U.S. Postal Service Pays Employee To Drive Letter Carrier Who Lost License Due To DUI

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

What happens if you lose your license due to a drunk driving arrest, and you have to drive a truck for your job?

If you are a U.S. Postal Service employee, your boss just pays somebody else to drive you around for a while.

That’s what has happened in Lititz, where James E. Avers, 34, of Mount Joy, has been getting a paid chauffeur to drive him until he gets his license back, after pleading guilty to four counts of drunken driving.

The 2011 DUI arrest in East Hempfield Township was Avers’ second  for drunk driving, according to court records.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/u-s-postal-service-pays-employee-to-drive-letter-carrier/article_3da9ddc8-efed-11e3-899b-0017a43b2370.html

Montgomery County HEARTH Act Community Forum

Montgomery County Office of Housing and Community Development is Seeking Your Participation!!

In 2009 Congress passed the HEARTH Act, the first new federal legislation governing homeless programs since 1987.  The Act provides for increased local flexibility in developing and prioritizing local strategies and may substantially change the way housing and services will be delivered to homeless families and individuals in Montgomery County. 

The Montgomery County Collaborative is partnering with the Montgomery County Office of Housing and Community Development to provide the community with current information on the HEARTH Act and the Montgomery County Housing Blueprint as well as to solicit your ideas and suggestions about how the County can best prevent and end homelessness and improve housing stability for all families and individuals.

You are invited.

You are invited to any of our community forums to learn about current affordable housing and homelessness in the County and to share your experiences and ideas about:

• Priorities for addressing different homeless subpopulations

• The performance of current local homeless programs

• Gaps and unmet needs in homeless housing and services

• Suggestions for program improvements

• Future strategies, including allocation/reallocation of resources.

Thursday, March 8, 9am – 11am

Salvation Army of Pottstown

137 King St. Pottstown, PA 19464

Hosted by the TCN Homeless Services Committee 

Please RSVP to Natina Parker at 610.705.3301 x 2 or by email to nparker@tcnetwork.org

Another Look At Manheim Township’s $3.2 Million Deficit

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Many Manheim Township residents are “concerned” about the size of the community’s deficit, new township Commissioner Dave Heck said.

And the commissioners, the township’s decision-making board, need “to start immediately” to look for ways to chop that $3.2 million deficit way down, Heck said.

The other commissioners agreed, voting this week to take the unusual step of reopening their township’s already approved 2012 budget.

Hoping to find ways to reduce that deficit, the five-member board voted Monday to take a new look at the 2012 spending plan.

Read more: http://lancasteronline.com/article/local/576571_Another-look-at-Manheim-Township-s-deficit.html#ixzz1kij91pd9

Even Limerick Township Is Not Recession Proof

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When one thinks of communities that would have budget woes, Limerick Township is not normally a place that would pop into your head. 

The 22.6 square mile township has 13,534 inhabitants (2000 census).  85% of Limerick’s residents own a home.  The estimated median house/condo value in 2008 was $271,583.  The estimated median income in 2008 was $81,877.  Only 1.9% of its residents live below the poverty level.  These numbers are well above the state averages.

Somehow, the township found themselves with an $850,000 deficit going into their 2011 budget process.  Declines in land development and permits (recession) were blamed.   The end result was making some hard decisions about purchases and facility upgrades along with the elimination of two staff positions.

Bottom line here is that taxes will not increase for 2011 and the budget trimming will not reduce services for residents.

Demographic information is from City-data.com