Newly-proposed bill could give cities like Lower Burrell the option to increase taxes for emergency services
Funding for vital emergency services is getting more costly and soon, third-class cities like Lower Burrell may have the ability to raise taxes to specifically help those emergency services.
For many years, townships and boroughs around Pennsylvania have had the ability to levy an emergency services tax, but the same cannot be said for third-class cities in the state like Lower Burrell.
In fact, of the 53 third-class cities in Pennsylvania, none are able to levy such a tax to help their emergency services. But now, thanks to a newly proposed law by Lower Burrell's State Rep. Abby Major, third-class cities may be given the option to act as their township and borough counterparts do when it comes to bolstering funds for first responders.
"It doesn't mandate that they put this tax on their citizens," said Representative Major. "It would be up to each city council to determine if it is the correct move for them, the same way that it currently is for burrows and townships."
If such a tax were to be implemented by Lower Burrell City Council, City Manager Gregory (PREM) says it would come out to be just a few dollars more per person, per month. He says that while that money is not a cure-all for funding emergency services, it can go a long way to help keep emergency services responding at a high level.
"It is another tool in our arsenal that we can use to support these services," said Primm. "Our ability to raise revenue is limited by the third-class city code. So we can't do anything beyond that. So, the more tools we have to be able to raise revenue to support those services, the better for all the residents in the city. We need to ensure that these ambulances are going to be able to show up at people's houses when they are needed."
Now again, this proposed legislation in the state house only means that cities like Lower Burrell could do a tax increase. It doesn't mean they will do a tax increase.
This bill has passed the committee faze by a 25-1 vote, but there is no word yet on when it will be brought up for an official vote at the state house.