Commissioners - Regular Meeting

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

What are you guys doing? Switch out there?

Yes.

Good morning, guys. Yeah, let me see. See? I'm keeping us on our feet. Good morning, Commissioners. Chris Molesky, Norwegian Township. A few weeks ago, I stood here and asked the support to consider basic modernization improvements to the county's website and how the public accesses county government. Today, I'm circling back with a simple question. Where are we? I reviewed the website again. To be fair, considerable information is available. Agendas, meetings, department pages, financial information, live streams, recordings, and Zoom access. But having information somewhere on the website isn't the same as making government easily accessible and transparent. Look at the county's own Contact Us directory. It defines elected officials and department leadership and even has a column labeled email. Yet that column is easily blamed, or essentially blamed. In 2026, residents should have to Google an official, search PDFs, guess on an email address, or call the courthouse to simply electronically contact county government. and taxpayers are already making a substantial investment in technology. According to county payroll information that I obtained through a right-to-know request from MIS and IT, wages and salaries were reported at approximately $470,000 base before benefits and other technology-related expenses. With that level of taxpayer investment, expecting a modern, well-maintained, and accessible website is reasonable. And we don't have to reinvent the wheel. Let's take a look at Berks County. The public can search vendor contracts online. That increases transparency and reduce unnecessary right to know requests and staff time. Then look at the details in the Berks County commissioners meeting agendas. Residents can understand what their commissioners are actually being asked to approve and there's no guessing. Our agenda should provide some meaningful details so the public can research and issue before the commissioners vote on it. And regarding these meetings, I appreciate the live stream recordings and Zoom access, but our website describes Zoom as allowing the public to listen with no video. In 2026, we can do better. Quality microphones, cameras, clear audio and video, reliable hybrid telecommunications aren't extraordinary technology anymore. So I ask for an update. Have we or the administration, MIS, been directed to address these issues? When will public email contacts be updated and completed? Can vendor contracts become searchable online? Can agendas provide enough details so taxpayers know what is exactly being considered? And has the county investigated upgrading this road here for a true hybrid telecommunications? These aren't partisan requests. They are basic transparency, accessibility, and good government. We're already investigating significant taxpayer dollars into technology. Now let's make sure taxpayers can see the benefit of this investment. So again, commissioners, where are we? And what can the public expect with these improvements? Thank you for your time. Thank you.

Any other public comments?

Good morning. Not still.

I was really shocked to read at Spotlight PA that our three commissioners have signed non-disclosure agreements with Amazon in connection with the data center in Kline Township. Amazon was at least as sneaky about its project as the Department of Homeland Security and ICE were about the concentration camps that they planned to inflict on our area. Both Amazon and the feds knew full well that their projects were viewed as toxic in more ways than one. But Amazon reps even gave different answers to questions about water consumption at two different meetings. And they wouldn't answer questions about the company's purported ability to reduce water consumption, even though the company's own PR department furnishes that online. And I'm like, really? The NDA certainly gave the appearance that you were helping them keep this quiet. Perhaps, if the residents knew when you did, they might have had a shot at stopping the sale. In any event, it's enough to make anyone wonder who you think you're working for, the people of Schuylkill County or Amazon. As Public Citizen Deputy Director Deanna Null told Spotlight, When a corporation demands that elected officials sign these non-disclosure agreements as a condition of just learning what is being proposed in their community, it has inverted the relationship entirely. The official is suddenly accountable to the corporation and not to the voters and their constituents. And just in a related matter, I noticed that if you look on the Parson Locator map, Amazon is not shown as the owner of the site of this hyperscale data center. Instead, ANA Real Estate Associates LP, which sold the property nearly three years ago, is shown. You have to look at the camera card to learn that Amazon is the owner, and that shows the purchase price at $178 million, which is more than 100 times the assessed value shown on the card. Thank you. Thank you.

