Castor has a plan to improve county government

In office for just six months, Montgomery County Commissioner Bruce L. Castor Jr. has already figured out ways to improve the way the county is run.

Castor has released a report detailing ways to make county government more efficient and more responsive.

Some of the priorities set by Castor include:

POLITICAL REFORM: Reconvening the campaign finance reform task force and holding hearings on recommendations it released last year. Reinstituting an ethics policy that was rescinded in 2000 and extending a policy prohibiting senior staff members from partisan politics.

INCREASED TRANSPARENCY IN GOVERNMENT: Expanding the broadcast of commissioner meetings beyond the one-hour edited version by running one hour one week and another hour the second week and making the full unedited video available on the county's Web site.

GOVERNMENT REFORM: Put a referendum on next year's spring ballot to determine whether citizens are interested in creating a home rule study commission that would evaluate whether the county would be better served by an alternative to the three-member Board of Commissioners.

KEEPING TAXES LOW: Appoint a fiscal fitness team that includes government, business and financial advisers to identify inefficiencies in county policies, programs and the budget.

PUBLIC SAFETY: Restore county funding for the CLEAN Team, an elite force of law enforcement officers focusing on quality-of-life crimes in Norristown. Install a panic button system in all county offices in Norristown and other off-site offices that deal with the public.

Check out today's edition of The Mercury for more details.