Sep 30, 2005 By Amy Karpinsky 3 min read

The secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue outlined the full fall agenda of Gov. Ed Rendell, including property tax reform and a host of other initiatives, during a Thursday visit to Fayette County. During a press conference at the Fayette County Community Action Family Service Center, Gregory C. Fajt told a gathering of elected officials that cutting $400 million of waste in state government has filtered down to Fayette County, in the form of $37 million in bridge and road repair.

Fajt said Rendell has increased public education funding by $10 million for Fayette County, which means an additional $504 per student is being spent annually since January 2003. Fajt said the governor is adamant about treating all students equally, and it shouldn’t matter if they are from “Fayette County, Greene County, Fox Chapel or Mount Lebanon.”

Fajt stressed the governor’s top priority is implemention of Act 72, the Homeowner Tax Relief Act, for which he outlined key provisions.

In addition to Act 72, Fajt said Rendell’s priorities also include raising the minimum wage, making mandatory minimum sentences for sex offenders and providing financial relief for National Guard members, by allowing Pennsylvanians to donate to families via tax refunds and also by offering tax credits for businesses that make up the wage differential for National Guard members who are called to active duty.

Fajt said Rendell’s proposal is to increase the minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $6.25 per hour in January 2006, then to $7.15 per hour in January 2007. He said currently 200,000 to 300,000 workers make minimum wage across the state.

While District Attorney Nancy D. Vernon commended the governor for raising minimum sentences, she said a problem plaguing Fayette County is state prisoners taking up scarce space in the local jail. She said one state prisoner has been in the county jail for three years.

“It’s costly to us,” she said.

Fayette County Commissioner Vincent A. Vicites, who sits on the county prison board with Vernon, said if a prisoner is kept longer than 23 months in the local jail, it has an impact. Vernon said the county is not reimbursed for costs associated with keeping state prisoners.

Saying she handles 2,800 cases a year and with only 180 cells available in the county prison, Vernon said she can’t afford to have space taken up by state prisoners. Fajt said he would speak to the secretary of the state Department of Corrections about the issue.

Menallen Township Supervisor Joe Petrucci also asked Fajt to look into what can be done to change the funding formula for townships, which he said hasn’t been altered since the 1970s. Petrucci said the state has a substantially larger budget than the municipalities, and handles fewer miles of road. Fajt agreed to also speak with the PennDOT secretary on the matter.

Fajt also fielded questions on funding priorities and Community Development Block Grant restrictions.