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Perry County EDA fields municipal concerns after Picture Perry 2025 hearing
Summary
At a post-hearing EDA meeting, staff said Picture Perry 2025 amendments are intended as collaborative guidance, not mandates, after Wheatfield Township residents raised worries the county would dictate municipal actions; EDA staff encouraged local outreach and passing supporting resolutions.
The Perry County Economic Development Authority met with municipal partners to follow up on a public hearing over proposed Picture Perry 2025 amendments and to address concerns raised by Wheatfield Township residents.
Speaker 1 opened the session and summarized the hearing in the Commissioners' Conference Room, noting that Philip and Lorraine Vogel from Wheatfield Township attended and that Lorraine brought numerous questions about how the county’s plan might affect municipal authority. Speaker 1 said the county is not trying to tell municipalities what to do and encouraged local officials to discuss the plan with the partnering municipalities already involved in the Picture Perry collaboration.
Speaker 5 and others urged municipalities to consider passing resolutions that support the collaborative effort; Speaker 5 confirmed that Bloomfield Borough has not been asked to take any action beyond potentially passing such a resolution. Speakers said EDA staff plan outreach visits following local elections to check whether municipal participation changes.
The meeting emphasized communication and coordination: the EDA proposed a lighter regional visit cadence (quarterly or triannual) rather than monthly visits to reduce volunteer and staff burnout in small boroughs. Speaker 3 said the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) contact was receptive to Perry County’s unique intermunicipal setup and supported a more pragmatic schedule for outreach.
The EDA framed the Picture Perry amendments as an update drawn from municipal and county plans, intended to spur voluntary local initiatives rather than to impose requirements. Staff asked municipalities to share questions and to nominate local ambassadors to participate in work-group discussions.
The meeting concluded with staff committing to follow-up visits to Wheatfield Township and outreach to other boroughs to encourage participation in the Picture Perry work groups.
