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CCAP Discusses Budget Impasse Impacts on Smart Talk
CCAP Board Chair Jeff Haste 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 is available on the WITF website.
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Tax Collector Bond Law Update
Act 48 of 2015 has clarified and changed several matters regarding Tax Collectors. Here are some highlights of Act 48, as provided by the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED):
- Effective immediately, incumbent tax collectors will not have to take six credits of training. Instead, beginning on January 1, 2017, incumbent tax collectors will have to take two credits of training before the end of their four-year term of office. Any training credits earned during 2015 will be credited to their account beginning January 1, 2017.
- The Act eliminates the mandatory continuing education requirement for tax collectors effective December 31, 2016. In the interim, the basic training and continuing education programs for tax collectors are voluntary.
- Requires a basic training program and examination for newly elected tax collectors beginning January 1, 2017. Upon successful completion of the basic training program and exam, a newly elected tax collector will be issued a "qualified tax collector" certification by DCED, and will be eligible to take office.
- Establishes that individuals holding the office of tax collector after the effective date of January 1, 2017, shall be known as "qualified tax collectors."
- Clarifies that an individual who is elected as a tax collector for the term of office beginning January 1, 2016, is required to submit a criminal history report to the municipality for which the tax collector was elected before taking the oath of office.
- Establishes that an individual running for a second or subsequent term of tax collector is not required to file a criminal history record check with his nominating petitions or papers.
- With exceptions for county treasurers and neighboring tax collectors, within thirty days of being appointed to fill a vacancy in the office of tax collector, the appointee shall provide a criminal history check to each taxing district serviced by that tax collector. If the appointee has not been a resident of the Commonwealth for the two years immediately preceding the appointment, then the individual shall provide a federal criminal history check to each taxing district served by that tax collector.
- Requires a tax collector's surety bond to cover all taxes collected by a deputy tax collector.
- Specifies that a deputy tax collector shall collect taxes through the duration of an incapacitation of the tax collector, unless the taxing district determines that collection by the county treasurer or a neighboring tax collector is necessary.
- Requires an appointed deputy tax collector to be approved by the municipality for which a tax collector was elected.
- Requires renewal of qualification to be completed prior to the tax collector's final year in office. If the tax collector fails to complete the continuing education requirements, the tax collector shall be deemed ineligible to be placed on the ballot at the end of the tax collector's current term of office.
DCED will be sending Tax Collectors more information regarding training requirements. You can read more detail about Act 48 here.
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Updated FY 2015-2016 Budget Advocacy Materials Available
As discussions on the final FY 2015-2016 state budget continue, CCAP is continuing to provide talking points and sample letters that counties can use to share counties' critical asks with their legislators. Materials can be found under Commonwealth Budget on CCAP's Legislative Action Center, or on the FY 2015-2016 Budget Impasse webpage.
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Syrian Refugee White House Call Summary
The White House held a call with county officials on November 17 to begin a dialogue on the Syrian refugee issue. The NACo summary of the call is available here.
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NACo Legislative Conference Scheduled for February 20-24
The NACo Legislative Conference in Washington, DC brings more than 2,000 elected and appointed county officials from across the country to focus on legislative issues facing county government. Attendees hear from key Administration officials and members of Congress and are offered a myriad of additional educational opportunities addressing current and hot topic issues. A day of lobbying on Capitol Hill the last day rounds out an information-packed conference. For more information follow this link.
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DCED Commentary on Borrowing for Operating Expense
As the continuing budget impasse causes more counties to look to borrowing to cover year-end costs, the Department of Community and Economic Development has issued an advice clarifying the available borrowing mechanisms and their requirements. The advice has been placed on the CCAP budget page here.
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COSTARS Adds Installation/ Construction Services
Effective November 16, 2015, COSTARS - Pennsylvania's cooperative purchasing program - administered by the Pennsylvania Department of General Services (DGS), announced that Assembly/Installation/Construction Services will be added as an ancillary service to many of its COSTARS contracts. Pennsylvania law allows COSTARS members to use the multiple vendor COSTARS contracts in lieu of the otherwise required formal bidding process, since DGS has already awarded these contracts through their own bidding process.
COSTARS was created through Act 77 of 2004 by the Pennsylvania legislature. Currently, there are over 8,300 COSTARS members and 34 COSTARS contracts including IT Hardware, Food, MRO, Vehicles, and Office Supplies.
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National Stepping Up Summit Scheduled for April - Applications Due December 18
In support of Stepping Up, the National Association of Counties, the Council of State Governments Justice Center and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation are hosting the National Stepping Up Summit on Reducing the Prevalence of Individuals with Mental Illnesses in Jails on Sunday, April 17 - Tuesday, April 19, 2016 in Washington, D.C.
The application for the National Summit is now open. To apply, please click here and complete the online form in its entirety. Applications are due on December 18, 2015 by 11:59 p.m. EST.
This is a competitive application process and counties will be selected based on an application review by staff from the National Association of Counties, the Council of State Governments Justice Center and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation. County teams will be notified via email by January 22, 2016. Stepping Up will provide travel stipends for up to five team members from each selected county to participate in the Summit due to the generous support of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation. Stipends include hotel, roundtrip airfare, ground transportation to and from the hotel and meals in accordance with The Council of State Governments Justice Center and federal government travel policy. Check out the Stepping Up website for details about eligibility and selection criteria and view event updates. |
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NIDA Naloxone Announcement
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, is pleased to announce that intranasal naloxone -a nasal spray formulation of the medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose - has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Please see link details.
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NIST Community Resilience Planning Guide
The National Institute of Standards and Technology(NIST) Community Resilience Planning Guide for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems (Guide) provides a practical and flexible approach to help communities improve their resilience by setting priorities and allocating resources to manage risks for their prevailing hazards. Using the Guide, communities will be able to integrate resilience plans into their economic development, zoning, mitigation, and other local planning activities that impact buildings, public utilities and other infrastructure systems. The guide, as well as additional information can be found on the NIST website.
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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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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 - Due December 18
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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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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Multimodal Transportation Funding Opportunity - Due December 18
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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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:
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:
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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