Great example here of working on the local level.
Forty Fort Considering an English-only Ordinance
by Erin Moody
A Forty Fort councilman wants to take what he sees as a pre-emptive step and make English the official language of the borough.
“With us being an extremely small borough with an extremely small budget, we can’t afford to hire interprets, we can’t afford to make copies of our ordinances in other languages,” Dave Williams said Monday. A discussion and vote on the proposed ordinance is planned for the council’s meeting on September 7, and the document is on display at the borough building.
“The Borough of Forty Fort acknowledges that the official use of more than one language by the governing body could be confusing and detrimental to the residents of the Borough…The Borough of Forty Fort does not have the resources to translate documents into languages other than English… it is the intent of the Borough of Forty Fort to provide uniformity of language in all forms of communication,” the proposed ordinance reads.
The ordinance would only apply to official borough business, such as printed ordinances, police reports and other forms, not to residents and businesses in the area.
To his knowledge, the borough has not had issues with requests for translators or for documents to be produced in languages other than English, Williams said.
Instead, he sees this as a protective measure so the borough is not required to do so.
Councilman Frank Michaels does not see the need for such an ordinance at this time.
“I can understand he wants to take a proactive approach, but why take that approach since we don’t have a problem right now? If, and when, a problem does arise, let’s address it at that time,” Michaels said.
The council meeting is scheduled for 7:30 P.M. September 7, as Labor Day conflicts with the normal meeting time.
-The Citizen's Voice
