Greene County commissioners approve routine allocations, contracts and grants at Jan. 29 agenda meeting

Greene County commissioners approved a set of routine allocations, contracts and grant agreements at an agenda meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025.

The actions approved by the board included allocations from county funds and specialized accounts, a three-year contract with court-appointed employees represented by the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) AFL-CIO, selection of an outside firm for the county annual audit, construction change orders for the county-owned Sylvia's Building, emergency-management and 9-1-1 grant agreements, and two recorder's office technology purchases.

The approvals were taken by voice vote with motions made and seconded for each item; meeting minutes record the board saying “Aye” and that the motion carried for each listed item. The meeting included brief discussion on a small number of items and no public comment.

Votes at a glance - Place on agenda: Farmland Preservation Certification county funds totaling $5,921 for the 2025 program year — approved. - Place on agenda: Allocation of $10,000 to Waynesburg Borough for care and maintenance of Waynesburg Commons per a memorandum of understanding; payment from Act 13 funds, effective Jan. 14, 2025 — approved. - Place on agenda: Contract agreement effective Jan. 1, 2025 through Dec. 31, 2027 between Greene County court-appointed employees and the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) AFL-CIO; contract effective Dec. 9, 2024 — approved. - Place on agenda: Award county annual audit contract for 2024–2027 to Zelenkovsky Axelrod (listed in transcript as ZA); proposal to cover the county financial audit, federal single audit and other required audits — approved. Commissioners discussed that the selected proposal was substantially lower in price than an alternate submitted proposal. - Place on agenda: Change orders for the Sylvia's Building as approved by the engineer, including zero-cost time extensions (Herani, Wheels Mechanical, Westmoreland) and a $1,260 change order with Waller Corporation to convert hardwood to LVT flooring in elevator landing and commons areas — approved. County staff said inspections were taking place and expected turnover of the building around Feb. 8, 2025. - Place on agenda: Allocation of $75 for burial expenses for an Army service member under Veterans Affairs — approved. - Place on agenda: Emergency Management Performance Grant agreement (federal fiscal year 2025) between the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania acting through the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) and Greene County; recorded as federal reimbursement for emergency management staff salaries — approved. - Place on agenda: 9-1-1 statewide interconnectivity grant agreement (effective Jan. 2025) involving the statewide program and Greene County — approved. - Place on agenda: IQS Infodex conversion: proposal to convert recorder office images from the current system to IQS Infodex, making county public records searchable on one platform; cost $76,360.40 payable from recorder automation funds — approved. - Place on agenda: Agreement with IQS Infodex to scan lock plans at a cost of $5,831.95 payable from the recorder’s record improvement fund — approved.

Discussion and context A short discussion preceded the selection of the outside auditor. A commissioner noted that rotating firms provides an additional check and that the chosen firm’s proposal was substantially lower than an alternate proposal submitted by Mary Dusen (as referenced in the record). On the Sylvia's Building item, staff noted the project has been a loan-funded construction project and reported that inspections were occurring; staff said the building is expected to be turned over to the county around Feb. 8 and will house an incubator business.

Several items were placed on the consent/agenda with minimal debate and no recorded roll-call vote in the transcript; the meeting record shows unanimous voice approval on each item. The meeting included a notation that 26 notices were on the agenda for review. No members of the public spoke during the public comment period recorded in the transcript.

What the approvals mean - Act 13 funds: the $10,000 allocation to Waynesburg Borough will be paid from Act 13 funds and is intended for care and maintenance of Waynesburg Commons per the referenced MOU between the county, borough and university. - Recorder technology purchases: the two IQS items will be paid from recorder automation/record-improvement funds as recorded by the register/recorder's office. - Emergency grant agreements: the PEMA emergency management performance grant is recorded as a federal reimbursement agreement to support county emergency management staff salaries.

Next steps Most items approved are administrative or contract actions that will be implemented by county departments. The Sylvia's Building work includes final contractor tasks after weather allows; staff sign-off and building turnover were discussed as anticipated in early February.