House Local Government Committee advances fire-tax increase, autopsy-fee cuts and stormwater fee authority; tax-exempt fund held

Harrisburg — The House Local Government Committee on April 10 voted to send several bills to the House floor, including measures to let some municipalities expand a dedicated fire and emergency-services tax, reduce fees for coroner reports requested by next of kin, and allow municipalities to charge and collect stormwater‑management fees. Lawmakers postponed consideration of a bill to create a tax‑exempt property municipal assistance fund to a later meeting.

The committee reported House Bill 393, which would permit second‑class townships to raise a dedicated fire and emergency‑services millage limit from 3 mills to as much as 10 mills by ordinance. Representative Pielli, who presented the bill, said “a strong and well funded fire and emergency service is the backbone of the health and safety of our communities across the Commonwealth.” He and other supporters said higher limits would give struggling townships a simpler tool to fill funding gaps without waiting for a referendum. Opponents warned that some municipalities can already fund services through general appropriations or by referring the question to voters; Representative Miller said raising the limit to 10 mills “is too high” for his district and signaled he would oppose the measure.

Committee members voted 14–12 to advance HB393 to the House floor.

The committee also approved House Bill 937, a bill that would allow coroners to charge reduced fees for autopsy and related reports when requested by the spouse, child, parent, guardian or sibling of a decedent. John Castelli, providing an overview for the bill’s sponsor, said the proposal would change current county‑code fee mandates to permit lower charges for family members: an autopsy report fee capped at $100 (current flat fee, per the bill text discussed, is $500) and coroner/inquisition/toxicology reports capped at $50 (current flat fee cited as $100). Supporters said the change would relieve grieving families who seek copies of reports; opponents raised concerns about counties’ ability to recoup autopsy costs and about potential workarounds by attorneys or investigators.

HB937 passed the committee by roll call, 14–12, and was reported to the floor.

On stormwater policy, the committee advanced two companion bills (House Bill 990 and House Bill 991) that would let municipalities collect fees to fund construction, operation and maintenance of stormwater systems without creating a separate stormwater authority. Representative Strusick said the bills respond to mandates from the Department of Environmental Protection and would provide smaller boroughs an option to raise revenue for stormwater management without forming another layer of government. The committee considered several amendments to clarify how fees may be calculated and limited.

Chairman Freeman’s Amendment A00310, added to both bills, permits municipalities to measure a property’s impervious surface to determine fees and defines impervious surface (examples cited in the amendment include compacted dirt, gravel, concrete, asphalt, roads, sidewalks, parking lots, driveways, patios, roofs, garages and storage sheds). That amendment passed on roll call and was added to the bills.

Several taxpayer‑protection amendments offered by Chairman Miller would have required fees to be reduced after construction is complete and limited assessed fees to routine maintenance or to amounts necessary to meet federal water‑pollution standards. Committee members debated whether such limits could prevent municipalities from recovering costs imposed by DEP regulations. Amendments A00314, A00317, A00312 and A00313 were each rejected on roll calls (margin reported in committee discussion as 12–14 for some amendments). After the amendment votes, both HB990 and HB991 were reported to the House floor by recorded votes of 17–9.

Representative Miller noted opposition from municipal groups on some of the fee‑limiting language; municipal associations and borough leagues asked for different language or expressed concerns that certain limits could hinder compliance with DEP requirements. Supporters responded that the bills offer an option and that municipalities opting for fees remain accountable to their voters and councils.

Representative Miller said the committee will hold further meetings; he announced the panel may reconvene April 24 to consider the tax‑exempt property assistance bill once revised language is prepared.

Votes at a glance

- House Bill 393 (allow increased fire/EMS millage limit in second‑class townships from 3 to 10 mills by ordinance): motion carried; reported to House, 14–12. - House Bill 937 (reduced fees for autopsy/coroner/toxicology reports for next of kin; autopsy fee discussed at $100 cap vs current $500): motion carried; reported to House, 14–12. - House Bill 990 (authorize boroughs to set stormwater fees; impervious‑surface option added by amendment A00310): reported to House, 17–9. - House Bill 991 (authorize townships of the first class to set stormwater fees; impervious‑surface option added by amendment A00311): reported to House, 17–9. - House Bill 985 (tax‑exempt property municipal assistance fund, proposed to be funded by liquor‑tax revenue): held for a future meeting; no committee vote today.

Context and next steps

Bills reported by the committee will be scheduled for floor consideration by House leadership. Sponsors and committee members repeatedly said measures are intended to give local governments more tools to fund infrastructure and public safety; opponents cautioned about cost burdens, limits on local discretion and possible conflicts with DEP requirements. The committee indicated it will continue to refine language on the tax‑exempt assistance fund and monitor implementation concerns raised during debate.

(For roll‑call details and the committee’s full discussion, the transcript of the April 10 House Local Government Committee meeting is available from committee staff.)