Any other follow-up? Good morning, sir. Good morning. Joe, what's going on commissioners? I 1st, like to thank you for the letter to the Pennsylvania Department of protection, denying the permit for natural solar products update. And I left this morning 3 months today. It smells like a steaming pile of shit. But thank you for your support in that. I'm here this morning and I want to speak about something all of us understand because all of us have at one time experienced it, applying for a job. When you apply for a job, there's always an interview. You show up, you answer hard questions, sometimes uncomfortable ones, and the people that are doing the hiring, they get to decide if you are who you say you are. They listen and determine if the ideas, facts, and opinions you share align with theirs. Nobody in the real world gets hired by refusing to show up. Nobody outside of corporate sponsored politics gets to say, I'd rather not answer any of your questions. I'm not going to share any information with you. I'm not going to sit down and meet with you. I'm not even going to respond to your interview request. Just hand me the position. If you did that in the real world, if you no-showed your job interview, ducked out, Went into hiding when the questions got tough. You wouldn't be offered a second interview. You'd be immediately crossed off the list and flagged from all future consideration. Hiding, ducking, dodging, ignoring the 9th District's voters is exactly what Congressman Dan Muser is doing. This is his job interview. Every one of us in this district is his future employer. And he's refusing to show up to be interviewed by Rachel Wallace's side. in front of people who are paying his federal salary. Why is he so afraid to defend his record? Look at how the two candidates are actually engaging with this district. Rachel Wallace has been showing up at doors, at community meetings, in rooms exactly like this one, answering questions on the high costs of groceries, the gas prices, health insurance premiums. She showed up when we were discussing the Tremont Detention Center. She fought back. She's putting herself in front of voters and taking whatever they throw at her. Dan Muser has not. Town halls are non-existent. Direct questions on the detention center, on why the Tremont warehouse was selected in the first place, on the federal tax dollars wasted, on what it means for the county's own finances have all gone unanswered. And now, when his opponent finally asked him to stand on a stage and answer questions by her side, he says nothing. He's silent. Imagine ignoring your next hiring manager's interview invitation. Imagine telling your boss, I decided not to attend my performance review because I don't want to answer questions about my past work. This behavior doesn't work applying for a warehouse job, becoming a teacher, a nurse, a coal miner, a small business owner applying for a loan. It should not fly for a member of Congress asking this district, to retire him for another two years. I'm finishing. This should disqualify this candidate or any voter seeking clarity on a candidate's political stance on issues that pertain to their daily lives. Voters should be provided a plan on what the candidates running for office plan on doing over the next two years. This is what American democracy demands. The people of the Ninth District are not asking for a coronation. We're asking for a simple interview. We're asking Dan Muser to do the one thing every single one of us who's ever had to earn a paycheck had to do, show up, answer the questions, and let the people making the hiring decision see him do it. I'm calling on the voters of the Ninth District to continue to demand Congressman Muser debate Rachel Wallace. Dan, show up for your job interview. Thank you.

Any other phone comments?

Good morning, commissioners. Today, I'd like to talk about data centers. I'd like to know if in your intense and comprehensive study of their operations, you've come upon any hyperscale data centers that need 600 acres for their operations. That is what NEVIUS is requesting from Butler Township with the expansion of the 300 acres they currently own by an additional 300 acres. Even the Amazon Web Services project at Klein Township is only 45 acres, for their, I believe, 1.2 gigawatt center. With only three data centers, maybe a couple more under construction in the US, Nebious is currently being sued by all of them. Butler Township is considering giving this company the ability to purchase or rezone an additional 300 acres that is currently zoned woodland conservation to add to the 300 acres they purchased in the spring. NEBIUS is asking for that parcel to be included in the interchange zoning overlay so it can expand its operations. The original parcel is assessed at $1,538,000 and is what NEBIUS is being taxed on. However, NEBIUS paid $187 million for that parcel. The previous owner, North Point, paid $7,322,000. Current property taxes are in the neighborhood of $15,000. This is criminal. My husband and I own a little over two acres, and our property taxes are approximately $4,000 a year. We are not a multinational corporation listed on NASDAQ. We're two retired people supporting our local school district. I've heard NEBIUS representatives say repeatedly that they are good neighbors and believe in education, education, education. Apparently, this is all talk. If they were sincere in their claims of being good neighbors and all about education, they would be paying their fair share of property taxes, which could lower the property tax burden for residents of North Schuylkill School District and contribute to better educational resources for our students. This is not the case. Other school districts are appealing the tax assessments, including Hazleton School District. I'm sure you're well aware of that project, despite pleading ignorance about data centers and needing a bill trip to see firsthand how they operate. I was shocked to see that you entered into an NDA with Amazon Web Services. This is not normal operating procedure for elected officials, or at least it shouldn't be. You were elected to serve your constituents, the people of Schuylkill County, not big tech companies. According to the Pennsylvania State Constitution, Article 1, Section 27, you, as agents of the Commonwealth, are the trustees of the natural resources of our state, and we, the people, are the beneficiaries. It is your duty and legal obligation two, sorry, properly represent the people of Schuylkill County, not big tech companies from foreign countries. If anyone is disgusted by any of the above, please feel free to call Butler Township at 570-875-4137. That's 570-875-4137 and ask why Nebious is paying a fraction of what they should be paying and why they need so many acres for a 1.2 gigawatt data center. I think we all know the answer to that. There is no cap on expansion in our D minus graded ordinance. While you're at it, if you know anyone on the North Schuylkill School Board, call and ask them why they're allowing a multi-billion dollar foreign company to pay taxes based on a property assessed at $1,538,000 and not the real value of $187 million, and if they plan to correct this atrocity. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. Any other follow-up comments?

