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Latest News

 
A man with more than four decades of experience serving municipalities says it’s time to break down some borders and make local government units bigger.
 
"There has long been too much of a disconnect between county and municipal governments and school districts in Pennsylvania.
 
Cumberland County Commissioner Rick Rovegno has a great idea with a proposal for a county commission that would bring them together on common issues." 
 
"After a candidate was elected to be a Newberry Twp. auditor with only two write-in votes, many residents of the northern York County community wondered if such a low vote total was legal. (It is.) ...
 
Beyond casting a spotlight on the need for such posts in 21st century Pennsylvania, the situation in New berry again illus trates the archaic nature of local government in this state. Although individual counties can take some steps on their own -- Dauphin County abolished assessors in the 1980s -- what is needed is a statewide commission to conduct a top-to-bottom review of local government."  
 
"Try saying "multiple municipal comprehensive planning code" five times fast.
 
That's not a problem among those in a coalition of five Butler County towns whose planners say the tongue twister could be a smart-growth savior.
 
The five communities are as different from each other as big-box malls are from cow pastures." 
 
Putting the Pieces Together, a report prepared by 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Economy League, presents case studies of five Pennsylvania regions where business and civic leaders have been working to promote regional cooperation.   Though each region is unique, all are finding that the current structure of local government inhibits economic development and divides communities.  And all are struggling to overcome a common set of legal and social barriers to regional cooperation. 
 

Policy Updates

Updated February 5, 2007

 
 

About the Campaign to Renew Pennsylvania

In March 2007, the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program released an update to their major report on the challenges and opportunities for Pennsylvania’s economic future, called Back to Prosperity: A Competitive Agenda for Renewing Pennsylvania.

The report update, Committing to Prosperity: Moving Forward on the Agenda to Renew Pennsylvania, was sponsored by 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania, and revisits the state of the Commonwealth and reviews policy reform activity to date. The update, while recognizing some positive developments, such as increased in-migration to the state, new urban revitalization, and job creation, confirms that Pennsylvania still is barely growing, that older communities continue to hollow out, and that the transitioning economy is still lagging. The report focuses on three major policy reforms: empowering local government to better manage change, combat fiscal distress and invest in the future; continue making reinvestment a priority; and continue building a competitive economy through strategic investment in key industries.  
 
The Campaign to Renew Pennsylvania’s purpose is to create a climate for systemic policy reform in Pennsylvania to improve government effectiveness, community quality of life and economic competitiveness.












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