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Practical Solutions Achieved

News & Insights

Here you’ll find the latest news and information about Keystone Municipal Solutions, along with timely and informative viewpoints from some of our KMS local government experts. Interested in learning more about a topic we’ve discussed here, or have an interesting local government issue you think we should touch on? Let us know! Drop us a line at info@keystonemunicipalsolutions.com. We want to hear from you!

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Revenue Stream

Feb 8, 2023
3 min

Revenue Stream

One of the most important aspects of a municipal government is the flow of money into the budget coffers, referred to as the revenue...

22 views0 comments

Audit Time

Jan 25, 2023
2 min

Audit Time

Those of us who have spent some time in local government know January is "Auditor" time. The group of "number nerds" who love to read...

18 views0 comments

Water Works

Jan 11, 2023
3 min

Water Works

Public water service has been a hot topic on the national news front. Forgive this pun, but the "trickle-down effect" that has been...

16 views0 comments

Challenges For the New Year

Dec 29, 2022
3 min

Challenges For the New Year

A new year is upon us. Municipalities across the commonwealth will be reorganizing and strategically placing team members in leadership...

29 views0 comments

Are You Doing Your Best?

Dec 14, 2022
3 min

Are You Doing Your Best?

I oversaw a municipality for 23 years in the role of manager. While working late into the evening, I often asked myself if I was doing my...

17 views0 comments

Just Like a Road, Local Government is Built from the Ground Up

Nov 30, 2022
3 min

Just Like a Road, Local Government is Built from the Ground Up

Sometimes you just need to step back and take a hard look at things. It is pretty easy to get caught up in the “we’ve always done it that...

15 views0 comments

One Way to Help Save the Volunteer Fire Department

Nov 9, 2022
2 min

One Way to Help Save the Volunteer Fire Department

I'm willing to bet that nearly every volunteer fire department has the exact same set of primary problems, decreasing membership and a...

32 views0 comments

I Always Wanted to Work There

Oct 26, 2022
3 min

I Always Wanted to Work There

Well, who would have thought that local government would ever have a problem filling positions? I can recall the days when getting a job...

26 views0 comments

It’s My Party

Oct 12, 2022
2 min

It’s My Party

Lesley Gore sang “It’s My Party” back in 1963, and even though Democrat John F. Kennedy was riding high as our president, I'm pretty sure...

50 views0 comments

When the Worst Happens

Sep 28, 2022
2 min

When the Worst Happens

As appointed guardians of a municipal operation, managers and administrators are held to a higher standard than other business...

42 views0 comments

Size Doesn’t Matter in Local Government

Sep 14, 2022
3 min

Size Doesn’t Matter in Local Government

A recent edition of the "PSATS Morning News" provided some interesting factoids that enlightened me as to the general make-up of...

31 views0 comments

Minutes Not Hours

Aug 31, 2022
4 min

Minutes Not Hours

One of the most important jobs of a municipal operation is the recording of the minutes from the various public meetings. These records...

37 views0 comments

Rough Financial Waters Ahead?

Jul 27, 2022
3 min

Rough Financial Waters Ahead?

The mere mention of Act 47 consideration can cause a municipality and its leadership team a great deal of stress. After all, it is the...

18 views0 comments

Be Early, Be Well Prepared, Be Successful

Jul 14, 2022
3 min

Be Early, Be Well Prepared, Be Successful

"This isn't your mother's grant application." One of the first questions we often hear from newly elected officials is: “How do we...

36 views0 comments

Beavers Can Teach us a Lot

Jun 29, 2022
3 min

Beavers Can Teach us a Lot

Watching a colony of beavers working tirelessly to hold back a section of water to preserve their home and livelihood is something that I...

33 views0 comments

One Word Can Make All the Difference

Jun 15, 2022
4 min

One Word Can Make All the Difference

Back in the early 70s, my township completed the construction of a new sewage treatment plant. The discharge point approved by the...

26 views0 comments

What’s in Your Capital Plan?

Jun 1, 2022
2 min

What’s in Your Capital Plan?

One of the many tools that a municipality has in its tool chest is the ability to implement a CIP (Capital Improvement Plan). The...

47 views0 comments

Pennsylvania Borough Successfully Exits Financially Distressed Status With Help from KMS

Jun 1, 2022
2 min

Pennsylvania Borough Successfully Exits Financially Distressed Status With Help from KMS

by Dan Connelly and Brooke Queenan Even before the COVID pandemic crisis, many municipalities across the Commonwealth were coping with...

81 views0 comments

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission Releases Smart Growth Toolkit

May 26, 2022
1 min

Tri-County Regional Planning Commission Releases Smart Growth Toolkit

Land use control is jurisdictionally the purview of local government and represents one of its foundational responsibilities. To assist...

19 views0 comments

KMS Develops Five Year Financial & Strategic Plan for Municipalities with Support from Grant Funds

May 24, 2022
2 min

KMS Develops Five Year Financial & Strategic Plan for Municipalities with Support from Grant Funds

Multi-year financial planning is a tool utilized by local governments to build fiscal capacity, avoid challenges, and communicate with...

38 views0 comments

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