Commissioners honor civil servants

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners commended civil service personnel for their work in the community April 6.

In recognition of Child Abuse Prevention Month, Public Health Week and the upcoming National Library Week, the commissioners heard from representatives from the county’s Office of Children and Youth and Health Department, as well as the executive director of the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library about the programs, initiatives and accomplishments of their respective departments.

Commissioners’ Chairwoman Dr. Valerie Arkoosh asked Children and Youth Director Laurie O’Connor if reports of child abuse had increased since reporting rules were reformed in 2015.

O’Connor said the changes in requirements had led to a significant increase in the number of reported child abuse, especially by medical professionals, who now have a lower threshold for the severity of injuries they are mandated to report.

Another factor in the increase, O’Connor said, is mandatory reporting by medical staff of children born to opioid addicted mothers.

Following remarks by Dawn Batman of the Montgomery County Health Department, Arkoosh announced that the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently placed Montgomery County first in the commonwealth in its overall ranking of health factors based on a county-by-county analysis of health behaviors, clinical care, socioeconomic factors and the environment.

In other business Thursday, the commissioners unanimously approved the authorization of a no-cost time extension agreement with engineering firm Pennoni Associates for the Ridge Pike Improvement project in Plymouth Township.

They also authorized the submission of grant applications to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources for approximately $130,000 to develop and renovate trail junctions in Norristown and Wissahickon.

Lansdale administrators and asset liquidators requested and were granted the county’s release of lien on a property in the 300 block of North Broad Street that was most recently used for homeless outreach services but has fallen into disrepair since the nonprofit that occupied the location folded in 2013.

The commissioners approved a request from Michael Gordon of Montgomery County Adult Probation to submit a grant for justice reinvestment funds offered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. If awarded, the $100,000 grant, which does not require matching funds, will be used to upgrade the Willow Grove probation facility and purchase field mobile information technology and safety enhancements for probation officers.

A request to renew the lease for Montgomery County District Court 38-120 on Level Road in Collegeville was also approved.

Several county contracts were awarded at the meeting, the most notable of which was for approximately $377,000 in combined expenditures to multiple providers for county vehicles and equipment.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently placed Montgomery County first in the commonwealth in its overall ranking of health factors.