Q & A with South Whitehall's Jon Hammer

South Whitehall's new manager, Jon A. Hammer, is a lover of books and the stock market, a college basketball fan and a hiker. Some may know him from Allentown, where he was executive assistant to former Mayor Bill Heydt, or from Bethlehem Township, where was manager for eight years.

His Kindle is filled with books on philosophy, history, and politics. And he enjoys following domestic and international financial markets. ("Yes, that's a hobby – I am a nerd," he says.) He speaks regularly at forums concerning local government finance.

He is married with two young children.

Hammer took over as 's manager this summer, the township's first new manager in 22 years.

He takes our questions – and yours. 

Q.    For the 23rd consecutive year, South Whitehall residents won't see a tax hike. How is it possible, given the economic climate?

The economic climate has been devastating for us all, and local governments are not immune.  It's fortunate that those who came before me, the staff and township commissioners took a keen interest in being fiscally prudent and responsible with taxpayer monies. 

Q.   With the township using half of its reserve to balance the 2011 budget, how much longer can the township stave off a tax increase?

Most governments in Pennsylvania don't have a revenue issue, they have a spending issue.  Our mantra here in South Whitehall will be to provide core local government services at a reasonable tax rate.  After 23 years of no tax increase, there will be a real estate tax increase eventually.  All local governments in Pennsylvania are struggling now, and it's my opinion we need to look at new ways of doing things.  Pension reform, reworking Act 511 (the Local Tax Enabling Act), and making sweeping changes to Act 111 should all be on the table. 

Q.  Agriculture was once the backbone of South Whitehall's economy. Now, it's commerce, primarily and Wildwater Kingdom. Are there concerns that the township's farmland is disappearing?

I worry about lost farmland, and losing our history in general.  When I took over as manager, one of our employees, John Frantz, lent me a book about the rich agrarian history of South Whitehall Township that I read cover to cover.  My family and I also took a tour of the Haines Mill.  There is no doubt that our local economy has been moving away from agriculture for many years now, and I don't see that trend ending.  We must put land-use planning to the forefront of our priorities to ensure we build the community we can all be proud of.   

Q. As the township's new manager, what are your immediate goals? I know you've talked about making the government more transparent, such as putting the 2011 budget online, for example.

Transparency and citizen participation.  Usually the best ideas don't come from town hall, they come from the people of the community.  It would be nice to tap into those ideas, and with the technology we have today, it would be easy to create a process in which more voices can be heard.   I know we're working on an interactive Q and A with patch.com that can help facilitate the idea-sharing.   

Q. What is your longer-term vision for the township?

Nothing short of creating the best community of which to live, work, play and recreate in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  We already have the fundamentals in place, and we're well on our way to that goal. 

Q.   When you were hired, the board chair expressed hope that you would find areas of regional cooperation among South Whitehall and other municipalities. What's under consideration?

What many people don't realize is that regional cooperation occurs every day amongst municipalities in the Lehigh Valley.   Police departments, fire departments, and EMS work with our neighboring municipalities daily.  For example, just today, we are meeting with another municipality to look at a financial software package we can use.  I meet monthly with the other township managers from throughout the Lehigh Valley to discuss inter-municipal cooperation.  What usually grabs headlines is when there are disputes amongst municipalities, but in general, most municipalities in our region work very well together.