Emergency services and finances were among the key talking points presented by the dozens of residents, volunteer firefighters and local government officials who gathered Monday night to discuss a potential merger of Penn Township and Penn Borough.
Officials from the borough, a 0.2-square-mile community containing about 435 residents, approached the neighboring township in March 2023 about merging the municipalities. This would mean the borough would be absorbed by the 30-square-mile township of about 20,000 people, forming a united council and sharing services such as management, public works, recreation and community development.
Both municipalities agreed to consider a merger, partnering with the state Department of Community and Economic Development to complete a study. The results were presented in late September 2024.
The communities held their first meeting to gather feedback and answer residents’ questions Monday at Penn-Trafford High School.
The matter could be placed on residents’ November election ballots. This would require both municipalities to approve joint agreement ordinances — three- to four-page documents detailing high-level plans for the merger — by Aug. 4, said Terri Cunkle, a representative from DCED.
The vote would need to pass in both communities for it to move forward, Cunkle said. If it were to fail at the polls, the matter could not be placed on a ballot again for five years.
If a merger is approved at the polls, the municipalities involved have up to four years to finalize the merger, Cunkle said.
In the past five years, there have been six municipal mergers placed on election ballots statewide. Five of them resulted in successful mergers, Cunkle said.
“People are talking about mergers more and more,” she said. “When you are so close together, there’s a duplication of services that can be saved, and a lot of them are relying on each other anyway.”
‘We’re all Penn-Trafford’
Penn Borough has faced challenges in recent years sustaining its operations, said council Vice President Ed Grant. The borough has one volunteer fire department and a part-time police force, supplemented by state police. It does not have a formal road crew but pays residents to assist with projects, Grant said.
“Ten years from now, it’s just going to be harder,” Grant said. “We’ve got to take steps.”
Mary Perez, Penn Township’s secretary-manager, said Penn Borough residents would see an annual tax increase of between $13 and $25 if the merger goes through. Penn Township has a tax rate of 18.7 mills. Penn Borough’s rate is 17.3 mills, she said.
Penn Township resident Chris Witt spoke in favor of the merger.
“You don’t have small communities like (Penn Borough) anymore,” he said. “This is good. It’s good for everyone. I see no reason not to push for this and get it going.”
Penn Borough resident Jennifer McCutcheon said she would like to see a more consistent police force servicing her community, where she has lived for nine years.
“We’re all Penn-Trafford,” she said. “We’re not Penn Borough. We’re not Harrison City. We’re all together, and I think that’s what we need to do. We need to come together as a community.”
Residents question merger’s impact on resources
Harrison City Volunteer Fire Department Chief Gene Good expressed concerns about the station receiving less financial support from the township if the merger is approved.
Penn Township has a 1.3-mill fire tax, used to support the municipality’s five volunteer fire departments. If the merger goes through, Good said, he would be concerned about giving a portion of those funds to Penn Borough’s fire department.
“My department, we’re looking at buying a $2 million ladder truck, and I can’t be making those decisions knowing that if this goes through, I’ll lose money,” Good said. “Same way with the rest of the township companies. That’s why we’re all here tonight.”
Penn Township Commissioner Chuck Konkus said several residents have expressed concerns about the merger to him in recent months — particularly that township resources are already stretched thin by ongoing stormwater and infrastructure challenges.
“We have a lot of things in our own home that we need to take care of first,” he said. “A lot of folks said that this might be something good for the future, but until we do our own housekeeping and such, we need to take care of problems that we have.”
Additional community meetings will be held as the municipalities continue to discuss details of the proposed merger, officials said Monday.