Crafting a vision of Southwestern Pennsylvania by J. Bracken Burns

J. Bracken Burns, Chair of the Washington County Board of Commissioners, presented his vision of the southwestern Pennsylvania region in 20 years, including the role of local governments and the legislative actions that can be taken to respond to and build on the region's successes. Commissioner Burns envisioned a region where human needs are met and where wellness is present. Burns defined wellness as "a sense that things are as they ought to be; it is peace of mind; it is an environment where order and beauty are dominant features." Burns' initial representation of his vision was idealistic and inspiring. He warned of the depleting natural resources, increases in waste and energy consumption, and noted that Pittsburgh is one of the least ethnically diverse regions in the county. Burns explained that a challenge is being able to pay for all of the things we want and need to do, such as building a new arena for the Pittsburgh Penguins and repairing the sewer infrastructure.

Burns noted that regional consensus is important to move forward cohesively, and a mechanism is needed to reach that consensus. The public, private, and nonprofit communities need to be represented in the appropriate forums for a regional voice. Burns said he believes that a study should be done on the "multiplicity of municipalities” in the region to deal with the fragmentation in the region and the state. He gave examples of small municipalities in the state, questioning whether or not some small communities can provide quality leadership and services, and wondering whether or not communities such as those he mentioned should be consolidated.

Uniform Boundary Change legislation was required under amendment to the Constitution, and municipal consolidation was examined as a possibility during a Constitutional Convention in 1968. This Convention did not mandate or authorize mergers or consolidation. Burns noted that under his hypothesis, small communities, which according to his definition had fewer than 5,000 residents, were not capable of providing services and leadership. Therefore, the state of PA and its southwest region had a long way to go considering the small number of consolidations and the creation of new states since the Constitutional Convention of 1968.

Commissioner Burns recommended that another Constitutional Convention be convened to readdress the issue of the multiplicity of municipalities. An appropriate combination of incentives and mandates should be set in place so that Pennsylvania has a “workable” number of municipalities where economies of scale can be achieved. Burns explained that this is important to the ability of southwestern PA to function as a region. Burns revisited the example of the aging water and sewer infrastructure in the region, and explained that the $10 billion price tag that the Environmental Protection Agency put on the problem was most likely too conservative, given the number of individual municipalities involved in trying to address the issue. Regional authorities should be created with taxing power to address regional issues, according to Burns.

Burns acknowledged that his ideas may seem unattainable to many, but asked how southwest PA can call itself a region when institutions and organizations with a regional name or title serve a population that is far below the regional, ten-county service area. The vision of a Pittsburgh region where people want to live is attainable, Burns explained, and encouraged attendants to strive for it.