Centre County officials oppose latest version of Gov. Wolf’s plan to fund state police
A yearslong debate over how to sustainably fund the state police took another step forward Wednesday when Gov. Tom Wolf unveiled a proposal that would charge a fee to all of the state’s municipalities.
The latest permutation uses a formula based on the operating cost of each state police barrack, population, median income and how much each municipality relies on the oldest state police agency in the United States.
Centre County’s 35 municipalities would cumulatively pay $2.62 million annually if the proposal is approved.
Benner Township would pay the most of any municipality in the county ($286,728), followed by State College ($194,520), Halfmoon Township ($174,091), Ferguson Township ($149,888) and Walker Township ($145,327).
The annual per person cost ranges from $4.60 in State College to $62.58 in Halfmoon Township, the most affluent municipality in Centre County.
Wolf’s proposal does not have support from either state Senate President Pro Tempore Jake Corman, R-Benner Township, or state Rep. Scott Conklin, D-Rush Township.
“Why are we charging Benner Township — who may get a handful of calls a year from our state police — and not charging Philadelphia, who uses it more than anybody?” Corman said Friday. “If you were to set up a user fee model, then that’s fine and we can have that discussion. But I’m not going to start charging rural Pennsylvania for something they barely use.”
Added Conklin on Thursday: “It’s a great conversation starter. But for myself, I can’t support that without looking at other options.”
The Keystone State has moved away from its reliance on a special revenue fund ostensibly meant to maintain roads to support the state police and its increasing costs and coverage responsibilities.
Two-thirds of the state’s 2,560 municipalities receive at least part-time coverage from the state police, while all receive some form of assistance.
That has led to a “funding crisis” that could culminate in a cancellation of cadet classes and significant changes in operations if unaddressed, according to the state police.
Wolf’s proposal would raise more than $168 million statewide, but opposition beyond Corman and Conklin is likely.
It’s common for police expenses to represent a sizable portion of a municipality’s budget, and paying even more would likely be untenable.
“We have other obligations, plus we don’t really benefit from any direct state police coverage. We’re opposed to it,” Ferguson Township Manager Dave Pribulka said Thursday. “It’s a big bite.”
About 45% of Bellefonte’s budget is dedicated to its police department; Patton Township (22%), Ferguson Township (20%) and State College (17%) aren’t far behind.
State College and Spring Township also joined in opposing the proposal. Spring Township Manager Mike Danneker said he is “perplexed” by the governor’s latest approach.
“I’m not sure what the end game is,” Danneker said. “I think this could have a grave effect on rural communities. It needs to be explored in a better way.”
This story was originally published February 7, 2021 at 7:00 AM.