Elk County Commissioner’s first meeting of February
RIDGWAY--The Elk County Commissioners’ day began bright and early on Tuesday with a full agenda greeting them at the first meeting of February. A full meeting room with visitors presenting requests for their organizations on the agenda helped explain the requests to the commissioners and the general public. The meeting was always available in person and through the Zoom platform on the Elk County website at co.elk.pa.us.
The commissioners appointed Kathy McClelland to the Ridgway Borough Fair Housing committee, which ensures that no protected class is discriminated against when seeking housing in the region.
Attorney George N. Daghir was appointed as legal counsel to Children and Youth Services (CYS) of Elk County for 2023. This was a renewal contract with Daghir, who has represented CYS for many years. The Annual salary is $39,783.38 with the new cost of living adjustment.
Commissioner Joe Daghir and Tracy Gerber were appointed to two-year terms at the Headwaters Resource Conservation and Development Council.
Gerber was also appointed to the Elk County Redevelopment Authority for a five-year term on the board following the resignation of a long-term member who is retiring.
The commissioners appointed Eric Wolf as the county’s industry representative on the North Central Pennsylvania Board of Directors for a threeyear term. Wolf was thanked for his years of service to the county through his representation on the board for the county. Michael McAlister was again appointed as a Director of Emergency Services and 911 coordinator for Elk County. McAlister was also appointed as Director of Emergency Services for the NWCERG (North West Central Emergency Response Group) Executive Board following the resignation of a longstanding member for retirement.
A standard renewal contract was approved between Elk and Indiana Counties to house inmates at the cost of $65 a day for a period of one year. This is a standard amount and has not changed in several years.
The commissioners entered into a renewal contract with Statewide Tax Recovery to collect taxes that have not been gathered once the local tax collectors have exhausted their efforts.
Elk County approved an MOU Authority with Signature Page with North Central Workforce Development.
The IT Department of Elk County was authorized to purchase Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) Software from OKTA, a San Francisco computer software provider, at the county’s insurance carrier’s request.
The commissioners approved a request from Nancy Baker to appoint Tyler Daniels to the Children and Youth Advisory Board to replace Barb Bowley, who is retiring after many years of service to the County.
Renewal contracts were also approved with both Community County Services and Adelphoi Village Inc. for 2022/23 group home services.
The PA Great Outdoors Visitor Bureau requested $19,238 in County Room Tax Marketing Grant Funds to print and distribute 50,000 Elk County Wayfinding maps that will be placed at every rest area in the state and be available locally at the local Chamber of Commerce and the Elk County Courthouse Annex.
The Commissioners approved $3,500 in funding from the Elk County Tourism Mar-
keting Grant fund for the 2023 Chainsaw Carving Rendezvous.
Applications for the use of the Courthouse Annex building were approved for both Penn State University Extension for counselor training and the PA Game Commission for the annual defensive tactics training.
The financial report was accepted with no changes, and the outstanding bills were approved for payment after a cursory review by the commissioners.
The commissioners want to remind everyone that the application for Act 13 funding is now available online at the county website at co.elk.pa.us through the end of the month.
The Elk County Commissioner meeting scheduled for Tuesday, March 21, at 10 a.m. is being switched to Wednesday, March 22, at 10 a.m. due to a schedule conflict.
The next meeting of the Elk County Commissioners will take place on February 21, beginning at 10 a.m. in the Elk County Courthouse Annex located at 300 Center Street in Ridgway. The public is welcome to attend in person or through the Zoom platform.