Joining forces for the greater good

The words “consolidation” and “merger” once struck fear and loathing in the minds and hearts of municipal and school district officials and leaders of nonprofits, but out of necessity and economic reality, we seem to be moving in that direction.

We’ve seen it recently in hospitals and chambers of commerce. And now, just a week ago, comes the latest example — the agreement to have the city of Hazleton in Luzerne County provide police protection for Banks Township in Carbon County.

Many rural municipalities in Carbon, Schuylkill and other counties rely on state police coverage.

Banks Township Supervisor Joseph Clark commended the state police for having done a “tremendous job” over the years, but, Clark said, “this opportunity will give the residents of Banks Township a constant presence. Hopefully, it will be a win-win situation for everyone.”

Perhaps Banks officials saw the writing on the wall. There was an unsuccessful effort this year to impose a per capita fee on municipalities which don’t have their own police force and rely exclusively on state police. Gov. Tom Wolf was the first to run the idea up the flagpole, and he received support from the state police and some legislators, but the proposal remained just that.

Many, however, believe that now that the genie is out of the bottle, it is just a matter of time until some kind of financial assessment will be charged to these communities.

State Sen. John Yudichak, D-Carbon-Luzerne, whose district includes both Hazleton and Banks, is optimistic that this agreement can lead to others that streamline government. “Today’s announcement shows that the spirit of collaboration and cooperation is alive and well in northeastern Pennsylvania,” Yudichak said. “Communities cannot tackle all their challenges alone, and it is imperative we all work together.”

In announcing the agreement, Hazleton Mayor Jeff Cusat agreed. “When neighboring communities work together to help each other out, it doesn’t just benefit those communities, it benefits the whole region,” Cusat said.

Banks Township is one of the smallest municipalities in Carbon County whose area is 2.2 square miles and whose population is just 1,250.

Banks officials also were in the forefront of an effort to consolidate the former Keystone and Tresckow fire companies into McAdoo Fire Co. Inc. This change came as a solution to an issue that has been dogging many local fire departments in Pennsylvania: What is to be done in the face of fewer volunteers and reduced funding?

Earlier this month, the Rush Township supervisors decided to cut funding to one of two volunteer fire companies as a not-too-subtle hint that they should pool their resources. The supervisors voted to award all fire tax revenues and funding to the Hometown Volunteer Fire Co. and none to the Quakake Volunteer Fire Co. The supervisors are hoping the two organizations will merge, although no decision has been made.

For years municipalities have pooled their buying power for supplies and road materials to get lower prices. This has worked well and has been institutionalized as a practical and economical way to save taxpayers big bucks.

But when it comes to larger-scale mergers, the pushback has been brutal. Consolidations and especially mergers are a hard sell, agreed Michael Foreman, director of Local Government Services for the Department of Community and Economic Development.

He acknowledged that this is a statewide “dilemma.” One problem is finding an attractive match; most municipalities aren’t willing to accept a poorer neighbor, because there could be tax and debt consequences.

Even when there are occasional mergers, they tend to be isolated events, not the start of a statewide trend. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, an avid proponent of intermunicipal merger because of its potential to save a lot of money, was giddy after Princeton Borough and Princeton Township merged several years ago. He predicted it would touch off a wave of similar mergers across the state. It didn’t.

In our area, attempted mergers failed at the polls. About 40 years ago, voters in the City of Easton and each of its suburban municipalities were asked whether they wanted to merge to form a large city of more than 50,000 residents. Easton voters said “yes,” but voters in each of the suburban municipalities overwhelmingly voted “no,” because they wanted no part of Easton’s financial challenges, high taxes and crime problems.

A generation ago, a major study recommended the merger of Stroudsburg and East Stroudsburg boroughs and Stroud Township, but nothing ever happened. Pennsylvania is a state of big numbers — 67 counties, 56 cities, 961 boroughs, 1,549 townships, 20,015 municipal authorities and one incorporated town, according to the state Department of Economic and Community Development.

Yet only 12 municipal mergers or consolidations have taken place since 1991, and none in nine years. Voters rejected 16 mergers. The last merger was approved nearly a decade ago (2008) between Donegal and West Alexander townships in Washington County.

By Bruce Frassinelli | tneditor@tnonline.com