the municipal secretary desktop reference manual - Southwestern ...

STATE AGENCIES AND OFFICES (continued)
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Through a system of regional offices, this Department provides a variety of outreach,
education, prevention, and treatment services and programs. Of particular interest to municipalities
is the Department’s program to assist in establishing and maintaining training programs for
emergency medical personnel. (If the municipality is in a county which has a health department,
contact the county department of health to determine the nature and scope of its programs).
Telephone: (717) 783-8770
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND INDUSTRY
The Department has responsibility for enforcing numerous laws which impact upon a
local government’s operation, such as the:
• Fire and Panic Law, regulating certain classes of building construction.
• Prevailing Wage Law.
• Universal Accessibility Act, dealing with building access by disabled persons.
• Workers compensation, providing certain employee benefits.
The State’s Public Employee Relations Laws (Acts 88 and 111) are enforced by the
Department’s Labor Relations Board. For example, it determines collective bargaining
representatives, prevents and discourages unfair practices and in the public sector, contributes to the
resolution of bargaining disputes by the issuance of arbitration panels and the appointment of fact
finders.
Telephone: (717) 787-5279
DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE
In addition to its tax and fee collection responsibilities, the Department is responsible for
distributing the public utility realty tax to all reporting local taxing authorities.
Telephone: Tax List Sharing (717) 787-8333
DEPARTMENT OF STATE POLICE
In addition to its state-wide responsibilities, the State Police provides-at no cost- traffic patrol
and enforcement activities in municipalities not having full-time police departments. The
Department also sponsors training programs for municipal police personnel and provides technical
assistance to local police departments interested in establishing a Crime Stopper Program.
Telephone: (717) 783-5599
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
The Department provides a number of fiscal and administrative programs for assisting
municipalities with their street/road programs. The largest fiscal program is the liquid fuels tax
allocation to local governments. Others include programs for highway turnback (accepting the
ownership and maintenance of state-owned roads), bridge inspection, and mass transit assistance.
In the area of street/road administration, the Department assists various classes of
jurisdictions with their accounting/bookkeeping functions and the design and construction of safe
streets and roads. It also has been vested with responsibility for distributing each municipality’s share
of State Police fines and penalties.
Telephone:
Bureau of Motor Vehicles: 1-800-932-4600
Publication Sales: 1-717-787-6746
See appended page of district office telephone numbers.
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