CLEARFIELD – The 2024 priorities were recently selected by members of the County Commissioners’ Association of PA as the issues with the “greatest significance and most potential for positive impact to counties” this year.
County leaders state-wide selected eight key legislative priorities, and according to Dave Glass, Clearfield County Commissioner chairman, they closely align with those of the county.
Mental health services and inmate mental health are “huge issues,” Glass said during Tuesday’s board of commissioners’ workshop meeting. “Over 50 or 60 percent of our inmates have some form of mental illness.
“And, we’re just not set up for it.”
Commissioner Tim Winters said there is funding out there for mental health services, but the real problem lies in the shortage of service providers and inpatient facilities.
“It’s the missing cog in the wheel and people are being dumped into county and state prison facilities where they simply aren’t getting the help they need. It’s a terrible cycle”
Another huge issue facing counties—including Clearfield—said Glass is the juvenile detention capacity crisis.
The county partially owns the Central Counties Youth Detention Center in Centre County, but according to Glass, it can’t operate at capacity due to a staffing shortage.
“We’re turning away a lot of outside counties that could potentially generate revenue for the center because we can’t staff it.”
This was also a concern of the Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Association, added Solicitor Heather Bozovich, as juveniles aren’t being properly rehabilitated and entering the criminal system as adults.
In December of last year, Pennsylvania had 513 licensed detention center beds but Glass said only 366 beds were operational due to staffing shortages. The length of stay has also risen from 17 days in 2018 to 27 days in 2022.
“It’s a problem.”
Other CCAP priorities noted by the commissioners included:
- Increasing the Prevailing Wage Threshold: Counties favor increasing the prevailing wage threshold to meet the changes in inflation since the 1960’s and to apply an index that will ensure the threshold keeps pace with inflation going forward.
- 911 Funding and Reauthorization: Counties are calling for an increase in 911 funding in the state. At a surcharge of $1.95, counties, and ultimately county taxpayers, are still shouldering 25-30 percent of the cost of the 911 system. With just two years until the next reauthorization, Pennsylvania counties urge the General Assembly and the governor to begin having real conversations about proper 911 funding immediately, so this life-saving service does not become a perpetual backburner issue
- Right-to-Know Law Reforms: Under the current RTKL, counties are required to spend staff time and resources to comply with requests for records from commercial entities and individuals seeking copious amounts of records with the intent to burden and bog down the records request process. Counties support addressing loopholes in the current request process without hindering transparency.
- Vote-by-Mail Reforms: Counties are calling for increased pre-canvassing time and adjustments to the mail-in ballot applications deadlines. In addition, counties are asking for a resolution to the ambiguities in the Election Code, including provisions related to drop boxes, ballot curing and undated or misdated ballots.
- Broadband Access and Development: Counties support prioritizing efforts to connect rural and hard-to-reach areas, and believe every Pennsylvanian should have the ability to access the internet adequately, safely and affordably, regardless of income, geography or individual circumstance. More local information will be available in the coming months.
