PEL’s Fall/Winter Issues Forum Presented Information on Federal Opportunity Zones
Federal Opportunity Zones are designed to spur investment in designated low-income census tracts by providing substantial capital gains tax relief.
Speaker Evan Weiss, Opportunity Zone and Fund Management Consultant, discussed specifics of the program and how local government, businesses, foundations, non-profits and the community in general can leverage FOZs in their area.
For more information on how your community can benefit from opportunity zones, contact PEL at 570-824-3559!
Leveraging Opportunity Zones in Reading-Berks
The Pennsylvania Economy League
Pennsylvania’s Independent Voice for Good Government.
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From 1936 to today, we have a long tradition of providing critical analysis, perspective and support for action that will make Pennsylvania a better place to live, work and do business. Click here to learn more!
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The Pennsylvania Economy League (PEL) is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization; it is not an agency of the Commonwealth.
Read PEL’s Statewide Municipal Distress Report
“Communities in Crisis: The Truth and Consequences of Municipal Fiscal Distress in Pennsylvania, 1970 to 2014” looks at the fiscal health of 2,388 Pennsylvania municipalities
PEL and Community Foundation representatives
Commentary
Read PEL’s latest commentary Free PA State Police Costs Everyone. Half of the Commonwealth’s municipalities receive local police protection for free from the Pennsylvania State Police, a cost pegged at $540 million or more than half of the PSP’s annual budget. The situation is another example of the state’s fragmented local government system.
Bad News for PA Cities. A recent research brief by the Pennsylvania Data Center showed that the majority of cities that experienced statistically significant change in income levels, housing values and poverty rates over the past 10 years saw declines rather than improvements. The figures demonstrate why it is so difficult for Pennsylvania cities to make ends meet.
Heroin Use in PA Rises While Local Police Resources Fall. PEL recently held a series of events examining the problem of the state’s growing heroin epidemic. The surge in heroin abuse comes at the same time a growing number of municipalities are finding it harder to fund an adequate level of police coverage.
The Quiet Boom and Potential Bust of PA Townships Recent data indicated that the once booming Pennsylvania townships are seeing troubling signs including rising service costs and tax revenue that is either declining or flattening. The challenge for townships may soon be the same issue facing distressed cities: how to provide quality services at a price that taxpayers can afford.
Beyond Act 47: A Call to Action. The Pennsylvania Economy League prepared Beyond Act 47 as part of its work on the state legislature’s Act 47 Task Force, which is considering recommendations to the distressed municipalities act.
Latest News and Events
PEL IN THE NEWS
Communities in Crisis Study
Read the Scranton Times-Tribune story: Residents of cities bear burden as tax bases shrink
Click here for the Philadelphia Inquirer story: Pa. towns hurting, ill-equipped to meet residents’ needs
