Home Rule meeting next week

Cameron County residents can learn more next week about the revolutionary plan to dissolve the current county, borough and township governments. A public meeting on the home rule charter scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday will likely attract a large audience.

Cameron County Commissioners Glen Fiebig, Tony Moscato and Patrick Rodgers have been working with a paid consultant, Alan Kugler of PA Futures, and Penn State Cooperative Extension. The team last week issued a pamphlet, entitled Cameron County Government Single Project.

Under the 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.

The commissioners believe the new 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 entire county has ever consolidated all of its local governments.