by Whitney Downard, Pennsylvania Capital-Star
Less than a week before Gov. Josh Shapiro is expected to unveil his spending proposal to kickstart the next state budget process, a group of county commissioners detailed their funding requests to support all 67 counties.
Kyle Kopko, the executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, details the organization’s priorities ahead of the 2026-2027 budget on Jan. 28, 2026. (Photo by Whitney Downard/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
Key issues introduced on Wednesday include increasing the monthly 911 surcharge paid by phone users, boosting funding for mental health services and assistance for home reassessments.
“These priorities reflect our enduring commitment to providing exceptional services while using tax dollars in a responsible manner,” said Kyle Kopko, the executive director of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania.
Atop the list is adding funding for 911 services. A 2023 law raised the fee from $1.65 to $1.95, netting $322 million in its first year. According to a 2025 breakdown of funds, 98% of the funding, or roughly $316 million, goes to 61 Public Safety Answering Points, and the remainder pays for system upgrades and program administration.
The association is pushing for another increase of “no less than” $2.20, but CCAP President Joe Kantz, a Snyder County commissioner, said that “even at that level, the surcharge will still fall below inflation.”
“This is a service counties are proud to provide, but as technology evolves and costs rise, counties need a consistent and sustainable funding structure to continue fulfilling the responsibility,” said Kantz. “Counties have been forced to rely increasingly on local property tax dollars just to keep pace with rising costs.”
Collectively, more than 13.9 million emergency calls were made in 2024, more than one call per Pennsylvanian. Kantz said that the first surcharge of $1 in 1990 for some counties would be equivalent to $2.48 today.
Reassessing property values
Counties are tasked with calculating property values and regularly reassessing to ensure they “accurately reflect current market conditions,” said Jeff Thomas, a Huntingdon County commissioner.
The numbers play a key role in calculating property taxes, which fund schools, law enforcement, and other local public services. State law dictates the framework, Thomas said, but “the administration of, funding and timing of reassessments fall squarely” on counties.
According to a map shared by CCAP, 27 counties haven’t completed a full reassessment since before 1999, compared to 14 which have gone through the process since 2020. Beaver County’s 2024 review had a price tag of nearly $8 million. (From the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania)
Market conditions and staffing capacity determine when a county can conduct a reassessment, which Thomas said was revenue neutral and didn’t increase taxes. Rather, they ensured fairness.
“While essential for fairness and equity, reassessments are costly, technical, and resource-intensive, especially for counties that have not done one in many years,” said Thomas.
Assistance to counties could include designating a state agency to oversee assessments, potential grant funding and develop standards. Additionally, commissioners pushed for a legislative study to examine the state’s system and identify opportunities for reform.
“Property reassessment is always a hot button issue,” said Thomas. “But with the right policy changes, we can make the process more efficient, timely and accurate to the benefit of all Pennsylvanians.”
Mental health
According to CCAP, counties received nearly $671 million in the 2024-2025 budget, slightly higher than recent years but tens of millions less than pre-2021 budgets.
Greene County Commissioner Betsy McClure said that county-level services include community residential programming, family-based support, outpatient care, and crisis intervention.
“Counties have stretched limited state funding to serve as many residents as possible, but we are now at a breaking point,” McClure said. “Inadequate state funding paired with increasing demand has pushed the county mental health system to the point of collapse.” Greene County Commissioner Betsy McClure details the need for mental health services in the commonwealth on Jan. 28, 2026. (Photo by Whitney Downard/Pennsylvania Capital-Star)
She added that more dollars would reduce reported delays of at least six months for services, though people often wait much longer. Money could also help stabilize existing services and address workforce shortages.
“In our area, we don’t have providers. We don’t have psychiatrists or psychologists. There’s a deficit,” said McClure. “From doctors all the way down to counselors … trying to find providers to fit into all those slots is very hard.”
Fortunately, McClure said, there are two health systems within a 30-mile radius to serve her rural population’s needs, plus another across the state border in West Virginia.
But it’s the only county in the southwest region that doesn’t have a transit system. The population of just under 36,000 can use shared ride services, where a 15-mile trip can cost nearly $20, said McClure.
“That’s unaffordable,” said McClure.
McClure told the Capital-Star she used to work as a school nurse, saying Pennsylvanians had come a long way in reducing any stigma around mental health, but services haven’t kept up — particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We’re getting past the stigma of parents not wanting to seek help for their children, but then providing it timely … it’s like, ‘Today I’m ready, but I can’t get an appointment for a month or two or maybe three.”
That delayed care can exacerbate what initially was a relatively minor issue, she said.
“The unmet community need has created a growing population of individuals that become involved with emergency departments, law enforcement and the criminal justice system when no appropriate diversion exists,” said McClure. “The remaining solutions are hospitals or incarceration, both of which are not appropriate settings for mental health treatment and (are) more costly.”
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