About Trends in September/October 2003 Rural Pennsylvania This fact sheet is the fifth in a series of Local Government Capacity nine that examines trends in rural Pennsylvania. Each fact sheet focuses Webster’s Dictionary defines capacity as "the facility or power to on a specific area of interest, and is produce, perform, or deploy." To examine rural local government capacity based on the mandates outlined in the and how it has changed in Pennsylvania between 1990 and 2000, the Center Center for Rural Pennsylvania’s for Rural Pennsylvania looked at factors that affect the ability of local enabling legislation (Act 16 of 1987). governments, namely municipalities, to carry out their duties and provide The areas of interest are agriculture, residents with a desirable quality of life. These tasks include such things as economic development, local representing and protecting the populations and territory in their jurisdic- government capacity and fiscal stress tion and providing benefits like recreational opportunities. Measures of indicators, transportation, socio- rural municipal government capacity can be found in how finances are demographics, health care and human raised and expended, what land use tools are employed, and characteristics services, the environment and natural of government officials. resources, education and the condition of existing local infrastructure. For Local governments in Pennsylvania more information on any of the data Pennsylvania has more local governments than any state except Illinois. presented, contact the Center for On a governments per capita basis, though, Pennsylvania’s rank falls to 23 Rural Pennsylvania. nationally. Our state has 67 counties, 501 school districts, and more than 2,500 municipalities ranging from the City of Philadelphia with more than 1.5 The Center for Rural Pennsylvania million residents to S.N.P.J. Borough in Lawrence County with fewer than 200 North Third St., Suite 600 10 residents. Municipalities also range in land area from Shippen Township Harrisburg, PA 17101 in Cameron County at 157 square miles to St. Clairsville Borough in Bedford Phone: (717) 787-9555 County at less than one-half square mile or just 20 acres. Fax: (717) 772-3587 Sixty percent of all Pennsylvania municipalities are townships, 37 percent www.ruralpa.org are boroughs, and 2 percent are cities. There is also one town in the state, Bloomsburg in Columbia County. Nearly 10 percent of Pennsylvania’s The Center for Rural Pennsylvania is a municipalities were incorporated before the nation’s independence. By bipartisan, bicameral legislative agency that serves as a resource for rural policy research within the Pennsylvania General Assembly. It was created in 1987 under Act 16, the Incorporation Dates of Pennsylvania Municipalities Rural Revitalization Act, to promote and sustain the vitality of Pennsylvania’s rural and small communities.

Board of Directors Representative Sheila Miller, Chairman Senator Mary Jo White, Vice Chairman Representative Mike Hanna, Treasurer Dr. C. Shannon Stokes, Penn State University, Secretary Steve Crawford, Governor’s Representative Dr. Nancy Falvo, Clarion University Dr. Stephan Goetz, Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development Dr. Robert Pack, University of Pittsburgh William Sturges, Governor’s Representative Dr. Craig Willis, Lock Haven University Senator John Wozniak Rural Municipal Types Urban Municipal Types

