WOZNIAK BILLS WOULD BOLSTER SMALL CITIES Harrisburg, June 10, 2008 — State Senator John Wozniak (D-Johnstown) announced today a plan to invest $500 million over the next five-years to help small cities in Pennsylvania that have “borne the brunt of economic dislocation and weathered fiscal storms that have brewed for decades.” Wozniak’s “Renaissance Cities” plan would invest $100 million per year over five years in the state’s Third Class and Second Class A cities. The funding part of a multi-bill package also addresses city problems such as abandoned property, blight, and absentee ownership, along with pension and debt service issues. “We cannot continue to allow Pennsylvania’s small urban areas to falter,” Wozniak said. “Most of these cities simply do not have the financial means to combat the social issues that confront them and, as a result, they face impossible choices each year”. “It’s a cycle of fiscal despondency that must be reversed. It is imperative that the state take an active and aggressive role in helping our cities address these problems.” The Cambria County lawmaker said a one-year infusion of funds focused each year to help purchase public safety equipment, remove blight, jump start economic activity, repair infrastructure and stanch the flow of red ink in long-term debt costs can make a real difference for small cities. Wozniak added that he is introducing the legislation now to put the troubles of small cities in front of lawmakers as they consider this year’s state budget. “We have been told that this is a tight budget and that we must prioritize spending,” Wozniak said. “While I understand the need for constraint, we have to begin to focus on the problems plaguing small cities and have an honest dialogue about how we can help them out of fiscal despair.” Wozniak crafted his plan after reviewing the results of a needs survey that he sent to mayors last October. City officials were asked to identify the top five problems facing their communities. Other parts of Wozniak’s Renaissance Cities legislative package would: · Enable cities to foreclose on blighted/abandoned property sooner; · Create a statewide abandoned property database that would require new property purchasers to first pay any outstanding debts and obligations on other properties they own; and · Complete a study of pension and fixed-cost obligations that project future costs. Wozniak said the five-part, $100-million-per-year Renaissance Cities funding would be distributed on the following schedule: Year 1: Public safety--funding may be used to purchase law enforcement equipment, create crime prevention programs, purchase firefighting apparatus or any other initiative that protects the health and safety of residents. Year 2: Blight removal--includes the clearance, demolition or removal of blighted areas, acquisition of blighted property, aggressive code enforcement or other blight prevention activities. Year 3: Economic development and housing--funds would be split between housing initiatives that provide direct home ownership assistance and rehabilitation assistance for owner-occupied properties and business initiatives such as environmental assessments, installation of infrastructure and site preparation. Year 4: Municipal Services--includes funding for public buildings, paving streets, repairing bridges, sidewalks and purchasing public works vehicles as well as encouraging service consolidations with surrounding communities. Year 5: Pension and Debt--funding is targeted as an offset for unfunded accrued pension liabilities, debt service and other financial obligations. Wozniak said he is hopeful the General Assembly and governor will find the resources necessary to address these problems this year, before the condition of Pennsylvania cities worsens. “It is time that we have a frank and forthright discussion about what we can do and what is within our means to address the problems facing small cities,” Wozniak said. “I am hopeful my Renaissance Cities package will send a jolt throughout state government and shake free significant dollars and a renewed willingness to tackle the tough issues.” Wozniak, who said he is currently seeking co-sponsors for his legislative package, said he would likely introduce the measures early next week. # # #