Municipalities in the county could benefit significantly from formation of a council of governments (COG), and it's good news that some municipalities are working toward that goal.

All municipalities should acknowledge the importance of that endeavor and select someone to represent them in the effort.

The COG initiative was discussed at the third quarterly meeting of officials representing the county, City of Butler and Butler Township. At that meeting, it was noted that having a council of governments could be beneficial in terms of such things as joint purchases, marketing and training.

Those spearheading the COG effort should commit themselves to keeping other elected officials in the county informed about new developments and to encourage greater participation.

There is power in numbers and that applies to councils of governments as well as in many other aspects of life.

The starting date for classes in the state's 501 public school districts should be a local decision, since individual districts have their own reasons for why they choose to start classes before or after the Labor Day holiday.While the state's school districts should be interested in a study of the issue conducted by a consultant working for the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee, a state-mandated starting date is a bad idea.The fact that Michigan, Wisconsin and Virginia currently require, with some exceptions, a post-Labor Day start shouldn't be the basis for Pennsylvania passing such an edict.The study in question says starting school after the Labor Day weekend could generate about $164 million in direct spending on travel and tourism.According to the study, teachers and students forgo millions of dollars in lost summer-job wages as a result of the pre-Labor Day school starts. In addition, the study says, the earlier starts make it more difficult for teachers to complete summer-term continuing education courses.Those are legitimate considerations, but so are the uncertainties of winter-weather school day cancellations, and the necessity of making up those lost days, and the observation that students' attention spans aren't as sharp, the longer that classes continue in June.The study contends that about a half-billion dollars and 2,300 jobs could be added to the commonwealth's economy, including about $30 million in state and local tax revenue, if a post-Labor Day school start was mandated or imposed voluntarily."While some may argue that the school calendars should not be set around the needs of the travel and tourism industry, this negative impact as it currently stands (nearly 90 percent of Pennsylvania's school districts currently start classes before Labor Day) is placing a profound burden on those taxpayers who are currently compensating for these losses in tax dollars," the report concludes.Regardless, local districts currently determine their starting dates based upon their local circumstances and that should remain unchanged.Some districts might want to accommodate the study's findings, but making that a requirement would be wrong.

Pennsylvania has plenty of important issues that need the attention of lawmakers, and the exodus of manufacturing jobs is only one of them.Outside the realm of the important is whether "Pennsylvania" is or is not on the state's flag. Currently, it isn't.Rep. Tim Solobay, D-Washington, the prime sponsor of a bill to add "Pennsylvania" to the flag should redirect his attention to issues that really matter.Solobay's initiative could be likened to politicians who hide behind the issue of promoting family values because they have little to show in terms of meaningful legislative success.The plan put forth by Solobay would change the state flag for the first time in nearly 100 years. The name "Pennsylvania" would be added in yellow silk embroidery.The state flag features the Pennsylvania Coat of Arms, including the motto "Virtue, Liberty and Independence.""It's a beautiful flag the way it is, but no one knows who it belongs to," Solobay said.Most Pennsylvania residents do, and whether or not people from outside the state do shouldn't really be Solobay's concern amid the other more-pressing responsibilities for which he was elected.Solobay needs to rethink why he's a member of the General Assembly.