Planning staff: Dauphin County wins $1.3 million in water-quality funding; REP program continues but faces participation challenges

Planning staff reported that Dauphin County will receive approximately $1,300,000 for water-quality projects under the countywide CAP (county action plan) program, and described ongoing coordination with neighboring counties and municipalities on the REP (water resource enhancement) program.

Jerry, county planning staff, said the CAP award came as part of a pooled, multi-county application that positions projects for relatively quick implementation. "Dauphin County alone is gonna be announcing that we're gonna get $1,300,000 for projects coming up," Jerry said. He added the CAP program favors shovel-ready projects and allows flexibility to shift funds among participating counties when projects are not ready.

Staff also updated the commission on REP, which supports municipal stormwater education, MS4-related work and local projects. Jerry said eight municipalities remain actively involved but two (Pembroke and South Hanover) had signaled they might drop out after a one-year grace period. That uncertainty, he said, has complicated program planning and outreach.

Jerry described an approach to pair CAP money with REP priorities so the county can fund design and implementation in places where municipalities join the partnership. He identified smaller seed grants and design funding as key to making projects shovel-ready and attractive to state and federal funders.

Commission members praised staff work on grants and regional coordination. A commissioner noted the CAP award in the county was second only to Lancaster in recent rounds, and several praised staff for securing a series of smaller grants to fund administration and emergency needs. Jerry listed recent awards the program used for administration and early work, citing amounts of about $41,000 (emergency management grant), $33,000 (gaming-related grant) and another approximately $32,000 award.

Commissioners also discussed housing policy tools. Members urged promotion of accessory dwelling units (sometimes called "granny flats" or "attainable housing") and model ordinances to enable gentle infill and workforce housing without expanding greenfield development. Staff said model ordinance language exists in the commission's toolkit for municipalities to consider.

Staff said the county and regional partners will continue to identify candidate projects for CAP funding, assemble a short list of shovel-ready projects in the coming months, and pursue design and implementation grants in coordination with REP participants.