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<p>PLYMOUTH TWP. &#8212; With the stroke of Dennis Davin&#8217;s pen, Plymouth Township left distressed status Tuesday afternoon.</p><p>The township was assigned distressed status under Act 47 in 2004, after accumulating a debt nearly three times its operating budget, unpaid bills and an entire police force that was furloughed.</p><p>Davin, secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development, credited the township&#8217;s leadership and residents with making tough decisions that made fiscal health a reality.</p><p>&#8220;Twelve years seems like a long time,&#8221; said Davin, &#8220;but, other municipalities have been in distressed status for much longer than that.&#8221;</p><p>Jim Rose, local government policy specialist for the Governor&#8217;s Center for Local Government Services, said the state agency initially assisted the township with implementing the five-year plan to begin its long-term financial recovery.</p><p>&#8220;This is truly an example of good government, willing to work together,&#8221; Rose said. &#8220;And residents stood behind them.&#8221;</p><p>Rose was referring to the over 80 percent of voters who approved the adoption of a home rule charter form of government in 2011.</p><p>Under the charter, the township was able to maintain the township&#8217;s earned income tax rate of 1.5 percent, avoiding an increase in property taxes.</p><p>Supervisor Chairwoman Gale Conrad said an increase in property taxes would have unduly burdened properties owners especially senior citizens.</p><p>Davin credited Conrad with a great deal of hard work and commitment to the township.</p><p>Interjecting a bit of levity in the proceedings, he commented on Conrad&#8217;s warmth in dealing with the DCED.</p><p>&#8220;No meeting that ends with a hug is a bad meeting,&#8221; he said, referring to a previous meeting at which the township was given initial clearance for exit from distressed status.</p><p>Conrad has consistently stressed the necessity of responsible spending.</p><p>&#8220;If we can&#8217;t afford it, we don&#8217;t buy it,&#8221; she said. &#8220;For example, we can&#8217;t afford $40,000 for central air conditioning for the municipal building.</p><p>&#8220;So our summer meetings will be a bit shorter,&#8221; she added, laughing.</p><p>Gov. Tom Wolf credited the township&#8217;s success in leaving distressed status behind as the third municipality given that status under his administration.</p><p>&#8220;Today&#8217;s signing is a celebration of the hard work and commitment by Plymouth Township&#8217;s leaders and residents to taking the necessary steps for improving the financial position of the township,&#8221; Wolf said in a prepared statement. &#8220;The road to fiscal stability is paved with tough decisions, teamwork, and dedication.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s through these hard moments that strong, stable communities are established in Pennsylvania.&#8221;</p><p>U.S. Sen. John Yudichak, a Plymouth Township resident, remembers growing up with the slogan, &#8220;township proud.&#8221;</p><p>Tuesday, Yudichak said, reinforced his pride in his hometown.</p><p>He credited the board of supervisors and township manager Steve Grzymski with successfully moving through setbacks that included a fire in the public works garage and several flooding incidents.</p><p>&#8220;Despite being in Act 47 status, the township forged ahead and partnered with Earth Conservancy, DEP and our legislative office to secure over $6.6 million in funds to reclaim some of the worst mine lands in Luzerne County,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The Avondale Mine Project fittingly will be completed this year as the township completes its historic financial recovery.&#8221;</p><p>State Rep. Gerald Mullery, in a press release, also lauded the township for making its way out of Act 47 status.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s been a long journey for township officials to get to this point,&#8221; said Mullery, D-Newport Township. &#8220;I applaud everyone for coming together to shed the label of being a distressed municipality.&#8221;</p><p>Rose said the governor&#8217;s center will continue to be available to offer assistance to the township.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;re confident that this township is well-capable of maintaining financial stability in the long term,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And we&#8217;re always available to do things like reviewing the budget. We&#8217;ll continue to be here to help.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption"></div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_Wolf-3.jpg</photo0><caption0></caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050416Wolf2-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Gale Conrad, chairwoman for the Plymouth Township board of supervisors, right, shows fellow supervisor Christine Kachurak the letter that states Plymouth Township&#8217;s distress status is terminated. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050416Wolf2-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Gale Conrad, chairwoman for the Plymouth Township board of supervisors, right, shows fellow supervisor Christine Kachurak the letter that states Plymouth Township&#8217;s distress status is terminated. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050416Wolf1-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Secretary Dennis Davin, of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, signs the termination of Plymouth Township&#8217;s distress status at the Plymouth Township Municipal Building on Tuesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/web1_TTL050416Wolf1-2.jpg</photo2><caption2>Secretary Dennis Davin, of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, signs the termination of Plymouth Township&#8217;s distress status at the Plymouth Township Municipal Building on Tuesday. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Geri Gibbons</p><p>ggibbons@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Geri Gibbons at 570-991-6117 or on Twitter @TLGGibbons</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Plymouth Township leaves Act 47 distressed status