Financial Issues Cause PA City to Consider Reducing Police Coverage

The small city of Lock Haven, home to Lock Haven University, hopes to lower its now full-time police coverage and use state police for four hours a day.

Lock Haven, whose population dropped to just over 8,000 in the 2020 census, was one of eight case studies in PEL’s new report, It’s Not 1965 Anymore , which examines how municipalities struggle to raise revenue under state tax law that has failed to keep pace with inflation and modern living.

Lock Haven Facts

37% exempt from property taxes
68% of housing units are rentals
Median value of owner-occupied home is below county and state

The question is how many other full-service municipalities will have to consider reducing their local police coverage in the face of fiscal challenges outside of their control? And how will that impact the strained resources of the state police that already provide no-cost coverage for most of Lock Haven’s neighbors?

Read It’s Not 1965 Anymore: State Tax Laws Fail to Meet Municipal Revenue Needs

It’s Not 1965 Anymore was funded with the generous support of the Pennsylvania Municipal League