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Residents urge commissioners to protect planning staff and support Lewis Township floodplain relocation funding
Summary
Public commenters praised planning staff's grant work, urged the board to avoid cutting planning capacity, and Lewis Township's emergency management coordinator requested federal-directed funds to relocate municipal facilities out of the Lycoming Creek floodplain.
During public comment at the March 19 meeting, speakers told the commissioners that reductions to the county planning department could harm grant applications and long-term projects and asked the board to maintain planning capacity.
A resident (Speaker 9) said county planning staff had delivered "outstanding leadership" and helped secure state and federal grants that generated economic value for local municipalities, and urged commissioners to reconsider any staffing or funding reductions that could jeopardize that work. Commissioners responded that they were 'revamping' rather than cutting staff and said they were empowering the planning commission.
Charles O’Brien (Speaker 13), a Lewis Township resident and emergency management coordinator, thanked the board for a letter of support for congressional directed spending and described plans to relocate Lewis Township municipal offices and the fire department out of the Lycoming Creek floodway into a consolidated facility outside the 500-year floodplain, including an emergency operations center and shelter. O’Brien said he had support letters from township supervisors and state and federal officials and asked the county to continue assistance.
Commissioners commented on how floodplain calculations are 'mathematical' and discussed the long-term benefits of relocation for emergency management and infrastructure protection.
