Municipalities in Pennsylvania are allowed to merge with each other, but that‘s often impractical. Towns and cities that are struggling to hang on don’t want to assume the debt or budget problems of a community that’s in worse shape than they are. That’s one reason there have been only five municipal mergers in the whole state since 2000.Pennsylvania has more local governments than all states save Texas and Illinois.
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Should Smaller Towns Be Allowed to Disband?
According to Governing, Allegheny County Exec Rich Fitzgerald is pressing state lawmakers to allow shrinking municipalities to simply disband and allow the county to control some services. Under current law,
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23 comments:
It makes perfect sense and that is why it will not happen. There is no reason for some small towns and bergs to exist. Even some small townships. Some of these places don't have a real fire department or police.
So why won't they disband? First it is pride. These "leaders" and some citizens want their own little empires and they will hold on forever like their pappies did. One of the most important reasons is money. These little towns and municipalities are insider job factories. Check out their employees. These people live off their public jobs. Leaning on shovels and lawnmowers is a plum job. Woe be to anyone to upset that apple cart.
I am sure you will get all kinds of "good government" comments but truth be told it is what has been mentioned. Same reason some of these small school districts are not going anywhere, even though they are unneeded and a drain on taxpayers and resources.
LMT should merge with Upper Mac or Emmaus. The smaller municiplaities provide their own police protection.
Bethlehem needs to absorb Bethlehem Township freemansburg boro and Hanover township, they all use Bethlehem, schools, water and other services already and it would only make sense. Each municipality has its own little fiefdom and they need to all go
With the state loosing population it will become a necessity for some to disband, especially in some rural areas. If Pennsylvania does not take on real fiscal reform the state will continue to lose population, representation and an economy that will sustain its huge legacy obligations. Most politicians would rather just keep raising taxes and pushing companies and young citizens to other more receptive states. As long as they can receive their pension and move on before the state implodes.
Doesn't this violate B.O.F.A?
How about big towns? Can we disband Allentown? I'd give anything to join up with South Whitehall.
Chapman Borough, with a population of 209 people should merge with Moore Township. That borough cannot sustain itself with any basic services. The only reason it exists is because of an old quarry.
Anon 7am asks the $64,000 question. Allentown (along with Reading, Harrisburg, and countless others) proves that bigger is not necessarily better or more economically sustainable.
Same should go with school districts; if a larger district, like Allentown, can't handle its affairs, then break it up and distribute the pieces to other districts.
In other words, size should not be the determining factor, economic viability should.
Major BOFA issues with this. Unlikely to happen.
How many municipalities in Northampton County? let's say 28 for discussion purposes.
28 police departments with sergeants etc cars. etc. 28 fire departments???? 28 roadcrews all with their own equipment including plows etc etc, 28 municipal buildings?????28 mayors, councils, et?????? 28 crazy zoning laws??????look at all the secretary's and crazy officials each municipality has. seven shcool districts all with different tax bases. ITS TIME TO MERGE ALL OF THESE INTO ONE. One police department, one school district, one fire department one planning commission, one street and roads department......get the idea. millions saved. now go get em tiger
Same with School Districts across the state. We taxpayers would welcome the relief!
8:53, There are actually 38 municipalities in NC. Not all have their own police departments. Not all have their own zoning.
7:00, The proposal, which is unpopular, is limited to municipalities under 10,000. It is also completely voluntary.
A municipality is really two places, one is a geographical area a physical place, the other a is governmental corporation, a piece of paper a fairytale, it's storyline is a set of policies that needs policing to make it real. No police means no fairytale.
The more fairytales, the more diverse are the experiences, and you're free to choose which one you wish to sleep in....But you got to have policy officers to keep the storyline in place.
I live in East Allen Township. At one time the Sieple family held every major position in the township. That is why it will never happen. Too many people taking care of themselves at the taxpayer expense. The school districts are a far more tax burden. Major salaries to administrative positions. Millions could be saved if we combine school districts.
8:53AM "ITS TIME TO MERGE ALL OF THESE INTO ONE." "get the idea. millions saved."
Why not roll everything together into one and call it NATO?
What does NATO have to do with anything here?
Most of the smaller borough's of Northampton County don't have the issues of the poorer counties around Pittsburgh where the mill closed long ago and isn't coming back. Merging with a county just accepts reality and allows a few resources toward educating younger people to get a job elsewhere.
Many rural states long ago accepted that their job was to prepare their young to migrate elsewhere in America. PA isn't going to have steel mills employing 70% of a town again, so what's plan b?
Time to join the 21st century in Pennsylvania. Wont happen. Have you eve talked to any of these yahoos? They live in their own worlds.
I would join the Consolidation Party....if one existed. Start with school districts, public authorities, and yes---the counties themselves. Two hundred years ago it took days to cross Pennsylvania by buggy. Today you can make the trip in about the time it takes to play a Yankees-Red Sox game: 5 hours. I believe one can literally cut the number of counties in half. Think about it: how different are Lehigh and Northampton Counties? How about Monroe, Carbon and Schuylkill? Luzerne and Lackawanna? We can go on and on. You can literally drive from the Delaware River to Fogelsville in 30 minutes. We can't have a single County government handle that territory? Give me a break.
Geez, while living in the Valley and being a member (or volunteer) for some of the local histerical, oh ahh..historical societies, I’d often promoted the idea that the 3 entities in the Hellertown - Lower Saucon area (Hellertown Historical Society, Lower Saucon Township Historical Society and Saucon Valley Conservancy) should consider combining for the same good reasons already mentioned above: efficiencies of combining repetitive bureaucracies, budgets, grant writing resources, leveling out lopsided volunteer contingents, MORALE, etc. But nobody wants to give up their turf I guess. AND THESE ARE VOLUNTEER ORGANIZATIONS where no one is drawing any kind of salary!
$orry, I can’t $ee it happening with the municipal fiefdom$ that are currently in place.
This is not possible given BOFA requirements. Never going to happen.
It will NEVER happen folks. Does Bethlehem really want to be saddled with Bethlehem Township's debt? Do the Bethlehem Township residents want to be saddled with the City of Bethlehem debt? All these local political units are riddled with debt, pension costs, and so on. Good luck trying to reconcile that when it comes to some sort of voluntary or forced merger.
You must be kidding Centralia is still a borough and it's a smoldering pile of ash with 7 people still living in it. It's still incorporated,if that isn't merged with something else nothing else will be.
Northampton & Lehigh Counties need to merge in the interest of promoting the Lehigh Valley similar to Pittsburgh’s Allegheny County.
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