Auditor General DePasquale Helps Save $140,000 Annually
Says new online municipal reporting form available now; reminds municipal officials to submit data by March 31 deadline
Auditor General DePasquale Helps Save $140,000 Annually
Says new online municipal reporting form available now; reminds municipal officials to submit data by March 31 deadline
HARRISBURG (Jan. 24, 2018) – Auditor General Eugene DePasquale today said municipalities are saving time and money with the state’s new online process for collecting data needed to distribute state aid.
“Going from a paper-based to electronic filing system streamlined submissions, improved efficiencies within my department and provided better customer service for municipal staff,” DePasquale said. “We’ve heard from municipalities about the ease of the new system which simplifies the process while cutting down on data entry errors.
“Because of the inter-agency cooperation with the Department of Community and Economic Development and support from Gov. Wolf’s GO-TIME initiative, the state is saving $140,000 annually while we cut through some red tape so municipalities can more easily meet the March 31 deadline,” DePasquale said.
The new online process is available on DCED’s Municipal Statistics website.
The Municipal Pension Plan Funding Standard and Recovery Act (Act 205 of 1984) requires Pennsylvania municipalities that wish to receive state aid for municipal pensions and volunteer firefighter funding to certify police, firefighter and non-uniformed employee payroll and personnel data to the Department of the Auditor General by March 31 each year.
The municipal pension and volunteer firefighter relief association funds help support emergency services and retirement plans for those who dedicate their careers to public service. The money does not come from the state’s general fund, rather from a 2 percent tax on out-of-state casualty and fire insurance premiums.
Last year, 2,521 municipalities in 66 counties received $60.6 million in fire relief association funding for distribution to the volunteer firefighters’ relief associations providing fire services to their communities. Another $289.9 million in state pension aid went to 1,479 municipalities and regionals to aid in funding their local government pension plans, which cover police officers, paid firefighters and non-uniformed employees.
In 2016, the Department of the Auditor General took on the additional responsibility of absorbing the duties relating to municipal pension reporting and analysis under Act 205 of 1984 and Act 293 of 1972 that were formerly conducted by the Public Employee Retirement Commission (PERC), which was abolished by Act 100 of 2016. The duties are now performed by the Municipal Pension Reporting Program (MPRP) within the Department of the Auditor General’s Office of Budget and Financial Management. The auditor general’s office is working with DCED to streamline the reporting process for MPRP.
More information about the Municipal Pension Reporting Program is available online at: www.paauditor.gov/municipal-pension-reporting.
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