Susquehanna County commissioners approve contracts, $44,520 agricultural easement appropriation and proclamation for Law Enforcement Appreciation Day

The Susquehanna County Commissioners approved a slate of routine contracts, personnel actions and grants at a public meeting; among the actions they appropriated $44,520 from a clean-and-green rollback into the county's agricultural easement fund for the 2025 program year and adopted Proclamation 202501 naming Jan. 9, 2025, Law Enforcement Appreciation Day in Susquehanna County.

The commissioners also authorized procurement steps and maintenance contracts intended to support county operations: they approved a maintenance agreement for Vicon courthouse camera systems and a separate maintenance agreement for county phone systems; ratified memoranda of understanding for elected solicitors; approved room tax grant distributions for the 2024 tax year; and approved a software support and maintenance agreement for the recorder of deeds.

In personnel matters, the board approved items handled in a recess to the salary board, including converting a full-time nonunion fiscal officer position from hourly to salaried without a change in pay, adding responsibilities to a GIS technician job with a $1-per-hour premium for additional duties, and ratifying Mackenzie Bennett as a full-time corrections officer.

The board voted to advertise a request for proposals (RFP) to design and facilitate a full-scale emergency exercise on behalf of the Susquehanna County Regional Local Emergency Planning Commission and authorized municipal bids for two roll-off containers and for a 2004 John Deere X595 tractor (with attachments). The board also approved a contract between Susquehanna County Children & Youth Services and sign-language interpreting professionals based in Glenshaw, Pa., to provide interpretation services.

A representative of local law enforcement, not named in the transcript, addressed the board after Proclamation 202501 and said, "I just wanna thank Susquehanna County Commissioners for supporting law enforcement at every level." The commissioners presented a certificate to the visiting officers after the meeting.

Votes at a glance

- Item 2: Approve minutes of Dec. 18, 2024 (motion to approve minutes with a date-change correction). Mover: Commissioner (recorded as Darrow/Darryl in transcript). Second: Commissioner (recorded as Hall). Outcome: Approved; one abstention recorded on the motion; vote taken by voice.

- Item 3: Pay the bills. Mover: Commissioner (recorded as Darryl). Second: Commissioner McNamara. Outcome: Approved by voice.

- Item 4: Approve travel/associated semi request and travel requirements (as stated on the agenda). Mover/Second recorded in transcript. Outcome: Approved by voice.

- Item 5: Ratify bargaining-unit agreements for court-appointed professionals, probation and related units. Outcome: Approved by voice.

- Item 6: Appoint Commissioner (recorded as Maximer) to specified boards and committees for remainder of term. Outcome: Approved by voice.

- Item 7: Approve MOUs for elected solicitors as listed. Outcome: Approved by voice.

- Item 8: Enter maintenance agreement for Vicon camera systems (courthouse and related locations). Outcome: Approved by voice.

- Item 9: Enter maintenance agreement with Grama Communications for county phone systems. Outcome: Approved by voice.

- Item 10: Approve attached list of room tax grants for the 2024 tax year. Outcome: Approved by voice.

- Item 11: Enter contract between Susquehanna County Children & Youth Services and sign-language interpreting professionals (Glenshaw, PA). Outcome: Approved by voice.

- Item 12: Appropriate $44,520 from the clean-and-green rollback to the agricultural easement fund for the 2025 program year. Mover: Commissioner (recorded as Daryl). Second: Commissioner McNamara. Outcome: Approved by voice. Amount: $44,520 (as stated in motion).

- Item 13: Enter software support agreement with Optical Storage Solutions Inc. (Lebanon, PA) for recorder of deeds (Landec support/maintenance). Outcome: Approved by voice.

- Item 14: Convert a full-time nonunion fiscal officer/manager position from hourly to salaried (no change in pay). Outcome: Approved by voice.

- Salary board actions (recessed meeting): Approve changes in salary/benefits for bargaining units and other personnel actions; change position classification for the fiscal officer; add responsibilities and pay premium to GIS technician for part-time IT application support trainer duties; ratify Mackenzie Bennett as full-time corrections officer. Outcome: Approved by voice.

- Item 17: Adopt Proclamation 202501 declaring Jan. 9, 2025, Law Enforcement Appreciation Day in Susquehanna County. Outcome: Approved by voice. (Proclamation number as recorded in the meeting: 202501.)

- Item 18: Authorize advertisement of an RFP for design and facilitation of a full-scale exercise for the Susquehanna County Regional Local Emergency Planning Commission. Outcome: Approved by voice.

- Item 19: Advertise municipal bid for one green roll-off container and one red roll-off container. Outcome: Approved by voice.

- Item 20: Place on municipal bid a 2004 John Deere X595 tractor with cab, mower deck, snowblower, grass catcher and utility trailer; 1,505 hours listed (as recorded). Outcome: Approved by voice.

- Item 21: Motion to close the meeting. Outcome: Approved by voice.

What the transcript shows and what is not specified

- Many motions were approved by voice vote; the transcript routinely records "All in favor, say aye" with "Aye" responses. Roll-call tallies by named commissioner were not recorded in the transcript except where a single abstention was expressly noted for the minutes approval. Where the transcript lists a speaker name inconsistently (for example, the same person is recorded variously as Darryl, Darrow or Daryl), the text uses the exact styling from the transcript and does not assign full personal names that the record does not provide.

- The contract and MOU documents (vendors, terms, length, and dollar amounts) beyond those explicitly stated in the motions were not specified in the transcript.

Meeting context and attendance

Public comment was opened and closed at the start of the meeting; one public commenter (identified only as "Bill" in the transcript) spoke during public comment. The commissioners recessed to the salary board for personnel items and returned to the regular meeting. The meeting proceeded largely by routine motions with minimal debate.

For full details of motions as stated on the record, see the votes-at-a-glance list above.