Editorial
Tough days on horizon for Shamokin
There are tough days ahead for the city of Shamokin, its citizens and businesses — and maybe its creditors.
There are tough days ahead for the city of Shamokin, its citizens and businesses — and maybe its creditors.
News of the city’s dire financial situation and the resulting potential for bankruptcy greeted many people with the response: We knew it was bad, but this bad?
Yes, $2.7 million deficit bad.
What the next course of action is will pretty much be determined when the Pennsylvania Economy League, hired (with grant money) to study the city’s options, presents a plan on Aug. 6. No one is sure yet, but the rumblings are to expect the worst.
Unfortunately, Shamokin is not alone in its troubles. Many municipalities statewide, both large and small, are struggling to balance budgets as expenses (liability insurance, fuel, health care costs and others) continue to rise, while income from a shrinking tax base declines.
Certainly, Shamokin’s plight is probably worse than many in that it has suffered for decades from a double-whammy loss of, first, the coal industry, and then textiles.
In the meantime, there is plenty of blame to go around. It isn’t altogether fair to blame the former administration, as current Mayor Ronald “Lum” Bradley did in a story in Tuesday’s edition, because this problem’s roots in general are much older and larger than any one four- or eight-year term. However, with investigations ongoing into possible financial wrongdoing involving both state and federal funds from earlier this decade, plus other concerning news that emanated from City Hall during those years, some finger-pointing must be expected.
Additionally, some of the people who were part of the city operation during that not-so-progressive era are still involved in other facets of local government, where they have a say in decision making involving finances. That’s a bit unsettling.
If there is any good news in all this it is that the city has recognized the problem and has started on a course of action. Things will probably get worse before they get better, but at least the problem is now out in the open and is under dissection and analysis by experts and the public.
In the meantime, we should all brace ourselves.
News of the city’s dire financial situation and the resulting potential for bankruptcy greeted many people with the response: We knew it was bad, but this bad?
Yes, $2.7 million deficit bad.
What the next course of action is will pretty much be determined when the Pennsylvania Economy League, hired (with grant money) to study the city’s options, presents a plan on Aug. 6. No one is sure yet, but the rumblings are to expect the worst.
Unfortunately, Shamokin is not alone in its troubles. Many municipalities statewide, both large and small, are struggling to balance budgets as expenses (liability insurance, fuel, health care costs and others) continue to rise, while income from a shrinking tax base declines.
Certainly, Shamokin’s plight is probably worse than many in that it has suffered for decades from a double-whammy loss of, first, the coal industry, and then textiles.
In the meantime, there is plenty of blame to go around. It isn’t altogether fair to blame the former administration, as current Mayor Ronald “Lum” Bradley did in a story in Tuesday’s edition, because this problem’s roots in general are much older and larger than any one four- or eight-year term. However, with investigations ongoing into possible financial wrongdoing involving both state and federal funds from earlier this decade, plus other concerning news that emanated from City Hall during those years, some finger-pointing must be expected.
Additionally, some of the people who were part of the city operation during that not-so-progressive era are still involved in other facets of local government, where they have a say in decision making involving finances. That’s a bit unsettling.
If there is any good news in all this it is that the city has recognized the problem and has started on a course of action. Things will probably get worse before they get better, but at least the problem is now out in the open and is under dissection and analysis by experts and the public.
In the meantime, we should all brace ourselves.
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