Commissioners - Regular Meeting

last thursday we met with the governor's office the governor in brooks county

A take from school goal was Commissioner Hasse, Commissioner Harrington, Mattel, State Representative David Martin, State Representative Joe Anster, Shelby Post Center as a county solicitor, Pat Caulfield from SCMA, Christine DeDeer from Senator Argo's office, and Chris Reimler representing Tremont Township. And then there was some other state representatives from outside the area, like the Berks County and stuff, and a state senator from another part of the state, and the Berks County, three Berks County commissioners, their solicitor, I believe their chief administrator, I'm not sure. Was there. So I think what we did with the governor, we provided him with all the information that we have. are the letters that we've sent, emergency responses. In fact, we're having a call today, again, with the donor's office at 11 o'clock. Another conversation we had. I've been in contact with a financing user. His pre-filled record here is, again, Ellen is here today. We're in the process of getting more information. DHS has reached out for our contact information. We've reached out for all there so we can talk directly to DHS. From this meeting, I know the press release, the press statement that the governor made, they acknowledge that county commissioners cannot stop. Now, we basically, what I got out of the meeting was the governor believes maybe he can stop it. I don't know if he has a concrete plan or not. He just said he's gonna use, what was his terminology? Legal, legal and legal, every option that he has, he's gonna try to stop this. So my suggestion to the governor was, That's on the governor's level. If he has the ability to stop it, that's on the governor's level. The county is going to keep moving forward, having discussions to make sure that if the governor fails, that the county residents and taxpayers and rate payers and our infrastructure is protected, that we have all the protections in place. If DHS doesn't come here to Schuylkill County, that Schuylkill County is protected. That was the takeaway I took from that meeting. I don't know

I concur with Mr. Renor that the governor, we all said that what our personal opinion was really doesn't matter. But he said he was going to pursue this. We said fine, I can do that. And in the meantime, we're plan B. If it does go through, we can make sure that the Tremont does have water, does have sewage, does have infrastructure, and make sure it is done. Once again, I mean, we told him money was not the issue, but it was

Commissioner has brought up about, we told the government, we also asked DHS to let us have inspections. Monthly inspections or random inspections with a group of people that we, I brought the idea of maybe the sheriff's office, like Francie Gary from the fireman's company, somebody from EMS, somebody from 911, the commissioners. that we have routine inspections of the place as it goes through. So that's one of the things we brought up. I don't know if you want to comment on the meeting. No, you basically covered most of what was discussed and everything else. So we're moving forward with everything on all levels. After I have the conversation today with the governor's office, I'll brief everybody next week on what comes out of that meeting. We're having that at 11 o'clock. Well, I had his attention. I brought up about NSP. and the smells and that we can't get resolution on this. I said, and I said, you're talking about the humanitarian issues that we were bringing up about everything. I said, this is a problem right now. I said, the people of the Western County, I said, Tremont, Joliet, Donaldson, Good Spring, that whole area, I said, has been putting up with the smell from NSP for years. I said, I've been dealing with it for over two years without a commission. I said, my fellow commissioner boots for three years. And Gary, I've been here a long, long time. A long time.

And DEP was at that meeting.

And the DEP was at that meeting, so I'm going to have a follow-up conversation out with the Secretary of DEP. The governor promised me to put me in contact with the Secretary of DEP. So, because I told him, I said, Governor, DEP can't fix the issue. We can't. We only have the power that Harrisburg allows us. So I'm getting a conversation directly with the secretary of DEP about NSP.

And one point we did bring up in our conversation was that for years that the people of that area was putting up with this nuisance of smells and everything else. And then now this on top of it is basically a stake into their part of their community. So we did express that too of what's happening, especially in that area and what this facility brands.

Okay, thank you. Gabby, you have gone on record as opposing the arts facility. How about the other two?

I'm still staying. I'm still staying. Out of that, I know that at the press release they said, I guess, every Republican there has taken the same stance that I have. We might not be happy with the situation. We might not, our personal opinions have nothing to do with what's going on. We have, the governor agreed that we have to, he has the power, if he has the power to stop it, it's at the governor's table. We have the ability to, we have to work with ICE and try to make sure that if they come here, that everything's protected. So no, I am not making a public statement. I am not the president of the United States. The president sets his immigration policy. I am sticking to what I need to do to protect the people of Schuylkill County. But that's what I am saying. I'm not being drug in the political debate about it.

Well, I disagree with you. That was only my opinion as well as yours.

You have the same place, Larry, as all the other Republicans that were at that meeting. Well, I thank Gary anyway. Thank you. Thank you, Gary. That's his choice. That's his choice. That's Mr. Hess's choice, and I respect that.

That commissioner has also said that if it does come here, we want to make sure that we're pursuing all options.

