Crawford County commissioners approve routine payments, CDBG actions and contracts; DHS says no assisted outpatient treatment in 2026

The Crawford County Board of Commissioners approved dozens of routine payments, contracts and grant actions during a regular session that included a policy notice from the county Department of Human Services (DHS) that the county will not provide assisted outpatient treatment in 2026.

Most items were handled on a consent or routine-motions basis and passed on roll call. Major financial approvals included $2,198,340.63 in payment bills for the period ending Oct. 21, 2025; printing and postage for tax upset sale notices charged back to property owners; and multiple payments tied to the county's whole home repair and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) programs.

Why it matters: The approvals authorize county spending and set administrative signatories for upcoming CDBG and Appalachian Regional Commission work. The DHS notification declares the county will not operate assisted outpatient treatment next year, which is a policy-level service decision that could affect residents seeking that program.

The board approved a range of departmental purchases and contract ratifications, including an office lighting purchase tied to an indigent defense grant ($1,784.65); a $44,868.74 printing-and-postage contract required by statute for the 2025 tax upset sale; and a $33,800 three-year extended maintenance agreement for a corrections body scanner to be paid from commissary funds. Corrections also received approval to buy 20 replacement taser cartridges for $900.

County maintenance and capital items approved included pay application No. 3 to CPS Construction for $18,136.40 on the parking-deck rehabilitation project and a $3,665.51 invoice for courtroom No. 3 remodeling. Public-safety approvals included $1,242 for generator exhaust repairs and $9,150 to install electric service at the Greaser Road tower shelter. The board also approved $17,130 to load, transport and offload a tower shelter donated by the Pennsylvania Game Commission; the board was told replacement cost for a new shelter would exceed $100,000.

The commissioners approved several housing and workforce items from the whole home repair program, including a $24,241.56 payment to Ergot Builders for completed housing rehab work, a $8,800 payment to Ron Verka for home inspections, and reimbursements totaling $3,000 ($1,400 and $1,600) to two contractors for training wages tied to workforce-and-retention programs. A partial invoice of $327.50 to the Meadville Tribune for a second public-hearing notice for proposed 2025 CDBG projects was approved and will be charged to fiscal-year 2021 county CDBG funds.

On community development and grants, the board approved: - a subrecipient agreement with Allegheny College establishing reimbursement terms for an Appalachian Regional Commission grant; - a resolution authorizing submission of a fiscal-year 2025 CDBG application to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development; - appointment of Samantha Travis as the county's voting representative on the Northwest Regional Planning Organization's Transportation Advisory Committee and as the county's environmental-review certifying officer for HUD-funded projects; and - a resolution granting signatory authority for the CDBG to Denise Mason, deputy chief financial officer.

Human services and personnel matters: DHS staff presented the county's 2026 DHS annual notification form and stated, "Crawford County will not be providing assisted outpatient treatment in 2026." The board also approved the MH/ID compensation plan for 2025 as required by civil service and ratified the November health insurance premium payment of $357,885.56.

Other approvals of note included a budgeted appropriation of $72,500 to Penn State Extension, a volunteer insurance invoice for $1,079.85 to Assured Partners, and routine purchases in the courts (a $2,078.82 filing-supplies purchase for the Titusville MDJ office) and correctional facility contracts (an annual copier contract and maintenance agreements).

Commissioners used roll-call votes for each item and recorded affirmative votes from the three commissioners on the dais for the listed approvals. During commissioner comments, officials reminded residents of the mail-in and election-day deadlines and recognized planning director Zach (last name not provided in the record) for his upcoming departure; commissioners also said the county is offering its first-responder tax rebate program as a model to local school districts.

Votes at a glance: the board approved the following on roll call (each entry indicates the item, amount when specified and funding source when discussed): - Approval of minutes, Oct. 8 and Oct. 15 (consent) - Payment bills: $2,198,340.63 (period ending Oct. 21, 2025) - Indigent defense LED light purchase: $1,784.65 (indigent defense grant) - Meadville Tribune advertising for 2025 tax upset sale: $7,312.25 (budgeted) - Infocom printing and postage for tax upset sale notices: $44,868.74 (charged back to property owners; required by statute) - Corrections copier annual contract (vendor: Hagan Business Machine; budgeted) - Axon taser cartridges: $900 (budgeted) - Body-scanner extended maintenance agreement: $33,800 (commissary funds) - Titusville MDJ office supplies (Veil Business Systems): $2,078.82 (budgeted) - Courthouse remodeling, courtroom No. 3: $3,665.51 - CPS Construction pay application No. 3 (parking-deck rehab): $18,136.40 - Judicial center HVAC service agreement (Start Tech): $2,500 - Generator exhaust repair (Spader Company): $1,242 - Electric service to Greaser Road tower shelter: $9,150 - Loading/transport/offload of tower shelter (donated by Pennsylvania Game Commission): $17,130 - DHS annual notification form: Crawford County will not provide assisted outpatient treatment in 2026 (policy notice) - MH/ID compensation plan for 2025 (civil-service filing) - Leadership Meadville attendance for Alicia Palmer (no county cost; funded by caseworker retention funds) - FY25-26 CYS contract with Community Options (residential and direct-support services) - FY25-26 CYS/JPO contract with Cordell Abraxas Group (residential drug/alcohol services, South Mountain Shelter, specialized treatment) - Assured Partners volunteer insurance policy (invoice No. 159517): $1,079.85 (10/02/2025'10/02/2026) - Penn State Extension Q4 appropriation: $72,500 (budgeted) - Ferguson Construction reimbursement for training wages: $1,400 (paid from whole home repair program) - Vote Heating & Cooling reimbursement for training wages: $1,600 (paid from whole home repair program) - Ron Verka home-inspection services: $8,800 (whole home repair program project 037-039) - City of Meadville invoice No. 4497: $18,040.63 (paid from FY2023 City of Meadville CDBG) - Meadville Tribune partial invoice No. 5809: $327.50 (second public-hearing notice; paid from FY2021 county CDBG) - Appointment of Samantha Travis to NW RPO Transportation Advisory Committee (voting member) - Resolution to submit FY2025 CDBG application to Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development - Appointment of Samantha Travis as environmental-review certifying officer for HUD-funded projects - Resolution granting signatory power for CDBG to Denise Mason, deputy chief financial officer - Ergot Builders invoice No. 270: $24,241.56 (whole home repair program) - Subrecipient agreement with Allegheny College (ARC grant reimbursement terms) - Ratification of November health insurance premium payment: $357,885.56 (adjustments noted $8.21) - Adoption of reported new hires and transfers (details in packet)

Discussion and next steps: Most approvals were routine and passed on unanimous roll-call votes. Where funding sources were specified, staff told the board the payments would be charged to identified grants or program accounts (for example, certain housing items and training reimbursements are to be paid from the whole home repair program; tax-sale notice costs were charged back to affected property owners). The board scheduled its next work session for Thursday, Nov. 6, and its next full session for Nov. 12.

Commissioner Seeley offered a final comment thanking the Crawford County School Board for hosting commissioners and noting a local school district is considering adopting a first-responder tax rebate modeled on the county program.

Ending note: No executive sessions were reported for this meeting. The session concluded after final motions and a motion to adjourn.