AT LEAST SOMEONE GETS THE IDEA ....

"While wrapping up leftover 2009 business Monday, Easton officials found an extra $5,000 to split among festivals including Heritage Day and next year's Peace Candle lighting ceremony.

City Council had started discussing last month how to divide $15,000 earmarked in the 2010 city budget for privately run festivals, which can apply for the city grant. Applicants also included Garlic Fest, the Riverside Festival of the Arts and the Forks of the Delaware Shad Fishing Tournament and Festival.

Council had reached a consensus on the grant amounts at its meeting Monday, but just before the vote, Councilman Roger Ruggles proposed upping the total from $15,000 to $20,000. Ruggles, noting the extra $5,000 was to go to the Easton Emergency Squad from the same special events budget, proposed finding the emergency squad's money elsewhere. Council unanimously supported the move.

Under Ruggles' recalculations, Heritage Day will get the maximum grant of $5,000, while Garlic Fest is to receive $3,600 and the Easton Holiday Committee, which pays for the Peace Candle, is to get about $3,000.

Before the grant process was established in the 2009 budget, the Peace Candle used to get $6,000 per year from the city, while Heritage Day had no city funding.

Also under Monday's deal, the Riverside and shad festivals are to receive more than $1,600 each, while $1,250 is to go to the Memorial Day Parade. The Easton Soap Box Derby, Tomato Fest and Scarecrow Festival are each to see roughly $1,000.

Ruggles, Councilwoman Sandra Vulcano and past Councilman Michael Fleck -- the winners of the city's three Election Day council races -- were sworn in Monday as the first representatives of the city's new neighborhood voting districts."

- MORNING CALL 2010


And MY question is, if we went from a 8 million dollar deficit to a 14 million dollar surplus, why can't ALLENTOWN do this for its' communities ?


- J. BLACK