Radical government shift still considered

Cameron County residents are learning more about a revolutionary plan to dissolve the current county, borough and township governments and replace them with a single entity.

A public meeting on the home rule charter scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 18, will likely attract a large audience to hear the specifics.

Cameron County Commissioners Glen Fiebig, Tony Moscato and Patrick Rodgers have been investigating the issue for several months. They've been working with a paid consultant, Alan Kugler of PA Futures, and Dr. Tim Kelsey from the Penn State's Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology.

Donald Tanner, educator for the Penn State Cooperative Extension Service branch serving Cameron, Potter and McKean counties, has been assisting.

The team last week issued a pamphlet, entitled Cameron County Government Single Project, to identify some of the issues. It is available at Cooperative Extension offices or through the Cameron County Commissioners website at www.cameroncountypa.com.

Under the commissioners' plan, voters in Emporium and Driftwood boroughs, as well as all five townships, would decide whether the home rule charter plan should move forward. In order for the question to appear on the ballot this year, township supervisors and borough councils must agree to let voters decide.

If voters approve the plan and other elements fall into place, the new form of government could take effect as early as January 2010.

A nine-member governing body would be elected, consisting of one representative from each of seven voting districts and two at-large. The voting districts would be developed based on population.

An initial plan calls for Driftwood Borough, Grove Township and Gibson Township to form one district. Lumber and Portage townships would become a voting district. Emporium Borough and Shippen Township would be divided to create the other five districts. Starting salaries of governing body members would be $2,500 annually.

Five countywide offices would be filled by voters: district attorney, sheriff, treasurer, coroner and a combination prothonotary, clerk of courts, register of wills and recorder of deeds.

The following offices would be abolished: county commissioner, township supervisor, tax collector, borough council member, mayor, tax collector, county auditor, borough and township auditor and jury commissioner.

Members of the governing body would appoint a county manager, chief of police, director of public works, chief assessor, chief clerk and solicitor.

Commissioners believe the system would save taxpayers a large sum of money through efficiencies and economies of scale. If approved, it would be a first in Pennsylvania; no county has ever consolidated all of its local governments.

Some county residents have declared the plan dead on arrival. Gibson Township Supervisor Gaylord McIsaac questions where the 200-plus residents of his municipality would take their local concerns if a centralized board were making all of the decisions. Loyal township employees who have served for many years could lose their jobs, McIsaac points out.

Former Cameron County Commissioner Mary Donovan is also a vocal opponent. "Citizens' representation will be weakened," she said. "If something is detrimental to an area, such as a dump or nuclear waste site, the people of that area would have no local authorities who could speak for them."

Commissioners Rodgers, Moscato and Fiebig are asking county residents to keep an open mind in considering the pros and cons of the plan.