That includes asking for a 65-cent boost to a monthly cellphone bill fee to give "critical" 911 services more support.
In a resolution approved Tuesday, they are also backing a County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) call to invest $150 million more into mental health next year, saying communities across the state are dealing with the fallout from the issue while funds have remained flat since 2008.
"These are critical pieces of the governor's budget," Commissioner Pamela Tokar-Ickes said Tuesday, noting that both issues have increasingly been left for county governments — and their taxpayers — to bear the funding burden.
Mental health-related issues are weaved into almost every issue across the country — whether it's the drug epidemic, child abuse or inside schools or jails — "but the state has never made up for a 2008 (cut)," she added.
Gov. Josh Shapiro has made addressing the mental health crisis a key point in his budget plan, calling to ramp up statewide funding by $500 million over the next five years.
The Harrisburg-based CCAP, which operates as an advocate for the priorities of Pennsylvania's 67 counties, is calling for lawmakers to dedicate $150 million the first year.
"Residents are aware of the need for more mental health funding, counties are aware of the need for more mental health funding, and the administration and General Assembly are aware of the need for more mental funding. But right now, awareness isn't the problem. Action is," Dauphin County Commissioner and CCAP Human Services Committee Chairman George Hartwick said in a press conference last week. "Pennsylvania residents have waited long enough while the impacts of 15 years of not keeping pace with increases have unraveled the county mental health system."
The Cambria County commissioners have not yet passed support resolutions, but board members indicated support for both causes Tuesday.
"Throughout Pennsylvania, there has been a shift away from state hospitals, and those that were previously institutionalized are now in need of services provided by county-run agencies," President Commissioner Thomas Chernisky and Commissioner William "B.J." Smith said in a joint statement, adding that it's put a "strain" on those county agencies and their staff.
911 costs and needs are also continuing to rise, they said.
Somerset County commissioners are pushing for an increase in 911 funding at a point when their 911 center — like most others across the state — is struggling to attract and retain dispatchers and a switch to a new 5G system is in development.
Counties statewide are able to partially cover their annual costs through the fee, which is collected by cellphone service providers and forwarded to the state for distribution to all 67 counties through a funding formula.
That $1.65-per-month fee on cellular customers' bills is set to expire in 2024.
Shapiro is proposing to increase the fee to $2.03, while state House lawmakers are considering a $1.97-per-month fee for the coming year.
Dawson, Tokar-Ickes and President Commissioner Gerald Walker said it's not enough.
"A small increase to $2.30 (per month) would add up across the state and likely be equal to hundreds of thousands of dollars for those counties in new revenue," Dawson said. "It's critical that 911 funding keeps pace ... with the current needs."
Fellow County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania members called 911 the "backbone" of emergency response.
"We don't think about it unless we need it, but when we need it, we want it to be there. We want it to work efficiently and effectively, and we want trained dispatchers on the other end who can get us the help we need as quickly as possible," said Mark Hamilton, a Tioga County commissioner and co-chair of the CCAP Emergency Management Committee.
A Somerset-area engineering firm was selected to design a another section of the September 11th National Memorial Trail near Garrett.
Apex Companies was awarded the $406,000 contract to design and engineer a fraction of a mile of trail extending the path from Garrett Borough past a U.S. Route 219 overpass just north of town toward Berlin.
The September 11th National Memorial Trail is a 1,300-mile network of roads and multi-use trails that connects the three sites where hijacked planes crashed on Sept. 11, 2001, including Flight 93 National Memorial in Somerset County, the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington, Virginia, and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City.
Appalachian Regional Commission funds were secured to pay for the project, commissioners said.
©2023 The Tribune-Democrat (Johnstown, Pa.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
