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State center outlines technical help, peer support and grant programs for Millcreek transition
Summary
Representatives from the Governor's Center for Local Government Services told Millcreek's transitional advisory committee they offer no‑cost peer consultants, planning and training, and several grant/loan programs; they said peer help requires current audit filings and later clarified that the township’s 2025 audit was not posted in the state system.
Kathy Rosd, executive director of the Governor's Center for Local Government Services at the Department of Community and Economic Development, told Millcreek's transitional advisory committee on July 4 that the center provides technical support, training and limited financial assistance to municipalities across the state.
"We are a bureau within the Department of Community and Economic Development," Rosd said, explaining the center has 31 full‑time staff and a network of peer consultants—retired or active municipal managers, finance directors and former chiefs—available to advise townships at no cost. Bethany Williams, a program manager who oversees strategic management planning and municipal operational reviews, said the center can match specialists to specific municipal needs.
The presenters listed programs the township could use, including Act 47 financial recovery assistance, a Strategic Management Planning (STAMP) option that follows an Act 47 framework without heavy oversight, the Municipal Assistance Program (MAP) grant (typically a 50 percent match for zoning rewrites, feasibility studies and shared services planning), and a small local government capital project loan program. Rosd also described up to 400 hours of no‑cost technical planning assistance available through state planning specialists.
On audit and eligibility, Williams said requests for technical assistance are activated through the center's website and the center requires that municipalities be current on audit submissions to use some programs. "It does look like we're missing your 2025 audit, which was due on April 1st," Williams said, adding that exceptions can be requested but that municipalities not current by January 1 can lose access to certain funds and services.
Committee members asked practical questions about onboarding new managers, peer deployment and whether administrative code examples could be shared; Rosd said the center can share sample administrative codes and best practices from other municipalities and that legal review by a municipal solicitor is recommended before adoption.
The center encouraged the township to add the new council to the center's mailing list and to request assistance via the center's online portal when the township is ready. Rosd and Williams concluded that the center's assistance is primarily technical—training, peer advising and planning help—while larger grant awards typically come from other parts of DCED.
The committee did not make any binding commitments; Rosd and Williams reiterated the center's willingness to consult as Milcreek finalizes its administrative code and other transition tasks.
