Since we have no public bus or train service in the Upper Perkiomen Valley, the Southeast Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA) budget issue may seem foreign to some folks in our four-county corner of the Commonwealth.

            But it really shouldn't.

            First, it's holding up other work that our state legislatures should be doing (hint: a state budget), and second, there are plenty of people in our neighboring communities who, along with some in our own communities, rely on it.

            SEPTA is the fifth-largest transit system in the country, and they are the only one in Pennsylvania planning cuts in service at this time, and those cuts are scheduled to take place next week.

            The Democrat-controlled State House of Representatives has presented its plan to fund SEPTA, which was declined by the Republican-controlled State Senate.  The State Senate presented its plan, which was declined by the State House of Representatives.

            The bottom line appears to be that neither branch of the State Assembly is opposed to the funding; they can't agree on where it should come from and how much transparency and oversight should be added to monitor the funding, and who should be performing those tasks.

            One proposal was to include funding for highways as well as increased aid for transit agency operations by $292 million, with the majority of the money going to SEPTA.

            Another was a plan that would have used money from a state transit fund and required fare increases every other year, tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI). It would "provide $1.2 billion for Pennsylvania's transportation networks over the next two years, including mass transit and roadways."  A portion of the plan called for using the state transit fund to cover SEPTA's $213 million budget deficit.  Some officials felt that moving that money would have detrimental effects across the state and there wasn't enough money in it to cover SEPTA's deficit.

            And, there were more.

            The main takeaway from all this is that both branches of the government seem to agree that the funding is needed; it is just a matter of ironing out the details.

            This is where compromise is needed.  The legislator loathing needs to be thrown out the window, and, since they are close to an agreement on the amount, they need to take a close look at each of the follow-up areas and do their best to pinch and tweak their differences.

            As long as each of us is able to think freely, there will be times when we disagree.

            A compromise and agreement must be forthcoming, and it must be one that both sides work out themselves.

            Then, get that state budget done.  The longer you wait, the more Pennsylvania residents and services will suffer.