Pike County commissioners approve slate of payments, hires and contracts; table tax‑anticipation decision

Pike County’s Board of Commissioners on Dec. 18 approved a series of routine fiscal and personnel actions and authorized multiple vendor contracts while postponing a decision on tax‑anticipation note bids until its next meeting.

In voice votes with motions seconded, commissioners approved county bill payments from the general fund totaling $486,021.42 and liquid fuels and bridge accounts disbursements, including $10,938.04 from the liquid fuels fund and $18,316.09 from the bridge repair account. The board also approved a $1,130 disbursement from the hazardous material response fund.

Personnel motions carried unanimously. The board hired Jasmine Vasquez as a temporary human resources intern (under 225 hours), funded by Workforce Innovation Opportunity Act monies, and set her hourly rate at $13. The commissioners approved Nicholas Krepp as a full‑time head resource conservationist (40 hours per week) with an annual salary set at $55,000 and benefits after 90 days, and set an hourly rate of $15 for Katie Thompson as a facility assistant at the training center.

On capital and vendor matters, the board authorized the chairman to execute a payment application to Brotledge Excavating Inc. for $490,584.37 for the Springbrook Road over Rattlesnake Creek bridge replacement project; the motion was approved by voice vote. Commissioners also approved a one‑year contract with Bimbo Bakeries USA to supply fresh fruit and baked goods to the county correctional facility for 2025 at a listed amount of $105,055 and awarded bids for the sale of six county transportation vehicles that totaled $17,605 in receipts.

The board authorized several agreements on behalf of county offices: an Axon master services and purchasing agreement for the District Attorney’s Office; a client services insurance agreement with Risk Strategies/Brookwoods; intent templates with Express Scripts; a security rider with Vector Security for the Bennett Avenue building; a legal services contract with North Penn Legal Services for the Area Agency on Aging; and a services contract with Penn Care Support Services for the ADRC Link covering Monroe, Pike and Wayne counties.

Other approvals included human services vouchers (Human Service Development Fund $7,968.65; State Food Purchase Program $6,877.53), a Pike County Home Program voucher payable to Gerald Buncey for $3,000, a $255 Community Development Block Grant payment voucher, a $60,000 transfer from the general fund (Act 13), and the final reimbursement request of $9,958.65 for completion of the county comprehensive plan update. The board also approved a share‑housing voucher of $5,854 on behalf of the Area Agency on Aging.

Commissioners opened sealed bids for 2025 tax‑anticipation notes and heard multiple bank representatives discuss rates and fees; rather than act, they voted to table consideration of the bids until the next meeting, scheduled for Dec. 26, so staff can review the offers. No roll‑call tallies were provided in the meeting transcript; motions were carried by voice vote with commissioners responding “Aye.”

The board also approved an intergovernmental memorandum of agreement among the Pike County Board of Commissioners, the Pike County Court of Common Pleas (President Judge Gregory H. Jechelek) and Pike County probation/Domestic Relations leadership (Jeffrey Angrati).

The meeting adjourned after public comment and presentations.

The commissioners are scheduled to reconvene on Dec. 26 to continue business and to consider the tax‑anticipation bids.