Liquid fuels funds lower for Greater Hazleton in 2021

Mar. 4—Communities that rely on state funds for maintaining and repairing roads will receive smaller allocations this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the state.

Liquid fuels funds that the city of Hazleton, Hazle Twp. and West Hazleton will receive for road maintenance will be reduced by about 7.7% percent because of decreased gas tax revenue that the state collected during the pandemic.

The city will receive $746,107.01, a decrease of $57,545.99 from 2020, according to the state.

The township and borough will also receive smaller allocations, with the township receiving $402,477.52, a decrease of $31,100.63, and West Hazleton's allotment down by $9,828.51 to $127,477.42, according to PennDOT.

The reductions will impact communities differently, as Hazleton already reserves about $140,000 of its annual liquid fuels allocation to pay a loan for paving streets and another nearly $131,000 for financing four dump trucks with plows, a street sweeper and back hoe that were purchased three years ago.

The city also relies on that money for treating roads during the winter and for patching and paving streets, Mayor Jeff Cusat said.

"We do have some of that money committed because of the equipment we bought," Cusat said. "Whatever is left over is used for stormwater repair and road maintenance. Any decrease in that number will jeopardize the amount of paving that gets done with the state money."

Despite the smaller allocation, City Administrator Dan Lynchsaid the city will spend between $500,000 and $600,000 on streets after accounting for about $100,000 in liquid fuels funds that will be earmarked for patching and paving, money that council allocated in the general fund and funds the city receives from utility companies for street restorations.

"The mayor will do as much work (on streets) as he can in any given year," Lynch said. "If it's higher, we'll do more; if it's lower, then we do less."

State officials said in July that municipalities should expect some revenue sources to take a hit because of the pandemic, Lynch said.

Future liquid fuels allocations should be closer to the $803,653 that the city received last year, he said.

"It's not a big problem," he said. "It will probably end up being a little less work that gets done."

The city also uses federal Community Development Block Grant funds to pave streets, but can only spend that money in areas that serve low- to moderate-income residents, Cusat said.

Hazle Twp. also relies on liquid fuels money for salt and anti-skid materials, supervisors Chairman Jim Montone said.

A smaller allocation hurts, but the township is strong enough financially to endure the hit, he said.

"We always hate to lose $30,000. That's obvious," Montone said. "But we're solid."

The money is distributed based on population and miles of roads on a municipality's liquid fuels inventory, state officials said.

Roads are eligible if they meet criteria set by the state that pertains to right-of-ways, minimum width and whether roads are maintained to allow vehicles to travel safely at a speed of 15 miles per hour.

According to the state, Hazleton has about 95 miles of roads, while Hazle Twp. has about 75 miles and West Hazleton at 14.73 miles. The state reported populations of 25,340 for the city, 9,549 for the township and 4,594 for the borough.

Contact the writer: sgalski@standardspeaker.com; 570-501-3586