Team Pennsylvania board member David Kleppinger, left, Chairman, McNees Wallace & Nurick, talks with State Senator John Eichelberger, Chairman, Senate Local Government Committee, following a meeting with the Pennsylvania State Planning Board in April. The meeting launched a legislative initiative to consolidate municipal services.
UPDATE: Since a Team PA-sponsored breakfast was held in April on the issue of municipal consolidation, bills have been introduced by Senator John Eichelberger concerning Merged Services and Senator Ray Musto that would create a Boundary Review Commission.
Additionally, a House hearing on the two bills will be held on Tuesday, August 17 in Harrisburg.
A broad coalition of representatives from state government, business interests and local government officials will participate in the hearings concerning the State Planning Board’s proposals before the House Local Government Committee.
Nearly two dozen organizations including Team PA, economic development groups and local chambers of commerce support these initiatives.
For more information on the two pieces of legislation being discussed:
The following is the story about the Foundation-sponsored breakfast meeting.
While Act 47 has provided a safety net for Pennsylvania’s communities teetering on the brink of financial ruin to reorganize their debt, more clearly needs to be done to address a problem that threatens to leave municipalities across the commonwealth penniless.
That message was clearly delivered at a recent breakfast meeting sponsored by Team Pennsylvania Foundation for 30 members of the Senate and House Local Government committees, state government officials and representatives of private industry.
The discussion centered around two legislative proposals, which were adopted and presented by the Pennsylvania State Planning Board.
“The bi-partisan meeting reviewed two proposals that will enable Pennsylvania to compete more effectively for economic growth while improving the quality of life in our state’s diverse communities,” Rich Hudic, President & CEO, Team PA, said. “While we are not wedded to these proposals, we are happy to see dialogue on a topic that sorely needs to be addressed if our state is to remain economically competitive, and also because government efficiency is one of our core priorities.”
The first proposal would implement improvements to the Merger and Consolidation Act to make the voluntary consolidation process less cumbersome and allow the boundary change and Home Rule processes to work in a more streamlined manner.
The second would create a Boundary Review Commission that would allow the redrawing of municipal boundaries related to merger and consolidation or a plan for the reorganization of municipal governments.
David Kleppinger, Chairman, McNees Wallace & Nurick, and a Team PA board member, said after the meeting that action is definitely needed for the state’s financially ailing communities.
“Clearly it is a significant problem across the state,” Kleppinger said. “This (meeting) was a beginning step that will require a lot of work for either of these two bills to pass.”
Of the two proposals, Kleppinger said the one concerning the Review Commission stood out for him.
“The second proposal is the one that has some teeth to it and could make things happen – absent the inertia of voters and local county government officials that may resist,” Kleppinger said. “A substantive legislative fix is needed that includes imposing consolidation in the right settings because voters will typically vote this down.”
Kleppinger added that municipal government consolidation would be beneficial to the firm’s clients. He gave an example of a business wanting to extend its operations, but is delayed in making that happen due to the company having to get numerous permits for water lines from multiple municipalities.
“If all the processes and procedures in all those multiple townships and municipalities were to be identical, it would be fine,” Kleppinger said, “but we know they are not. As a result, multiple layers of approvals slow down economic development.”
Since the breakfast meeting, there has been quite a bit of activity centered on these proposals.
Members of the Merged Services Coalition have been conducting informative sessions with state legislators, including those who sit on the Local Government Committee, to educate them and seek committee hearings on the proposals.
While the coalition originally believed this fall would be the earliest the hearings might be held, there is a desire with several legislators to conduct them this summer instead.
Learn more about Team PA Foundation’s efforts to increase efficiency in local government.
How many local government units do we have in PA? Read the Local Government Fact Sheet to find out!
One Comment
Consolidation of PA municipalities for the economic benefit of the citizen taxpayers is a reform that is needed…Increasing efficiency and cost effectiveness among local municipalities in regions and across areas will be a benefit to taxpayers, who fund local government.
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[...] 14 co-sponsors that would address the merger and consolidation of municipalities across the state. Read more about this [...]
[...] its way to be signed by the governor! Team PA held the first meeting on this issue back in April {covered here} publicizing this plan to the legislature and the business community on behalf of the PA State [...]