Local News

A $50-plus million plan for the construction of a new building adjacent to the Monroe County Courthouse is taking shape as a new board of county commissioners prepares to take office in January.

The ambitious plan, discussed for years as a way to cope with an old, cramped courthouse and explosive growth in civil and criminal cases, would involve the county taking the drive-through PNC bank at Sixth and Sarah streets, either through a purchase or through eminent domain, as the county did with 701 Main St., which it took to alleviate some space constraints in county offices.

Click here for PDF of Barrett Township's 2020 annual budget.  

Per Resolution No. 121119B, Barrett Township Supervisors have set the 2020 budget and millage rates. 

For comparison purposes, I have constructed the following table showing the 2020 vs. previous millage rates:

How is the millage rate calculated?
The county, municipality, and school district (taxing authorities) set their budgets for 2020. The taxing authority then divides its budget by the total assessed value of all property within the area it serves to arrive at a millage rate.

I'm honored!  A sincere thanks to the people who voted for me. 

It looks like the article I wrote last year about "suggestions for improvements to financial statements" has already helped.  The 2018 CPA audit is twice as long as 2017's, containing many more details than prior. 

Unfortunately, the 2020 budget has been released and is still under the existing format, with no actual vs. estimated, no comparisons with last year, and no notes.  This makes it difficult for voters to dissect, understand, and discuss the budget. 

(WBRE/WYOU) — A delicious holiday tradition can be enjoyed at a resort in the Poconos.

A giant gingerbread house can be found at the Skytop Lodge in Barrett Township. The sweet endeavor begins months in advance with the planning stage. Then the preparations begin.

It takes 920 eggs, 612 pounds of flour, five pounds each of ginger, sugar, and spice and hours of labor. This is the 10th year for the gingerbread house.

BARRETT TOWNSHIP, MONROE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) – A man died this afternoon after he was pinned underneath his vehicle in an accident in Barrett Township, Monroe County.

Police say Richard Simon was working on his car on the side of the road when it fell on top of him.

Simon’s son freed him using a car jack, but he was pronounced dead on the scene.

The incident is under investigation.

[source]

Editor's Note: Read it for yourself
 Fact Finding Report

Update 12/13/19 @ 8:30am
Are PMSD bus drivers organizing an informal strike?

• PMSD closes schools after bus driver shortage
• Bus Driver Dilemma at Pocono Mountain School District

PMSD rejects fact finder’s report

On Wednesday evening the Pocono Mountain School District Board of Education voted to reject the fact finder’s recommendations regarding support staff contract negotiations. The vote was 7-1, with one abstention.

“It is with profound disappointment that our association learned of the board’s vote to reject the neutral fact finder’s recommendations for a fair settlement. We felt that his recommendations were a fair compromise that allowed both sides to move forward. Our members voted overwhelmingly in favor of the fact finder’s report. It’s frustrating to see the board’s lack of urgency to resolve this matter,” stated Dawn Cello, president of the Pocono Mountain Educational Support Professionals Association.

A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING BARRETT TOWNSHIP TO SUBMIT A PA SMALL WATER AND SEWER GRANT APPPLICATION TO THE COMMONWEALTH FINANCING AUTHORITY ON BEHALF OF PRESBYTERIAN SENIOR LIVING

The state Senate has passed legislation to raise the minimum wage in Pennsylvania from $7.25 per hour to $9.50 per hour by 2022, but the move, which now heads to the state House for consideration, does not have universal support.

Raising the minimum wage “will cut off access to work experience for those trying to enter or re-enter the workforce, such as teenagers and former inmates, halting economic progress in its tracks for many Pennsylvanians,” Commonwealth Foundation Vice President & COO Nathan Benefield charged in a statement.

“Instead of pushing counterproductive wage mandates, policymakers should focus on proven ways to boost economic opportunity for all, including enacting commonsense spending limits to prevent tax hikes, lowering Pennsylvania’s extreme corporate tax rate to promote job growth, and cutting licensing requirements so low-income earners can start their own businesses and control their own futures,” Benefield added.

It may not be a record-breaker, but one lucky hunter in Monroe County bagged a mammoth bear to kick off what could be a landmark hunting season on Saturday.

That bear, which was checked in at the Tobyhanna station, currently tops the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s “Largest Bear” list at 813 pounds live weight, and 689 pounds after gutting.

According to game wardens, the bear was taken by a Bucks County hunter in the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.

The closest competitor, a bear harvested in Luzerne County, weighed in at 747 pounds.

Those bruins are both monstrous additions to what could be a record-setting harvest for the state.

“It looks like we’re just about 1,000 away from the highest season, which was 4,350 in 2011,” Pennsylvania Game Commission information and education supervisor Bill Williams said on Tuesday. “We did have the early muzzle loader season for bears this year, so this is a new arena we’re in. We did have the two-week archery season, the muzzle loader season which ran for seven days, and we also had the junior and senior season that week, too.”

Just a year before that peak season, David Price of Barrett Township took down a record-smashing 879-black bear just north of Fernwood Resort in Pike County. That bruin has not been surpassed since Price harvested it in the 2010 season.

(edit 12/2/19: Added PDF attachment - letter from DCNR)

Barrett Township received $40,000 to further develop the Barrett Township Community Park. Work will include construction of a pavilion, comfort station and stormwater management measures, ADA access, landscaping, project sign, and other related site improvements.

In addition, the Nature Conservancy received a combined total of $872,140 which would go toward the acquisition of two parcels of land totaling approximately 700 acres in Barrett Township, Monroe County, for an addition to the Delaware State Forest.

[Source]

Classic Properties is collecting monetary donations this holiday season for our local food bank. C.A.M.E. cannot exist without the help it receives from the community, through financial contributions and donations of food. Classic Properties will be accepting checks (or cash) at our Mountainhome location at 1124 Route 390 during the business hours of 9am to 4pm and will accept donations until January 10, 2020.

Make checks payable to C.A.M.E.

C.A.M.E. is located at High Acres Park off of Route 447 North, Canadensis, PA.

Let's help those in need!