Crawford County commissioners ratify chief clerk appointment and dozens of contracts, invoices and grants

The Crawford County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 15 ratified the appointment of Britney Johnson as chief clerk of Crawford County, reappointed Travis Palmer to a four-year term on the county Cattle Board and approved a series of contracts, invoices and grant-related payments affecting county operations and capital projects.

The action to add the ratification of Britney Johnson’s appointment to the meeting agenda was made and seconded and carried by voice vote; the board did not record a roll-call tally for the motion. The board also approved what staff described as a routine reappointment: Travis Palmer, identified in the meeting as a Crawford County resident, was proposed for a second four-year term on the Cattle Board through Dec. 31, 2028.

Why it matters: the approvals formalize staffing at the commissioners’ office, maintain continuity on an agricultural advisory body and clear a slate of budgeted and nonbudgeted vendor payments tied to county services, grant programs and ongoing infrastructure work.

Major payments and ratifications

- Conneautville stormwater improvement payout: The board ratified a $334,054.26 payment to Pollard Land Services for work completed on the Conneautville stormwater improvement project. County staff said the payout is non‑budgeted and will be charged to county CDBG funds for fiscal years 2020–2023.

- Dominion MSA: Voter services requested and the board approved the annual MSA payment to Dominion in the amount of $221,932.50. The voter services director stated the contract is in a multiyear sequence; the director said she would confirm which year of the contract the county is in.

- MDJ lease extension: The board ratified an amendment to magisterial district judge (MDJ) lease with TestMark Realty LLC extending the lease for two years through Dec. 30, 2026, at a rate of $2,350.80, as presented by court staff.

- Large professional and vendor invoices: A Croft County Bar Association payment of $7,433.10 (county and state dues for judges and court attorneys) was ratified as budgeted. The board also approved numerous departmental maintenance and licensing invoices presented as budgeted, including adult probation licensing and maintenance (the AP management systems invoice for $15,160 was presented as the adult probation office’s main computer system expense) and prothonotary/clerk of courts dues each of $625.

- County IT and phone systems: The county’s IT director presented three IT purchases described as budgeted: a Microsoft Enterprise agreement for 2025–2027 from CDW-G for $149,535.61; a five‑year Webex phone system with an initial, front‑loaded cost that includes hardware and a statement of work; and dual‑factor authentication services covering roughly 58 users at a cost of $2,769 (staff described the provider as Aspire, with CCAP pricing). The IT director explained the county’s current Skype for Business phone system is at end-of-life and the new contract includes a statement-of-work cost that is front-loaded.

- Correctional facility emergency repairs: The board ratified nonbudgeted emergency payments for the county jail, including $1,490 to Powell Sanitation and Construction to pump a clogged grease trap, and two separate payments to Meadville Plate Glass totaling $1,626.35 (replacement of broken cell windows). The correctional facility presenter also said staff will seek preventive maintenance and consult with other county staff about grease trap management.

- Public safety purchases and maintenance: The public safety director requested approval for a $2,500 annual hazardous materials team retainer, $735 for inspection and maintenance of the public safety building generator, $1,611.42 for annual maintenance of an air trailer, and an $8,598 purchase and installation of a Zetron gateway to permit interoperability with the Pennsylvania State Police. The board approved the requests as presented.

- Planning, CDBG and home repair contracts: The planning office presented several nonbudgeted reimbursements and payouts tied to community development grants: a $13,480.01 reimbursement to the City of Meadville for code enforcement wages (FY22 Meadville CDBG); a $16,000 check request to reimburse Bicentennial Park playground work paid from Act 13 environmental initiative funds; and ratification of a $334,054.26 Pollard Land Services payout (Conneautville stormwater). The board also ratified a contract between Crawford County, Ergot Building, and a homeowner for whole-home repairs under the county’s home-repair program.

- Human services grants and software: Human services staff asked the board to accept a $47,000 grant award for the Child Advocacy Center to fund a family advocate position and other CAC expenses for Jan. 1–Dec. 31, 2025; staff said the award is fully state-funded with no county match. Human services also requested ratification of a Dropbox licensing purchase presented as costing $1,920 total, with the county cost itemized in the presentation.

Smaller routine and budgeted items

Departments presented a variety of routine, budgeted invoices and membership dues that the board approved or ratified, including county dues for the Solid Waste Authority ($80,000 for the 2024 allocation), printing/maintenance agreements for several offices, association dues for the sheriff’s office and prothonotary, and invoice payments to vendors for courthouse projects and maintenance (including a chiller pump replacement and monthly project manager fees).

Process notes and next steps

Meeting presenters repeatedly identified items as budgeted or nonbudgeted when they brought them to the board. Several nonbudgeted, operational emergency payments (jail windows, grease‑trap pumping, stormwater payout) were explained as necessary and were ratified. Staff said they will pursue preventive maintenance agreements where feasible (for the jail grease trap) and will confirm contract-year details for multi‑year agreements (Dominion MSA). The board announced the next full session will be Jan. 20 and the next work session Feb. 5.

Quotes from presenters

"This grant will be used to fund the family advocate position, membership fees, and supplies for the CAC," Sue, human services, said when presenting the Child Advocacy Center award. "The grant will cover the period of 01/01/2025 to 12/31/25. We have been awarded $47,000…fully state funded with no county match."

"Our existing phone system is end of life this year…our phones would be paperweights," the IT director said while explaining the new phone system purchase.

Ending

The board approved the items during a brief work session that included departmental presentations across public safety, courts, planning and technology. Commissioners closed the meeting after a short period for public and commissioner comments; no formal roll-call vote tallies were recorded in the transcript for most motions.