget-parties-scramble-find-solutions

York Named One Of “Most Livable” Cities In The Country

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York City has been named one of the “most livable” cities in the country, one of 12 cities out of 200 applicants to win the honor.

The award recognizes mayoral leadership in developing and implementing programs that improve the quality of life in America’s cities, focusing on the leadership, creativity and innovation demonstrated by the mayors.

The city received the award because of the “Teen’s Fourth Friday” program York City Mayor Kim Bracey began in September 2013.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_26342639/york-named-one-most-livable-cities-country

York’s New Arts And Culture Liaison Hopes To Connect Artists, Community

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The words effortlessly pour out of Carla Christopher’s mouth whether she’s behind a mic reading an original poem, or sitting at a coffee table at New Grounds talking about arts in the City of York.

She’s no stranger to the talk or the mic, as she just completed a three-year stint as the city’s poet laureate.

But now, York has tasked her with a new goal — one that’s already near and dear to her heart: arts and culture liaison.

“Carla’s ability to connect to so many different people needed to be capitalized upon,” Mayor Kim Bracey said.

Read more: http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_25714953/yorks-new-arts-and-culture-liaison-hopes-connect

Former York City Financial Officer Says Mayor Asked Him To Resign

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York City’s former top financial officer said the city’s mayor showed up at his house on a Sunday in April and asked for his resignation.

This week, former business administrator Michael O’Rourke said Mayor Kim Bracey did not provide an explanation for the request, and he still does not know the reason.

“I asked her why, and she said, ‘I just want to make a change,'” O’Rourke said.

That contradicts Bracey’s original characterization of the situation.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_25682926/former-york-city-financial-officer-says-mayor-asked

Police Raid York Corner Grocery For Drugs, Money And Guns

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Police seized thousands of dollars worth of heroin and other drugs, along with handguns and cash, in a raid at a York corner grocery store this week, officials said at a news conference Wednesday.

York City Police Chief Wes Kahley said police raided Miguel’s Deli and Grocery, 901 W. Princess Street, and Miguel Garcia’s home above it. They also arrested Sisdey Paz, of the 800 block of West Poplar Street.

“He was selling it out of the store,” York Detective First Class Andrew Shaffer said of Garcia. “He was selling about $1,000 a day of cocaine and heroin.”

Among items seized was a block of raw heroin worth about $100,000, 250 packets of individually packed heroin, $30,000 in cash, raw cocaine worth about $5,000, marijuana, anabolic steroids and three handguns, Kahley said.

Read more: http://www.ydr.com/crime/ci_25618313/york-police-significant-heroin-arrest-made?source=most_viewed

Proposed York City Budget Has No Tax Increase, But Includes New Expenses

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For the second year in a row, York City is poised to approve a balanced budget that does not hike property taxes.

But there are some new expenses in Mayor Kim Bracey‘s 2014 proposal that the York City Council could target if council members want to trim the budget before approving it next week.

Most significant among them is the $550,000 pricetag on a new financial-management system. The city secured a grant from the state to cover $150,000 of that cost.

Business administrator Michael O’Rourke explained during a marathon budget hearing Wednesday that the city’s current system became obsolete years ago.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_24706975/proposed-york-city-budget-has-no-tax-increase

York City Mayor Proposes No Tax Increase

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York City Mayor Kim Bracey is proposing a 2014 budget that does not increase property taxes.

The proposal is now in the hands of the York City Council, which has scheduled two hearings in early December to discuss the budget. It is scheduled to be adopted at the council’s Tuesday, Dec. 17 meeting.

“This was a tough budget,” Bracey said Tuesday at a press conference.

The city’s costs continue to rise, and revenues haven’t kept pace, Bracey said. Meanwhile, Pennsylvania’s “antiquated” local-government system greatly limits the options for officials in third-class cities like York, she said.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_24553629/york-city-mayor-proposes-no-tax-increase

Dems Nominate New Mayors In Pa. Primary

HARRISBURG — Democrats nominated new mayoral candidates in Pittsburgh, Scranton and Harrisburg in the Pennsylvania primary election.

They tapped veteran city Councilman William Peduto as their standard-bearer in Pittsburgh and city Tax Collector Bill Courtright in Scranton, but spurned Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson’s re-election bid and chose bookstore owner Eric Papenfuse instead on Tuesday.

Each is favored to win in the November election, given Democrats’ heavy registration advantage in the three cities.  Voters also handed Kim Bracey an apparent second term as mayor of York, where no Republican is running.

In the only statewide nomination race, Allegheny County Judge Jack McVay Jr. won the Democratic nomination for an open seat on the Superior Court, defeating Philadelphia Municipal Court Judge Joseph C. Waters Jr.

Read more: http://www.timesleader.com/news/news-state/538304/Dems-nominate-new-mayors-in-Pa.-primary

Penn Cinema Partner Plans York Theater

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting York County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cinema entrepreneur Penn Ketchum is heeding the advice of 19th century American newspaper editor Horace Greeley.

“Go west, young man.”

Ketchum, managing partner of Penn Cinema, intends to develop a small, luxury two-screen movie theater in York city.

But he said Friday that he has no intention of going south into Lancaster city and doing the same kind of project there.

Ketchum’s $750,000 venture in York was disclosed Thursday by York Mayor Kim Bracey in her State of the City address.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/848107_Penn-Cinema-partner-plans-York-theater.html#ixzz2T2FcRToY

York Mayoral Candidate Pulled Off The Ballot

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Editor’s note:  If you don’t want to live in the City of York, why the heck would you want to be the mayor??????? I would think there should be a residency requirement for the mayor.

A controversial York city mayoral candidate likely won’t appear on the Democratic ballot this spring, after a county judge ruled that he does not meet residency requirements.

President Judge Stephen P. Linebaugh on Wednesday granted a petition to set aside nomination papers for Joe Beltrante, the mayoral hopeful who nonetheless maintained in court that he had “absolutely no desire” to live in the city.

That means Beltrante will not compete against incumbent Mayor Kim Bracey and York City Council President Carol Hill-Evans in the May primary, unless he first chooses to appeal the decision.

Beltrante said Wednesday afternoon that he’s not yet decided whether or not he will appeal.

Read more:  http://www.ydr.com/politics/ci_22883422/york-mayoral-candidate-pulled-off-ballot

York City Residents Worry About 17 Percent Tax Hike

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York City home and business owners will pay 17 percent more in property taxes this year following the Saturday morning conclusion of a long and bitter debate over the city’s financial future.

That’s on top of an 11 percent increase this year. By far, city residents pay more in property taxes than residents of any other York County municipality.

For the owner of a $50,000 house, the tax bill will increase by $149.50 to a total of $1,018.50.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/news/ci_19659779

City Of York Mulling Fire Company Regionalization Option

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The City of York, PA has four fire stations and a staff of 67 firefighters.  However, like all municipalities, York is looking at ways to cut costs.  Kim Bracey, York’s Mayor, said she will not close/merge any fire stations or cut staff if it will cut response time.  However, Mayor Bracey said the Fire Committee is looking into options like regionalization and cooperative agreements with other fire services organizations, including volunteers.

Emergency services costs are a big-ticket budget item and Bracey said city government needs to be responsible stewards of the taxpayer’s money.  If working together as a regional fire department can achieve the same high-quality results, at a lower cost, that option needs to be explored.  It has worked for many police departments.  York County already has regional police departments.  The Fire Committee will present their fire/EMS modernization plan to the public on April 5^th.

The City of York has 43,718 residents (2010 census) and a land area of 5.20 square miles.  Mayor Bracey was the city’s Community Development Director before being elected mayor.