Jeff Dunkel, Palo Alto. I was going to touch on the NDAs and that debacle, but something else came up in the last 24 hours. So this is some excerpts from an email that was sent to the county. I'm just going to take little pieces out so I can keep the people's privacy. Over the past year, this person has engaged. This is what the email states from the person. Over the past year, this person engaged in ongoing pattern of unwanted communication despite my repeated efforts to end all contact. He continues to call and leave voicemails on a regular basis, often every week or more frequently. This has continued even after law enforcement has been contacted. This has a profound effect on nearly every aspect of my life. Keep in mind, this comes from a single mother. What makes the situation even more concerning is that he used county resources to continue this harassment. He contacted me using both county-issued cell phone and landline of the county. To my knowledge, he was reprimanded for using this equipment in this manner, yet the unwanted contact has continued. The fact that the county resources were used to facilitate this harassment raises serious concerns about the accountability and oversight. I'm asking the county to take this matter seriously. This is not about isolated phone calls. It's about a prolonged pattern of harassment by a county employee that has significantly impacted and affected my emotional well-being, my family's sense of safety, and my ability to live a normal life. So let's take that into consideration. Again, that's just a portion of the email. Larry, I know you were aware of this incident or many incidents. It's countless. Okay, maybe somebody can reach out to this person because Mr. Donnie received an email. 10 days later, 10 business days later, there was a follow up email sent. This person has not been contacted once to even let them know they received the email to let them know there's an investigation going or to let them know that anything was found. So I think this person definitely deserves an answer. If you heard any of the voicemails, if you read any of the messages, absolutely mind blowing. HR was also contacted. Again, it seems like the victims in this place are the ones that pay the price. Look what happened before. We're still continuing this. Okay. Yes, it is. No, it isn't. Okay. Then why was this person ever contacted?

She was referred to our solicitor's office.

Okay.

And that's where it went from there. So it just fell on deaf ears. That's the same thing that happened with George. That's not true.

Yes, it is. Yes, it is. How do we have another Jane Doe after the first set? Because it all fell on deaf ears and it was let go. That's not true. Yes, 100%.

Not anymore, it's not. Jeremy, it's under investigation. No further comment on this during the course of the investigation.

Maybe you should let the people know, that are affected by it, that you at least received their email and you're looking into it. This person has to live in fear. Okay. You got the voicemails too, Paul. You got the voicemails. It's under investigation. Okay. Well, then the person should be suspended without pay until it's done. Because you decided. No, because it's blatant. Larry, do you have the copy of every day? Because you decided. It's under investigation. All the numbers come back to the county, correct? They're county cell phone numbers. They don't?

No.

You're telling me that...

Exactly. He didn't look into it. He's under investigation.

Right. So my question is... Time, Joe. The allegations... Okay, I'm going to finish.

Go ahead.

The allegations specifically used... involve the use of county-issued cell phone, county landline, county vehicle, and other resources. These aren't personal resources. They're paid by us, the taxpayers. And it's blatantly in there black and white, 100% proof. So whether you didn't get forward to that or not, my question is, does the county have a written policy governing personal use or misuse of county-issued cell phones, vehicles, telephones, and county property? Is discipline applied consistently regardless of the employee's position or relationship with elected officials?

Yes.

What is the county's formal procedure when someone reports a county employee is allegedly misusing county equipment or county time improperly? And are complaints like this documented when they're received?

Yes.

Okay. When a citizen is directed to provide documentation concerning alleged employee misconduct to the solicitor, what is supposed to happen after those documents are received? Does the solicitor acknowledge receipt of complaints or evidence submitted by the citizens?

They take it under investigation, Jeff.

They should at least acknowledge that they got it. It could have went into spam. It could have not went through. A simple email saying, we're looking into this, rather than this person having to sit there still receiving these types of messages and phone calls since the email was sent. I mean, it's a little bit more serious. Like you said, it's under investigation. We'll see. I'll come back up.

That's okay.

Any other public comment?

