The Municipal Assistance Program (MAP), designed to aid local governments in Pennsylvania with the implementation of services, has received a significant budget increase for 2023-2024.

This announcement was made on May 9 by Rick Siger, the Secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED). Governor Josh Shapiro secured the increase, emphasizing the crucial role of local governments in supporting their communities.

According to the DCED, a total of $1,688,659 in MAP funding will be distributed across 36 projects in 23 counties in Pennsylvania. These projects include shared-service activities such as regionalization, consolidation or merging of services, shared personnel, high-impact projects that serve multiple municipalities, and boundary change efforts.

During his first year in office, Governor Shapiro increased the MAP funding by almost 266 percent, a boost of $1.5 million. This substantial increase is aimed at aiding local governments in planning and effectively implementing a variety of services, improvements, and soundly managed development.

“Through the Municipal Assistance Program, we are now able to help more local governments with planning and also provide critical support to local emergency services,” said Secretary Rick Siger.

A full list of the approved projects, which range from hiring professional planning consultants to upgrading security systems, can be found here. The benefitting counties include:

• Adams County
• Allegheny County
• Beaver County
• Berks County
• Blair County
• Clinton County
• Columbia County
• Fayette County
• Franklin County
• Huntingdon County
• Lackawanna County
• Lancaster County
• Lebanon County
• McKean County
• Mercer County
• Monroe County
• Northampton County
• Northumberland County
• Potter County
• Tioga County
• Venango County
• Westmoreland County
• York County

Some of the approved projects include $120,000 allocated to the Eastern Regional Mon Valley Police Department in Allegheny County for various needs and $75,000 to Monroe County for the Monroe County Comprehensive Plan.

The MAP aims to provide technical resources and assistance for municipalities, aiding in consolidation and regional efforts while also serving as a resource for local government officials, developers, and citizens interested in planning to improve, grow, and enhance communities.

Further information about the Municipal Assistance Program and the Department of Community and Economic Development can be found on their website.