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How is Johnstown Doing?

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In 2010 we wrote a report on the City of Johnstown in Cambria County, a municipality that was in the fiscally distressed Act 47 program.  That year, the City had gone through a series of layoffs in various areas and enacted a sizeable property tax increase.

The City approved its 6th amended recovery plan in 2013 and that plan pointed out that the City had seen a net decrease of 16 employees between 2010 and 2013.  Over a longer term, the plan noted “… the City has gone from a complement of over 209 employees in 2003 to 149 at January 1, 2013. This is a 28.7% reduction in staffing over a 10 year period”.

This past week Johnstown’s Council approved its 2017 budget without a tax increase and slightly lower than 2016’s budget.  Based on figures from the recovery plan, spending since 2013 has increased around 1.5% per year in the general fund.

The City is now functioning under the initiatives recommended by the amended plan and would be subject to the changes made to Act 47 by the General Assembly in 2014.

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Allegheny Institute
Allegheny Institute

The Allegheny Institute is a non-profit research and education organization. Our mission is to defend the interests of taxpayers, citizens and businesses against an increasingly burdensome and intrusive government.

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