County Commissioners - Regular Meeting

I'd like to call to order the Dauphin County Board of Commissioners meeting for May 27, 2026. We'll begin with a moment of silence, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge of Allegiance.

Chief clerk's report, Mr. Haggerty. Good morning, commissioners. An executive session was held on Tuesday, May 26th, to obtain the advice of legal counsel regarding economic development, grant programming, public safety and personnel matters. This morning, we were joined by Jennifer Wintermeyer from Tri County Community Action for a 60th anniversary proclamation. In addition to the April 29th Board of Commissioners meeting minutes, a meeting of the election board, a salary board packet, and collective bargaining agreement side letter and purchase order packet, there are 36 items for board consideration today. We have two community and economic development agreements, one risk management agreement, one prison agreement, one amendment to previously awarded human services grant agreement, 26 human services agreements, two parks and recreation presenter agreements, two satisfaction pieces, and the training packet. That concludes my report. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Any questions for Mr. Haggerty?

Hearing none, solicitor's report, Mr. Owens.

Good morning, commissioners. All matters requiring review by my office for board action today have been reviewed and approved for action.

Thank you. Any questions for Mr. Owens? Hearing none, we'll move to public participation related to agenda items only. I'll ask that you state which agenda item you're addressing, and it'll be a three minute cap than we are being live streamed. You'll need to state your name prior to speaking, anyone for public participation related to agenda items only. Seeing none, we'll move to review and approval of the minutes. We have minutes from April 29th, 2026, Board of Commissioners meeting. Do I have a motion?

Second. Well, I'll move it.

You want to take it? Second. Moved by Commissioner Hartwick, seconded by Commissioner Priest. Any discussion? Carrying none. All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. We'll move to the directors and guests portion. I'll hand it over to Commissioner Hart.

Thank you, Commissioner Douglas. Jennifer, you want to come on up? It gives me great pride and honor to be able to recognize Jennifer Wintermeyer and the Community Action Commission and their team, both their board members and their employees, on their 60th anniversary. Obviously, the Community Action Commission is an incredible organization that has served this tri-county region with great distinction over the last 60 years. At least since I've been around, I remember the likes of Linda Figueroa and the late Kathy Passenger, who obviously still is in my heart and her family remain in my heart. And you have succeeded and continued the incredible work of your predecessors in the organization. I know Tri-County Community Action is uniquely positioned up on Central Allison Hill, but it represents both all three counties, Perry, Cumberland, and Dauphin County, I think with a primary mission of trying to take a look at the social determinants of health in communities that have obviously some challenging environmental issues as well as challenges with upward mobility from an economic perspective. You help provide education. uh support family and parent support um you provide free taxes I I know you can help with utility bills uh there's not a whole lot that tri-county Community Action does not do to help lift up the community you're also involved and engaged heavily in economic development initiatives and I know you have been over the years i know there's one program specifically as we were talking this morning that is sort of an example of how we're looking at multi-generational approaches to attempting to try to put families and especially our children on a different trajectory and it's your um and i believe you're the only provider in our region that provides it is the uh teachers program which provides teachers teaching parents how to teach right which i think you go into a home setting and you talk about the importance and value that folks put on home related to education reading how you're able to break down those segments how you're able to assist and provide provide support to parents we can either point the fingers of saying parents aren't involved and you know their challenges or we can figure out a way If you were never taught, you were never sort of put in a position where education had become a top priority, assisting parents in being able to understand, learn, get into a comfort zone, figure out a way to make those priorities exist and give them the skill set that they can prioritize that at home is certainly one that can alter the course and trajectory of that home. So that's just one example of the many programs that you run. I'd like for you to sort of provide some updates related to current impact reports, your 60th anniversary, and then we have a proclamation prepared for you.

want to make sure this is on i think it is yep great so commissioner you took most of what i would say because you're so well informed about what we do and the impact that we have in the community so thank you for all of that i just want to highlight a few numbers from our impact report last year and although this is not dauphin county it's all three counties that we work in we touched nearly 50 000 lives we improved nearly 50 000 lives across those three counties We also connected almost 30,000 people to other community resources. And those are not just call somebody else. It's a warm handoff. So in many cases, we're doing intake forms or application forms. We're providing people with an actual person they can talk to. Sometimes we're actually taking them there and connecting folks to resources. And if you look at our last couple of years, since 2023, we have doubled the number of lives that we're able to touch and impact. since then. And that is without essentially any additional funding. So we've been really focused on building our efficiencies internally. We've reorganized every way we possibly can. We've integrated technology every way we can. And we're really at that tipping point now that in order to continue increasing the number of people we assist every year, we're going to need additional funding. But you know this at a time when funding for human services is not being prioritized at a federal level. So it does give me concern about the future for our community and for our most vulnerable population, which is why things like Coming here and thanking you for your ongoing support, but also offering the opportunity that if you ever need assistance with advocacy and the impact of human services on families in our community, we can certainly provide that and we're willing to be partners with it. Because, you know, again, last year was a record number year. We helped almost 33,000 people enroll in the utility assistance program. And if people are having difficulty paying their utilities, they're probably having other challenges in their home as well. And so as much as we could be upstream, as much as we could be preventative, yes, we want to disrupt and permanently break that cycle of poverty, but we also want to keep families from entering that cycle as much as we can. And that's really our focus across the entire region. So again, we thank you and we are proud to be partners with the commissioners and we look forward for continued opportunities to partner with you all.

