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Monroe County commissioners approve consent agenda items, allocate opioid-settlement funds and split on Pride-flag request
Summary
At their May 7 meeting, Monroe County commissioners approved a range of routine contracts, budget adjustments and grant allocations, ratified opioid-settlement expenditures and voted against allowing Pride flags on the administration building; the board also proclaimed May 2025 as Mental Health Awareness Month.
Monroe County commissioners on May 7 approved a broad consent agenda of contracts, budget adjustments, grants and vendor additions, ratified multiple opioid‑settlement expenditures and issued a proclamation designating May 2025 as Mental Health Awareness Month. The board also considered, then rejected, a request to hang Pride flags on the administration building's parking-deck garage door.
Routine approvals included: execution of a professional services agreement for Carbon Monroe Pike (CMP) case management services for $69,590 (term 04/01/2025–12/31/2025), ratification of change orders and construction contracts (including a $21,750 change order to South Shore Construction LLC raising that contract total to $663,890), approval of multiple vendor additions to county vendor lists, and the ratification of network agreements and technology service contracts (including Thomson Reuters patron self‑help portal for $1,412.60 per month and Odin Technologies maintenance at $24,000 per year). The board ratified computer and capital purchase reports dated May 7, 2025, including $49,950 for corrections‑facility camera replacements and $46,814.49 for court and district‑attorney laptop bundles.
Budget items approved included a ratified budget adjustment report dated May 7, 2025, totaling $36,203 for domestic relations courthouse cameras and a larger adjustment dated May 7, 2025, totaling $520,762 that included state revenue and reallocation line items. The commissioners also ratified a budget advertising authorization and approved a motion related to issuance of county debt (see separate article on Ordinance 2025‑01).
Opioid‑settlement funds: The board approved several uses of opioid‑settlement funds consistent with Exhibit E of the opioid settlement agreement: purchase of a vehicle for a levy program from Enterprise Fleet Management for $47,217.83; a grant to Recovery Revolution for $16,851.90; a memorandum of understanding and payment of $10,000 to Neema Sober Living; and a memorandum of understanding and payment of $55,000 to Northbound. The transcript records these expenditures as ratified and to be drawn from the opioid settlement fund.
Grants and human‑services allocations: Commissioners approved EFSB 2025 subrecipient allocations for Monroe County totaling $806,126.80 and for Pike County totaling $21,518.84, and approved ESG 2024–26 subrecipient contracts totaling $279,125 for emergency shelter, homeless prevention and rapid rehousing providers. The board ratified the 2024 MATP third‑quarter payment of $151,002.72 and ratified an indigent‑defense grant modification increasing funding to $99,098.
Public‑service recognition and proclamations: The board proclaimed May 2025 as Mental Health Awareness Month and heard brief remarks thanking local advocates and encouraging community awareness and resources.
Pride‑flag request: The commissioners considered a request to hang Pride flags over the parking‑deck garage door on May 31 and June 1 for the Pocono Pride Festival. After discussion — including a comment that "Administration Building is the people of Monroe County's building. We serve a broad range of constituents with many different beliefs. So I think we should avoid putting it on the administration building" (attributed in the transcript to an unnamed speaker) — the motion to approve that specific flag hanging drew an opposed vote (the transcript records at least one "nay"). The transcript does not record a full roll‑call tally for that item; the clerk noted the opposition and the board moved on.
Other actions: The board ratified submission of the Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG) application for $207,154 (federal share $103,577), adopted a local match resolution for the Transportation Authority to receive state operating assistance in the amount of $241,074 for 2025–2026, and approved use of courthouse square and parking areas for the Pocono Pride Festival (separate from the administration‑building flag request).
Action summary: Most consent items were approved by voice vote with "Aye" responses and the chair declaring motions carried. Several items were ratified with specified dollar amounts recorded in the meeting packet or transcript. The transcript does not always record motion makers, seconders or detailed roll‑call tallies for each consent item; those details are recorded in county minutes and packet documents referenced during the meeting.
