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$292,000,000 For Falls’ Future
In August of 2005, Falls Township
entered into a new agreement with Waste Management worth $294
million in host community fees and services. The Board of
Supervisors hired a team of professional negotiators which
resulted in a new agreement that took the previous agreements
done in 1995 and 2001 and built on those concepts. With an eye
to the future, provisions were put in place to ensure Falls
Township’s financial, recreational and environmental well-being
for many years to come. Some of the finer points of the
agreement are:
- Falls
is guaranteed minimum yearly payments of host community fees
to ensure fiscal continuity.
- Free
trash pickup for the life of Waste Management’s time in Falls
at an average savings of approximately $75 per month per
residence.
- Free
trash pickup for a minimum of 6 months after Waste Management
closes.
- Falls
is guaranteed to receive the most in host community fees in
the state. Should any municipality get anything better in
fees or services, Waste Management must match that for Falls.
-
Future options to purchase 2 land parcels for $1 each,
including a 3 miles of riverfront property.
- Waste
Management’s Parent Company will be responsible for
environmental management of all waste sites in Falls, instead
of a subsidiary company.
By
negotiating this contract, Supervisors Snipes, Prokopiak and
Harvie have provided financially for Falls’ future. It’s
now up to the voters to decide what to do with that opportunity.
Falls must have elected officials who are willing to look
forward, not those who would stay rooted in the past. We
need officials who are willing to listen to all ideas, to be
willing to compromise and to put the needs of Falls’ residents
FIRST.
Making
Progress and Protecting Taxpayers
Over the past two
years, the Board of Supervisors has made real progress on issues
that protect the taxpayers and build a brighter future. What
have they been doing?
- Hired
an independent accounting firm to come into the township last
year and study how efficiently the township handled its
finances.
-
For every dollar spent by the township, only 2 cents
goes to legal fees!! . This is a far cry from the
million dollar lawsuits of only a few years ago.
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Township property taxes were not
raised, despite rising health care costs, fuel
costs and salaries. Falls still has over $30 million
dollars in its savings account.
-
Decreased the number of change orders on the Road Program and
got the Road program back on schedule.
- Began
the process of revitalizing the Riverfront for future
development.
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Not playing politics. Despite the fact that
Supervisors Snipes, Prokopiak and Harvie are Democrats, they
chose to hire Republican attorneys and accountants to work for
the township. And people have been chosen for Township Boards
and Commissions regardless of their party affiliation.
Self-Defense
For years now the members of the Falls Township Democratic Club
have been attacked, ridiculed, bad-mouthed and lied about by
certain individuals in the township. Who really are the members
of this organization? What do they do?
The
Falls Township Democratic Club is the official Democratic Party
organization for Falls Township. It is open to the public and
meets monthly in the Township Building where it discusses
township issues and organizes various programs such as family
picnics, activities for charity and voter registration drives.
The members include people from all over Falls Township and from
all walks of life. Many have a long history of volunteer service
to the township.
John
Cardinali, Chairman of the Democratic Club for the last 7 years,
has served on the Falls Township Planning Commission for a total
of 10 years including 5 years as Chairman. He has lived in
Falls Township for 60 years and, together with his wife, has
raised 3 children in Falls Township, and has 4 grand-children.
Tom McGoldrick worked for Acme markets for 46 years and was one
of the first Chairmen of the Democratic Club back in the 1960s.
Bill Wamsley and his wife raised 2 children in Falls Township
and have lived here for 44 years. In addition to being a Little
League coach he has served on the Park Board, Zoning Board,
School Board and as a Supervisor.
Arlene
and Dick Goulding have lived in Falls Township for 45 years,
raising 3 children. Dick worked for US Steel for over 30 years
in Central Maintenance and Sheet & Tin and was also on the Board
of Supervisors. As Supervisors, Dick Goulding and Bill Wamsley
together are responsible for the renovation of Three Arches and
the construction of the Senior Citizens Center. They also were
the ones who began the road program in the township and they
were the first board to make Waste Management pay for the right
to dump trash in Falls Township. Before them, Waste Management
wasn’t paying the township a dime. Arlene Goulding served as
President of the Pennsbury School Board when the district was
awarded the President’s Award for Excellence in Education. She
has been a Democratic committee-woman for 35 years and for the
past 25 years has served as the Chair of the 140th Assembly
District - a position voted on by committee-people from Falls,
Bristol Township, Bristol Boro, Tullytown and Morrisville. She
was also the Chair of the Falls Tricentennial Committee and
serves on the Technical School Authority - which was responsible
for the construction of Bucks County Technical High School.
These are just some of the members of the Falls Township
Democratic Club. There are other members of course; they are
nurses and landscapers, retired businessmen and secretaries.
They are ordinary people who have dedicated time and energy in
an attempt to make Falls a better place. They should be
applauded, not insulted. They should be thanked, not lied
about.
Bob
Harvie
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