Min Xian of Spotlight PA State College

Local governments in Pennsylvania are given certain powers to serve the public, but the services they provide vary widely by municipality.

When a seat on a municipal governing board is vacant in Pennsylvania, the public has little to no say in who fills it — a situation that’s played out at least 28 times from 2020 to 2022 in Centre County.

How much 1 mil in taxes brings a municipality differs widely all over the state. That has serious implications for municipalities’ budgets.

A Spotlight PA investigation delved into how suspended DuBois City Manager Herm Suplizio ended up at the center of one of the most sweeping political corruption cases in recent years in Pennsylvania.

In Herm Suplizio’s quest to make DuBois, Pa., a destination, state prosecutors allege that he lined his own pockets with hundreds of thousands of public and nonprofit dollars.

Advocates say allowing Pennsylvania municipalities to outsource management could improve public services while saving taxpayers money.

Local government officials, whether elected or appointed, shape residents’ lives in a range of ways. Here’s how to become involved in your municipality and what to do when problems arise.

The Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code lays out how land use decisions in local governments are made.