Commissioners approve hotel tax grants, a workforce-board nomination and multiple disabled-veteran property tax exemptions

At its meeting Lebanon County commissioners approved two hotel-tax grant requests, accepted a resignation, approved a regional-board nomination and granted several disabled-veteran real-estate tax exemptions.

Hotel-tax grants: Commissioners considered a $5,000 request from the Pennsylvania Board Society for an art show and festival at the Valley Expo Center (project total reported as $8,600 for 2026 or $20,600 on a separate line of the application; application materials were not appended in the record). After discussion about the 25% matching guidance and an initial suggestion to fund $2,000, a motion to fund the full $5,000 (the program maximum) was seconded and approved by voice vote. Commissioners also approved a $5,000 hotel-tax grant to the Elmer C. Eveling Memorial Charity Inc. for the Meisterstown Carnival (2026 project total $30,000). Both grants were approved by voice vote; exact roll-call tallies were not recorded in the transcript.

Appointments and resignations: Commissioners accepted the resignation of Luz Rosario from the Children and Youth Advisory Board; Rosario was identified as the county law librarian and retiring. The board also approved the nomination of Franklin Foose, described as a site head and capabilities leader in consumer health manufacturing with 12 years’ experience, as Lebanon County’s business-sector representative on the South Central Workforce Development Board (regional board seats cover Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Juniata, Perry and northern counties).

Disabled-veteran exemptions: The board approved a list of real-estate exemption applicants meeting the county’s disabled-veteran criteria. Names presented for approval included Michael Miller (Shally Avenue), Laurie Miller (Distillery Road, Newmanstown), Sally Koothorn (Woodland Estates, Lebanon), Andrew Batson (Lancaster Street, Annville), Peter McDaniel (Darlene Avenue, Palmyra), Jeanette Maze (Fourth Avenue, Lebanon), Tyler Mann (Swan Lane, Jonestown), Grace Phillips (Richard Road, Lebanon), Janet A. Kirchner (Avenue, Lebanon) and Gilbert Rojas (Palm Lane). Commissioners approved the exemptions by voice vote.

Commissioners did not provide detailed fiscal implications for the hotel-tax awards in the meeting; applicants’ narratives and total project costs were referenced but not entered into the record during discussion.