Jeff, you post every week about the circus. You create the circus. You're the ringleader. I'm okay with it. Just so you know. You're the ringleader. No, you definitely are the ringleader. Trust me, you are.

No, trust me, you are. Do it in front of all your buddies here.

I'm not doing nothing, Jeff. It's just, we try to tell you. I'm not going to go back and forth with you. That's what you're not supposed to talk about.

I'm allowed to talk, Jeff. Now we're going to engage.

All because you have a crew here to get your shuffles out. It has nothing to do with that. And your donations come in next time because you're going to need them. Jeff, I'm not worried about next time at all. That's good. I know you're not.

I know you're not. 100% I'm not. You've got your donations here. Keep going. Put it on your show. You've got your last.

Shut up, Jeff.

I'll shut up because you're proving me wrong.

What? You heard me. No, I didn't hear you. What? I said, now you'll shut up because you were proving me wrong. No, not proven wrong at all. No, I don't need your permission to do anything. Okay, shut up. I'm going to ask you to leave. Okay, I'm going to ask you to leave, Jeff. Okay, please leave the meeting. Do you want me to eject? Just be quiet so we can move on.

Okay.

Frank, go ahead. Morning, Frank. Morning.

On a lighter note, thank you for accommodating time for SECCO this morning. Two reasons for being here. The first one is to basically thank the commissioners for, and not just this board of commissioners, but going back to 1996, the very beginning of the higher-edge business park, When Forrest Shadle, Jerry Knowles, and Stan Tobash were asked and requested by CEDCO, along with Butler Township, Foster Township, Cass Township, and North Spookville and Montereyville School Districts, to participate in the creation of a tax and incremental financing district that was focused on development of 2,000 acres of property that were acquired along Interstate 81 at the Minersville exit with the purpose of obviously creating jobs and recruitment of companies in the Stucco County. At that time, a $4.2 million bond issue was done by the county. associated with the initial stages of development. On top of that, $1.5 million was raised in contributions by SEDCO. Another $2 million was borrowed directly by SEDCO. And about $3.5 million with the state and federally went into creating what is now the high-risk business. As the park began to develop in the early stages around 2000, another benchmark event occurred, and that was our ability with the leadership at the state level of our delegation to get the Ridge Investigation willing to put in a new interchange, what is now the High Ridge Park Interchange exit 119 on the interstate. At that point in time, we approached the commissioners for an additional partnership related to developing another portion of the park that was at the new interchange end of it. And to that extent, the commissioners agreed to do a general obligation bond of $2.3 million as part of a overall financing package that they were working on at that point in time. And that, I believe, was Forrest Shadle, Jerry Knowles, and Ed Parkin were the lineup of commissioners. At that point in time, the monies were lent to CEDCO. They were utilized for public infrastructure and a memorandum of understanding was created that would allow CEDCO to basically use the funds and pay them back as real estate was developed, land was sold, and jobs were created. We have an intent today to basically present the commissioners with a check for the balance of those funds. so that the park obligation back to the county is fully retired. But I come to the meetings, and obviously you see SEDCO in my appearances here, and one of the things we wanted to do, which we have done in the past when presenting the commissioners with reimbursements for that loan, was to bring along board members so that you understood that SEDCO wasn't just three staff members but it was a board of 45 individuals that are spread throughout Schuylkill County. SECCO's gonna be 75 years old this year. It was a conglomeration of economic development groups throughout the whole county that came together in 1988 to put together what is now SECCO. And I would like, if we can, to just ask the board members that are here introduce themselves, say hello, tell us where they're from. So you might get some appreciation with regards to where the decision-making at Setco comes into play. Maybe if we could start with Christine.

So Christine Verdeer, I'm Senator Arnold's chief of staff. I live at Mary D and I'm the volunteer board chair for Setco this cycle.

Hello, I'm Tim Twardzik. I represent the 123rd in the State House. My prior life, I used to work for our family business, Mrs. T's Borough. He's been involved with the ranking the SEDCO team for over 37 years. Very happy with the process we have. And I'm from Shenandoah originally, now I'm in the big city of Fracton.

I'm Larry Wittig. I'm a certified public accountant and also a former Horowitz guy. And I won I was born before Central existed, and I appreciate so much being on the board, what they have done for development, along with partners in the Commissioner's office. And if you look around our particular counties, you don't always have that, not just in an organization like Central, but in the cooperation that we have with the Commissioner's office, so we thank you.

i'm mike fox uh i'm proud to be the assistant treasurer at techco i'm also an attorney and i work with marlon snyder kirk nelly vice president of education uh living in the wardensburg area

Uh, really, uh, my job is building things. So, uh, I take it on the private side of things working with set. No, I found it to be a really great resource. So we can take my experience and bring back throughout the community and what does without promoting jobs and benefits. So we appreciate the collaboration at the county level. Without taking that risk and helping to fund that money, projects don't happen.

