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Cooperative Purchasing Effort Related to Opioid Medications
In conjunction with President Obama's announcement of local, state and federal efforts to address the growing problem of opioid misuse and abuse, local leaders announced a new cooperative purchasing agreement to expand public agencies' access to potentially lifesaving opioid withdrawal medications.
The National Association of Counties
National League of Cities and United States Conference of Mayors, with the U.S. Communities Purchasing Alliance and Premier, Inc., have secured industry-leading discounts for naloxone and medications containing buprenorphine. These medications help prevent painful withdrawal symptoms when a person stops taking opioid drugs. The program pools the purchasing power of more than 62,000 agencies in state and local government and the non-profit sector. For more information visit the NACo website.
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CCAP Discusses Budget Impasse Impacts on Smart Talk
CCAP President Craig Lehman and Executive Director Doug Hill joined Smart Talk, a daily live radio program on WITF, to discuss how the state budget impasse is affecting counties. The recorded segment and full report are available on the WITF website.
Also, on October 7, WITF through their Keystone Crossroads project, published a report, "Capitol recap: Can we predict vulnerability to the state budget impasse?" This report focuses on the impact of the state budget impasse to counties, including an analysis of state and federal funding received by each county. The report can be reviewed here.
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Act 48 of 2015 Signed Into Law
Act 48 of 2015 was signed into law on Oct. 22, making several clarifications related to local tax collectors, particularly training requirements. Act 48 also contains further clarifications related to submission of background checks by tax collectors who will be sworn in January 2016. In addition, the Act includes a provision requiring a tax collector's surety bond to "cover" all taxes collected by a deputy tax collector, and it should be clarified that while the surety bond would respond to any loss incurred by a deputy, the original tax collector still remains responsible for that loss.
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Brownfields Grant Proposals Now Being Accepted
The USEPA Request for Proposals for FY 2016 Brownfields Grants has been announced and proposals are now being accepted. The grant funds may be used to address sites contaminated by petroleum, hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants. Opportunities for funding include Assessment, Revolving Loan Fund (RLF), and Cleanup Grants. The proposal submission deadline is December 18, 2015. There will also be training webinars to assist with Preparing FY 2016 Grant Proposals. More information is available here.
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LIHEAP Program Opens
The state Department of Human Services is accepting applications for its Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), which is funded by the federal government and not affected by the state budget deadlock in Harrisburg. The LIHEAP program assists hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians to heat their homes each year during the winter months.
Funding for the program is limited, and awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. The last two years have seen a rise in funding requests for the region's more populated counties. For more information, visit the DHS LIHEAP page. |
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MATP Request for Information Released
The PA Department of Human Services released an RFI (request for information) on Oct. 21 to seek input for improving Pennsylvania's Medical Transportation Assistance Program (MATP). The Department is hoping to broaden its perspectives regarding potential strategies and solutions to enhance efficiencies and management of non-emergency medical transportation services for Medicaid Assistance consumers. The RFI is available by following this link and all comments are due by November 20, 2015.
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PA County Among Finalists in NACo Innovation Challenge
Armstrong County is among the eight winners selected for NACO's Innovation Challenge for Coal Reliant Communities. They will join teams from Michigan, New Mexico, West Virginia and Virginia for a three-day training workshop in Charleston, WV. in mid-November. NACo and the NADO Research Foundation (National Association of Development Organizations), with support from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, sponsor the Innovation Challenge for Coal-Reliant Communities program, which assists county and regional leaders with retooling local economies to be more resilient to changing conditions.
At the training workshop, the eight interdisciplinary teams will receive tailored technical assistance before and after the event to help them implement a variety of strategies and projects related to economic diversification, asset-based development, cluster development, workforce training, broadband, recreation and tourism, and entrepreneurship. For more information, follow this link.
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Supporting Justice Involved Veterans Conference
The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime & Delinquency, The PA Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, The PA Department of Human Services, and the Middle Atlantic States Correctional Association are sponsoring, "Honoring the Sacrifices: Partnering to Support Justice Involved Veterans," a free one-day conference on November 12, 2015.
Training topics include VA eligibility and services, trauma treatment, traumatic brain injury, homelessness and more. The training will be held at Fort Indiantown Gap's National Guard Training Center. To register, visit www.masca.us, click on the tab entitled "more" and the "veterans."
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NACo Study Addresses Mental Illness in County Jails
Accompanying the research brief are case studies that describe efforts in three large counties.
- Montgomery County, Md. illustrates collaborative approaches and partnerships between county health and justice agencies.
Earlier this year, NACo, the Council of State Governments Justice Center and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation launched Stepping Up: A National Initiative to Reduce the Number of People with Mental Illnesses in Jails. Since then, more than 125 counties have passed resolutions in support of the initiative and pledged to take action. For more information about Stepping Up, visit www.naco.org/stepping-initiative.
