Cost per municipality for Pa. State Police protection could change

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf’s latest budget proposal looks to change the amount cities, towns and townships pay for state police coverage.

Nearly 1,300 municipalities rely on protection from Pennsylvania State Police, but some have already said they can’t afford what Wolf is now proposing.

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Wolf is asking municipalities to pay a fee based on a new formula that looks at the number of calls, population, income and coverage area. In the past, there has been a flat fee or a sliding scale.

Every municipality would pay a fee, even if it has its own police department.

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Rural townships rely on state police, but some say they would have to raise taxes to afford their services under the proposal.

PennLive crunched the numbers for several municipalities, including Hempfield Township, which would have to pay an estimated $3.1 million per year. That’s about $76 per person.

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RAW: Gov. Wolf presents budget proposal RAW: Gov. Wolf presents budget proposal

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