Allegany County’s government truly has grown financially stronger and sounder, as commission President Michael McKay said during a recent state of the county address.
One proof of this is that the county has found a way to save about $1 million by refinancing its debt. That money will be put to good use in this county, rather than simply finding its way into someone else’s pockets.
The county’s desire to get on a sound financial footing has come at some cost. Government has been downsized, and the number of employees under the commissioners’ control has declined by 18 percent over the past three years, which translates to jobs that no longer exist.
However, the county also managed to complete a dozen public works projects last year, including a $1.8-million industrial park building and the $1.32-million Bedford Road area sewer replacement.
It also decided to borrow $9.2 million that will go toward the new $12.2-million Allegany High School — a project that is long overdue.
In the face of an ongoing decline in financial support from the state, the county commissioners and the Board of Education both have been diligent in finding ways to save money. The school board by itself has reduced its energy costs by millions of dollars over the past several years.
Our local leadership really is figuring how to do more with less. If only those people in Washington and Annapolis would learn to do the same.
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A good report
A good report
County finds itself on firm financial footing
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Editorial Cartoon - 05/18/2013
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Maryland has stopped being “The Free State”
I am a lifetime member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans and, last but not least, the National Rifle Association. I am a yearly member of the American Legion.
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Outrageous
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
This amounts to spying on an American news organization — common practice in dictatorships but scary conduct in a democratic system that prizes the public value of an independent watchdog press. -
Prevention
The Allegany County Board of Health on Tuesday heard some alarming numbers involving overdoses involving drugs and alcohol. Fortunately, the group already has a plan to ease the situation.
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Financial gutting will damage school system
I am writing in response to the Allegany County Commissioners’ efforts to cut local education spending to the lowest possible level allowed under state law.
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Cemetery organization plans events to mark Memorial Day
This upcoming Memorial Day marks the 30th anniversary of the Cumberland Historic Cemetery Organization (CHCO).
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Better fix it
The West Virginia Division of Highways should not give up on improving safety at the intersection of U.S. Route 220 and Stoney Run Road in Keyser merely because the intersection does not meet the state’s criteria for a traffic signal.
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That many?
Only about one in every four people trust the federal government, according to a recent Pew Research survey.
We’re surprised that number isn’t close to zero. -
It’s time to ratify Equal Rights Amendment
I have three words I want to say: “It is time.”
By those three words, I am referring to passage of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). -
Preserve these things for future generations
This is an open letter to the mayor of Cumberland and Allegany County commissioners:
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