BY STACI WILSON

In a 2-1 vote, the Susquehanna County Commissioners signed on for nine more months with The Progress Authority – the agency charged with handling the day-to-day economic development activities in the county.

The partial year contract will cost the county $89,250 and will be paid from the general fund. Last year, the county paid out about $75,000 but Commissioner Mary Ann Warren said there were LIDA funds from the state that covered a portion of the cost. Those funds are no longer available, she said.

Commissioner Michael Giangrieco sounded the lone “no” vote. “We’ve paid out a million (dollars) over the past 10 years, what have we got for that? Not much,” he asked and answered.

Commissioner Alan Hall said The Progress Authority has established active revolving loan funds. Current projects the group is working on include securing financing for Phase 3 of the Endless Mountains Health Systems project, which would bring the administration as well as other services to the new hospital location; and a proposed LNG station.

But even with those projects, Hall said he was willing to sign on for only nine months. “No more than that at this time,” he said at the Wednesday, Jan. 28 meeting.

The commissioners also signed agreements between the Lackawanna-Susquehanna Counties Behaviorial Health/Intellectual Disabilities and Early Intervention programs for the July 2014 – June 2015 fiscal year.

Money allocated to early intervention was $1,524,100; behavioral health at $7,826,700; and intellectual disabilities at $4,187,700 for a total of $13,538,500 in federal, state and local funding.

Of that, Susquehanna County’s local match is $112,300.

Over 50 agencies were approved to provide the services covered by the dual county agreement.

However, NHS of Northeastern Pennsylvania, which provided behavioral health and intellectual disability services, stopped providing services in Susquehanna County on Jan. 16.

Another organization – NEPA Community Health – will be providing for those services in Susquehanna County. Goodwill Industries is also providing intellectual disability services.

The commissioners also handled several personnel matters.

The hiring of Michele Lutz as the finance/enforcement officer, effective Feb. 2 in the Domestic Relations department; and Courtney Canfield as the intake officer in the same department, effective Jan. 29, was approved.

The resignation of Cameron Kettle, from a corrections officer position at the county correctional facility was accepted, with regret, effective Feb. 5.

Gregory Rosar was hired as a corrections officer at the jail.

An audience member advocated on behalf of another county resident that has been having issues since last year with a furnace installed as part of a program administered by Trehab.

She said the furnace had been serviced at least eight times and still was not working correctly.

Commissioner MaryAnn Warren said she had spoken with Trehab administrators prior to the meeting, and a new contractor was being sent to the residence. She said she believed the entire furnace was going to be replaced.

The audience member said she wanted to bring it before the commissioners in case any other residents were having similar issues. “It’s ridiculous it’s been going on this long with no concrete solution,” she said.

Giangrieco said he would like a different contractor to be used. “Let’s not have the same contractor put in a different furnace.”

The commissioners said they would follow up on the matter. “We’ll get on it,” Giangrieco said.

The Susquehanna County Commissioners meet on the second and fourth Wednesday of every month, at 9 a.m. in the commissioners meeting room in the Susquehanna County Courthouse, Montrose.