Great.

Thank you.

Yes. I want to echo your comments about Commissioner Hartwick's words very thorough. And your knowledge in this area exceeds 99 percent of folks that don't work in that area, George. So thank you for your leadership over the years. I often say human services. No one's more. into and on top of uh the human service and the needs of our residents than you have been over your 24 years as a commissioner now i'm glad you brought up kathy possing her legacy lives on in the work being done by your organization today uh and jennifer uh i think it's interesting that this says impact report just jotting some things down because the impact is real And it is deep, deep in the community, changing lives, saving lives and improving our communities within the Tri-County region. When folks are in need, you're there and we cannot thank you enough for the great work that you do i was just pacing through here and seeing the numbers and the amount of volunteers that step up to the plate and help uh it's a it's a true team effort thank you for your leadership thank you and i just want to acknowledge kathy she wasn't just you know a leader and a mentor she was a close friend and so thank you

I just want to say thank you for serving the community in this way and thank your entire team for very grateful for all the work that they do. Seeing 50,000 people impacted. I mean, that's something to be really proud of. And certainly as a board, we're incredibly proud of the effort work here in Dauphin County, but even regionally that you're having. I just want to ask if people want to volunteer, want to get involved, what should they do? Where should they go to do that?

You can go right to our website. We have volunteer opportunities listed in there, and you can also register through that website, and it will notify you of future volunteer opportunities. So as things pop up, you can put your interest, and it will say, hey, you said you were interested in this. This opportunity is popping up. So it's very simple through our website.

As we have a live stream, what's the website?

It is cactricounty.org.

Great, great. Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely.

and i appreciate you acknowledging our board but most importantly our staff i get to sit in front of you and talk about the amazing impact they've had but it is their impact they are the ones working with those 50 000 people every single day and they are the true unsung heroes behind what we do

Thank you, Jennifer. And with that, the Dolphin County Board of Commissioners joined the community in celebrating Tri-County Community Action as they reached their 60th anniversary. For 60 years, Tri-County Community Action has served Dolphin County and the surrounding region as a trusted leader in addressing the causes and conditions of poverty, frequently working alongside individuals and families to build pathways towards stability, self-sufficiency, and long-term success. Whereas Tri-County Community Action has continuously evolved to meet the changing needs of the community, delivering innovative, responsive, and person-centered services that support housing stability, early childhood development, workforce readiness, financial empowerment, and neighborhood revitalization. Tri-County Community Action recognizes that lasting change requires more than short-term solutions and is deeply committed to a comprehensive, whole-family approach that strengthens both individuals and the communities in which they live. through strong partnerships across dolphin county with public private and non-profit organizations tri-county community action leverages resources expertise and community voice to create meaningful measurable and lasting impact and you're right we've got a lot of advocacy to do in this current environment where Tri-County Community Action stands as both a reflection of decades of impact and forward-looking force committed to expanding opportunity, strengthening communities, and transforming how Dauphin County responds to poverty for generations to come. Therefore, we join with the 293,000 residents of Dauphin County in supporting the dedicated efforts of Tri-County Community Action as they celebrate 60 years as we do hereby proudly proclaim May 26, 2026, as tri-county community action month in dolphin county congratulations sure that we'll head into elect election uh board here i'd like to call them to order the election board meeting of may 27th 2026 and invite clerk of course nixon up to join the board welcome first order of business is public petition public participation related to agenda items is there any public participation related to agenda items on Hearing none, we have one item before us today, matters requiring board action. Mr. Spackman, if you'd come forward, please.

