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Lehigh County executive says county will help with radio upgrade costs, juvenile facility planning and local projects
Summary
Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong updated Emmaus council on county-level efforts including radio purchases for emergency services, a three-county juvenile treatment facility planning effort, and possible funding for the Emmaus Fire Company training facility.
Lehigh County Executive Phil Armstrong briefed Emmaus Borough Council on county initiatives and said the county is working to support municipal needs on public safety equipment and regional services.
Armstrong told council members he and county staff are negotiating bulk purchases of emergency radios for municipalities, exploring payment plans to ease local costs and pursuing state or federal grant possibilities. He said the county will try to structure payment plans municipalities can live with but stopped short of promising the county would fully absorb the expense.
"We're willing to work with all of you on the easiest payment plan for you," Armstrong said, according to the meeting record. The county hopes bulk buying will lower unit costs, he added.
Armstrong also described ongoing inter-county discussions with Berks and Dauphin counties on a three-county facility for juvenile delinquency treatment. He said the county board recently passed a letter of support and that the effort advanced despite not being unanimous.
The executive said county staff plan to meet with Emmaus fire chiefs on Jan. 24 and that the county expects to provide some funding for a training facility at the Emmaus Fire Company. He praised local cooperation across municipal and county leaders and said he intended to continue outreach through the end of his term.
Why it matters: Municipal costs for radios and for sewer and other infrastructure projects were topics during the meeting. County support or favorable purchasing terms could lower short-term costs for Emmaus, which recently enacted a tax increase and is forecasting further budget work this year.
Council members pressed Armstrong about the length of any payment plan and about larger infrastructure costs coming to municipalities; Armstrong said grant opportunities are being explored and that the county is constrained by its own debt and capital needs but is actively seeking options.
Armstrong said meetings with White House staff and other federal officials have helped prioritize radio funding nationally; he encouraged councils to follow county briefings as plans develop.
