Thursday, September 20, 2012
Apparent loophole in state's voter ID law will allow any registered voter to obtain photo identification from the Parkhouse Senior Care Center in Upper Providence. Other locations may also offer the service.
With the 2012 elections less than seven weeks away, registered Montgomery County voters who still lack acceptable voter identification got an assist from the county's Board of Commissioners on Thursday. Exploiting an apparent loophole in the controversial Voter ID law that was passed by the state legislature last spring, the commissioners passed a resolution that will allow the county to begin issuing valid voter identification cards to registered voters under the auspices of the Parkhouse nursing care facility in Upper Providence Township. The resolution takes advantage of a section of the law that lists which entities are allowed to issue acceptable forms of voter identification. Section 1 (z.5)(2) lists the federal or state governments…
Thursday, April 5, 2012
The county board of commissioners meets today at 10 a.m. at One Montgomery Plaza.
The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners meets again today, Thursday, April 5, at 10 a.m. in the Commissioners’ Board Room on the 8th floor of One Montgomery Plaza. Among the items of business on the agenda today is a resolution authorizing changes to the Public Health Code and the establishment of Distracted Driving Week in Montgomery County. According to the agenda, the commissioners will also be awarding 12 contracts worth over $600,000 for a variety of products like milk and juice from Wawa and mosquito control products to servies like the consultant for the Montgomery County Radio Committee. Download the full agenda for today's meeting in our PDF section. You can also see a live streaming video of the meeting here.
40.11532
-75.344159
1 Montgomery Plz, Norristown, PA
/articles/montco-commissioners-to-make-changes-to-health-code-shop-at-wawa
/locations/6733041
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Robert D. Fox, chairman of the transition committee, said job descriptions were developed for all of the senior positions.
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Wednesday, December 28, 2011
According to a release on Montgomery County commissioners-elect Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards' website today, the pair have announced a new organizational structure in the commissioners’ office and the senior staff that will fill the positions. The new structure and staff was endorsed by Commissioner Bruce L. Castor, Jr. and is the product of intense work by Shapiro, Richards and their transition team, led by Robert D. Fox. The organizational structure will be led by a Chief Clerk/Chief Operating Officer, who will be assisted by a Deputy COO for Policy and Planning and a Deputy COO for Operations. The rest of the senior staff includes a county solicitor, chief financial officer and a director of communications. "We wanted a structure …
40.116063
-75.34366
Montgomery County Courthouse
493 Swede St, Norristown, PA
/articles/montco-commissioners-announce-new-senior-staff
1266307
/locations/6090112
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Montgomery County Board of Commissioners approve final, $417.4 million budget for 2012.
The Montgomery County Commissioners approved a 2012 operating budget Wednesday that will increase the county's average property tax bill by about $80 per year. The $417.4 million budget preserves 2011 funding levels for Montgomery County Community College, the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library, and the Elmwood Park Zoo. Each of those institutions had been threatened with severe reductions in county funding in a preliminary budget posted last month. "There's a certain threshold we must maintain in order to provide the services our citizens expect," Commissioner Bruce Castor said. "I'm loathe to vote for a tax increase, but I simply don't see how we can continue to provide the services the county is expected to provide without one…
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The Montgomery County Commissioners intend to take out a short-term loan to fund the first quarter of 2012.
For the first time in a decade, the Montgomery County Commissioners plan to take out a tax anticipation note to fund expenses through the first quarter of 2012, officials said during Thursday’s meeting. Although the amount is yet to be finalized, county CFO Randy Schaible told the board he estimated that $25 million would be needed. “Every year we have a major dip in cash,” Schaible said. “We had $40 million at the beginning of this year and we just squeaked through.” Commissioner Chairman Joseph Hoeffel said the county is projected to have $20 million in its coffers come January. Since tax revenues don’t start trickling in until March, the short-term loan – which would be repaid by the end of 2012 – is necessary, he said. Schaible, …
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
According to The Times Herald, the four county employees will work through the end of the year.