This publication was released in conjunction with NACo's Large Urban County Caucus Safe and Secure Counties Symposium in King County, Wash. To read the full research brief, Addressing Mental Illness and Medical Conditions in County Jails and the accompanying case studies, visit www.naco.org/jailhealthservices.
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Municipal Recycling Program Grants
The state Department of Environmental Protection has announced the opening of a new Section 902 grant round to support the development of municipal recycling programs. Counties, municipalities, consortiums and other intergovernmental organizations are eligible, although anyone who received funding in the last 902 grant round in 2015 will not be considered for funding in this round.
Only those projects involving municipalities that have a mandatory trash collection program or projects seeking support for a residential recycling program that have a corresponding commercial recycling program will be considered for funding, up to 90 percent of approved recycling costs.
Deadline for applications is November 20, 2015, and more information is available by contacting Mark Vottero, Recycling Grants Coordinator for DEP, at mvottero@pa.gov, or by contacting the DEP regional planning and recycling coordinators.
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Multimodal Transportation Funding Opportunity
PennDOT announced today it will begin accepting applications on October 3, 2015, for funding transportation improvement projects under the Multimodal Transportation Fund.
PennDOT will evaluate the applications and make selections based on such criteria as safety benefits, regional economic conditions, the technical and financial feasibility, job creation, energy efficiency, and operational sustainability.
The Multimodal Fund was created by Act 89, enacted in November 2013, Pennsylvania's far-reaching transportation funding plan. The fund addresses road and bridge projects. Also through the fund, transit, aviation, rail freight and pedestrian and bicycle modes obtained dedicated sources of funds for the first time, putting the modes on a firmer footing for future initiatives.
PennDOT has $40 million in grants available for fiscal year 2016-17. Applications are due by December 18, 2015. PennDOT expects to announce grant recipients early next year for the funding that becomes available in July 2016.
For more information about the program, visit www.penndot.gov and click on Multimodal Program under the "Projects & Programs" button.
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2014 National Survey on Drug Use Released
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) report, which shows progress in reducing some forms of substance use - especially among adolescents. Substance use levels in many areas, however, have remained relatively constant.
The 2014 NSDUH report on mental and substance use disorders helps kick off for the 26th annual observance of National Recovery Month. Recovery Month broadens public awareness to the fact that behavioral health is essential to health, prevention works, treatment for substance use and mental disorders is effective, and people can and do recover from these disorders.
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New Agency Open Records Guidebook Available
The AORO Guidebook, 79 pages in total (with a variety of sample forms agencies can use as templates), is designed to provide a general overview of the RTKL process from an agency perspective. It was written to be helpful for both new and veteran AOROs.
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Local Court Security Committee Workshops
The AOPC's Office of Judicial Security will be conducting their annual Local Court Security Committee Workshops this fall. This year's workshop will include a session on active shooter responses presented by an FBI Special Agent.
"Save-the-date" invitations are being sent to judges, county commissioners and district court administrators. In addition to the key committee members, others who serve on the local committee are invited to attend.
If you have any questions about the upcoming workshop, or to register, please contact Rebecca Brandt at (717) 231-3315 or rebecca.brandt@pacourts.us.
Here is the list of the workshops:
November 9, 2015
DoubleTree by Hilton, Pittsburgh-Green Tree
November 10, 2015
Hampton Inn Grove City
November 20, 2015
Penn Stater Conference Center, State College
December 4, 2015
DoubleTree by Hilton, Plymouth Meeting
December 11, 2015
Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts
PA Judicial Center, Harrisburg
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| Upcoming NACo Webinars
Registration is now open for the following NACo webinars:
- Drop the Jargon: Using Plain Language to Connect with your Audience
November 10, 2015
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. - Local Government Shared Services: Why the Regional Approach Makes Sense
November 12, 2015
2:00 - 3:00 p.m. - Stepping Up Webinar Series, Stepping Up: Preparing a Plan
November 17, 2015
2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
In addition to these webinars, there are recordings of webinars from the past six months on a range of topics. To access these recordings, or for additional details and registration information, please click here.
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Local Government Training Opportunities
The Pennsylvania Local Government Training Partnership is a training initiative between the Governor's Center for Local Government Services and Pennsylvania's statewide associations, including CCAP. There are many options for upcoming training sessions, as well as sessions that can be downloaded and viewed at your convenience. PACourses offered through the partnership are designed to keep municipal officials current on new laws and legislative requirements and enhance their ability to govern more effectively. Year-round, statewide training is provided in the areas of local government administration, finance, community and economic development, public safety, land use and planning, public works, recreation, environmental, and tax collectors.
For more information, or to register for a course, visit the PA Local Government Training Partnership website.
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Job Postings
As counties notify us of current vacancies we post them on our website and list them in the Update.
Additional information on each posting can be found by clicking on the name of the vacancy you are interested in. To submit a job posting, refer to the CCAP website. For additional information on submitting a job posting contact Mandi Glantz at mglantz@pacounties.org.
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| Upcoming Events
For a complete listing of upcoming events refer to the CCAP website.
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