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Blair County commissioners remove disputed tax parcel from rolls, approve contracts and grants
Summary
At its May 7 meeting the Blair County Board of Commissioners approved removal of a disputed eight-acre parcel from the tax-sale list, renewed software support agreements, approved multiple contracts and accepted a State Food Purchase Program grant of $254,698.16.
The Blair County Board of Commissioners on Thursday, May 7, 2026, approved removing a disputed eight-acre parcel from the county's active tax-sale list, and approved a series of routine contracts, license renewals and grants, including a State Food Purchase Program award of $254,698.16.
Tax parcel removal
A staff member asked the board to remove parcel 24.00-008.00-026.00-000 from the active tax-sale list and administratively move it into the county repository to be inactivated and retired from the tax rolls. A commissioner summarized research by GIS and assessment staff and said the parcel had been sold by tax-claim deed in 1968 and may no longer physically exist. The commissioner said the issue had been brought to the county's attention by Senator Judy Ward's office. "So, we, at this point, do not believe that, the property actually exists," the commissioner said. The board voted to approve the removal.
Other approvals and contract actions
- Recorder of Deeds/Register of Wills: Approved renewal of a software support agreement with Optical Storage Solutions Incorporated for 20 full Landex licenses ($23,945) and two full licenses for the Assessment Office ($1,280), total $25,225 for 05/01/2026–04/30/2027.
- District Attorney: Approved a customer support agreement with Informant Technologies Inc for 08/01/2026–07/31/2027 in the amount of $1,590.
- Public Works: Tabled a $300 invoice from Burke and Company LLC (SP McCorron Company) for out-of-warranty labor on a compressor replacement until the next commissioners' meeting. Approved a service contract with Keller Engineers for construction of a parking lot on Mulberry and Wayne Streets in Hollidaysburg for $35,016.
- Social Services/Housing: Approved a property owner–contractor agreement under the Affordable Housing Trust Fund code-compliance repair assistance program for exterior repairs at 2009 5th Avenue, Altoona, with McFarland Remodeling and Construction, not to exceed $7,500.
- Finance/Grants: Approved the 2026 State Food Purchase Program grant agreement with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture in the amount of $254,698.16.
- Opioid settlement participation: Authorized Commissioner David Kesseling to execute exhibit G's and other documents required for Blair County to participate as a subdivision in the remnant defendants' settlement agreement (RDSA dated 02/03/2026); the vice chair was authorized to sign in Kesseling's absence.
Votes on routine items were recorded as ayes; the meeting transcript does not include roll-call tallies for each vote. The chair also announced the next Board of Commissioners meeting for 05/14/2026 in the same room and adjourned the session.
Notes and follow-ups: The transcript records an abstention shorthand during the consent agenda related to payments to Blair Senior Services, Hollidaysburg Borough and an item involving 'Thomas of Change' (the record indicates an abstention comment but does not provide a full roll-call explanation). The $300 invoice related to a compressor replacement was explicitly tabled for the next meeting.
