HARRISBURG – York County Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill plans to introduce a bill to protect taxpayer dollars and promote transparency. After the attack on the Governor’s Residence this past year, there were significant security updates and renovations made to the public property to protect the governor and his family. Taxpayers have spent $32 million to fortify the Governor’s Residence. At the same time, taxpayers are spending $1.1 million on security upgrades to Gov. Shapiro’s personal home in Montgomery County. Phillips-Hill says we can all agree that taxpayer funded security upgrades are often vital to keep elected officials safe; however, when those upgrades happen to a private residence, taxpayers deserve to know what they are paying for and to know that it will come back to the state should the property be sold. Her forthcoming legislation mandates that a lien be placed on private property that has received upgrades, renovations, or improvements using appropriated state funds. The lien would be for the amount of the public funds expended on the property improvement and would only be triggered and paid upon the subsequent sale or transfer of the property. Doing so ensures that the public interest is preserved and prevents a private property owner from realizing a tax-funded increase in property value without providing a reasonable method for cost recoupment back to the state. Phillips-Hill is circulating a co-sponsorship memo seeking support for her proposal.
SEN. KRISTIN PHILLIPS-HILL