For the second consecutive year, Clarion County townships and boroughs face another reduction in their state liquid fuels road funding, and this year’s reduced funding is far less than funding in last year’s coronavirus-related cuts.
As borough councils and township boards of supervisors finalize their 2022 budgets, they have received word from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation as to the amount of funding they can expect next year.
Overall, the county’s municipalities will receive about $3,161,757 in liquid fuels funding, down from $3,210,038. That works out to a reduction of about $8,281, or about 1.5%.
Townships and boroughs in Clarion County collected $3,458,596 in 2020 before the coronavirus emergency hit.
From 2020 to 2021, municipal liquid fuels funding in Clarion County decreased by $341,695.
To continue to receive liquid fuels funds, a road must be maintained in such a condition that it can be driven safely at 15 mph.
All townships (except Brady) and four boroughs (Clarion, Hawthorn, St. Petersburg, and Sligo) also received funding for “turn-back” roads.
Turn-back roads are former state roads now maintained by townships and boroughs in exchange for a set amount of funding each year based on the total miles of turn-back roads.
The payment per mile is $4,000, an amount that has not been increased in many years.