Lower Merion Citizens for Responsible Budgeting (CRB)
LMT's Triple A in danger (CRB)
July 16 , 2008
Identifying “options” to reduce Lower Merion Township spending is important; however, policymakers (the Board of Commissioners itself) clearly must also guide Township staff
By David O'Connell
Read Full Letter To the Editor of Mainline Life and Mainline Times
2004 Survey used as cover by Politicians (CRB)
June 30 , 2008
At the June 25, 2008, Lower Merion Township budget workshop, the Township’s 2004 Resident Survey (Available at the Township web site and www.lmcrb.org) made yet another appearance. .
By David O'Connell
Read Full Letter To the Editor of Mainline Life and Mainline Times
Sewer Rate Increase, June 2008 (CRB)
June 9 , 2008
Chalk another one up for unnecessary rate increases in Lower Merion Township – this time, the sewer rate.
By David O'Connell
Read Full Letter To the Editor of Mainline Life and Mainline Times
2008 Proposed Budget (CRB)
December 10 , 2007
Last week, Lower Merion Township held its second and final public hearing on the 2008 Proposed Budget. A vote is scheduled for ....
By Michele von Plato
Read Full Letter To the Editor of Mainline life
Open Records (CRB) 
September 12, 2007
Citizens for Responsible Budgeting “CRB” (www.lmcrb.org), read with interest your September 5 Editorial concerning the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association’s Open Records Challenge 2007 ....
By Michele von Plato
Read Full Letter To the Editor of Mainline life
Request for release of multi-year budget forcasts (CRB) 
August 29, 2007
Chalk up a win for closed government and record a loss for transparency. So far at least, Lower Merion taxpayers have come out on the losing end of another struggle over transparency in local government....
Read Full Letter To the Editor of Mainline life
Tax burden growing faster than other expense obligations (CRB) 
August 14, 2007
According to the Wall Street Journal, the typical Family pays substantially more to the government than its combined mortgage, automobile and health insurance expenses. The article compares the tax and expense burden of the typical 70's family with one income, to the typical two-income 2000's family. Mr. Zywicki, the author of the article, continues with "Although income rose 75%, and expenditures for the mortgage, car and health insurance rose by even less than that, the tax bill increased by… a whopping 140%"
Although the article does not include property taxes, property taxes in general, have also been escalating much faster than core inflation. While municipal governments like to use a different price inflater (CPI-W )than is often cited for consumers, the problem persist that Lower Merion Township's expenses are growing faster than inflation and private sector wage increases. If the Township's budget continues to grow 5%-6% per year, one thing Lower Merion residents can count on, is property taxes rising much faster than wage increases.
Township's Budget expected to out spend revenue (CRB)
August 10, 2007
After several discussions and presentations by LMT's staff, CRB is convinced that the township's expenses will outpace revenue growth in the 2008 budget. Although the Township Manager and head of Finance have not directly answered our questions about a 2008 tax increase (The official response to date is "It is too early to say."), we have received comments about the townships "Systemic" revenue problems. ( Township Managers complete email response, Monday, June 18, 2007 )
With a 2007 budget that increased 5.3% and a tax increase of 2%, will this increase and systemic problem with revenue be repeated in the 2008 budget? Not likely. The current model which includes a budget increase of 5-6% in 2008, would most likely result in a more substantial tax increase of 6-8% in the 2008 budget.
The Systemic spending problem, not the revenue problem, is what will continue to require large tax increases. Without incentives for our staff, or goals by our staff to control spending, and the lack of guidance by the leadership of the Board of Commissioners, we can only conclude that the township will recommend the easiest revenue enhancer available to the township. That enhancer, is of course, a real estate tax increase.
Real cost containment has not been realized from reduction in unneeded services nor have better business practices been encouraged to streamline existing services. Although many options are available to a tax increase, the options have not been considered. Other than " rear yard" trash pickup, discussions about cost control have not been encouraged, and in the case of rear yard trash pickup, the conversation continues to return to increasing revenue.
Lower Merion's Township Manager Response to CRB's question about future tax increases
June 29, 2007
On May 29th, CRB and other citizens meet with township staff. At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Cleland (Township Manger) stated that we could expect tax increases every year due to the nature of the revenue stream. For Mr. Cleland's complete email response to our question for clearification, please read…
Township Manager's complete email response, Monday, June 18th, 2007
Tax Debate, Letter to Main Line Life (CRB)
January 2007
CRB consistently argued that a tax increase was not needed, and therefore, was not justified for the 2007 Budget. Ultimately, the vote on Commissioner Rogers’ motion to eliminate the tax increase was lost. Commissioner Rogers is the BOC’s only registered Independent, and CRB was hopeful that his motion would bridge the partisan gap that had developed…
Reserves and Credit Rating Letter to Main Line Times (CRB)
January 18, 2007
“The most useful tool for evaluating credit risk is through examining the way [these] four key areas interact” (The Determinants of Municipal Credit Quality Government Finance Review, December 1999). A Moody’s representative recently confirmed that the 1999 article still reflects Moody’s methodology. The level of reserve is only one financial statistic used to evaluate the finances of a municipality and financial factors are only one of the four key areas considered. Therefore, a fixation on the level of reserves can be misleading, and most certainly did mislead a majority of Commissioners in the 2007 Budget discussion.