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Lycoming commissioners approve grants, election-system purchases and telecom contract in routine business
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Summary
The commissioners approved multiple routine items including two purchases for the county's certified voting system, grant awards from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, a three-year Comcast service agreement for Public Safety, and several contract and audit items. Several votes carried with little debate.
Lycoming County commissioners moved through a docket of routine approvals and awards at their April 22 meeting, voting to authorize equipment and software updates for the certified voting system, accept grant awards, and enter or amend several contracts.
Elections staff (Forrest) asked the board to approve a $13,350 purchase to replace two aging workstations used for ballot programming and result accumulation and a $10,500 purchase for a vendor-provided security update to the county's certified voting system. "These are due to be replaced because the currents are 7 years old... we no longer have hardware support from the manufacturer for these," Forrest said. Commissioners approved both purchases; staff said the purchases are eligible under the election integrity grant program and that about 4,000 mail ballots for the May 19 primary were recently mailed.
Commissioners also approved several grant and pass-through items from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency: a $380,000 award for APO, a $110,622 grant for West Branch Drug & Alcohol (to provide Vivitrol injections and recovery support at the county prison), and participation in the State Food Purchase Program (up to $223,225.76) as a pass-through to the local food bank. Each grant item was moved, seconded, and approved.
In procurement items, the board approved a three-year agreement with Comcast to provide internet and phone service to the Department of Public Safety at $1,447.90 per month plus a $308.95 installation fee; presenters said Windstream notified the county it would cancel service, creating urgency for the switch. The commissioners also approved an amendment to an existing 2026 agreement with Bartlett Elliott (presented as budgeted and described as likely to save money) and authorized the 2025 audit engagement letter with Baker Tilly.
During public comment, an online commenter raised questions about voting-system vendors, asking whether ClearBallot is headquartered in the United Kingdom and noting another comment that Clear Ballot Group is based in Boston, Massachusetts. Staff did not provide additional vendor-sourcing detail at the meeting.
Votes on these routine items were recorded verbally with commissioners saying "aye"; no roll-call tallies were provided in the transcript.
