County commissioners from across Pennsylvania have identified 911 services funding reform as their top priority issue for 2015. As state funding sources have not been updated, counties have had to make up the difference in supporting their systems from local tax dollars. This week, the Chamber Board joined with the commissioners in urging the Legislature to update fees to avoid further burdens on local property taxpayers.

Counties assumed responsibility for 911 service with the 1990 adoption of the state Public Safety Emergency Telephone Act. That legislation provided funding in the form of a monthly fee on land lines of $1.00 to $1.50, with a $1 fee on cell phones and VoIP lines implemented later. As the fees have not been updated, and county systems need to be upgraded regularly to work with new communications technologies, the funding covers an average of 70 percent of counties’ cost according to a 2012 report issued by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee. The cell phone fee is also scheduled to sunset at the end of June.

Last Monday, commissioners from Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, Union and Juniata counties held a press conference in Selinsgrove to bring attention to this issue. They were joined by Senator John Gordner and Representatives Kurt Masser, Fred Keller and Linda Schlegel Culver. The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania says that an across the board increase to $2 would generate an additional $100 million statewide. The commissioners are also suggesting that reform legislation include a mechanism to account for inflation and new technologies that may use 911 systems, such as OnStar. Additional information is available at www.pacounties.org.

Columbia and Montour County Commissioners have been working with other counties in the region to share 911 infrastructure and manage costs in providing this essential service. However, the lack of adequate funding is resulting in hundreds of thousands being used from local tax revenues to maintain and upgrade systems. At its regularly monthly meeting yesterday, the Chamber Board approved the attached letter calling on our state delegation and the House Veterans Affairs & Emergency Preparedness Committee to update the fee structure. The Chamber is also asking other chambers across the state to contact their legislators as well.

Last Tuesday, the Chamber provided comments in support of a proposed 35-mile natural gas pipeline. The primary reason for the project is to supply a power plant in Snyder County, but could also provide gas service to a portion of Montour County. The remarks were part of a public scoping meeting for the Sunbury Pipeline Project held at the James F. Baugher Elementary School in Milton.

The project’s main purpose is to supply the proposed 1000 megawatt Hummel Station power plant near Shamokin Dam, though there would be additional capacity. The pipeline would begin in Lycoming County by connecting to the Transco Pipeline. An estimated 500 construction jobs would be created, with permanent jobs at the power plant, which is currently dormant. Details on the project are available at www.sunburypipeline.com.

As part of the approval process, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), conducts a scoping period to receive public comment and questions. The period will close April 17^th. Information on how to submit comments is available at www.ferc.gov by searching ‘Sunbury Pipeline’.

In March, the Chamber Board approved a resolution supporting the expansion of Pennsylvania’s natural gas transportation and distribution infrastructure. UGI Energy Services, which is coordinating the project, has stated that they will be working with communities and other businesses along the 35-mile corridor to explore ways to provide service from this pipeline. “As the distribution infrastructure in much of this area is lacking,” said Chamber President Fred Gaffney, “the project would directly benefit other businesses and residents along this corridor as well.”

PA Budget Secretary Randy Albright will be presenting Governor Wolf’s proposed 2015-16 budget at the Pine Barn Inn from 12 to 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 30^th. Members will have the opportunity to ask questions and provide their input to the Secretary. The program is being presented by the Joint Governmental Affairs Committee of the Chamber and Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau.

Also scheduled to participate in the event are Secretary John Gordner, Representatives Kurt Masser and David Millard, and Alex Halper, Director of Government Affairs with the PA Chamber of Business & Industry.

Cost to attend the program is $25 for members, $30 for non-members, which includes a buffet lunch. Download the registration form here or call the Chamber at 570-784-2522.

The mission of Key Partners Realty LLC, 530 East St., Bloomsburg, is to provide their clients with exceptional professional real estate services through leadership, experience and knowledge. By pursuing educational opportunities, they pledge to provide innovative and cutting-edge strategies in a wide range of services, while always engaging in expected business practices. They believe in the value of home ownership as the fabric of their communities and will continue to give their time and financial resources in support of the communities they serve. They are passionately committed to exceeding their customers’ expectations.

Key Partners Realty is a full-service real estate office that features five partners who are Realtors with education and more than 175 years of combined experience. In addition to their bachelor of arts, bachelor of science and master of science degrees, team members have a variety of real estate credentials, such as Certified Residential Specialist (CRS), Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR), At Home With Diversity (AHWD), One America, Accredited Staging Professional (ASP), Graduate Realtor Institute (GRI), Seller Representative Specialist (SRS) and e-PRO. They are also actively involved with the Central Susquehanna Valley Board of Realtors (CSVBR), including serving on the PR and Education committees.

It is also important to the team at Key Partners Realty to be involved in their community, including the Columbia County Industrial Development Authority, BIDA Marketing Committee, Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce, Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau, Downtown Bloomsburg, Inc., Winona Food Cupboard, United Way, AGAPE, Angel Tree, Meals on Wheels, Brighter Christmas Fund, Bloomsburg Public Library, Bundles of Blessings and TreeFest.

Learn more about Key Partners Realty at their ribbon cutting this Friday at 4:30 p.m. or by visiting keypartnersrealty.com

The subject of each month’s Member Spotlight is selected from attendees of Chamber events.

Candidates for County Commissioner in Columbia and Montour counties have provide responses to business-related questions in advance of the May 19^thprimary election. The questions were developed by the Joint Governmental Affairs Committee of the Chamber and Columbia-Montour Visitors Bureau and sent to all registered candidates. Their responses are provided unedited except being aggregated and formatted for consistency of presentation.

Responses from the Columbia County Commissioner candidates are available here.

Responses from the Montour County Commissioner candidates are available here.

