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Lackawanna County commissioners approve payables, transit match, easements and several contracts
Summary
The Board of Commissioners on May 20 approved a slate of routine resolutions including $2.78 million in general fund payables, a $1,068,100 local match for COLTS state operating funds, state-funded agricultural easements and multiple contracts and service agreements. A public commenter asked about payables timing and reconciliations.
The Lackawanna County Board of Commissioners on May 20 approved a package of routine resolutions covering payables, grants, transit funding, contracts and land preservation.
The board approved Resolution 26-0146 to authorize county payables listed in the meeting packet (the printed register shows general-fund payables totaling $2,779,242.37 and electronic fund transfers listed at 6,906,905.10). A motion to approve was made and seconded and the resolution was adopted.
The action followed public questioning about the timing of the printed payables backup. Public commenter Joan Hodowan said the register printed May 14 showed 41 reconciled and 43 open electronic transfers totaling $1,854,000; county staff responded that the items had been reconciled by the time of the meeting and said printing closer to the meeting date would reduce the number shown as open.
The board also approved Resolution 26-0137, certifying $1,068,100 in local matching funds for the County of Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS) to match state operating funds for fiscal year 2026–27. Michael Danzak, COLTS director of finance, said the match supports operating costs, citing nearly 900,000 trips last year and projected growth toward 1,000,000 trips in the coming year.
Other votes taken included: adoption of a municipal electronic recycling collection grant (Resolution 26-0136) to support collection events in nine municipalities; a memorandum of understanding with Lackawanna College to support education stipends for Area Agency on Aging employees (Resolution 26-0138); approval of multiple Area Agency on Aging service agreements for fiscal years 2026–29, including a caregiver-support contract and a memory-cafe contract (Resolution 26-0144); two state-funded agricultural conservation easements in Springbrook and Jefferson townships (Resolution 26-0142); a cooperation agreement and CDBG-funded sidewalk contract for Mary Street in Dickson City (contract award to Brandon Balchun Construction for $248,227); and updates to master services agreements to reflect a vendor name change (Resolution 26-0147).
The board approved an amended lease for the coroner’s office to remain at a facility on Madison Avenue in Dunmore; the county solicitor said the coroner supports the amended lease and described the facility as tailored to coroner services. The resolution extends the lease through the stated term in the adopted document.
Chief Information Officer Michael Brown told commissioners that an intergovernmental agreement will expand CAD/data-sharing for public-safety technology and that several other municipalities are expected to join later in the year.
The board adopted each resolution by voice vote during the meeting; motions to approve were moved and seconded as recorded in the public transcript. No roll-call vote listing individualized yes/no votes appears in the record.
The meeting closed after commissioners' remarks and public comment.
