Commission pitches membership benefits to Fayette officials
To join or not to join, that is the question. Listening to a pitch from the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC), County Commissioner Sean Cavanagh said he is open-minded to the decision of joining the SPC, despite warnings against it, but said he wants to be sure Fayette County is not placed on the backburner.
“I want to be open minded and do what is best for Fayette County, but I don’t want to join you and be penalized and put on the backburner,” Cavanagh said, noting that he did agree to budget $26,000 for the dues if the county decided to join.
Commissioner Ron Nehls supports joining the SPC, a cooperative forum made up of the City of Pittsburgh and eight other counties, including neighboring Greene County, for the purpose of planning and public decision-making.
“It’s beneficial from what I understand from other counties to be a member,” he said.
Greene County Commissioner Dave Coder, who will serve as chairman of the commission for the next two years, said Greene County has been a member of SPC for seven years and has been “very happy.”
“I don’t think it’s much of a decision to make, really,” Coder said. “I think it is good on an efficiency standpoint.”
Commissioner Vince Vicites who is against joining did not attend the meeting. Tammy Shell, the county’s zoning and community developer, and Bill Piper, the county’s transportation consultant, also attended the meeting.
Cavanagh said it is really a question of money to him. He said he wants to make sure Fayette County gets its fair share.
According to Chuck DiPietro, transportation and planning director, funds are usually distributed the same as the state’s procedure, but final allocation is voted upon by the commission with each county and the city of Pittsburgh receiving five votes each.
He said the state Department of Community and Economic Development, transit operator, the governor’s appointee, PennDOT and the Port Authority of Allegheny County also vote. He said PennDOT has two votes and the port authority’s vote rotates between members periodically.
The SPC currently has $1.3 million in its capital budget and slightly over $2 million in its planning budget.
The Federal Register named the cities of Uniontown and Connellsville as urbanized areas (UZA) based on the 2000 Census. The Federal Transit Act requires UZAs to designate a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to provide a continuing, cooperative and comprehensive transportation planning process that results in plans and programs.
Fayette County has two choices, form its own MPO or join an already existing one.
In addition to Pittsburgh, the SPC is made up of Allegheny, Armstrong Beaver, Butler, Greene, Indiana, Washington and Westmoreland counties. The SPC develops plans and programs for public investments and satisfies federal and state requirements for transportation, economic development and local government assistance programs.
The members of SPC put their funds together, lobby together and develop strategic plans together.
DiPietro said it is more beneficial for the county to join the SPC rather duplicate the required studies and planning (required of a MPO) that have already been done by the SPC.
DiPietro also said the federal government “urges” new UZAs to enroll into an existing MPOs and PennDOT “prefers” it.
But Cavanagh said Senator Richard Kasunic has advised that the county will do better on its own in terms of funding for major initiatives such as developments on Route 21, the Mon-Fayette Expressway and the Connellsville Airport.
He added that Fayette County “wins either way,” with congressmen, Rep. Frank Mascara (D-20) and Jack Murtha (D-12) on the transportation and appropriations committees respectively in Washington, D.C.
“We got clout in D.C. That’s a feather in our cap. I feel confident we got federal support,” he said.
But Cavanagh said Piper’s recommendation on the issues will “weigh heavily on him.”
“If this makes sense and is a no-brainer, then I’m in,” he said.