Wayne Independent (Newspaper) - November 18, 2006, Honesdale, Pennsylvania THE WAYNE September Advertising 2533055 Classifieds 2536666 Wayne Countys Only Daily Newspaper News Desk 2533055 Circulation 2533055 Volume Number 222 November 50 cents Newsstand Established 1878 Flood Workshop Held During Flooding Rain By DIANE BOOTHE Independent Staff Writer NY Representatives from various Wayne County agencies and municipalities left a workshop Before the Next Flood What Your Community Can after an announcement is made of a bridge out because of flood waters at the intersec tion of Rt 191 N and Route The bridge was not of water rushing across the bridge logs being carried to the other side of the near zero vis ibility and the deep darkness of a rainy night it was extremely understandable why the bridge was thought to be downstream by whomever relayed the information to a Hancock Township Starrucca Borough President Kirk Manchester Supervisor Don Buckingham Supervisor Bradley Scott Township Emergency Coordinator Edwin Allen Jr and Wayne County Conservation Watershed Specialist Jamie Roche were just a few of the The representa tives stayed until question and answer period by which time it was decided for safety and Wayne Independent photo by Peter Becker ANIMALS deer and turkeys nibbled together one chilly morning in White responsibility to head home November 16th was the last of two workshops hosted by the Visioning Committee of the Upper Delaware River Speakers at the Hancock High School site were Carol Collier of the Delaware River Basin Commission Charles Macintosh with the Philadelphia of Engineers Theresa Grubb from FEMA Kerry Wilson for the PA of Community Economic Development and Shelly Johnson with Delaware County to offer assistance to towns about their flooding issues along with developing a hazard Information handed out and in powerpoints included reservoir facts the role of and programs offered role of the Army Corps of Engineers mitigation meth ods importance of municipali ties enforcing flood plain ordi nances and more topics that will be covered indepth with a School Tax Reform Doubted By PETER BECKER Editor like the is something most everyone complains about but little is One attempt at tax reform in Pennsylvania com ing up will go to a referen dum vote in next Mays Primary The consen sus at a public hearing November 15th in the Wayne Highlands School District was little real reform is In school officials warned that this idea may end up making mahy tax payers pay even more should the vote Pennsylvania Legislature adopted Act 1 on September This requires school districts to set up citi zen Tax Study which for each is meeting to decide recom to their School The Tax Study Commission will suggest either one of two alterna tives to reduce school prop erty taxes an earned income tax or a personal income and at what tax rate to The School Board then will make the final decision of what to put before the vot ers in the Primary The School Board must pass a resolution by March This hearing was the meeting of the Tax Study which is made up of nine vol from the community and chaired by Art After taking pub lic input November they plan to reconvene November 29 at 6 to decide their They will then bring their recommendation to the School Boards tional meeting set for December 4 at 8 in the District Board Room off Grove Act 1 provides relief for School Districts to reduce property in two When enough is raised by the newly enacted gaming a formula will be used to allocate a certain amount to each School to reduce proper ty As Thomas pointed the first slot machine game parlor opened in Pennsylvania just the day Mohegan at Pocono Downs race track in The reduction will be applied to those taxpayers who have taken either the Homestead or Farmstead This is consid ered true tax relief in that the property tax decrease is replaced by money from a brand new The other property tax reduction would be raised from enacting a new taxpayers to tax themselves is Teeple or personal income have t Act 1 requires School Boards to ask the voting tax payers if they approve of adding the new Jenkins explained that the earned income tax basi cally is a tax on salaries and A personal income in applies the tax to net busi ness gaming and so Welfare Social Security and pension income are not taxable under Act Next one of these will be presented in a refer question at a certain tax The relief would be divid ed equally among the tax payers so each receive the same dollar amount off property Most might pay more Opinions about the pro posal took no time in being Art Sorentino opened the stat This whole mess was forced on us by people in so were going through what we go Responding to concerns being voiced from the audi Sorentino I dont like The School Board doesnt like This has been forced in Take your wrath out on the legis One woman in the audi ence pointed this does nt relieve Its just a In other although a taxpayer wont pay as much in property the same taxpayer will pay an added How you pay the school tax just In some Superintendent Jenkins depending on your income level you will end up paying more data the median family income in the Wayne Highlands School District is a It looks like most people will end up paying more Jenkins How this would happen is that the tax rate multiplied by the income come out to more income tax than the set amount cut from the property Renters would be subject to the new income tax as Asked