We're making sure. Make the same statement the governor says is whatever he can do to hopefully stop this to do that, you know, naturally. It's not a good fit for the area. It's not a good fit for the county. I don't want to get into it. I've already said all of this, so that's where I stand on it, and That's what I'll go down with it. So there it is. And that's, and that's Gary's, that's Gary's opinion.

That's fine. But my job is to make sure that it comes, we are not impacted negatively, the tax base, the infrastructure, our emergency responders, EMS, the township, the borough, the hospitals, everything. That is what I am concerned because I did not hear a concrete plan of that meeting on how it's going to be stopped. People have brought up that they were stopped in Maryland and some other states with one stop. They were building a brand new facility. They weren't retrofitting a warehouse. In other states, the county commissioners have a lot more power than in our state. Their planning and zoning is for the entire county. They do a lot more. It's a county-wide government. It's not... Mayor Mrakas, You know you don't have townships and municipalities countywide government so it's a different form of government, so the only ones that they have in front of those meetings up stop for brand new facilities that are going to be built. Mayor Mrakas, that's one of the things we got out of information today, like I said i'm going to talk to the governor's office today. Mayor Mrakas, When I have more information on that call i'll let everybody know next week and then surely hope precedent about meeting with the dp secretary about nsp. So we took the opportunity while we were there at the governor's office, and I brought you up by name. So I promised the constituent early Wagner that I would bring this up while I had the governor's here. And he had a DEP secretary there. He had some of the secretaries there. So I made sure I brought up all the issues about.

I brought the issues up to all of them, to the governor and the secretary of DEP. And he brought the ballot. So I know you're familiar with them. But meanwhile, it still continues.

I'm trying. So I want to add this problem. Well, it's a regional. It's a problem in that whole area. So that's it's every I know everybody wants us just to focus on the ice. So, but we do have county run. We're trying to get money to finish the fire school training center. We are the daily routines of the thing. We're trying to get more money for infrastructure, looking at more grants for everything. There's tons of other things going on other than just the ICE detention facility. It takes up a lot of our time, the ICE detention facility, but we're still running the entire county government and still looking at all the other things. The positive thing about getting $500,000 through our state representatives kind of got lost in the thing. $500,000 towards the fire school just got lost think the story was finally in the paper yesterday about that and uh you had it on you didn't have it yet i got lost they got lost in the that's what i mean something a positive thing for the county just got lost and we're working on trying to get more money for the to the car schools well i know the ice catch facility man is important to you but to our firefighters and our first responders that trading facility is massively important because we cannot train people in our county in masses. They are going outside of our county and having to pay and having three or four training sessions instead of having one massive training session. So it's a very important thing for all of our first responders, our police, our EMS, ambulance associations, all of our firefighters, and, you know, companies even. Companies will be able to train here in Schuylkill County instead of taking people outside the county.

I agree with that, Ira. I agree with that. But, you know, I think, in all honesty, you Both have to agree that the federal government will provide police, military police, and I think they will provide other things that in your letter to me meant nothing. And that's only my own personal opinion. I think they will cover everything that they can.

But thinking maybe they will cover is different than us having to sign an agreement with them that, yes, you will cover. We won't sign agreements with them saying, yes, you will do this stuff. Yes, you will provide water and sewer expansion. Yes, you will provide your own emergency services to get to the hospital. Yes, you will talk to a hospital, have contracts with that hospital that will view the situation. Yes, you will let our 901, make sure there's 901 communications inside and outside the building. We want signed agreements and definite answers, and that's what the county has to proceed with. Okay. Okay, so we're going to move on with the meeting. Is there any public comment?

I'm a taxpayer. It disgusts the hell out of me that any portion of my taxes are going towards this abomination in Tremont. I'm glad that you're... I'm glad that you're... pushing back to some extent on this concentration camp. But it disturbs me that this administration, DHS, they have lied through their teeth about the conditions in the facilities that they already have. They went ahead with this in a totally secretive way with no input apparently from anybody here. Apparently not even from Congressman Muser. And yet, it just bothers me. I just get the sense that, I get the sense of trust in a completely untrustworthy administration. And it's an administration that doesn't seem to respect compliance. If Congressman Musa was not apprised of this, he's probably the most compliant person in the Capitol. They respect some sort of shuttle force. And I think that it would be great just on principle alone, opposing this facility instead of trying to hope that it will, that somehow this administration will make something that's, I don't know, just abhorrent beyond words, a little less terrible. And, I think at least, I mean, I'm happy that the governor is stepping in. I'm happy that you're working with him. I didn't get much of a feeling of respect for him before at some of the other meetings. That's not true. Well, I thought so. I thought so. I thought I detected some snark. No, there isn't. Well, I'm glad I was mistaken. But I think that, I think we, I know that you keep saying that you're concerned only for the county, but we're all Americans here. And this is really, it's a terrible thing that our country has come to this. A lot of the people in this county are descendants of people who fought against such things in World War II. So I just renew a plea to just just resist the whole thing. So thank you.