1900, 89 percent of the current total had been incorporated. Toolbox for local government officials Only two municipalities have been established since 1990. There are many tools that local government officials use to While townships, by nature, are less densely settled than help them effectively and efficiently maximize their capacity. other municipality types, they are not always rural, just as These include computers, land use planning options, and the boroughs and, believe it or not, cities are not always urban. information and experience of officials in other municipalities. Rural Pennsylvania is made up of about 1,200 townships, 450 A 2002 Center for Rural Pennsylvania survey showed that boroughs, and two cities - Parker City in Armstrong County most small local governments make use of computers. Eighty and St. Mary’s in Elk County are designated rural due to their percent of municipalities with populations under 2,500 had at large land areas and relatively small populations. least one computer available for municipal use. In fact, 25 percent had more than one computer. These figures are very Who are our local government officials? different from the results of a 1994 survey, which showed that According to the Pennsylvania Department of Community 75 percent of small municipalities had no computer. In and Economic Development’s (DCED) Center for Local addition, 72 percent of those with computers in 2002 had Government Services, there are more than 35,500 local Internet access. The Internet was used primarily for email and government officials in Pennsylvania ranging from mayors, research but also to file reports with state government and to council members, and supervisors to members of planning purchase goods and services. For details, see the Center’s commissions or zoning hearing boards. More than 20,000 fact sheet Municipal Computer Use. officials, 57 percent of the total, represent rural areas. Thirty- Land use tools provided for by state law include compre- one percent of the officials statewide are female. In rural hensive plans, zoning and subdivision ordinances, and municipalities, 37 percent are female. planning commissions. Local governments typically employ A 1999 Center for Rural Pennsylvania survey described some, if not all, of these options. The most popular in rural these officials further. The average small town municipal areas is the planning commission, which 53 percent of rural official was a 56-year-old male. He had been in office for 10 municipalities have. Comprehensive plans have been drawn years and ran for office for the “betterment of the area” or a up for 47 percent of local governments. Nearly half (47 “desire to be active in the community.” This description will percent) have a subdivision ordinance at the local level while likely continue to describe small town officials in the near the remainder rely on county subdivisions. Forty-three future since 45 percent of them ran unopposed in the election percent have a local zoning ordinance while an additional 20 prior to the survey. For details, see the Center’s fact sheet A percent have county zoning. Land use planning tools are Survey of Pennsylvania’s Small Town Municipal Officials. more commonly used by urban municipalities as seen in the table below.

Land Use Planning Tools Used by Pennsylvania’s Rural and Urban Municipalities

Municipal Municipal or Planning Comprehensive Subdivision County Zoning Commission Plan Ordinance Ordinance PA Total 66% 60% 59% 75% Rural 53% 47% 47% 63% Urban 89% 82% 80% 95%

2 Center for Rural Pennsylvania Land use planning tools Sources of Rural Municipal Revenue, 2000 The conclusions of a June 2001 Center For Rural Pennsylvania spon- sored study, Measuring the Effective- ness of Municipal Planning and Land Use Regulations in Pennsylvania, note that the use of the above tools varies by the location, size, and resources of the municipality as well as the growth pressure it experiences. The decision not to use such tools is usually due to lack of interest, lack of perceived need, lack of support, and lack of resources. One way some local governments are increasing capacity is to be a member of a Council of Governments (COG). COGs are two or more municipalities that join together to solve common problems. There are 79 such organiza- that more than 80 percent of small tions in Pennsylvania acting in 54 Municipal services municipalities had at least one recre- counties and 976 municipalities. Protecting citizens and providing ational facility such as a sports field, Municipal authorities and school recreational opportunities are some playground, ball court, picnic area, or districts may also be involved. Nearly services that municipalities often trail within their borders. The average 30 percent of rural municipalities are provide. Thirty percent of rural number of facilities for those that had COG members. COG municipalities municipalities provide police services them was 4.6, but not all of these were cooperate on projects such as regional for their residents either through their owned or maintained by the municipal- planning, joint purchasing, and own municipal force, a regional force, ity. While municipalities owned the equipment sharing. Other municipalities or by contracting with another munici- majority of recreational facilities, cooperate on projects and increase pality, while 70 percent rely on the state school districts and community groups capacity without forming an official police. The average rural municipal also owned many. Municipalities COG. police force has 1.8 full-time and 2.6 operated the majority while community Statewide local government associa- part-time personnel. groups also helped out with this tions, such as the Pennsylvania State A 2001 Center for Rural Pennsylvania component. Many local governments Association of Township Supervisors, survey on recreational issues found not only provided facilities but also the Pennsylvania State Associa- sponsored programs. These tion of Boroughs, and the Types of Police Service in include youth sports leagues, Pennsylvania League of Cities Pennsylvania’s Rural Municipalities community events, summer and Municipalities, also help playground programs, fitness/ local government officials gain wellness programs, and adult/ knowledge and skills. Important community education, arts, and benefits offered by these crafts. For details, see the Center’s organizations include training fact sheet Recreational Issues in courses and conferences on Pennsylvania’s Small Municipali- municipal issues. Other training ties. is available through the Penn- sylvania Department of Commu- Revenues and nity and Economic expenditures1 Development’s Center for Local In 2000, rural municipalities took Government Services and in nearly $855 million in revenues. various university-sponsored Taxes accounted for just over half organizations.

