Cumberland County commissioners approve multiple contracts and grant applications including bridge inspections and public‑safety funding

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners on Feb. 12 approved a package of contracts, grant acceptances and capital requests that county staff said will support bridge inspections, public‑safety communications and several social‑service providers.

The actions included approval to advertise bids for refuse removal; contract awards and amendments for children and youth services and MH/IDD providers; an $80,030 agreement for annual inspections of 27 small bridges; grant acceptances including a $400,000 Local Share Account (LSA) award and a radiological emergency grant application; and a request to apply for a $130,000 Bureau of Justice Assistance supplemental grant for body‑worn camera software.

Why it matters: The approved measures fund maintenance and oversight (bridges, digital records and public safety), backfill services for vulnerable residents (MH/IDD and children/youth providers), and expand intercounty emergency communications. Several items are funded with state and federal grants that reduce near‑term county capital needs.

Key approvals and details

• Refuse removal procurement: Brent Durham asked the board to approve advertising for bids for a three‑year refuse removal contract covering roughly a dozen county locations. "I'm asking for your approval to advertise to accept bids for refuse removal services," Durham said; commissioners approved the request.

• Children and youth services: A contract with CSI Corporate Security and Investigations Inc. was approved for family‑finding and on‑demand transportation services for runaway and high‑behavioral‑health youth, to be monitored closely as a new vendor relationship.

• MAC grant for strategic planning: A Municipal Assistance (MAC) award of $75,000 with a 50% local match was accepted to support county strategic planning work.

• GIS software maintenance: Justin Smith described two annual maintenance contracts—Contritech/FME for $20,000 and Esri for $42,000—explaining costs are being split between departments; both contracts were approved.

• MH/IDD and early intervention contract amendments: Miranda Mountain presented multiple contract increases and a new respite contract. Notable amounts presented were increases for occupational and therapy contractors (Joanne Peters +$2,000; Madaco Pediatric Therapies +$2,748), a larger increase recorded in the transcript for Nicole Custer (transcript lists $34,623 — quantity flagged for clarification), a new respite contract with Bello Nurses (+$8,585), and amendments for Cumberland County Housing & Redevelopment Authority (+$5,717) and Kion Enterprises (+$3,289). Commissioners approved the bundle of amendments.

• Bridge inspections (liquid fuels): Elizabeth Crane requested and the board approved an $80,030 agreement with HRG for annual inspection and reporting on 27 small bridges identified in 2023–24 as load‑posted or in poor condition; these bridges will be inspected annually rather than on the standard four‑year cycle.

• Agricultural BMPs addendum: A contract addendum with Robert C. and Catherine A. Boyce (stream crossings and fencing) was extended to May 31, 2026, with a $7,000 increase funded from unexpended DEP implementation grant funds.

• Records digitization: A Scantec scanning contract was approved to digitize county paper records as part of a capital project originally estimated at $300,000; staff noted mandatory e‑filing (effective Jan. 1) should limit future paper accrual and said they will follow up with date ranges for retro scanning targets.

• Public safety: The board approved multiple public‑safety items presented by Claudia Garner, including a not‑to‑exceed $15,000 contract with Center for Living Forward LLC to provide staff wellness screenings and trainings, acceptance of a $400,000 LSA grant toward a mobile communications unit (original application was $1,000,000), an intergovernmental agreement to join a regional SCI CAD network (Dolphin County named fiduciary), and authorization to apply for a Radiological Emergency Response grant (eligible up to $29,183) to support planning around the Crane Clean Energy site. "We were the second top highest award amount of all county government approved projects," Garner said of the LSA award.

• Recycling coordinator reimbursement (Act 101 §903): Justin Miller presented an estimated $63,068.39 reimbursement for calendar year 2025; commissioners approved acceptance.

• Body‑worn camera software grant: Trevor Beatty sought approval to apply for a $130,000 Bureau of Justice Assistance grant to cover software costs not included in an earlier hardware grant; Beatty said the combined funding would leave an estimated $20,000 county share on a $300,000 project. The board approved applying for the supplemental grant.

• Corrections transport van: The prison requested a specialized transport van (approx. $100,000); commissioners discussed restraint and safety features and approved the capital purchase.

• Westlaw legal services: The board approved a five‑year Westlaw contract with Thomson Reuters to centralize legal research services countywide; presenters described multi‑year pricing (transcript contained numeric confusion but a five‑year total near $553,000 was discussed).

Board response to controller concerns

At the start of the meeting a commissioner publicly addressed issues raised by the newly seated county controller, including alleged lack of notice about an office relocation, procurement of a Right‑to‑Know officer, and claims that a 2003 ERP policy did not need updating. The commissioner said prior meeting requests with the former CFO and comptroller had been declined and that the board will review the ERP document. The commissioner characterized the controller's public comments as "somewhat of accusations against the board" and said "my response, is also public." The board said they acted in good faith on the issues raised.

Votes at a glance

Most motions on the consent and regular agenda were approved by voice vote after being moved, seconded and receiving unanimous "aye" responses from the three commissioners present.

What comes next

Several items rely on external grant awards or follow‑up reporting: the LSA and RER grants involve state review and potential future budget amendments; the BJA decision will determine whether the county proceeds with the planned software purchase for body cameras; staff said they will return with implementation details or capital requests as needed. The board reported an executive session on personnel matters on Feb. 4 and announced that the Office of Aging will relocate and reopen at 1615 Ritenour Highway on Feb. 23.

(Reporting based solely on the meeting transcript and motions as presented.)