Good morning. Good morning. As has been my practice before requesting that you sign off on the first certification of the results of the May 6th, 19th, 2026 general primary, I'd like to summarize a few of the numbers of interest for you. Turnout, based on ballots cast, we know that 26,735 Democratic ballots were cast, and with 85,626 registered Democratic voters, that translates to a 31% turnout registered Democrat. There were 17,295 Republican ballots cast, and with 76,263 registered Republicans, that translates to a 23% turnout. This means a total of 44,030 voters came out to vote, translates to a 27% total registered Democratic and Republican voters. For provisional ballots, there were 184 provisional ballots cast, of which 76 were counted in full, 24 were partially counted due to the voter being out of district, and 84 were rejected due to individuals not being registered to vote, not being a registered Democrat or Republican, and for being a first-time voter, failing to show ID, and not coming to our office. They had until yesterday evening of close of business. For writings, writings are still being counted. Once completed, we will have a list that we posted on our website. I am hopeful no later than tomorrow, but possible by the end of today. If there are any questions, I respect, unless there's any questions, I respect for your request that the Board of Elections provide first certification of the results from the Dauphin County Municipal Primary held on May 19th, 2026. And as a reminder, we will meet again on June 3rd on certification. Is there any questions for Mr. Spackman?

All right, I'd entertain a motion for the first certification of the votes cast at the May 19, 2026 primary election. So moved. Second. Moved by Clerk. And seconded by Commissioner Brees. Any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor indicate by saying aye. Aye. Any opposed, same sign. The ayes have it.

Thank you.

Any additional business? No. All right. Is there any general public participation related to today's election board or any election matters? Hearing none, I'd entertain a motion to adjourn.

So moved.

Moved by Clerk Nixon. Second. Second by Commissioner Brees. Any discussion? All those in favor indicate by saying aye. Aye. Meeting adjourned.

Thank you, ma'am.

You need to redo it, let me.

We'll now enter into salary board. This includes the commissioners and the controller. We have a salary board packet before us. Do I have a motion for approval?

So moved.

Moved by Controller Bateman. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Commissioner Hartwick. Any discussion? Yes.

For the salary board today, we have the creating two positions in the Patholatary's office. Can we get an explanation on that, please?

Yes. The Prothonotary's office over the last couple of months has expressed some concern over a lack of adequate staffing and that leading to backlogs for work, partially as a result of despite moving towards an e-filing system, the volume of physical requests has not gone down and has actually grown. Although these are creating two new positions, it does not have a negative impact on the Prothonotary's office budget because we have worked with them to figure out how to cover these two positions through a combination of revenue increases, which they have seen so far this year, they're ahead of estimate for revenue increases, or sorry, for revenue in their office, as well as following the departure of a different employee in the Prothonotary's office These two positions are at about half the rate that that employee was being paid. So it's essentially budget neutral, despite the additional two positions. Thank you.

Any further questions? Hearing none, all those in favor, aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Item number two before us is ratification of an agreement between Dauphin County and Service Employees International Union, Local 668. So moved. Motion. Moved by Commissioner Priest, seconded by Commissioner Hartwick. Any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Human Resources, Bay Fisher. There's nothing there. Sorry, sorry. I see now there's nothing there. I assume there's no questions. Then we'll move forward to Budget and Finance. Mr. Davis.

I have no changes to the purchase order packet that was distributed. It's ready for your approval. Happy to answer any questions you have.

Do I have a motion for the purchase order packet? So moved. Moved by Commissioner Priest.

Second.

Second by Commissioner. Yeah, it's a new-looking report today.

It'll be back to the old format. There was some technology issues with an update that caused some error code. It's been resolved. We're making progress.

Is there any questions? The report from last week, which was in a different format, I made manually. The report before you today is an automatic export out of Oracle.

Understood. Okay. Any questions before we take a vote? All those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Thank you, sir. We have 36 actions before us today. Is anything pulled out for a separate vote? I have a motion for the 36 items. I'll second that. Moved by Commissioner Hartwick, seconded by Commissioner Priest. Any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor? Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. No former business before us. Any new business? Hearing no new business, we'll move to Commissioner's remarks. Commissioner Hartwood? No comments? Commissioner Priest?

Yes, I have a couple. First of all, I was proud to have been able to attend on behalf of the board the High Spire Memorial Day. celebration. That was great to be there. There's about 100 people in attendance and it was a very moving tribute. uh secondly i want to congratulate state representative joe kirwan from the 125th legislative district he was just named to city and state pa's prestigious 40 under 40 for 2026. it's great to see people across the state are recognizing the impact that he has and the great work that he's doing on behalf of the residents in his legislative district and beyond i also want to let everyone know that the board presented a proclamation yesterday for the 10 millionth tree celebration by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation and that was held at Schaffner Park in Hummelstown and Lastly lastly I almost almost forgot Dauphin County employee Dawn Eldridge from Area Agency on Aging is retiring after 32 years of outstanding service to us at the county. And on behalf of the board, I presented her a proclamation yesterday at her retirement luncheon. And she was very pleased and thankful of the occasion and the fact that we took the time to make it her day in Dauphin County.

