Gerald E. Cross, PEL Senior Research Fellow

Since joining PEL in 1988, Gerry, who formerly served as executive director, has conducted a wide variety of research involving counties, municipalities, school districts, and authorities. These projects have involved budgeting, management and financial analysis, long-range financial and operational planning, productivity improvement, administrative procedures, service options, municipal merger and consolidation, government restructuring and charter drafting, rate structure analysis, personnel and labor relations, and school enrollment projections, among other areas.

Gerry’s projects have included Act 47 financial recovery plans for the cities of Scranton, Harrisburg, and Nanticoke; models for tax base sharing and revenue sharing in Lehigh Valley; analysis of the impact on the cost and financing of services in host municipalities of the State System of Higher Education; assisting government study commissions in Luzerne, Clinton and Lancaster counties; analysis of the compensation of public school teachers and comparable private sector positions in York and Lehigh counties; analyzing fire and police services in multiple municipalities and Councils of Governments.

He previously served with the then Pennsylvania Department of Community Affairs as a local government specialist and small community advisor. In addition, he has worked as an assistant borough manager and borough community development director. He is currently a board member and treasurer of both a municipal and a regional sewer authority. Gerry received his B.A. in Government from King’s College and his MPA from Pennsylvania State University. He is a member of the Government Research Association and Government Finance Officers Association.