Thank you. Any other public comments?

Good morning. Good morning. I'm Ellie Siegfried from Warwoodsburg. I just want to say, I understand what you're saying, that you feel you're impotent. But by failing to publicly oppose it, you're going to own it if it comes to fruition, and you're going to own all the problems that come with it.

OK, thank you. Any other public comment? If not, I'm going to move on with the meeting. I want to recognize, too, that Sarita is here from Senator Finneran's office. I gave him a little late report. Still running you? Good morning, Commissioners. Good morning. I'm Carl.

Carl Rumble on behalf of Children and Youth. We have one item for today's meeting. Requesting approval of an addendum to the existing agreement with Dynamic Counseling Associates, LLC of Eastern Pennsylvania. That agreement was dated November 27th, 2024. This addendum would add outpatient services as follows. psychological evaluations, psychosexual evaluations, violent offender evaluations, protective parenting evaluations, and mental health assessments at $950 per assessment or evaluation, individual therapy at $150 per hour, family sessions at $175 per hour, and group therapy at $55 per hour.

Grant Rader? Both Ron and Cheryl are on an educational seminar this morning following on their behalf. Approval for a contract with Alper Bennett and Company in the amount of $37,404 for engineering services for an ADA project in Pine Grove Township. Next, approval to enter into an appropriation agreement with the City of Placidville for a demolition project at 800-802 and 804 Montango Street. And lastly, approval to enter into an appropriation agreement with the Borough of Pine Grove for a demolition project at Cheryl Mill Alley. Thank you, Mr. Palmer.

40,000.

40,000 shares.

On the math of IS, approval of purchase pension from software from the Pension Technology Group. There's a one-month implementation cost of $34,281. And a yearly subscription cost of $51,800. Total cost of the project would be $86,081. Thank you, sir. 20,000. 40,000 shares.

Susan Smith for planning and zoning approval of a land development improvement agreement to be substantially in the form of the county's standard development agreement between the county and the applicant for the final land development plan and subdivision and law consolidation plan for KH Holdings, which is located in North Union Township. And to authorize execution of this agreement by the Board of Commissioners, this land development plan was conditionally approved by the Planning Commission at their February 11th meeting. Thank you.

My name's Office.

Good morning, commissioners. For informational purposes only, we have five budget adjustments from the prior year of the county administration. $10 for prison for 1,500, $4,017. Children and youth have $251.31 and $59.54 given as of the prior year. Information only at four. Immediate approval request. The supplemental budget appropriation resolution 20.6.5.

uh in the amount of nineteen thousand seven hundred seventy nine dollars this is for increased funding for the wellness program and that was received from outside funds i'll make a motion that we approve the president government 2026.05 for the wellness programs second one question commissioner pedora yes commissioner hetherington yes yes thank you county minister first item has the program reflected ratified the desk he approved contracts for the month of february uh i think we need to look at this time

motion this is so moved or second question mr. Fedora yes mr. Hetherington yes yes and approval management agreement with the Schuylkill River Greenway Association for the administration of an LSA grant contract for construction trail milk creek and cold creek section projects and on behalf of NEPA approval to recommend the reappointment of our Carl president CEO of Schuylkill Chamber of Commerce to the NEPA Alliance Board of Directors for the term July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2028. Next, approve and recommend the reappointment of Forky Bosnoff, Director of Workforce Development Manufacturers and Employers Association to the NEPA Alliance Board of Directors for the term July 1st, 2026 through June 30th, 2028.

Any other resource? I got an item on behalf of the Wellness Committee. Approval for the use of the wellness funds to continue the walking program, health screenings, and monthly topic programs to the County of Schuylkill employees in accordance with the 2026 wellness program proposal. Capital of Blue Cross has issued $59,779 in wellness credits to the County of Schuylkill for 2026. Immediate approval is requested.

I'll make a motion that we approve the wellness funds transaction. Second.

yes commissioner yes commissioner yes personal i think i've got one informational item on a district justice appointment of marion allen carol roha district justice assistant one that will be effective 5 11 26. any new business for a different reason salary board report of any executive sessions public comment for salary board In the resource office? In the district justice office, or district attorney's office, wage increase regained for this good clerk per diem to $20 an hour, effective 3-16-26. And in the district justice office, a stipend for Marianella Caroroa, district justice assistant, $1,820 a year, effective 5-11-26. That's a bilingual stipend. Okay. Any business?

Oh, yeah. Thank you.