The commission, created last year, released the results of a study with some of its ideas to curb population decline.
The Rural Population Revitalization Commission was established by Pennsylvania lawmakers last year to find solutions to curb population decline. The commission, made up of 15 members, recently released a report that revealed initial ideas to combat the problem in areas of the Commonwealth.
Stakeholders looking to attract businesses and residents to their communities through health care, housing, transportation, and job options gave feedback for the study.
The study revealed that rural areas across Pennsylvania struggle to secure state and federal grant funding that supports local development and revitalization projects. Limited staffing and a smaller population of taxpayers creates barriers to obtaining this funding. If obtained, limited staffing can lead to further challenges in administering the funds in the community.
The commission plans to use the results of the study to evaluate the state’s criteria for awarding funding, and to make sure smaller municipalities have the tools to secure funding.
State Representative Paul Takac of Centre County serves on the commission. He said, “I think what we can do is look strategically and say, ‘Where can we make investments that will benefit and revitalize those areas that have, quite frankly, been neglected?’”
Stakeholders proposed a tiered system for grant applications that would create a more equitable distribution of state funds while accounting for rural areas not offering the same return on investment as urban areas.
Rural stakeholders have also proposed regional partnerships to consolidate resources for communities.
Director of Government Relations for the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania Frank Mazza said, “I think the mentality in many of our rural communities, not just in counties, is that we’re just going to lose out to Philadelphia and Pittsburgh every time, and that is a barrier to pursuing different opportunities.”
Kyle Kopko, who chairs the commission, said, “There’s a strong consensus among the commission members that we don’t want to reinvent the wheel. We really want to be deliberative about this and show that a recommendation isn’t harmed by evidence.”
Every two years, the commission is required to release a proposal for legislative and regulatory changes. The commission plans to release these reports with feedback from relevant stakeholders on a rolling basis.
State Representative Dan Moul of Adams County said, “If you make it too difficult for that entrepreneur to build his building, to start his business, to maybe hire half a dozen people, he’s never going to make it.”
The hope is for the proposals offered by the commission to influence legislation that could become law and assist rural areas with securing public dollars to better their communities.
