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At issue is a state proposal to bill communities relying on state police for protection.
ROSS TWP. – Supervisors have sought a state representative’s support to stop a bill that would charge municipalities without full-time police departments for state police protection.
State House Bill 1500 would, if approved, place a fee for state police coverage, implemented over three years, based on a municipality’s population.
Supervisors spoke with state Rep. Karen Boback regarding the issue. Township Secretary Terry Davis said on Tuesday night that Boback, R-Harveys Lake, told the supervisors she is strongly against the bill and voted no.
Davis crunched the numbers and said she found the first year under the fees would cost the township $52 per resident, totaling $142,584. The second year the fee rises to $104 per resident, resulting in a charge of $285,168. In the third year, the fee increases to $156 per resident, for a total of $427,752.
Davis said the township’s 2009 income is expected to be $413,000.
During the March meeting, Chairman Stanford Davis said the cost of having a full-time police force is more than just payroll. Items such as pensions, equipment, insurance, cars, fuel and benefits add up to a costly expense, he said.
In other business, the township has taken the first steps to bond its roads for weight limits. Davis said they have contracted with Municipal Solutions from Linden, Pa., to help with the process.
With companies moving in to drill for natural gas in the Marcellus Shale formations in nearby counties, supervisors said they want to take action to protect the roads. The township would protect itself from paying for road repairs from damages caused by heavy trucks through the road bonding process.
Representatives from Municipal Solutions came and analyzed the soil under the roadways to determine the roads’ weight-bearing capabilities. Supervisors will be meeting with Municipal Solutions for a review before moving forward.
The next township meeting will be at 7 p.m. Sept. 1 in the municipal building.