Bucks County 'Chaotic, Haphazard,' County Commissioner Says

Bucks County Commissioner Diane Ellis-Marseglia attended a Bristol Township Business Coalition meeting Tuesday with running-mate Det Ansinn to discuss the balancing act between business and bureaucracy.

In her talking points at the meeting, taking place in the hall of Georgine's restaurant in West Bristol, Marseglia laid out the landscape which she feels is hindering business growth in both the county and Bristol Township.

“Bucks County is chaotic,” Marseglia said, “nobody knows who to talk to … currently it's haphazard if you wish to start a business here.”

There was little disagreement with those who attended the meeting. Members of the BTBC have long fought against what they felt were hurdles put in place by the township and the county.

“Anyone who thinks that government is friendly to business has never built a building,” Det Ansinn said. Ansinn, a running-mate of Marseglia for County Commissioner, currently acts as Council President in Doylestown borough.

Ansinn, who put on his political boxing gloves in 2005 to fight what he saw unneeded bureaucracy, see's much of the taxes and regulations that townships typically impose on small businesses as an impediments to thriving industry.

“In the end of the day, we talk about money from Harrisburg or Washington, but for msot of us in this room, that's not how we got here—we got here by the proverbial bootstraps … there is a role for government in business, but a large part of it is knowing when to get out of the way,” Ansinn said.

One of the founders of the BTBC, Craig Bowen, said the organization has made progress in making the township more “business-friendly.” Bowen says that since their negotiations with the township council, escrow requirements for homes lowered in the township from $1,000 to $600 and the Non-Residential Unit Tax, which charged a fee per square foot for a newly constructed commercial or industrial facility, was slashed in half from $2 per square foot to $1.

“We are making headway, but there is still a lot of work to be done,” Bowen said.

The solution, according to Marseglia, is consolidation and simplification. An Economic Developer Officer, she says, would easily streamline and accelerate the process of installing a larger business base, as well as helping foster a more cohesive and communicable community of neighboring townships.

The streamlining, to Marseglia, is the key in allowing Bucks County to florish.

“When I look at [Bucks County,] there is no reason why we are struggling – we have great positioning between Philadelphia and New York City … we have great infrastructure … we have some of the best health care outside of Philadelphia. Bucks County should be a great place for business.” Marseglia said.