how we could just keep things the way they Firmstone stated only if the voters do not pass the will the present tax system in stay the If it were defeat the School District has the option of putting it back on the ballot in the next odd Some districts are already using income Firmstone commented they Continued on page 3 Commission Hopes Voters Will Defeat School Income Tax Measure By KEVIN KEARNEY Independent Staff Writer VARDEN Western Wayne School District Tax Study Commission members said they hope residents vote against establishing an earned income tax in the pri mary election in Wed like to see it voted down on the said commission chairman Donald who is also a School Board The possibility of estab lishing the earned income aimed at reducing prop erty taxes to qualified resi was discussed at a public meeting night at the To residents must live and own in a homestead or of which there are about in the dis The lowest earned income tax the district could impose is 1 McDonough McDonough said Act or the Taxpayer Relief would be a detriment to and renters who would possi bly have to pay 1 percent of their I believe theyre taxed he Some members of the pub lic said Act 1 would only ben retired senior citizens who own Commission members voted 50 on a referendum question they recommend the district place on the May The question is Do you favor imposing a 1 per cent earned income tax The revenue generated from the increased tax rate will be used to reduce taxes on qual ified residential properties by The current earned income tax rate is 0 1 1 State law mandated that the commission make a rec to the McDonough said if the question if voted the district will be eligible to receive gambling That will still help reduce property he Jamie Shelby of Ferris Baker the districts financial consulting said even with the some property owners could end up paying more in earned income tax than their current property He said property tax reduction would be the same regardless of the assessed value of a and renters who dont pay property taxes would pay a new tax if the earned income tax The possibility of the earned income tax didnt sit well with Mike Dobrzyn of South Im getting no guarantee of tax he said at the District Superintendent Andy Falonk said the earned income tax could only go toward reducing property taxes and could not be used to fund the J Dobrzyn said he prefer to support the district by paying an increased amount in property as long as the amount was rather than possibly paying more with the earned income I dont have a problem supporting the school he Shelby said once the earned tax is it can only be changed by refer separate These meetings are spon sored by The Visioning Committee of the Delaware River Corridor Congressman Maurice Hinchey who was also at the Congressman Don Congresswoman Sue Kelly and the Pike and Sullivan County Planning The shop was free and open to the Wayne County Emergency Management Coordinator Frank Smith explained during a telephone interview the next day that a citizen called stating the bridge may be in jeopardy of reacted immediately by sending a crew to check out the situation Hancock Fire Department gave their eye view opinion of the bridge side closest to reassured Smith that the bridge was intact but the road had been Continued on page 3 In Bush Compares Vietnam War To By TERENCE HUNT House Correspondent AP Visiting a land where America suffered military President Bush urged patience for positive results in Iraq on Friday and tried to stiffen global resolve to chal lenge a North For decades you had been torn apart by Bush said in a state banquet salute to Asias fastest grow ing Today the are at peace and seeing the benefits of In powerful reminders remain of the fight ing three decades the longest war and one that like Iraq bitterly divided Asked if the experience in Vietnam offered lessons for Bush We tend to want there to be instant suc cess in the and the task in Iraq is going to take He said its just going to take a long period of time for an ideology of freedom to overcome an ideology of the world that we live in today is one where they want things to happen immediate Well succeed unless we the president His talk about impatience brought a rejoinder back home from Dick who will be the Democrat in the new I think we ought to show a little impatience when it comes to the Iraqis and their unwillingness to respond to the need to Durbin said at a Louis news con America has been Our troops have been It is time for the Iraqis to stand up and defend their own Bush is in Vietnam for the annual summit of the Economic Cooperation and his first test Saturday is to per suade South Korea to fully implement sanctions imposed on North Korea for testing nuclear South Korea has balked at some of the and Bush planned to press President on the South Korea sug gests Washington needs to show more Contributed photo STAR IS READY Texas firemen fought through the rain this weekend to ensure that the star that sits atop of Irving Cliff shines bright over the Holiday Texas used its 85 foot tower ladder to replace bro light bulbs and The 50foot star has shone every Christmas since Texas Is in the middle of its annual fund and seeks monetary donations to ensure that the Honesdale Borough and the surrounding communities continue to retain vital life safety equipment such as the tower Please consider mailing a tax deductible donation to Texas Fire Box PA Texas thanks you In said Keith