Thank you. Last week, the commissioners, all three of us, held a Memorial Day breakfast honoring local veterans. Just want to thank our Veteran Affairs Department for all they do putting that together. And then also just want to extend a thank you to all those who have served and sacrificed. And I hope we all had time over Memorial Day weekend to remember their sacrifice. Yesterday, I joined members of the Hindu community for a sacred cultural and religious event centered on wisdom, reflection and worship here in Dauphin County. It was attended by many and it's going on for a full week. Really cool to see things like that happening here in our county with that. There's no correspondence. We'll move to general public participation. Just a reminder, it's a three-minute cap, and we are being live-streamed. I have a list before me. You'll need to state your name prior to speaking. Pamela Parsons.

Good morning, Commissioners. Pamela Parsons, City of Harrisburg, a few blocks from Tri-County Action. In 1964, in the State of the Union Address, President Johnson talked about the war on poverty. And a year later, in 1965, when I was a child, the Economic Opportunity Act was passed with bipartisan support of Congress, which created many of the things that we rely on today, like Head Start. It created the Small Business Administration, small business loans, and all of that war on poverty was also part of creating SNAP. and VISTA volunteers and a lot of things that are really important to the fabric of our communities now 60 years later. And part of what they created were community action programs, which were designed to organize people, to work with people at a community level, to be able to advocate and organize for themselves. By the late 1970s, community action programs and the money and the things that we fondled into that moved away from working with communities to empower themselves to feel their own sense of power and into creating, providing social services and creating part of the social service industrial complex that we have now. I am... grateful that Tri-County action has been recognized today, but I think there's a few things that we should remember. In the mid-1980s, during the Reed administration, Tri-County Commission applied for community development block grants to develop City Island. In those block grant documents, in that application, it talks about this funding is needed for development of City Island because it will benefit low-income people, I think they used the word poor still then, the elderly and children. It would benefit them, it would create jobs. I think sitting here in 2026, we can look at that and it certainly is not fulfilling that. In the 1990s, when Trout County was in the Hudson building at 6th and McClay Street, it focused on housing. It has moved and really empowering people to work on that themselves. It has definitely moved away from that. And in the last 20 years, sitting where it has on Derry Street, there's a beautiful mural on it, but that mural... was created by not someone who not only does not live in the community, but they don't even live in Dauphin County. The surveys are not rooted in the community and the parking lot has been used as a staging area by ICE to pick up local people in the neighborhood. Thank you.

Thank you. Next on my list is Antonio Foster.

Antonio Foster, 594 Chamber Street. Came down here many times before. We kind of know what I'm here about. Some things I want to start out with. Let me get right to it. You know, Commissioner Hartwig, you lie, you steal, you cheat, and you murder. Heavy on the murder. When it comes down to the cheating, I got proof of everything that I've spoken about. I'm okay with saying these type things. I'm okay with speaking.

Very serious allegations you're making here, sir.

I'm okay with speaking publicly. I'm with the police station. Excuse me. I appreciate why I talk. I have my three minutes because it seems like that's a part of your charade every time I come down here. I'm not worried about the face to act like you don't know anything because I have proof. If the police stations would take them, situations would be solved. Now back to what I was speaking on, and I'd appreciate it if my three minutes wouldn't be rudely erupted. Commissioner Hardwick, ever since, you know, the meeting at the casino with Lance Chisholm and I was asked to sign an NDA, things have been, you've been a thorn in my back. Along with all the other people that I met, Kevin Dolphin, Charles Jennings, I'm sure he will come up on many insurance policies of those who are not with us anymore. But you're allowed to run a youth program. Some of the things that you guys do, as the charades have I spoken about with Justin, with him publicly putting himself on social media, just creating a circus acting like he was being threatened. These are the distractions that you create instead of dealing with the truth and taking accountability. Um, there was a time when I first came down here, y'all was like the proudest people ever news was here. Um, it seems like nobody wants those tapes to be in nobody else's hands, but yours. So now you've got cell phone Joe, no disrespect. Now you've got cell phone Joe keeping, uh, keeping the recordings. Um, When it comes down to everything that's been going on, me being robbed, stolen from, disrespected in many manners, ridiculed all by, you know, your court. I have no problem with speaking in these manners in these ways. because I am not owned. I'm allowed to speak freely, especially when I got proof and truth, which you guys deny. There's no reason why the district attorney did not want to take my report. Harrisburg Police Station didn't want to take my report. Swat Air Police Station didn't want to take my report. My house was broken into. Swat Air Police Station didn't even want to get the tape. Why? Because the people that are broken in my house... I'm sure it comes under your court. And with that being said, I'm sure you use that to hold them. Because you have no other way to impose fear but the system. That's all you have is the system. Without the system, there's no fear coming.

Thank you.

You're welcome.

Next on our list is Tina Nixon. You were just signing in. Understood. Anyone else for public comment? Seeing none, I'll entertain a motion for adjournment. So moved. Moved by Commissioner Priest, seconded by Commissioner Hartwick. All in favor? Aye. For adjournment.