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Ferguson Supervisors Ask PML for Guidance on Local Tax Options, Direct Staff to Seek Advocacy
Summary
Board directed staff to request a seminar from the Pennsylvania Municipal League on Act 511 and other state‑level revenue options and voted to send a letter asking PML to consider advocacy that could expand municipal taxing flexibility, including earned income tax changes.
Ferguson Township supervisors voted May 6 to ask the Pennsylvania Municipal League (PML) for education and to send a letter seeking PML advocacy on expanding municipalities’ taxing flexibility under state law.
Township Manager summarized staff’s assessment of options available under Pennsylvania’s Local Tax Enabling Act (commonly referenced in the meeting as Act 511) and told the board some revenue levers—such as a tax on corporate distributions—are unavailable to second‑class townships without state action. "We are operating under Act 511," the manager said, noting constraints and alternatives such as amusement or sales taxes that would require different local conditions.
Supervisor Patterson moved to ask PML to present a seminar laying out what municipalities can currently do; that motion passed. He subsequently moved that staff write to PML requesting advocacy to amend earned income tax rules to allow broader local options; the motion passed after discussion acknowledging that PML may decline but that emphasis from member municipalities could be helpful.
Board members requested staff provide the statutory language and an annotated list of what is and is not permitted for follow‑up, and encouraged one‑on‑one briefings with staff before publishing any definitive list.
Outcome: motions passed directing staff to seek a PML seminar and to send a letter requesting PML advocacy on municipal tax flexibility.
