CASD expects to cap tax hike at 2.6%

School district won’t take exceptions to Act 1 By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times CALN — Coatesville Area School District taxpayers can likely expect a tax hike for the 2014-15 school year, but it appears that the increase will fall within the state’s Act 1 guidelines — a drop from last year’s increase of 3.6%, under the preliminary proposed budget adopted. The Board of Education will...

Op/Ed: Chester County worked together for a successful 2013

By Terence Farrell, Chester County Commissioner Terence Farrell Happy New Year!  ¡Feliz año nuevo! And best wishes for a healthy, happy and prosperous new year. As we transition from 2013 to 2014, it is worthwhile to look back at the year that just ended to assess how Chester County government is doing to meet the needs and expectations of its constituents, and to make plans to do even better in...

City Council members emphasize revenue growth for 2014

Landlords question tax hike as Council members say 2014 is year for change By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times COATESVILLE – Contention between City Council and local landlords continued at Monday night’s meeting, this time because of disagreements over the 37% property tax increase for 2014. At the beginning of Monday night’s meeting, Council held a public hearing on the 2014 budget. Multiple...

Coatesville’s ROTC must find its own funding for another year

Program will look to combat Air Force’s closure decision with CASD support By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times With his ROTC compatriots behind him, Chasan Hall asks the school board for a letter of support. “This program offered me insane opportunities that I would never have dreamed about in middle school,” he said. CALN – The status of the Coatesville Area High School’s...

City to take $1.4 million from trust fund to cover 2013 expenses

Withdraw of money will prevent tax hike but is only a stopgap solution COATESVILLE – The City Council reversed itself and voted in favor of borrowing $1.4 million from a trust fund in order to cover various city expenses for the rest of the year at its meeting, Monday night. City Council voted against borrowing the money earlier in the month, but the absence of two members and the remaining members...

Council votes against using trust fund to cover budget

City must compensate for over-budgeting; may look to increase taxes By Kyle Carrozza, Staff Writer, The Times COATESVILLE – In a hotly debated decision, Coatesville City Council voted 3-2 against using trust fund money to cover over-budgeted city expenses for 2013 at its meeting at City Hall on Monday night. In December, while budgeting for this year, City Council realized that they would be over-budgeting...

Why doesn’t your town like business?

Hostile attitude toward business growth must change to fix tax problem By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times You’ll excuse my sense of de ja vu. Back in my youth as a young reporter, the hot catch phrase for the overbuilt and tax-revenue challenged northern New Jersey suburbs was “ratables.” Ratables are a very special kind of real estate: they use little in the way of local or school district services,...

The damage of narrow self-interest

These days, it’s everyone for themselves and we all suffer By Mike McGann, Editor, The Times We’re all in this together, right? I’ll pause while you stop laughing. The 1970s were supposed to be the “Me Decade,” but it seems that what really happened was the emergence of the “Me Generation.” As that generation took power in the halls of government and corporate governance,...

County poised to assess towns for emergency services

Local officials object to timing, costs of the $5.20 per person fee By Mike McGann, Editor, The CoatesvilleTimes.com Chester County appears poised to impose a per-capita tax on the county’s 73 municipalities — $5.20 per person — for emergency services starting with the 2013 fiscal year, but municipal officials are blasting the move as little more than an excuse to shift a tax hike. The Chester...

No 2012 tax hike for Chester County

Spending cuts offset losses of tax revenue, federal funds WEST CHESTER — The Chester County Commissioners approved today a budget for 2012 that results in a zero tax increase for county residents. “This budget reflects the county’s ongoing commitment to provide the best services at the lowest burden to the taxpayer,” said Commissioners’ Chair Terence Farrell. The operating budget for 2012...