John Weir. I'm retired from the grocery business. I live in Orangeburg. I'm a past chairman of CEDCO. Proud to be that and look forward to more great things. Sorry, that's the marker from originally as the owner of his hardware, which, by the way, is the oldest family owned business east of the Mississippi river. So it's been here a long, long time and I live in class bill and proud to be a member of.

My name is Ed Keyworth. I'm the owner of a classical provision company. I live in Wilrichburg. Being at SEDCO is great because everyone sees the large frame of SEDCO, but what people don't really see a lot is the trickle-down effect of the economics, which comes to a store like mine, big industrial places to buy, lots of food for their pickings for their employees. It helps with catering businesses. It helps with the schools. It helps with the little leagues. The trickle-down effect really helps thrive our entire community. I'm glad you can parse that out. Good morning. Steve Field.

I live in West Brunswick Township. I'm the owner and operator of Peter Iron and Metal. I'm a past chair. I consider myself a legacy CEDCO board member and officer. My dad actually served as an officer and chair of Frank and me in the late 80s. I'M MIKE MUNCEY. I'M MIKE MUNCEY. I'M MIKE MUNCEY. I'M MIKE MUNCEY. development with frank and his team from the migrants industrial department has just been a real success over 30 years now we've been involved in the beginning all the industries out there we were fortunate to deal with the contractors that had a lot to do with the construction there so again it's a real tribute to frank and his team what happened to that whole industrial department there and everything's great at the job and i'm going to pass the chair also on the second question

Hi, I'm Karen Kenderdine. I live in Washington Township. I work for Midspan Bank. I am also very honored to have been cast as chair of SEPCO, and it's a privilege to be a part of an organization that has done so much good for this county. Thank you.

Hi, I'm Mike Beckert, Mosser Painted Plain Companies, located in Western Schuylkill County, very part of Tifflin County. I'm a painted producer, grower, packer, shipper, and And it's great to have recognized the importance of agriculture and schedule accounting integration. Great assistance to our, our company and to agriculture as well. I teach research.

I worked with Frank said, 35 years now, originally from the West end. Tower City area we have here with my mother's side to the city. Back in the late 90s, drove through Pirates when it was a dirt road and Frank Suburban at the time. It's amazing now we see what it's become. Thank you for all your help. And we're going to go.

Never want to take any life again. Good morning, schoolaholics. I'm a retired executive from a board-owned credit company in Dearborn, Michigan. I came here full-time 12 years ago, living on family property that my grandparents had since the late 1800s. I'm active in the community, and I also have my own consulting company. I'm also a member of the board. Thank you.

I'm Pat Coffield. I'm the CEO of Sweet Botanic Music Authority. Wanted Shenandoah as well to the North Band of Township. I want to echo Frank's thanks. Thanks to the county commissioners. Thanks to the past county commissioners. Thanks to the rural officers and elected officials to not be afraid to stand up there and make those tough decisions. And they're not easy. And it takes a leap of faith. And I think High Ridge is a perfect example of that. High Ridge would not exist unless a leap of faith was original Federal Correctional Institute was built. And look at it now. SCMA, we're extremely proud to represent 192 years of service for this county. This started out as a small water company in the city of Pottsville. It took a spring on Mahantunga on 11th Street and ran it downtown on Norwegian for the first developable block in Pottsville. Now we're a multifaceted, medium-sized utility that's highly recognized throughout the state of Pennsylvania. We've been able to extend our utilities on the 81 corridor from the Mahanoy Interchange all the way to the Myersville Interchange, two state prisons, federal prison, High Ridge Business Park, Maunae Business Park, the development of the Schuylkill Mall. We've taken that to another level with Southern Schuylkill County, made an investment to acquire failing small water and wastewater treatment systems and be able to roll those in and make those investments as a larger entity while trying to keep the cost low as a customer-owned utility. Our rates are sometimes a half or a third of what private utilities charge for water and wastewater service. But without those leaps of faith and being able to take those risks and make those hard decisions, look at the amount of data that's produced out of those. But it's also important about sustainability. It's not just about new growth and new development. I grew up 500 feet away from the front door of Mrs. T's Barogi's. We have some of the largest, most recognized companies in the United States in this county. And it's important for us to keep that sustainability as well. So we are proud to recognize that. And thank you for your efforts.

