Commentary: State police costs siphon funds meant to fix roads, bridges

THE AMERICAN Society of Civil Engineers reports that, because of the number of Pennsylvania roads in disrepair, Pennsylvania motorists spend $424 per year each in car repairs, a total of $3.7 billion. Pennsylvania rates a C-minus on the ASCE's Report Card for America's Infrastructure; that's despite a recently enacted gas tax that places Pennsylvania 11th highest in gas prices.

So where is all the money going? While Pennsylvania desperately needs funding to address its ailing infrastructure, $814 million was taken this year alone from the Motor License Fund, intended to build and repair roads and bridges, to provide free state police coverage for municipalities that opt not to pay for local or regional police coverage. Prohibiting that practice would result in an additional $4 million in road and bridge repairs annuallyl for each of the 203 legislative districts - an additional $32 million each year for Lancaster County alone. Collateralized into a roads and bridges bond issue, that's about $13.5 billion in infrastructure improvements not getting done.

House Bill 709 would establish a nominal fee for municipalities to that use Pennsylvania State Police services, thus freeing gas tax funds for their intended purpose. Even if House Bill 709 - which restores only about $450 million to the Motor License Fund - were enacted, it would mean an additional $2.25 million per district for road repairs every year. That's a lot of potholes.

Using some MLF revenues for enforcing traffic laws might be legitimate, but that is only a fraction of the free services municipalities without their own police department receive. The state police break up bar fights, handle shoplifting calls, check out complaints of prowlers and noise, address domestic violence calls, investigate burglary and homicide incidents - the list goes on. None of that is within the scope of what the MLF is designated for. Taking from the MLF for services other than routine road patrols violates Article VIII, Section 11 of Pennsylvania's constitution, which states that gasoline taxes and motor license fees are restricted to use for specific transportation projects related to public highways and bridges.

Each year, more and more municipalities opt to receive free state police services and disband their local police forces, increasing the demand for state police services and increasing the burden on taxpayers who pay for their own police protection through local taxes. That is simply not fair.

Some of the greatest increases in demand for state police services are in Marcellus Shale regions, most of which do not have local police departments. While these areas are directly enriched by shale impact fees, they are not paying for public safety, even though public safety, including law enforcement, is an allowable use for impact fee revenue under Act 13 of 2012. About 80 percent of the state's population, most of which lives outside the Marcellus Shale region, is paying its share of local police coverage and free state police coverage for others.

It's time we enact a policy that limits the practice of raiding the Motor License Fund to provide free state police coverage to 20 percent of the population. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle and Gov. Wolf to ensure that the state police receive funding they need to protect and serve and that our state's transportation needs are met. House Bill 709 would do just that.

Mike Sturla is a member of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, representing the Lancaster County area.