PHOTO GALLERY | Importance of grant funding, challenges of population loss emphasized at hearing on Pa. rural revitalization

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

59% : Many other challenges were discussed, including the lack of broadband, costs of paying for police and fire protection, shrinking tax bases, mass transit needs and aging infrastructure.
54% : But County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania Director of Government Relations Frank Mazza said leaders must get past how "parochialism exists in the commonwealth" in order to improve their communities and make them more desirable places to live.
53% : "I'm ever the optimist in believing that public engagement, so that the members of the public can feel like they are part of the solution for these challenges that we are all facing, is so critical," Hess said.
51% : "Understanding and navigating those waters are key to breaking down those silos," Mazza said, "and then looking at projects, like larger economic development, where they are trying to navigate different tax structures and different things, and having them stay as an integral partner in that to help work through that, I think that's really what helps lead the way from a county perspective.
49% : " PHOTO GALLERY | Pennsylvania Rural Population Revitalization Commission Public Hearing Kopko continued: "If some of these municipalities and counties can't compete for grants, that's the difference of them being able to meet the needs of their community and not meeting those needs because their budgets aren't sufficient.

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