So, I'd like to make a comment quick, recognize my dear friend, my character. He's not a local. He's a mechanics for a person, but. He and I go way, way, way back to the farm here when he was a staff member and I was on a wildlife committee. And then more recently, well, I should say recently, 2010, he worked with the governor of Corbett, the Department of Ag, and did a hell of a job as our first deputy at the PDA. So Mike's doing a great job at Sermon Monster, so it's good to see you, Mike.

Mark, do you want to introduce yourself as well?

Mark Binnick, I'm a staff member working with Patricia and Frank now for almost four years. I've been doing economic development for 10 years, originally from Mount Carmel. I just want to say thank you to the three of you, as well as the past commissioners, as well as our board. FOR HAVING THE VISION TO WHAT IDEAS TO RULE THE COUNTY FORWARD. AND OBVIOUSLY HIGH RIDGE, THE ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT THIS PROJECT HAS HAD ON THE COUNTY IS OBVIOUSLY SIGNIFICANT AND OBVIOUSLY MORE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT IN THE PARK COMING SOON. SO THANK YOU ALL HERE.

WE DID A HANDOUT FOR EVERYONE THIS YEAR WITH REGARDS TO SOME OF THE FINANCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF HIGH RIDGE BUSINESS PARK. And it's obvious that economic development is a team effort, independent of the County Municipal Authority, the Schuylkill County Industrial Development Authority was a critical element, a partner in the development. The Schuylkill County Airport Authority in most recent times, the amount of corporate traffic coming and going out of that has increased phenomenally. The High Ridge Improvement District Authority, which was created in concert with the commissioners, the two townships and the Miner'sville, Area School District manages all of the municipal functions within the park. All of that comes together. And when it does, an opportunity like the High Ridge Business Park basically comes out of the ground. So we'd like to, if we can, have our chair make a presentation to you today. And we'd like to get a picture of the event because we always do that as well.

I just want to say about SEDCO, you've been a great partner for the county. If I'm correct, this all started out at Sabin Sackler originally, right? Right. Sabin, I look what Pedro is now because that was going to close up and go away. And that's a major employer in our county. Then it's not just Hire Ridge. It's all the development you're doing elsewhere in the county, the hometown, the rush township, the top of the bulk, and everything that you're involved in. We appreciate the business partners because without growth, our county would die. And we need industrial growth. We need jobs, we need taxes, and we need everything that comes from that development. So we appreciate everything that CEDCO does, and Mesquita, and SCMA, all of our partners that we have, from SCMA to the airport authority and everybody. It's all about advancing them all in Schuylkill County. Sometimes advance is a little too slow for my liking. I like to go full speed ahead. Frank knows this. But he's doing a great job of moving the county forward. And we can't be more happy with High Ridge, like I said, That was nothing at one point. Now look what's up there. And there's still room for expansion. Get some more jobs here. There's other opportunities. You know, Schuylkill County, we're leading. We're not following. Schuylkill County is going to grow, and we're just going to keep moving forward. And we need partners like SETCO to do that. We appreciate everything you do. To the board, to the staff, and to Frank, thank you.

In my mind, I've been on the board since the mid 90s, and I came on the board when my friend Frank Stoudemire. I developed my friendship with Frank Stoudemire. He was going through the chairs at the time I became the chair when I came on board. And I'm certainly proud to be part of an organization that has, over the years, I've watched many projects get developed all around the county, including out in the West End and in Porter Township and Tower City. So I'm delighted to be on that board for that length of time.

And again, I know back, I remember when I was just an idea and a plan, you heard the naysayers say, and it's never going to work here on top of a mountain. That's all rock and so forth. You got to bring infrastructure in. And again, that they looked at that to build build upon those types of things. And I know past boards and also the current board is definitely been gracious to what you have done. If you look at where we were in our past, we relied on coal. This was anthracite coal region. And when coal started to dwindle and to diverse into other things, that's where you came and definitely had that vision to say, well, we need jobs here rather than people leaving our county, which we had an exodus of people leave Schuylkill County. I think now you see the population growing a little bit. more on different angles and so forth and that's because of the opportunities that exist here and the whole thing is is about future generations and that will be remiss of a good friend the superintendent of minorsville which just passed mr brady and i know with his vision and stuff he had to step back to see that vision to say this will grow and minorsville district will be another one in there to partake in all the other business that's coming. So him and along with others that had that vision of looking in the future. The whole thing is about, yeah, you need to make sure it's taken care of today. Make sure the people are taken care of. But again, you've got to have that vision to look down the road to saying what will be the future of our children. And that's hopefully a lot of things that you've done and partaken in. that, again, the county commissioners didn't assist it with, but you were the driving force behind it. So again, thank you.

