Posted on 04/08/2011 11:59

Westmoreland County municipalities could lose more than $126,000 in traffic ticket revenue under Senate Bill 237, which would reallocate the money to fund a state police training class of 230 cadets.

Unity Township alone could lose $35,000 in revenue under the bill, which passed the Senate Transportation Committee last month. Municipalities across Pennsylvania now get half of all fines on tickets issued by state troopers.

"I'm not happy at all," said township Supervisor Mike O'Barto.

Under the proposed law, any of the state's 1,200 municipalities that do not provide at least 40 hours of police protection through a local or regional police force will lose their cut of fines from traffic citations written by state police. Only communities with a population of less than 3,000 would be exempt.

In the face of declining revenues, local officials are watching every dollar to balance budgets.

"These are monies that our municipality deserves to get," O'Barto said. "Our residents pay state taxes. To take $35,000 off of us will be devastating."

According to the Administrative Office of the Pennsylvania Courts, in 2010:

• Westmoreland County received more than $814,000 for its share of ticket revenue. Municipalities shared more than $126,000 of that money.

• Allegheny County received more than $3 million, and local governments shared more than $938,000.

• Washington County got more than $591,000, and its communities received more than $70,000.

• Fayette County municipalities shared $22,000 in ticket revenue out of $444,000 received.

Supervisor Wanda Layman of Sewickley said the loss of revenue from fines could force the township to cut back on road paving. For its share of fines, the township received more than $5,700 last year.

"We'd be in bad shape without the money," she said. "We don't have a lot of businesses in the township, and we depend on that money to keep the roads up."

Not every municipality will feel the pinch.

Hempfield stands to lose $30,000, said Manager Kurt Ferguson. The financial impact on the county's biggest township will not be significant, he added.

"We'll just have to make other adjustments and watch our spending," he said. "We don't like to lose a $30,000 budget item, but our focus will be on managing the money."

Supervisor Tom Frankhouser of South Union in Fayette County said he favors Senate Bill 237.

"In fact, we told the state 10 years ago to keep the money. The state provides us with police protection. Why should we get the fines?"

Frankhouser said the township receives only about $1,500 from tickets.

Unity and Hempfield are among the large municipalities that lack a police force and rely on the state police. Smaller, neighboring communities finance a local department and pay taxes to fund the state police.

Some lawmakers have proposed legislation to impose a per capita fee on such large municipalities that don't have their own police departments.

O'Barto said it is unfair to take away Unity's share of traffic fines and still pressure the township to create its own police force or pay more for state police coverage.

"I just don't think it's fair for them to keep pushing us to pay for state police protection," he said.