PRINTER'S NO. 304
No. 293 Session of 1991
INTRODUCED BY KOSINSKI, VAN HORNE, TRELLO, JAROLIN, COLAIZZO,
PESCI, PISTELLA AND D. W. SNYDER, FEBRUARY 5, 1991
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT, FEBRUARY 5, 1991
AN ACT
1 Relating to counties comprehensive planning assistance; and
2 making an appropriation.
3 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
4 hereby enacts as follows:
5 Section 1. Short title.
6 This act shall be known and may be cited as the Counties
7 Comprehensive Planning Assistance Act.
8 Section 2. Legislative findings and declarations.
9 The General Assembly finds and declares as follows:
10 (1) The increasing demands of growth, development,
11 revitalization, renewal and preservation necessitate that
12 each county government prepare, adopt and maintain a
13 comprehensive plan for the further growth, development and
14 general welfare of their jurisdiction, its municipalities and
15 citizens.
16 (2) The act of July 31, 1968 (P.L.805, No.247), known as
17 the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, is the statute
18 which sets forth the minimum content of a comprehensive plan
1 for 65 of the Commonwealth's 67 counties, excluding
2 Philadelphia and Allegheny.
3 (3) The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code was
4 amended in 1988 to expand the required and optional elements
5 of a comprehensive plan and to mandate that any county
6 without a comprehensive plan shall prepare and adopt a plan
7 no later than February 21, 1992.
8 (4) A financial assistance program is needed to help
9 those counties without a plan to meet the new mandate of the
10 Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code and to help those
11 counties with a plan to update their plan in accordance with
12 the expanded requirements of the Pennsylvania Municipalities
13 Planning Code.
14 (5) The existing State Planning Assistance Grant
15 Program, administered by the Department of Community Affairs,
16 is already over-subscribed to meet the new mandates for
17 counties and the continuing needs of this Commonwealth's
18 municipalities.
19 (6) A new, dedicated program is needed to enable
20 counties to meet their obligations under the Pennsylvania
21 Municipalities Planning Code and to expand the level of
22 county planning in this Commonwealth.
23 Section 3. Establishment of program.
24 There is hereby established in the Department of Community
25 Affairs a Pennsylvania Counties Comprehensive Planning
26 Assistance Grant Program to carry out the purposes of this act.
27 Section 4. Application for grant.
28 Eligible counties may apply to the Department of Community
29 Affairs for a planning assistance grant to prepare or update a
30 comprehensive plan using an application form to be prepared by
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1 the Department of Community Affairs. Grants shall not exceed
2 $30,000 or 50% of the total cost, whichever is less, and the
3 minimum grant shall not be less than $10,000.
4 Section 5. Funding.
5 (a) Appropriation.--The sum of $1,950,000 is hereby
6 appropriated to the Department of Community Affairs to provide
7 for grants to eligible counties to prepare or update a
8 comprehensive plan in accordance with the requirements of the
9 act of July 31, 1968 (P.L.805, No.247), known as the
10 Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.
11 (b) Future funding.--It is the intent of the General
12 Assembly to appropriate the sum of $200,000 for three
13 consecutive years to enable the Bureau of Community Planning of
14 the Department of Community Affairs to administer this program
15 and to assist counties to carry out their new responsibilities
16 under the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code.
17 Section 6. Termination date.
18 The program under this act shall terminate three years from
19 the effective date of this act. Any funds not encumbered by the
20 termination date of this program shall be returned to the
21 General Fund.
22 Section 7. Effective date.
23 This act shall take effect immediately.
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