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Commissioners approve contracts, appointments and administrative resolutions
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Summary
At the Dec. 18 meeting the board authorized personnel appointments and promotions, a recommended 3-year actuarial services contract with Gallagher Benefits Services (first-year amount not to exceed $53,450), several administrative resolutions, and a package of 22 contracts across county departments.
The Berks County Board of Commissioners at its Dec. 18 meeting approved a slate of routine administrative actions: personnel appointments and promotions, a procurement recommendation for actuarial services, and multiple resolutions authorizing grants applications, fee adjustments and procurement steps.
Among the items the board approved or authorized in the contract and consent sections were a resolution recommending the award of a three-year contract for actuarial services to Gallagher Benefits Services Inc., with a first-year contract cap of $53,450 for actuarial services for the County Employee Pension Fund; authorizations for various personnel actions including the appointment of Michael Fizz as chief deputy coroner (effective Jan. 5) and promotions within jail and public defender offices; and a $150 boot stipend for lieutenants and sergeants at the county jail.
The board also authorized resolutions to ratify a grant application to the Patrick Leahy Bulletproof Vest Partnership (note: the BVP program requires at least a 50% county match if awarded), to sign a letter of support for Kutztown Communities Partnership's application to the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Main Street Matters program, to increase the county tax-certification fee from $25 to $40 effective Jan. 1, 2026, and to open a bank account at Tompkins Community Bank for collection of West Reading real estate taxes. The board authorized notices to proceed and orders for communications equipment related to the county's 700 MHz Project 25 public safety radio network, with final terms to be approved by the solicitor.
The agenda also included authorization to execute a contract listing dated Dec. 15, 2025 that contained 22 contracts spanning departments including adult probation, the county jail, children and youth services, facilities, human resources and mental health and developmental disabilities. Payment and electronic-transfer authorizations for the weeks ending Dec. 19 and Dec. 26, 2025, and Jan. 2, 2026 (subject to executive review) were also approved to accommodate holiday scheduling.
The actions were approved as part of the meeting's consent and contract agenda; commissioners discussed conflicts of interest and read disclosure letters where appropriate before votes on the broader agenda.
