DISCLAIMER: The information contained on this Web site, which includes information contained on all links to other sites, is provided as a public service by Pottstown Citizens for Responsible Government. The material on this Web site comes from government and other sources, and Pottstown Citizens for Responsible Government does not guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the information, or make any representation as to whether the information is current. No warranty, express or implied, is created by providing the information on this Web site. Pottstown Citizens for Responsible Government shall not be liable to anyone for any decision made or action taken, or not taken, in reliance on the information found on this Web site. Users are advised to do their own independent investigation before relying on or taking/not taking any action based on information found on this Web site.
Pottstown, Pennsylvania
Pottstown is a compact town of 21,000 along the Schuylkill River in southeastern Pennsylvania, about 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia. It is lovely and historic, with tree-lined streets and a distinctive downtown.
Although the town is not as financially healthy as it once was, it has the potential to become one of the most livable communities in Pennsylvania. Pottstown Citizens seeks ways we can best manage our resources for the common good.
Spending beyond our means: $9 million a year
Let's suppose the spending of the Pottstown School District matched its wealth, as calculated by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. If it did, our budget would drop by nearly $9 million per year.Read more
We can't afford to keep raising taxes
With the 7th highest local tax effort of 500 school districts in Pennsylvania, plunging real estate assessments, and "for sale" signs all over town, Pottstown doesn't have luxury of raising taxes.Read more
Financial crisis coming to
Pottstown School District
After years of spending above the rate of inflation, the Pottstown School District has hit the wall of financial reality. During the next four yers, the school district must rethink how it organizes and allocates its resources.
Read more
Detailed budget should be
published
A complete, reader-friendly budget should be posted on the Pottstown School District Web site so taxpayers can see where the money goes. We cannot make informed decisions unless we have this information available.Read more
High Street a natural for live-work units
High Street has a treasure trove of historic buildings that are ideal for conversation into stores or offices on the first floor and and housing for the owners on the upper floors. Above, 221 High Street is a live-work unit for Lori and Brian Patrick of Affinity Property Management.Read more
Innovation, competition, and choice in education: a series
Gov. Tom Corbett has called for innovation, competition and choice in our education system. In a series of nine articles, we look at different approaches to education and their implications for Pottstown public schools.Read more
OTHER COMMENTARY
Since December 2008, we have published 82 paid commentaries in The Mercury. Here is a sampling:
Ten-year grant history chart
The borough has paid for many fine projects with grant money in the last decade, but it has also passed up or mishandled many significant funding opportunities. We've compiled a chart of all grant applications in the last ten years.
Goal for 2012: Living within our means
Each Pottstown residents are people of modest means, but we recognize quality of life is not dependent on how many material possessions we can accumulate. Now our borough council and school district need to adopt that philosophy, as well.
Pottstown now 7th of 500 districts in taxation
Each year the state Department of Education calculates what it calls "local tax effort" in "equalized mills" designed to allow comparisons of how much each district is charging in taxes. Last week, the department released figures for the 2009-2010 school year, the latest available. Pottstown now has the seventh highest taxes in Pennsylvania.
History gives Pottstown meaning, substance
Here in Pottstown, our lovely historic buildings -- especially our schools -- bind us together.
ULI reports have helped Pottstown
Many of Pottstown's most successful development initiatives were first suggested by the Urban Land Institute, the nation's premier research institution for urban planning and development.
ULI sparks Pottstown's town center
Few people remember, but ULI -- the Urban Land Institute -- first conceived the concept of building a new borough hall and town park in its current downtown location. ULI also urged Pottstown to persuade the Montgomery County Commissioners to build a satellite campus of the community college in Pottstown.
Pottstown ripe for 'smart growth'
Smart growth is the name given to development that conserves land by using smaller lot sizes and placing houses, stores, and workplaces in close proximity. As Pottstown has evolved over the last 250 years, it exemplfies the principles of smart growth.
People who give
As we approach the end of the year with holiday celebrations of giving and thankfulness, we can be proud of Pottstown's "world class" givers.
St. Aloysius invests in good maintenance
Unlike a public school district, the St. Aloysius parish can't just raise taxes every year to cover increased costs. It must spend wisely. Pottstown can learn from the 1912 St. Aloysius Elementary School, which has been carefully maintained for a century and provides an outstanding educational environment.