Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Resolutions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Votes at a glance: Lackawanna County commissioners approve payables, transit match, grants and cooperative agreements
Summary
At its April 16 meeting the board approved payment of accounts, a required transit local match, cooperative agreements with municipalities for CDBG-funded projects, park and arts grants, and a workforce board appointment. All listed items were approved by voice vote.
Lackawanna County commissioners approved a series of resolutions and cooperative agreements at their April 16 meeting, including routine payables, mandated transit matching funds, community development construction agreements, arts and culture grants and a workforce board appointment.
Key outcomes
- Accounts payable and electronic fund transfers: The board approved general fund payables (check numbers 38398084703 inclusive) totaling $3,202,775.04 and county electronic fund transfers, including payroll, totaling $6,544,784.76.
- COLTS local match: Commissioners certified local matching funds of $1,017,238 for the County of Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS) to access state funds for FY2025–26, with the county committing to provide the local match by the end of the state fiscal year (June 30, 2026).
- McDade Park disc golf course: The board entered a cooperative agreement with the Lackawanna Heritage Valley Authority to accept grant funding for a heritage-themed disc golf course at McDade Park. Director of Parks and Recreation Paul Bechtel said the grant being accepted at the meeting was for $4,310 and noted an earlier $5,000 mini-grant and an in-kind donation (10 pallets of pavers) to be used for tee boxes. County leaders said the course will be located in wooded sections to limit conflicts with other park users and will be the county’s first disc golf course.
- Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) cooperative agreements: The board approved CDBG-funded cooperative agreements with municipalities for public works projects at no cost to the county. Notable awards read into the record included Chestnut Street stormwater, sidewalk and roadway reconstruction (Borough of Dunmore) with a construction agreement to Stiferski Paving Company for $445,235.50; Troop/Memorial Drive drainage repairs awarded to American Asphalt for $77,649; and Scott Township senior center kitchen and air conditioning renovations awarded to Shawnburn Construction Company for $116,000. County staff said these approvals are time-sensitive to meet project deadlines (September 2025).
- Arts and cultural grants and community events: The Arts & Culture director presented awards under the 2025 Arts and Cultural Grants program: two public-art grants of $7,500 each (Eric Bussard mural on Lackawanna Avenue in Scranton; a "No Man Left Behind" sculpture for Archbald Borough Veterans Monument Park). The board also approved event sponsorships: $10,000 for the Lackawanna County Heritage Fair and $5,000 for the Carbondale/CarbonDale (UFO-themed) festival.
- Workforce Development Board appointment: The board reappointed Katie Patelli, Ed.D., president and CEO of Johnson College, to the Workforce Development Board for a term from May 1, 2025 through April 30, 2028.
All resolutions were approved by voice vote; the transcript records no roll-call tallies for these votes.
Context and next steps
County officials noted CDBG awards are funded by federal Community Development Block Grant dollars and thus do not use county general fund revenue. The COLTS local match ensures the transit system can continue to receive state operating assistance. Parks and arts approvals are intended to expand recreational and cultural offerings in county parks and downtown areas; county staff said projects will proceed under the terms of the respective grants and cooperative agreements.
