No Pension Reform for Pennsylvania; N.J. City to Sue Neighbors Over Sewers
Pennsylvania Sen. Majority Leader Jake Corman, right, flanked by his Republican colleagues discussing pension legislation. Chris Knight / AP Photo
Connecting state and local government leaders
Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: Florida Keys ends in-person jail visits; the ACLU wants Utah county's police footage; Colorado's $2.39B marijuana impact.
Here are some state and local government news items that caught our eye ...
PENSIONS | A plan designed to rein in future public worker pension costs for the state of Pennsylvania hit a dead end in the state’s General Assembly last night. Amid Democratic opposition, House Republicans couldn’t marshal enough votes to pass the measure. “We're extremely disappointed,” said Senate Majority Leader Jake Corman, a Republican. “We think this was an opportunity for Pennsylvania to take the lead in pension reform.” [PennLive]
SEWERS | Paterson, New Jersey is preparing to sue five neighboring towns, after failing to convince them to pay $800,000 in retroactive sewer fees for connections to the system. [NorthJersey.com]
JAILS | In-person jail visits are set to end early next month in the Florida Keys. Beginning Nov. 7, Monroe County jail inmates will only be able to visit with family and friends over video terminals. Contacting someone from outside the jail over one of the terminals will cost about 40 cents-per-minute. “People don’t want to bring their kids to a jail to visit Uncle Joe,” said a spokesperson for the local sheriff’s office. “This way, they’ll be able to visit Uncle Joe or daddy at home.” [FLKeysNews]
POLICE FOOTAGE | The Salt Lake County board is calling its decision to deny the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah body camera footage of the police-involved shooting that critically injured 17-year-old Somali refugee Abdullahi “Abdi” Mohamed “a very close call”. An appeal is expected. [The Salt Lake Tribune]
DEBRIS | “We are picking it up, and that’s all I’m going to say,” said Georgetown County, South Carolina’s Administrator Sel Hemingway of the debris left by Hurricane Matthew along private streets—ignoring the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s restriction on such activity. FEMA reimburses up to 75 percent of the cost of debris removal, but not for private roads. [Coastal Observer]
KYNECT | Kynect.ky.gov, the one-stop website allowing Kentucky residents to shop for private insurance or else enroll in Medicaid, is dead. Starting Nov. 1, open enrollment begins on federal HealthCare.gov, a switch Gov. Matt Bevin’s administration projects will save $10 million annually but Kynect advocates worry will cause delays in and lack of access to coverage. [Lexington Herald-Leader]
FRAUD | Sedgwick County, Kansas reported the theft of $566,000 to the local Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday but won’t yet say how the deception occurred, which department or departments were affected, and if there’s a suspect. [The Wichita Eagle]
MARIJUANA | Colorado’s legal marijuana industry contributed an economic impact of $2.39 billion last year, according to research released earlier this week. The study was published by the Marijuana Policy Group, an economic and market research firm that provides consulting services to businesses and governments. [The Cannabist]
NEXT STORY: As Rural America Ages, Volunteers Give a Hand