Awesome. So if I can call you down, we will make a presentation on behalf of many of the ladies and gentlemen who are here today on the final third of that $2.3 million.

So today's $860,000 and some change goes back into the general funds for the county. That's finance. We have a real chat.

Cashables. Why don't you bring cash? Do you want to come over? No, no. I'll show you.

Just one heads up on the check. The check is dated Friday.

Paul, since it came up about these NDAs, Paul, So to clarify the NDAs, will you address, because it was with CETCO, with Amazon, and the caveat we put in, because when Spotlight PA did the story, I just told them the truth about it because we were advised to sign them, and it was an informational meeting.

Yeah, the advice would be that there was no harm in signing it. This came about in advance of an introductory meeting that Amazon wanted to have with the commissioners that took place in 2025. At the time, we were presented with confidentiality and nondisclosure agreement from actually, it wasn't technically Amazon at that point. We reviewed the agreement and we explained that we could not sign the agreement in that form because we had obligations as a public entity under the state right to no law. So we insisted on a mandatory... Is this better?

No. Hit that red... I'm sorry.

Here you go.

I got you. What's that?

Just briefly to recap this confidentiality and non disclosure agreement that's been discussed arose out of a prior to a meeting that Amazon requested with the county commissioners back in 2025. at a point in time where Amazon had not disclosed that they, in fact, were the potential developers of the site and had just, I guess, initiated plans for the site. They presented this form of agreement to the commissioners. We indicated we could not sign the agreement in the form that it was presented, that we had certain mandatory disclosure requirements under the state's right to know law. So we insisted on a provision being added to that nondisclosure agreement, which recognized the commissioner's obligations under the right to know and indicated that anything that amounted to a public record would have to be disclosed regardless of this confidentiality and nondisclosure agreement. It contained a typical third party clause where we would notify them that we received a right to know request Amazon would have the ability to try to get an injunction or stop the disclosure. But from the county's perspective, we were duty bound to disclose any public record that was provided to us. This was in advance of an informational meeting at which several county officials are the 3 of you included attended at that meeting. We actually were not presented with any documents at all. They did disclose the fact that it was Amazon. They had a general rendering, I would say, of what the potential site would look like. This was, again, in advance of them publicly disclosing that it was Amazon and in advance of formal submission of plans to the county. Since then, they have obviously announced that they were Amazon. In fact, I think that happened within four to six weeks of this meeting. They have since submitted plans to Klein Township for approval. A complete set of those plans has been in our planning office for several months now, at least the original submission available for public inspection under the Pennsylvania municipalities planning code. So I want to make it clear that yes, a nondisclosure agreement was signed. but that we were clear that we were duty-bound to disclose any public record that was presented to us by Amazon under the right to know the law, unless Amazon actually went into court and did something to soften it. So just point of clarification. Klein Township has their own planning and zoning. Klein Township has its own planning and zoning. There's a municipal authority for Klein Township that provides water, and that water will be provided through the municipal authority. I think as everyone is aware, the planning process has been ongoing in Klein Township. Members of the public, many members of the public have attended those meetings. The plans have been revised, I think, twice now. I don't know that we've received the revised plan, but I know the original submission, which is voluminous, is in our planning office and available for public inspection at any time. Okay. Thank you. We'll move off the meeting.

Do I have a motion to approve the amendment of the non-disclosure? So moved, Mr. Chairman. Second question. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Yes.

So moved, sir.

Second. Any questions? Commissioner Pedora? Yes. Commissioner Hetherington? Yes. Commissioner Hess? Yes. That motion approval was presented by Children and Youth.

So moved, sir.

Second. Any questions? Commissioner Pedora? Yes. Commissioner Hetherington?

Yes.

Commissioner Hess?

Yes. That motion approval was presented by Dr. Huffball? So moved, sir.

Second.

Any questions?

Commissioner Pedora? Yes.

Commissioner Hetherington?

Yes.

Commissioner Hess?

Yes. That motion approval was presented by Mr. Mannington. So moved, sir. Second. Any questions?

Commissioner Padora? Yes. Commissioner Hetherington? Yes. Commissioner Hess? Yes.

That motion approval was presented by the grant fund. Okay. So moved. Okay. So moved, sir. Okay. On the question.

Commissioner Padora? Yes. Commissioner Hetherington?

Yes.

Commissioner Hess? Yes.

