Shane W Potter

With Pennsylvania having finally taken care of the budget for its 2025-26 fiscal year, local municipalities such as Buffalo Township are focusing their attention on matters such as planning for the future.

That includes creating a new comprehensive plan in partnership with Freeport Borough in Armstrong County.

At a supervisors meeting Wednesday, Nov. 12, township solicitor Brian Farrington, said Buffalo Township has sent in an application for funding from Pennsylvania’s Municipal Assistance Program to help offset the costs involved with putting the plan together.

A comprehensive plan is a long-term document meant to guide the direction of a municipality in terms of land and property use. According to Farrington, the comprehensive plan currently in use in the township dates back to the late 2000s.

The Municipal Assistance Program, administered by the Department of Community and Economic Development, provides funding to assist local governments with community planning initiatives, with comprehensive plans being one example.

“There’s a lot of work that’s involved. There’s a lot of community outreach, there’s a lot of meetings that will occur, there’s a lot of data that needs to be collected,” Farrington said. “The grant award would be for 50% of the total cost.”

Farrington says the township is hoping to have word on the decision from the state by February 2026.

“As soon as February or March, there will be information going out to the community,” Farrington said. “The township’s development is driven by its comprehensive plan, and this is an opportunity for the public to participate in that process.”