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Photo by Whitney Downard\/Pennsylvania Capital-Star
\nKyle Kopko, the executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, details the organization\u2019s priorities ahead of the 2026-2027 budget on Jan. 28. <\/p>\n
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Less than a week before Gov. Josh Shapiro is expected to unveil his spending proposal to kickstart the next state budget process, a group of county commissioners detailed their funding requests to support all 67 counties. <\/p>\n
Key issues introduced on Wednesday include increasing the monthly 911 surcharge paid by phone users, boosting funding for mental health services and assistance for home reassessments. <\/p>\n
\u201cThese priorities reflect our enduring commitment to providing exceptional services while using tax dollars in a responsible manner,\u201d said Kyle Kopko, the executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania. <\/p>\n
Atop the list is adding funding for 911 services. A 2023 law raised the fee from $1.65 to $1.95, netting $322 million in its first year. According to a 2025 breakdown of funds, 98% of the funding, or roughly $316 million, goes to 61 Public Safety Answering Points and the remainder pays for system upgrades and program administration. <\/p>\n
The association is pushing for another increase of \u201cno less than\u201d $2.20, but CCAP President Joe Kantz, a Snyder County commissioner, said that \u201ceven at that level, the surcharge will still fall below inflation.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a service counties are proud to provide, but as technology evolves and costs rise, counties need a consistent and sustainable funding structure to continue fulfilling the responsibility,\u201d said Kantz. \u201cCounties have been forced to rely increasingly on local property tax dollars just to keep pace with rising costs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collectively, more than 13.9 million emergency calls were made in 2024, more than one call per Pennsylvanian. Kantz said that the first surcharge of $1 in 1990 for some counties would be equivalent to $2.48 today.<\/p>\n
Reassessing property values<\/p>\n
Counties are tasked with calculating property values and regularly reassessing to ensure they \u201caccurately reflect current market conditions,\u201d said Jeff Thomas, a Huntingdon County commissioner. <\/p>\n
The numbers play a key role in calculating property taxes, which fund schools, law enforcement and other local public services. State law dictates the framework, Thomas said, but \u201cthe administration of, funding and timing of reassessments fall squarely\u201d on counties. <\/p>\n
According to a map shared by CCAP, 27 counties haven\u2019t completed a full reassessment since before 1999, compared to 14 which have gone through the process since 2020. Beaver County\u2019s 2024 review had a price tag of nearly $8 million.Market conditions and staffing capacity determine when a county can conduct a reassessment, which Thomas said was revenue neutral and didn\u2019t increase taxes. Rather, they ensured fairness.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile essential for fairness and equity, reassessments are costly, technical and resource intensive, especially for counties that have not done one in many years,\u201d said Thomas. <\/p>\n
Assistance to counties could include designating a state agency to oversee assessments, potential grant funding and develop standards. Additionally, commissioners pushed for a legislative study to examine the state\u2019s system and identify opportunities for reform. <\/p>\n
\u201cProperty reassessment is always a hot button issue,\u201d said Thomas. \u201cBut with the right policy changes, we can make the process more efficient, timely and accurate to the benefit of all Pennsylvanians.\u201d <\/p>\n
Mental health<\/p>\n
According to CCAP, counties received nearly $671 million in the 2024-2025 budget, slightly higher than recent years but tens of millions less than pre-2021 budgets. <\/p>\n
Greene County Commissioner Betsy McClure said that county-level services include community residential programming, family-based support, outpatient care and crisis intervention. <\/p>\n
\u201cCounties have stretched limited state funding to serve as many residents as possible, but we are now at a breaking point,\u201d McClure said. \u201cInadequate state funding paired with increasing demand has pushed the county mental health system to the point of collapse.\u201d<\/p>\n
She added that more dollars would reduce reported delays of at least six months for services, though people often wait much longer. Money could also help stabilize existing services and address workforce shortages.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn our area, we don\u2019t have providers. We don\u2019t have psychiatrists or psychologists. There\u2019s a deficit,\u201d said McClure. \u201cFrom doctors all the way down to counselors \u2026 trying to find providers to fit into all those slots is very hard.\u201d <\/p>\n
Fortunately, McClure said, there are two health systems within a 30-mile radius to serve her rural population\u2019s needs, plus another across the state border in West Virginia. <\/p>\n
But it\u2019s the only county in the southwest region that doesn\u2019t have a transit system. The population of just under 36,000 can use shared ride services, where a 15-mile trip can cost nearly $20, said McClure. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s unaffordable,\u201d said McClure.<\/p>\n
McClure told the Capital-Star she used to work as a school nurse, saying Pennsylvanians had come a long way in reducing any stigma around mental health, but services haven\u2019t kept up \u2014 particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re getting past the stigma of parents not wanting to seek help for their children, but then providing it timely \u2026 it\u2019s like, \u2018Today I\u2019m ready, but I can\u2019t get an appointment for a month or two or maybe three.\u201d <\/p>\n
That delayed care can exacerbate what initially was a relatively minor issue, she said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe unmet community need has created a growing population of individuals that become involved with emergency departments, law enforcement and the criminal justice system when no appropriate diversion exists,\u201d said McClure. \u201cThe remaining solutions are hospitals or incarceration, both of which are not appropriate settings for mental health treatment and (are) more costly.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Pennsylvania Capital-Star is part of States Newsroom, a network of news bureaus supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Pennsylvania Capital-Star maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Tim Lambert for questions: info@penncapital-star.com. Follow Pennsylvania Capital-Star on Facebook and Twitter.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n STATE COLLEGE \u2014 The Centre Region Council of Governments (COG), on behalf of the Centre County Metropolitan …<\/p>\n