UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State Extension will offer a Web-based seminar aimed at helping municipal officials assess the impacts of land use on local governments.
Scheduled for noon Wednesday, Oct. 16, the 75-minute session, “Fiscal Impacts of Different Land Uses” will feature extension educators Neal Fogle and Peter Wulfhorst, who are economic and community development specialists.
Land uses influence the size of local government, the types of services it offers, the types of equipment it must purchase, and the taxes and tax rates it must levy, explained Wulfhorst.
“Land use also affects local school districts with regard to the number of teachers and school buildings they must provide for students,” he said. “These impacts are significant not only because they affect taxpayers and local residents but because they affect the ability of local government to respond to the needs of its citizens.”
Recognizing the fiscal impacts of different land uses will help local leaders in their community and land-use planning efforts.
The webinar is the fourth of five in a summer/fall series focusing on land-use planning and decision-making. For a fee of $30, registrants can access all five of the sessions as live events or as recordings.
Certification maintenance — or CM — credits are available to certified planners at one fee of $60 for all five 1.25-credit, 75-minute sessions.
The sessions in the series include:
— July 17: “Solar Model Ordinance: Not to be Confused with the Sunshine Act,” 1.25 CM credits available, (now offered as a recording).
— Aug. 21: “Enhancing Vehicular, Bicycle and Pedestrian Connectivity,” (now offered as a recording), 1.25 CM credits available.
— Sept. 18: “The ABCs of Form-Based Codes” (now offered as a recording), 1.25 CM credits available.
— Oct. 16: “Fiscal Impacts of Different Land Uses” (noon-1:15 p.m.), 1.25 CM credits available.
— Nov. 20: “Facing the Challenges of Plan Implementation” (noon-1:15 p.m.), 1.25 CM credits available.
This series aims to inform participants on topics such as current planning issues, how to create local regulations, how to ensure planning benefits a community and how decision-makers can find local resources. The sessions provide information valuable to landowners and land managers as they contemplate and plan for the future uses of their properties.
A previous winter/spring 2013 series of land use webinars is now also available as recordings. Five, one-hour long webinars are offered as a package for one fee. Sessions include:
— “Planning in PA: Land Use, Communities and Beyond”
— “How Pre-emption of Zoning and Other Local Controls Impacts Planning”
— “Renewable Energy Implementation and Land Use Regulations — Is There Conflict?”
— “Developing More Effective Citizen Engagement: A How-to Guide for Community Leaders”
— “Low-Impact Development and Smart Growth: How Are They Best Integrated and Utilized in Our Communities?”
To view recordings of the winter/spring series or to register for other land-use decision-making, and current-issue webinars offered by Penn State Extension, go to the website. Also see this website and click on the “recorded webinars” link.
For more information, contact Jeff Himes at jhimes@psu.edu, call 570-724-9120 or visit thewebsite to register for the webinars.