News Release: City of York Should Disband Human Relations Commission

News Release
For Immediate Release:  November 17, 2011
Contact:  Diane Gramley  1.814.271.9078 or 1.814.437.5355

The City of York Should Have Followed the Lead of Lancaster County in Cutting Human Relations Commission

(Harrisburg) — Mayor Kim Bracey of the City of York has announced an 11 percent tax increase, additional fees and the elimination of three currently vacant firefighter positions in the 2012 budget.    The City Council has said they will spend the next few weeks pruning the mayor’s budget.  The American Family Association of Pennsylvania (AFA of PA) encourages them to start by following the lead of Lancaster County and eliminate the city’s Human Relations Commission (HRC).

“A year ago today the Lancaster County Commissioners voted 2 to 1 to save the taxpayers $480,000 a year by disbanding the county human relations commission.    Around that same time Mayor Bracey was also investigating ways to cut funding for York’s Human Relations Commission, but gave into pressure and actually increased its funding.  Now the taxpayers, whose property taxes are already three times higher than anywhere else in York County, are facing an 11 percent increase and additional fees.  It’s time to look at eliminating York’s HRC,” commented Diane Gramley, president of the AFA of PA.

Last year the mayor and her administration tried to cut the HRC budget from $260,000 to $150,000 eliminating one $51,000 a year job in the process.  There was an immediate uproar from the executive director of the commission saying they would not be able to do their job.  The commission handles an average of 22 cases a year.

“As the bad economy continues more taxpayers are going to demand that the local governments cut their spending and live within a smaller budget.  Families are having to do that and the government on all levels needs to follow the lead of their constituents.  York needs to take another hard look at its Human Relations Commission and decide if the handling of 22 cases is worth the expenditure of hundreds of thousands of dollars per year,” Gramley further stated.

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