"Work together" what a joke that is. The only way the officals know how to work together in Collegeville is if it benefits Collegeville. This has been and continues to be the same pattern between the boroughs.

Then why does it always seem that Trappe officials are the ones that search for any reason to change agreements and contracts. It's been the case for years and years. This may well end up costing both boroughs more for snow removal. But, Trappe, once again, will have made their point.

Andrew, Trappe has been paying more then their fair share already for snow removal. Why should the tax payers of Trappe continue to pay for services being done in Collegeville? Do you pay to have your neighbors lawn cut? I didn't think so. Collegeville gets over on every agreement that they have with Trappe. And when someone from Trappe stands up and points it out, they are usually attacked for it. Why not break all ties with one another, and see how much more Collegeville has to raise taxes.

I can go back all the way to police protection. Trappe wanted more coverage, to pay less for that coverage as well as a "say" in hiring, firing and operations. They were contracting service. They didn't get their way and walked. It was political, period. Some people in Trappe have some sort of complex. Sort of like siblings that argue over every little thing. It all boils down to politics, some sort of personal issues and it's ridiculous. I have lived in both boroughs. I am a native to the area. I have also spent most of my adult life working in local government and recognize petty politics when I see it.

During the police protection debates I happened to be working at a joint police department. Trappe officials came there to review agreements and see how it was there. They were not seeking to continue to contract service, they wanted a hand in the operation of the department. They were not willing to shoulder the cost involved in a true joint police department. In my opinion they were getting police service at a bargain price. They bailed and Collegeville PD is doing just fine. If Trappe wants to take their ball and go home that's fine. I don't presently live in either borough so I don't have a horse in this race. I am merely presenting my observation of relations between the towns over the past 59 years of my life. The relationship has rarely been one of true cooperation.

By the way. I don't pay to have my neighbors graas cut. I mow it for them.

Andrew, I welcome your and all input on the issues. And that is very nice of you to cut your neighbors lawn. But I was using that as an example. I have lived in Trappe since 2000 (how time flies by) and involved in local politics since 2005. I am not sure but I don't believe that Collegevilles police dept. is 24-7 365 days a year. They do a great job for the borough, but that also comes with a big price tag.
The things that were uncovered during my time on council would make your head spin, as far as the two boroughs go. One example I will use is the local tax collected by Berkheimer. The Collegeville 19426 area code covers many municipalities in the area. Thousands of tax dollers paid by residents of Trappe were going to other municipalties with the largest amounts going to Collegeville. Our former secretary spent weeks sorting through this mess that dated back for over ten years. It was straightned out working with Berkeimer, and Trappe did receive some of the back money, but lost thousands of dollars because of this situation. We believe that this was definitely know by the officials in Collegeville, but they said nothing about it and fought not to reimburse Trappe.
When I was on council, we were told that we were not treating our neighbors kindly. Our concern was Trappe, and doing what was best for our residents. Dealing with neighboring municipalities is not easy when it comes to paving and intersections that join municipalities.

It is hard enough to get things done in your own town, it gets very complicated when two or more governing bodies are involved. Those who gave us a hard time about our actions toward our neighbors now make up the majority on council. At a meeting not to long ago I heard a well respected member of our fire company say that the current administration have made relations worse. But like I have been saying for years "It is a lot easier to run the borough from the back row than it is from the front of the room.

Collegeville PD is 24/7. Their response to my parent's when needed has been excellent. Again, I have worked in municipal government for years including an area PD and can tell you that it does not need to be all that complicated. It's when personalities clash and when there is an attempt to force a political will or agenda that things get nasty. A little cooperation goes a long way. Collegeville and Trappe are both sort of unique to municipalities in the county in that they have not been required to purchase, maintain and man a fleet of heavy snow removal equipment. That is an enormous expense. The joint authority does a great job with what they have. Yet, that seems to be a constant point of contention. People need to scale back the passion, get past the politics, identify the problem and work together to find a solution. That's what grown ups should do. One additional thought. The miles plowed, time involved, expense is something that should be addressed and negotiated BEFORE a contract is entered into, not when it comes time to pay the bill. It would also seem that the decision of when to stop plowing or treating the roads should be the responsibility of the vendor doing the work. If that isn't the case it's something else that needs to be addressed and resolved between all involved. Not by someone's arbitrary decision that they refuse to pay the bill and the vendor should seek the remaining due from the other party.

The postal zip code has been a source of difficulty in the past with fire insurance funds being distributed to Collegeville Fire Co. This happened many years ago. I am a long time member of that fire company and will tell you that it was not right and was unfair. It's been rectified without neighbor fire companies refusing to assist one another. I have worked in municipalities where there was friction between neighbors as well as those that were cooperative, worked together and got the job done. Friction always begat more friction and fussing over petty issues. Cooperative is better!