Information provided by Rep. David Millard

The House Appropriations Committee last week launched a website which provides information on how the Commonwealth’s taxpayers in each school district would fare under Gov. Tom Wolf’s proposed property tax shift plan. If fully implemented, the governor’s plan would raise $8 billion in new taxes by 2016-17, but put only $3.6 billion toward property tax relief. The website shows that taxpayers in approximately 400 of the state’s 500 districts would pay more in personal income and sales taxes than they would receive in property tax relief.

The plan, as proposed, would negatively impact every taxpayer in Columbia and Montour counties. The following is the estimated net impact in the area’s school districts.

•    Benton Area School District: $179,776 in additional taxes.
•    Berwick Area School District: $825,471 in additional taxes.
•    Bloomsburg Area School District: $3,118,377 in additional taxes.
•    Central Columbia School District: $3,732,331 in additional taxes.
*    Danville Area School District: $6,377,761 in additional taxes.
•    Millville Area School District: $812,686 in additional taxes.
•    Southern Columbia Area School District: $2,499,332 in additional taxes.

Chamber President Fred Gaffney participated in a conference call with chambers from across Pennsylvania last week to continue the discussion of Gov. Wolf’s budget proposals. Among the concerns are audacious tax increases and revenue projections in the face of weak economic growth, and the lack of any reform to the public pension systems. A policy statement on the Governor’s plan is being developed.

Two natural gas pipeline projects that would traverse the area are being planned. These projects would likely benefit the local economy during construction phases and provide long-term opportunities for businesses and residents to utilize Pennsylvania’s natural gas resources. This Tuesday, the Chamber Board passed a resolution supporting the expansion of the gas pipeline infrastructure in Pennsylvania.

The Williams Atlantic Sunrise project would increase the pipeline capacity of the Transco system, which transports natural gas throughout the eastern United States. This project would include the construction of a new pipeline which would run north and south through Columbia County with a new compressor facility somewhere in the northern half of the county. Information about the project is available at www.atlanticsunriseexpansion.com.

UGI’s Sunbury Pipeline project would construct a 35-mile pipeline from the existing Transco pipeline in Lycoming County to Shamokin Dam, through Montour County. The project would allow for the conversion of the former coal-fired Sunbury Generation plant to a natural gas-fueled facility. There is also the possibility that capacity could be increased in that pipeline for use by other customers. Information on this project is available at www.sunburypipeline.com.

The Joint Governmental Affairs Committee of the Chamber and Visitors Bureau reviewed both projects and recommended the attached resolution supporting the expansion of the natural gas pipeline transmission and distribution infrastructure in Pennsylvania to maximize the potential benefits for the region.

From PA Chamber of Business & Industry

Last Tuesday, March 3, Gov. Tom Wolf gave his first budget address before a joint session of the General Assembly. The plan calls for nearly $34 billion in total spending for the 2015-16 fiscal year, an increase of 16 percent over the current year’s spending.

Most concerning to the PA Chamber is that the budget plan fails to offer any real solutions for addressing a $50 billion and growing pension crisis that will place enormous financial burdens on every Pennsylvania taxpayer if nothing is done. In a press release issued the same day as the budget address, PA Chamber President Gene Barr warned that pension obligations will grow by $1 billion over the next three years alone and stressed the urgency for substantive pension reform in order to protect the Commonwealth’s economic stability and competitiveness.

In order to fund billions in additional spending, Governor Wolf is calling for increases in many employer taxes – including increases in the sales and personal income tax rates and expanding the sales tax base to many additional goods and all professional services. And while the PA Chamber applauds the governor’s efforts to reduce Pennsylvania’s Corporate Net Income Tax rate – which at 9.99 percent is the highest in the nation – there are concerns about his call to institute unitary combined reporting which would create a more confusing, unpredictable and costly tax climate for job creators.

Lastly, the PA Chamber has already voiced opposition to Governor Wolf’s plan to institute another tax on the natural gas industry. Replacing the current impact tax with the governor’s proposed five percent severance tax would take money that’s currently being directed to local communities and put it into the General Fund for Harrisburg to spend. Furthermore, a higher tax on Pennsylvania’s fastest-growing industry would have a direct negative impact on core and ancillary jobs and would harm our state’s competitive advantage in the shale play.

The Columbia Montour Chamber will be working closely with the PA Chamber to address concerns with the Governor’s proposals and is also attempting to schedule a local budget briefing with a representative of the Wolf Administration for members.

The original Gordner Insurance Agency was founded by Glenn Gordner, former mayor of Millville, in 1956. When he passed away in 1989, Donna Coombs, the current owner, purchased the agency. In 2007, she incorporated the agency as GordnerCoombs Insurance Inc. and recommitted to providing quality insurance service and products.
GordnerCoombs Insurance prides themselves on being a name you can trust for most insurance needs.  They service and sell all lines of insurance, except health. This includes auto and home, business, and life insurance. GordnerCoombs is an independent insurance agency that primarily represents Erie Insurance as well as Millville Mutual, Progressive, American Bankers, and J C Taylor.

GordnerCoombs cares about their clients and community. They are actively involved with the United Way of Columbia County and the United Way Women’s Leadership Council. They also support the Little Fishing Creek Area Swimming Pool and the Millville Community Fire Co. This year marks their fourth sponsoring a team for Jorge’s Walk to Defeat ALS at the Bloomsburg Town Park on May 16th.  To date, their team has raised over $7,000 to defeat ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease) in memory of a former staff member and Bloomsburg resident, Vera Hoffman, who succumbed to ALS in 2010.

Contact GordnerCoombs at (570) 458-6015 or visit www.gordnerinsurance.com for more information.

The subject of each month’s Member Spotlight is selected from attendees of Chamber events.