According to The Times Herald, four county employees have been "fired" in the wake of Commissioner James R. Matthews' arrest and a grand jury report criticizing the way the county conducts business. The Herald is reporting that Human Resources Director Eleanor Schneider, Purchasing Department head F. Thomas Snyder, Chief Financial Officer Randall Schaible and Fred J. Shaughnessy in the Public Property department were terminated today. County officials declined to comment, but one source told Patch that discussions had taken place, but said that "'fired' was a bit strong." The source noted that a new administration was coming in next year and personnel changes were to be expected. John Corcoran, Communications Director for the county, was …
40.116063
-75.34366
Montgomery County Courthouse
493 Swede St, Norristown, PA
/articles/herld-reports-four-montco-officials-let-go-in-wake-of-grand-jury-report
1266307
/locations/6012002
Monday, December 12, 2011
Hoeffel said commissioners will meet on weeknights and weekends if necessary.
The clock is ticking for Montgomery County to finalize its 2012 operating budget and the county government will be holding a series of public meetings over the next two weeks to achieve that goal, County Commissioner Joseph Hoeffel said this morning. Hoeffel indicated that a county tax increase was likely to figure prominently in the discussions after commissioners received more than 4,000 public comments objecting to massive program cuts in the preliminary budget announced Nov. 30. "We had 300 people in a public meeting who stood up and asked us to raise their taxes," Hoeffel said, referring to last week's public hearing on the budget. Matthews Expected to Participate Public meetings will be held in the 8th floor boardroom at One …
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Montgomery County Commissioners are meeting now to discuss the proposed 2012 budget.
The Montgomery County Commissioners are meeting right now at One Montgomery Plaza in Norristown, discussing the proposed county budget for 2012 – which includes a $44.4 million shortfall. We'll be filing a story on today's meeting later in the day, but we have some preliminary numbers the commissioners are discussing that we thought folks might like to see. Shortfall – $44,424,664 1. No Pay Increase – $4.2 million 2. Reduce or Eliminate Appropriation Funding: * The appropriation changes to Norristown, the library and Elmwood Park Zoo represent total eliminations. 3. Reduce Department Budgets to 2011 Levels with Exceptions – $7.9 million 4. Reduce Department Budgets 15 percent from 2011 Levels with Exceptions – $16.5 million 5. Eliminate or…
40.11532
-75.344159
1 Montgomery Plz, Norristown, PA
/articles/early-2012-budget-numbers-from-montco-commissioners
/locations/5906918
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Tax hike looms as axe hangs over county health department, community college funding
"We're not talking about cutting dessert here. We're talking about cutting meals." Those were the words of Montgomery County Financial Director James Maza, as he briefed the county commissioners on what would need to occur in order to overcome a $44 million budget shortfall going into next year. Joined by county CFO Randy Schaible and other finance department leaders, Maza presented the commissioners with ten possible options to help balance next year's budget, including the elimination of appropriation funding to the library, community college and mass transit, as well as the elimination of certain county departments including the parks and recreation deparment, the planning commission, the health department and courthouse security. "We …
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Castor, Brown concede in Blue Bell; uncertainty over whether Castor will resume commish seat in January
The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners is headed for Democratic control. Incumbent commissioner Bruce Castor, Jr. and his running mate Jenny Brown conceded the election shortly after 11 p.m. Tuesday to Democrats Josh Shapiro and Leslie Richards, who are now Commissioners-elect. "Obviously, I'm disappointed," said Brown at the Montgomery County Republican Committee's election night party in Blue Bell. She expressed gratitude for the work done by the people who supported the Republican campaign. Brown said she will continue to serve as Lower Merion Commissioner, where she has two years left on her term. "I'm looking forward to getting back to my law practice," Brown said. Castor, who led all candidates in votes in his 2007 election to …
regnig
12:59 pm on Thursday, September 27, 2012
Yes, the DMV hours are being expanded. With the exception of the people in nursing homes, you've just proved my point. DMV offices are open on Saturdays and nights. The single mom whose car broke down - does she have no family or friends? I'm am NOT part of your liberal "1%" - but I'm sick to death of everyone looking for a handout. I work hard for what I have, and I don't see anyone offering me … more ›