Wayne Myers deserves the community's appreciation for his willingness to step in to a leadership role of United Way of Butler County in the absence of the agency's executive director, Leslie Osche.

Osche has taken a temporary leave of absence to attend to family health issues. She is scheduled to return to her United Way duties in mid-December.

Myers, who could be spending his retirement from Sprint and Penn Telecom in a leisurely way, has instead opted to accept the challenge of helping to engineer a successful fall fundraising campaign for the united giving agency.

While Osche is away, Myers officially will be executive director of the fundraising campaign, which began last month. He will be working with Ann Morrison, senior vice president of Citizens Bank, who is this year's campaign chairwoman.

Among Myers' duties will be coordinating key contacts with business and industry leaders, a major component of the campaign.

It is to United Way's benefit that Myers is no stranger to the agency, having served as board chairman as well as campaign chairman. He also has the benefit of having served in a number of other leadership roles for nonprofit and volunteer organizations in the community.

The United Way made a good choice in selecting Myers. He certainly has a proven track record.

Bonuses should not be paid with taxpayer funds. That extends from the lowest municipal offices and school districts to the highest reaches of the federal government.When people are hired to do a job paid for by public funds, they are expected to do a good job for that compensation, and they should not be compensated extra for doing what they were hired to do.A bill that passed unanimously in the state Senate Wednesday does not necessarily follow that thinking. The legislation, sponsored by Sen. John Eichelberger Jr., R-Blair, and which also will require approval by the state House and Gov. Ed Rendell, is being touted by the senator as a means for effectively stopping bonuses from being awarded to staff members of all three branches of the state government.But here's the catch. An Associated Press article about the Senate's action said the legislation would prohibit bonuses "unless they were spelled out in advance in an employment contract or labor agreement."But since bonuses should not be allowed, period, that stipulation should be stricken from the legislation. The state government's attitude should be "do your job, but you won't get a bonus for doing it."That an investigation by the state attorney general was found to be necessary in regard to campaign-related bonuses awarded following last year's elections is a dark smudge on the image of the Keystone State.A strict no-bonus law will keep Pennsylvania from future damage to its reputation. State residents already have too many other reasons for wanting to lose faith in their elected state leaders.Eichelberger needs to receive that message, as well as the senators who did not recognize the dangers of the troubling exceptions that the legislation contains.The House should make the fix to the bill, and Rendell should concur.

Some of what Connoquenessing Township is considering for the future might not sit well with some residents. However, township officials deserve praise for their willingness to move past the status quo.What some residents might object to is the board of supervisors' making it known that rezoning could be in the township's future.Some people consider zoning as one means by which local governments overstep their bounds. But if properly implemented, zoning is a community benefit, not a detriment.Officials see zoning as one means for improving the community's future. If they continue to pursue it, it will be their task to make their case to residents.Meanwhile, another positive consideration is the supervisors' idea of possibly building a new fire station, which would serve the future as well as the present. Not only is it envisioned that there would be space for fire vehicles, but also to house an ambulance.Both ideas are in their infancy. No formal plans are on paper yet. Therefore, there still is time for residents to express their opinions.Nevertheless, township residents should be appreciative that their officials are thinking in terms of the future. That doesn't happen in all communities.