Bellefonte to ask staff to draft six PSAB resolutions, including prevailing‑wage and stormwater measures
Get AI-powered insights, summaries, and transcripts
Subscribe
Summary
Council directed borough staff to draft six proposed Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB) resolutions to present at the March 16 meeting; priorities discussed included assistance for municipalities with many tax‑exempt properties, raising prevailing‑wage thresholds, shifting stormwater maintenance responsibility for state roads to PennDOT, and considering repeal of Act 43 (fireworks).
Bellefonte Borough Council agreed on March 2 to have borough staff draft six proposed resolutions for submission to the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs (PSAB) ahead of the association’s annual deadline.
Council members discussed a packet of existing and proposed PSAB resolutions. Staff and councilors highlighted several items they wanted to support or amend: continued advocacy for financial assistance to municipalities with high shares of tax‑exempt property (cited House Bill 451 and House Bill 1702), a proposed constitutional amendment to freeze future property tax increases for longtime owner‑occupants (tied to directing gaming revenue to property tax relief), reauthorization of a prevailing‑wage threshold adjustment to reduce the number of municipal projects that trigger prevailing wage requirements, and legislation directing PennDOT to assume maintenance of stormwater infrastructure that currently falls to boroughs on state highways.
"If we can get the prevailing wage threshold increased, we can potentially take better care of municipal roadways," a council member said, linking the threshold change to the borough's ability to repave more roads annually.
Council also discussed a resolution seeking repeal of Act 43 of 2017, which authorizes consumer fireworks sales, and noted ongoing local conversations about a possible borough fireworks ordinance. Staff told council the PSAB submission deadline for resolutions is April 1, 2026, and recommended staff prepare draft resolution language and background materials to enable council to vote on them at the March 16 meeting.
Council voted unanimously to have the interim borough manager and staff craft the six new proposed resolutions and to support previously passed resolutions discussed during the work session; staff will return the draft resolutions for council approval on March 16.
No state‑level policy change was enacted by Bellefonte in this meeting; the action was to prepare and forward formal resolution proposals through PSAB’s process.