In 1993, when the Lancaster County Commissioners first asked all municipalities to contribute to the expansion of a countywide drug task force, 54 of 60 municipalities gave $400,000.

But last year only 47 municipalities contributed $350,000.

Those numbers are headed in the wrong direction, according to the county's district attorney, Craig Stedman.

"If we got full contributions, we could consider expanding the task force," says Stedman. "As it is, we're barely making our budget."

Why would a municipality choose not to contribute to a countywide effort to catch drug dealers?

Some municipalities think the county commissioners should pay the bill, rather than asking individual boroughs and townships to contribute.

Others believe they're not getting their fair share of service from the task force.

So 13 municipalities paid nothing in 2008, and 11 made only partial payments. Municipalities are asked to give $1 per resident, so anything less than that is considered a partial contribution.

The task force budget is about $920,000 a year. Lancaster City and most boroughs and townships contribute a total of $350,000. The state Attorney General's Office gives the task force $218,000. That leaves a shortfall of about $352,000.

The deficit is covered by seizing funds and property from drug dealers, but there's no money left over to hire new officers or buy new equipment.

That $920,000 pays for nine municipal police officers from throughout the county who work as undercover agents, as well as sophisticated surveillance equipment and drug buys.

The task force spent nearly $9,000 buying cocaine alone in the last quarter of 2008.

A tracking device placed surreptitiously on a suspect's car — so he can be traced by satellite wherever he goes — costs $5,000.

"There are few municipalities that could afford the equipment," Stedman says.

The district attorney contends that $1 per person is "not an unreasonable amount to contribute."

But 13 municipalities don't give a dime.

They are the townships of Drumore, Earl, East Donegal, East Drumore, Ephrata, Fulton, Little Britain, Mount Joy, Salisbury and West Donegal; and the boroughs of Ephrata, Marietta and New Holland.

New Holland plans to pay in full in 2010, Stedman says.

Eleven municipalities pay only part of their share.

They are the townships of Bart, Brecknock, Colerain, East Earl, Eden, Paradise, Providence and West Earl; and the boroughs of Lititz, Mount Joy and Terre Hill.

Ephrata is the largest municipality not contributing anything. If the borough were to pay $1 for every resident, it would give more than $13,000.

Why doesn't Ephrata pay up?

Borough Manager Gary Nace says Ephrata Police Chief Steve Annibali, who resigned in 2007, "didn't believe we are getting an appropriate level of service from the drug task force."

Stedman says he would like to discuss the situation with Ephrata officials and is "confident they will see things differently than the way a former chief may have felt."

There was an arrest for delivery of oxycontin in Ephrata last year, and the task force assisted Ephrata Borough Police in purchasing controlled substances to further their investigations.

Glenn Aument, chairman of Fulton Township's supervisors, says the task force isn't providing service in his area, so Fulton doesn't contribute its share of $2,800.

"The state police come to Fulton," Aument says, "but there's no visibility of the drug task force arresting anyone in the township."

But Stedman says the task force served a warrant in Fulton Township in 2005 and conducted an investigation there the next year and more recently.

Salisbury Township Supervisor Les Houck says officials there have a different reason for not supporting the task force with $10,000 a year.

"It should be a county issue," he says. "Our people are paying taxes to take care of county things. The municipalities are stretched beyond what we can do now."

The task force made an arrest in Salisbury Township in 2008, seizing five controlled substances and a gun.

"We still cover those municipalities that don't contribute," says Stedman. "Maybe the deal takes place in one municipality, but the dealer has to cross through several municipalities and buyers have to do the same."

Stedman is sending letters to all municipalities that have not contributed or only contributed in part in 2008. He wants to talk with them.

"We're focusing on getting contributions from everyone," he says. "Some of it's just fundamental fairness."

DRUG TASK FORCE AT-A-GLANCE
• Budget about $920,000 annually.
• In 2008, 47 municipalities contributed $350,000; 13 contributed nothing.
• In first year in 1993, 54 municipalities contributed $400,000.


Staff writer Jack Brubaker can be reached at jbrubaker@LNPnews.com or 291-8781.