Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf released his proposed state budget yesterday. The $32.3 billion proposal would close the state’s $2.8 billion deficit through cuts and agency consolidation. The governor also wants to levy a new tax on natural gas drilling and require municipalities that don’t have their own police department to pay a $25 per resident fee for the use of Pennsylvania State Police. That plan has been criticized by the more than 1,000 small municipalities that can’t afford their own police force. For a township like Ulster with 1,300 residents, that would mean a payment of more than $32,000 to the state if the plan is included in the final budget. The fiscal year begins July 1 in PA.
