Second Term: It takes three commissioners with
varied backgrounds
and
opinions
to
run
a
county. Before
it was
fashionable, I worked
to
make government transparent by providing a web site, newsletter,
and
weekly email alerts with timely county information.
With full-time leadership and
experience,
Jo Ellen Litz,
puts
People Above Politics
by
Taking Action, Getting Results--Whether
it's saving you over $1.5 million, preserving your voting precinct, or
improving your quality of life,
Litz watches your tax
dollars as if they were her own.
Results (approximate)—Litz
initiatives (in red) saved:
1. $800,000+
by picking a solvent company to supply
voting machines;
2. $521,000
by refinancing the 1999 Bond issue from
5.09 to 3.46%;
3. $160,000
upfront +
$50,000
on transportation costs annually + prison and
theft costs & New Revenue in future rents on a methadone clinic;
4. $75,000
annually with Social Services administered
in-house (+ future rent);
5. $41,500+
a New Furnace by putting
Honeywell energy audits
on track without turning off the lights;
6. $24,800
in
refunds due the County;
7. $22,500
in 2006 by
obtaining a contract for 2005
audit
services (will save more
for the next two years);
8. $16,000+$300
monthly income from realtors in New Revenue
by moving GIS mapping
forward;
9. $16,000
annually with Safety Committee
Certification—reduced insurance premiums;
10. Distributed
Community Resource
Manuals:
--------How do you put a price on planning & safety?
11. Retained
City voting districts:
--------------------------Our right to vote is priceless.
12. Saved
the Bordner cabin:
--------------------------------Our heritage is priceless.
13. Preserved
farms: Open space value continues to rise & farms serve as a source of
food, water recharge,
& energy. By the end of
2007,
126 farms
occupying
13,485.2
acres should be
preserved.
14. Put
Habitat houses back on the tax roles: --New Annual Revenue for the City,
County, & schools
15. After
a court approved adjustment for 2005: --No County tax increase for 2 years
“Do what’s right. Know right from wrong. And
pursue with steadiness what is right. Be honest. Do your
duty. “ Thomas Jefferson.
First
Term:
CONSERVATION/PRESERVATION/OPEN SPACE:
Preserved numerous farms, including vote to preserve
County Farm
Governor Dick
Union Canal Tunnel Park
Rails to Trails
Rivers Conservation Plan
Drought Task Force
Green Community
TECHNOLOGY IMPROVEMENTS:
Geographic Information System started
Cellular Phone & insurance contracts consolidated for $
savings
Personal computers for office staff
Y2K readiness completed
Honeywell contract completed saving both energy and
money
CareerLink Site at Job Center opened allowing job &
career searches on-line
Personal Web page on County Government
OTHER THRIFTY ACTIONS:
Prisoners share in the cost of their upkeep--work
release, trustee jobs, or daily charges--also medical and dental co-pay
Expand electronic monitoring to relieve prison
"over-crowding"
Elimination of Personal Property Tax
Held line on real estate taxes three years running
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Airport study begun to expand Fort Indiantown Gap to
accommodate small jet craft and open for civilian use
Keystone Opportunity Zones in the City of Lebanon to
recycle old industrial and commercial sites, thus saving farmland
Tax Increment Financing to expand business and
employment opportunities while improving infrastructure
Release steel foundry from the repository for
remediation
COURT-RELATED ISSUES
Fourth judgeship position created to relieve backlog
Court House expanded to alleviate crowding & accommodate
courts
Three employees transferred to state payroll
So this website offers useful
information, if you don't see something you are looking for, let me know by
mailing to Litz@mbcomp.com , and
perhaps it will become a new feature. Finally, please feel free to suggest
corrections.
Respectfully,
Jo Ellen Litz
Ps. In an effort to provide credible public information, wherever
possible, department brochures and reports are quoted and/or paraphrased
throughout this web site. However, polices and prices change. Therefore,
always verify information with the department.
Capitol
Centennial Parade
Posted on or about 9/1/98. Last edited
12/07/03.
In the center of the Swatara Watershed is Lebanon,
a safe rural community located immediately east of Hershey, north of
Lancaster, west of Reading, and south of Pine Grove, Pennsylvania. The
Swatara Watershed is host to small towns like Mount Gretna; historical
landmarks like the Cornwall Iron Furnace and Union Canal Tunnel; State Game
Lands for hunting and fishing; the Swatara Creek for canoeing; campgrounds;
community parks; golf courses; bed and breakfast inns; thousands of farms,
some Amish; Hershey Park, Hershey chocolate factory, Hershey gardens, zoo,
the Giant theater; and a National Cemetery at Fort Indiantown Gap.