All right. Can I reiterate some human services? That motion approval was presented by Human Services. So moved, Chairman. Second.

On the question. Commissioner Padora. Yes. Commissioner Hetherington. Yes. Commissioner Hess. Yes.

That motion approval was presented by Human Services. So moved, Chairman.

Second. On the question. Commissioner Padora. Yes. Commissioner Hetherington. Yes. Commissioner Hess. Yes. Finance Office.

Just one item for informational purposes. Good morning, Commissioners. That is a change to the prison budget adjustment of $37,214.00. Thank you.

If you can't illustration, nothing resource office.

Good morning commissioners in the prison. We have 3 promotions. 1st, 1 is better in line to the deputy warden at a rate of 92,700 effective. These are all effective 9, 7, and he is being promoted from captain. We also have the promotion of Matthew Rose as captain at a rate of $86,500 from lieutenant and promotion of Daniel Waltz as lieutenant at a rate of $82,400 from correction officer part-time and as stated, they're all effective 9-7. In children and youth, we have two appointments. Carla Barron and Jacqueline Schumann, both per typist two, at a rate of 17.1681, both effective 914, and the rate is per the union contract, and all appointments are pending direct tax and physical. All actions involving salary board or propositions being created are pending salary board approval.

Okay, can I have a motion for the free prison and the two children and youth? So moved, second. Second. Any questions? Commissioner Pedora? Yes.

Commissioner Hetherton?

yes commissioner yes on our new business um we were at the fireman's parade you did a great job on township um we told the fireman there that we'd be going out from bid for the fire school fire training facility should be going out to bed hopefully you're sure right a couple of weeks weeks and i were doing it this afternoon a couple of weeks so well we finally got all the money together for all of that so that's a good thing for all of our first responders which we've gone up to bed and carries in a couple weeks so just wanted to make that public you know ANYTHING ELSE? NEW SPEAKERS? NEW SPEAKERS? NEW SPEAKERS? NEW SPEAKERS? NEW SPEAKERS? NEW SPEAKERS? NEW SPEAKERS? NEW SPEAKERS? NEW SPEAKERS? NEW SPEAKERS? NEW SPEAKERS?

I love the disclaimers.

Yeah.

If you're nice. Is the stopwatch going? Yes. All right. Actually, one thing is a salary board item. So we'll discuss that first.

Okay.

I see out there on the wall looking for an employee for the maintenance part. 1396 an hour. Jeff, I know you're going to say, I know that.

I know that.

I know it's hard. I agree. A lot of these people in that department, they do a great job. I know when I'm out climbing in the winter, they're out here shoveling. They're out here taking care of the place every day. Jeff, we are working. Looking through the write-to-know requests on some of the salaries and pay rates, there's people in there over 10 years that aren't even making $17 an hour. I know you're worth there, and I know you guys have no control, but they could start out a cheats for more than that. I agree. It's crazy, and I know I'm just trying to address it. The pay rates need to increase. If you want to get quality people, these people are busting their behinds. $14 an hour, you can't live off of $14 an hour. You guys know that. I mean, that's common sense. I agree. Touching one more thing on the last issue that I brought up. And it's not, I know it's under investigation, but this is about a county policy. I'm asking whether if county resources may be repeatedly misused after county management has allegedly been notified. Are there safeguards that exist to prevent that happening after the county's made aware? Is there a policy in place for that? Are you aware?

Well, hopefully after we tell them to do it, yes, there is something. Hopefully after we tell somebody, once they have a warning, they stop.

But if you follow through and... I just want to say I got a lot of the information you probably didn't. So look into it. Look into it because this person did get warned and it's continuing. That's the preface of this whole email. Like you said, it is being a message. Okay. I appreciate that. And then the last thing, Frank snuck out, but the money that was originally earmarked for the hotel, Covalent X, it was $1.5 million.

That's with the redevelopment authority.

It's with the redevelopment authority.

It's in Our it's in our remote accounts. OK, yeah, it's not. OK, it hasn't been supported. OK, all right. No, that is still in the legal. OK, OK, any other phone from salary board? No, that's a lot of meetings. For the salary board minute meetings of August 12th, several German second question.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.

So we'll try with the second question.

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Yes.

Sorry.

Yes. In the prison, we're setting the salary of power to mine as the deputy warden 92,700. And setting the salary of Matthew rose as captain 86,500. Uh, Daniel waltz as Lieutenant 82,400, and also in the prison, we have a week increase of Kyle fair as a captain 87,550, all effective 9,726 for the 4 prisons.