1 Revenue and expenditure data is based only on municipalities that reported financial statistics to the Center for Local Govern- ment Services. In 2000, about 90 rural municipalities did not report.

Trends in Rural Pennsylvania: Local Government Capacity 3 capacity ishowmoneyspent.Rural billion overthe10-yearperiod. which grewfrom$19billionto$130 this increasewasrealtytransfertaxes, at 47percent.Thelargestcontributorto inflation, theincreasewaslessthanhalf totaled $439million. Adjusted for nearly doubledsince1990whenthey tax atall. some municipalitieshavenorealestate revenues at21percent.Meanwhile, makes upthelargestpercentageoftotal rate of0.5percentincomeearned, percent. other miscellaneoussourcesat18 parking at13percent($75million);and million); servicefeessuchaswateror county governmentsat18percent($156 revenue includefederal,state,and Aside fromtaxes,othersourcesof amounting to94percentoftotaltaxes. income, andrealtytransfertaxes of allrevenueswithrealestate,earned 4 More indicativeoflocalgovernment Total revenuesformunicipalities Earned incometax,astatewidefixed a similarskewingeffectremain inthedata. (general administration)for2000. Itispossiblethatsomemunicipalitieswith County (streets/roads),andRingtown BoroughinSchuylkillCounty Borough inSomersetCounty (other),Salford Township in Montgomery Jackson Township in Tioga County(sewerproject) for1999;andIndianLake municipalities andtheexpenditure categoryoftheoutlyingfiguresare: numbers areduetoerrororuncommonlylargeprojects.The excluded figures wereextraordinarilyhigh.Ithasnotbeendetermined whetherthese 2 A fewmunicipalities wereexcludedfromexpenditurecalculationsastheir Revenues andExpendituresinPennsylvania’sRuralMunicipalities municipalities haverevenuesand $93,000. Nearlythree-quartersofrural $450,000 millionforanetgainofabout about $545,000inrevenuesandexpends 2000. of itsformervalue$9.6millionby was theexceptionasitfellto13percent recreation, andsewerage.Publichealth category, includinglibraries,parksand percent. Spendinggrewinnearlyevery safety spendingalsogrewbynearly50 percent to$28million.Otherpublic tures forfireservicesgrewmorethan60 doubled to$53millionwhileexpendi- inflation. 66 percentor45adjustedfor Since 1990,expendituresincreasedby services likesafetyandrecreation. percent ($111million)wenttopublic general administration,andanother14 roads, 17percent($118million)wentto million) ofthiswasspentonstreetsand $709 million. municipal expendituresin2000were The averageruralmunicipalitytakesin Expenditures forpoliceservices ($Millions) 1990-2000 2 About 37percent($260 as distressed.Nonearerural. municipalities arecurrentlydesignated financial recoveryplans.Fourteen technical assistancetoformulate provides loanandgrantfunds created by Act 47of1987,which take advantageoftherecoveryprogram municipalities sothatthoseplacesmay designates “financiallydistressed” Community andEconomicDevelopment expenditures oflessthan$500,000. The PennsylvaniaDepartmentof Government Services. Governor’s CenterforLocal Economic Development, Department ofCommunityand comes fromPennsylvania remainder oftheinformation Unless otherwisenoted,the U.S. CensusBureau. Background datacomefromthe Sources Census Bureau. area asdefinedbytheU.S. population livesinanurbanized persons, andlessthanhalfofthe population islessthan2,500 per squaremileorwhosetotal statewide figureof274persons the 2000Census,islessthan population density, accordingto Rural – All municipalitieswhose Definitions Center forRural Pennsylvania

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