Chester County Republican leadership saves taxpayers millions of dollars with Triple Aaa
By: Skip Brion
Chairman, Republican Committee of Chester County
Last week Chester County became one of only 24 counties in the whole United States to achieve Aaa bond ratings from three prestigious rating companies. The attaining of the bond ratings will result in the savings of millions of dollars to Chester County taxpayers.
One of the reasons Chester County is nationally recognized as a great place to live, raise a family and work is because of the leadership provided by the Republican elected officials in Chester County. Voters have elected candidates from the Republican Party to leadership positions in county government for many decades. Because of our Republican elected officials’ consistent, good performance in office, the voters of Chester County are consistent in their election and re-election of Republicans to these positions.
Fiscal responsibility has been a hallmark of the GOP. Chester County is a prime example of the philosophy of the Republican Party. The voters want needed services at a reasonable cost. They don’t want excess spending on non-essential programs and inept government oversight.
The two Chester County Republican Commissioners, Chair Terence Farrell and Carol Aichele, were the leaders of the drive to attain the Aaa rankings along with County Controller Val DiGiorgio. Terence, Carol, Val and the rest of the county’s senior management should be commended for their hard work.
Attaining the Aaa bond ratings in this challenging financial climate is not an easy task. No other county in Pennsylvania has three Aaa ratings. The ratings were obtained from internationally respected rating agencies. They don’t bestow Aaa ratings on governments or companies with fiscal issues.
Standard & Poor’s report cited the county’s strong management practices, highlighting management policies including quarterly reports to elected officials and the voting public on budgeted numbers compared to actual results, and multiyear financial forecasts for all tax-supported funds. Standard & Poor’s also recognized the county’s large and diverse tax base.
Fitch’s Ratings and Moody’s also gave the county high marks for their management.
Commissioner Aichele had some excellent comments last week. She said, “Receiving the highest rating reflects the county’s philosophy of managing for results. Chester County citizens can be assured that our county government is managed to the highest standards based on the best financial practices, which produce the lowest cost of debt to fund important initiatives such as open space preservation and parks expansion.”
Chester County residents trust Republican elected officials to govern our county responsibly and effectively. Every member of the Republican Committee of Chester County takes that mandate from the voters seriously when endorsing good, qualified candidates. We look forward to the privilege of providing the best services possible to the citizens of Chester County at a reasonable cost.
|