Pension Fund

CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. - The proposed 2000-2001 budget for the Chambersburg Area School District calls for a tax hike that would average $19 per property owner. The $56,774,475 budget proposal, unveiled at Wednesday night's meeting of the district's Board of School Directors, would raise taxes 2.5 mills to a total of 130 mills, according to Superintendent Dr. Edwin Sponseller. A mill represents $1 in taxes for every $1,000 of assessed value on a property. Despite the increase, Sponseller said the district's real estate tax will remain one of the lowest among the 501 school districts in Pennsylvania.

The Washington County Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to use pension fund money to give the county's 538 full-time employees a one-time bonus ranging from $750 to $1,250. The $574,500 cost for the bonuses would come from a portion of the $1 million designated as the fiscal 1999 grant to the Maryland State Pension and Retirement System program, Human Resources Director Alan J. Davis said. The rest of the money, an estimated $425,500, would be used to pay for fiscal 2000 Capital Improvement Program projects.

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- American International Group Inc. and some of its directors and officers have agreed to a $725 million settlement to resolve allegations of wide-ranging fraud laid out in a class action suit led by three Ohio pension funds. Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray said Friday the latest figure will combine with previous AIG settlements reached with secondary defendants to pay about $1 billion to shareholders, including pensions representing firefighters, police, teachers, librarians and others.

By STEVEN T. DENNIS Staff Writer The Washington County Ethics Commission will review a trip to The Masters golf tournament by three top county officials, a commission member said Monday. "We haven't had a full meeting yet but I've met with the county attorney ... and we will be a having a full meeting on the matter in the near future," said Omer T. Kaylor Jr., a Hagerstown lawyer. In April, Washington County Commissioners President Gregory I. Snook, County Administrator Rodney M. Shoop and County Personnel Director Alan Davis attended The Masters tournament in Augusta, Ga. They used tickets provided by INVESCO, the company that invests Washington County's $22 million employee pension fund.

Franklin County Commissioner Bob Thomas has announced he will run for re-election this year. Thomas, a Republican, was first elected in 1995. “I enjoy serving the public, and my passion for service runs strong,” he said in a news release. In announcing his candidacy, Thomas said experience gained while serving with former commissioners G. Warren Elliott and Cheryl Plummer for 12 years served him well during his fourth term when the economy declined. “No question, the last three years have been challenging, but we persevered and the county has been doing well financially.

WASHINGTON COUNTY -- The state's budget prospects appear bleak, and local representatives warned Thursday that the projected shortfall will hurt Washington County. Lawmakers warned that there likely will be less money coming to Washington County from the state, which has a projected budget shortfall of at least $1 billion. Five members of Washington County's delegation to the General Assembly answered questions during a Hagerstown-Washington County Chamber of Commerce event Thursday.

waynesboro@herald-mail.com McCONNELLSBURG - The only thing missing from Jack Fields' office is a rolltop desk. Fields, 69, McConnellsburg's borough manager, begins his 29th year on the job next week. He does it all. He has to. He's the only borough employee besides its two police officers. Fields keeps the borough's records in a handwritten ledger on his desk. There is a computer but he rarely turns it on. "I'm afraid of putting stuff in and losing it. I use this," he said, holding up his pen. Fields is the borough's secretary, treasurer, building permit officer, zoning enforcement officer, tax officer, CEO of the police pension fund and chairman of the sewer authority.

By DON AINES Staff Writer, Martinsburg MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - A random and unscientific sampling of 10 registered voters in Berkeley County revealed that six of them were unaware of Saturday's statewide special election that could change West Virginia's constitution. The polls open at 6:30 a.m. Saturday and will remain open until 7:30 p.m. Poll workers, however, might be advised to bring a good book to occupy their time. Ten percent was the prediction for voter turnout by County Clerk John Small on Wednesday.

By CLYDE FORD Staff Writer, Charles Town CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. - The Jefferson County Board of Education voted Monday night to ask county voters to renew a real estate tax for school funding during an election in September. The school board decided to add to the ballot the special levy that provides about 20 percent of the school system's budget, said board president Peter H. Dougherty. The county is nearing the end of the current five-year levy. The levy going on the September ballot will keep the taxes at the same level from July 1, 1998 to June 30, 2003, Dougherty said.