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Old 05-03-2012, 01:02 PM
 
2,290 posts, read 3,827,979 times
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Yet another PA municipality enters the municipal finance twilight zone...

Altoona declared distressed by state - Pittsburgh Business Times

Quote:
Altoona declared distressed by state

Pittsburgh Business Times by Tim Schooley, Reporter
Date: Thursday, May 3, 2012, 12:52pm EDT

Another Pennsylvania city is ready to join the club of communities in Act 47, the state’s official designation for financially distressed municipalities.

Alan Walker, secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, announced today that Altoona, the biggest city in Blair County, is financially distressed under the provisions of Pennsylvania’s Municipalities Financial Recovery Act.

Walker is now expected to appoint a recovery plan coordinator for Altoona within the next 30 days to begin establishing a long-term recovery plan.

...
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Old 05-03-2012, 03:31 PM
 
Location: The canyon (with my pistols and knife)
14,186 posts, read 22,747,384 times
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Time for municipal reform in Pennsylvania, as well as alcohol law and property tax reform.
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Old 05-03-2012, 03:37 PM
 
Location: Yeah
3,164 posts, read 6,703,575 times
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I do not understand. Have the municipalities overspent so much over the years that they are going bankrupt? Or are the finding loopholes to take advantage of this status? I seriously can't believe so many municipalities throughout the entire country are having issues.
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Old 05-03-2012, 04:48 PM
 
Location: Boston Metrowest (via the Philly area)
7,270 posts, read 10,601,386 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by scottrpriester View Post
I do not understand. Have the municipalities overspent so much over the years that they are going bankrupt? Or are the finding loopholes to take advantage of this status? I seriously can't believe so many municipalities throughout the entire country are having issues.
Surely a lot of financially distressed cities have been mismanaged, but many cities -- particularly of the post-industrial variety that are common all throughout Pennsylvania -- have simply seen a large decline in a productive tax base. This has occurred while simultaneously having to deliver more social services to a less affluent population. It's just simply a sad situation.

It really isn't rocket science to fix, however. If every city in PA had investment like they had about half a century ago (as opposed to the era of suburbanization in the 1960s-2000s that bastardized our cities), not one of them would be experiencing financial problems that are all-too-common today. Here's to the 2010s starting to reverse this trend in cities like Altoona.
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Old 10-21-2012, 03:29 PM
 
1 posts, read 2,810 times
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I intend to move to the Altoona area next year. Can someone tell me if Altoona is simply "financially challenged" as a municipal government, or is it likewise in a state of urban decay? It seems clean/intact enough from the overhead shots I've seen (and the photo tour on this site), but I'd appreciate an experience-based assessment. Tough and dangerous? Or just a little down on its fiscal luck for now? Thanks!
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Old 10-21-2012, 06:37 PM
 
635 posts, read 1,165,739 times
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Altoona isn't dangerous but it is a rust belt town. Whenever the largest employer in a town is a hospital then you know that town has nothing going for it.
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Old 10-23-2012, 07:57 AM
 
14,611 posts, read 17,562,480 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinE View Post
Whenever the largest employer in a town is a hospital then you know that town has nothing going for it.
Mexico needs to build giant retirement communities for aging Americans. Instead of whole towns growing old and struggling with snow and home maintenance, driving automobiles they can't fix and cost a fortune, retirees need to move where it is warm and labor is inexpensive.
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Old 10-23-2012, 12:44 PM
 
Location: North by Northwest
9,340 posts, read 13,007,749 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by KevinE View Post
Altoona isn't dangerous but it is a rust belt town. Whenever the largest employer in a town is a hospital then you know that town has nothing going for it.
The largest employer in Pittsburgh by far is UPMC.

Of course, there's a difference between a small city hospital and one of the country's largest health systems.
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Old 10-23-2012, 01:48 PM
 
43,011 posts, read 108,061,041 times
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I'm surprised it took so long. Altoona has appeared distressed for as long as I can remember.
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Old 10-23-2012, 01:51 PM
 
43,011 posts, read 108,061,041 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HeavenWood View Post
The largest employer in Pittsburgh by far is UPMC.

Of course, there's a difference between a small city hospital and one of the country's largest health systems.
Doesn't Penn State have a campus up there?
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