Account for Act 13 money
We are now aware that approximately $30 million of Act 13 impact fees have not been accounted for, according to Pennsylvania’s Public Utility Commission. As a citizen and businessman, this is disturbing to say the least. If I were missing $300, I would search until the money was found. And if my business had lost $3,000, I would uncover every stone until I found the missing funds. To see that $30 million in impact fees have still not been accounted for is unsettling.
Not knowing where the money is and how it has been spent is unacceptable. It is great that Act 13 provides money to municipalities, but if taxpayers cannot identify where the money is or how it has been appropriated, they are denied the ability to hold elected officials accountable.
The solution, then, is to require audits of any municipality that does not report its spending. If the municipality does not report, it would be unable to receive further funding until all the funds have been accounted for. If the money has been spent appropriately, funding would continue as normal. However, if money has been misappropriated, then an investigation would be carried out by the state’s ethics commission.
Checks and balances are important, because it is the few who can blacken the eyes of the many. My view is that paving roads that are damaged or destroyed by industrial vehicles is not what Act 13 was intended to do. Act 13 is supposed to help municipalities achieve their goals. Repairing damage by the gas industry should not be a burden for municipalities. If an industrial vehicle damages a road, the industry needs to fix it.
We need changes to Act 13 to account for all the money that is being spent.
Bud Cook
Coal Center
Cook is a Republican candidate to represent the 49th Legislative District in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.