Monroe County commissioners approve contracts, budget adjustments, grants and appointments
January 02, 2025 | Monroe County, Pennsylvania
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The Monroe County Board of Commissioners approved a package of routine minutes, budget adjustments, contracts, grant allocations and board appointments during a public meeting. The board also presented a retirement certificate to Gary Heidel, the warden of the Monroe County Correctional Facility.
The actions affect county budgeting, social services funding and several vendor and professional agreements. Commissioners ratified Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) allocations and additional CSBG funds, approved service contracts for residential group-home providers, extended an architect contract for courthouse/correctional-facility work and approved several routine vendor payments and appointments.
Commissioners approved the minutes of the Dec. 18, 2024, regular meeting and the Dec. 18, 2024, special meeting for the budget adaptation. The board presented a certificate recognizing Gary Heidel’s 29 years of service at the Monroe County Correctional Facility; Heidel thanked colleagues and said, “I’m gonna miss everybody.”
On fiscal and grant matters, the board ratified additional CSBG funds totaling $758,705 to organizations named in the motion and approved a CSBG work plan allocation of $132,828 (transcript lists a county/regional breakdown in the motion). The board also acknowledged a state interconnectivity funding grant extension listed as “Pima 21-189” in the agenda text.
Under children and youth services, commissioners approved purchase-of-service agreements for the period 07/01/2024–06/30/2025 with Phoenix House for $335,000 and with Clock Tower Schools for $200,000 for residential group-home services.
The board ratified a budget adjustment report dated Dec. 18, 2024, and an additional budget adjustment dated Jan. 2, 2025, totaling $255,577, which included transfers to the correctional facility for maintenance and medical contingency and allocations to local social service providers (Catholic Social Services, Family Promise of Monroe County and PATH) as listed in the motion.
The board approved routine procurement and vendor matters: advertising for the 2025–27 Monroe County annual bridge-deck cleaning and vegetation control; soliciting proposals for a 2025 tax revenue anticipation note (TRAN); contract awards and payments including Mount Pocono Fence ($3,425), Superheat emergency repairs at the Monroe County Correctional Facility ($778.32 and $5,088.46), Aurora Fabrics reupholstering (14 chairs) for $5,000; and adding vendors to the county vendor list as noted in the agenda.
The commissioners approved contract-service agreements for special public defenders for 2025 naming Janet Catina, Brian Gaglione, Don Leath and Robert Sauerman, and approved a contract-service agreement for E David Christine, Esq., as an emeritus mentor for the district attorney’s office for $10,000 for the period 01/02/2025–12/31/2025.
The board approved an amendment/extension to the contract for design and construction services with Nelson Worldwide for $30,000 (noted as a discounted fee covering roughly three months to complete punch-list and related work on the courthouse/correctional-facility project). Commissioners also approved a rate change agreement with Securitas for an armed security officer at $32.66 per hour.
Appointments and reappointments approved by the board included the reappointment of Nelly Gordon to the Carbon Monroe Pike MHDS advisory board (term to expire 12/31/27), the reappointment of Charles Garris to the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority (term to expire 1/1/2030) and appointments to the Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport Authority (names listed in the motion: Robert De Niroitz, Mark Turner and Steve Webster, terms to expire 1/31/2029).
Several other administrative items were approved or ratified as listed on the agenda: acknowledgement of the annual financial report for the year ending 12/31/23; approval of contractor service agreements for solicitors to the county solicitor (listed as Weitzman and Huffman with the stated fee of $10,000 per month); and authorization for the chief clerk to advertise certain procurement items as noted.
Votes at a glance: the meeting record shows each motion was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote (the minutes record “aye” and “motion carries” for each item). No roll-call tallies or recorded dissenting votes appear in the transcript.
The meeting concluded after routine procedural items and an adjournment motion.
The actions affect county budgeting, social services funding and several vendor and professional agreements. Commissioners ratified Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) allocations and additional CSBG funds, approved service contracts for residential group-home providers, extended an architect contract for courthouse/correctional-facility work and approved several routine vendor payments and appointments.
Commissioners approved the minutes of the Dec. 18, 2024, regular meeting and the Dec. 18, 2024, special meeting for the budget adaptation. The board presented a certificate recognizing Gary Heidel’s 29 years of service at the Monroe County Correctional Facility; Heidel thanked colleagues and said, “I’m gonna miss everybody.”
On fiscal and grant matters, the board ratified additional CSBG funds totaling $758,705 to organizations named in the motion and approved a CSBG work plan allocation of $132,828 (transcript lists a county/regional breakdown in the motion). The board also acknowledged a state interconnectivity funding grant extension listed as “Pima 21-189” in the agenda text.
Under children and youth services, commissioners approved purchase-of-service agreements for the period 07/01/2024–06/30/2025 with Phoenix House for $335,000 and with Clock Tower Schools for $200,000 for residential group-home services.
The board ratified a budget adjustment report dated Dec. 18, 2024, and an additional budget adjustment dated Jan. 2, 2025, totaling $255,577, which included transfers to the correctional facility for maintenance and medical contingency and allocations to local social service providers (Catholic Social Services, Family Promise of Monroe County and PATH) as listed in the motion.
The board approved routine procurement and vendor matters: advertising for the 2025–27 Monroe County annual bridge-deck cleaning and vegetation control; soliciting proposals for a 2025 tax revenue anticipation note (TRAN); contract awards and payments including Mount Pocono Fence ($3,425), Superheat emergency repairs at the Monroe County Correctional Facility ($778.32 and $5,088.46), Aurora Fabrics reupholstering (14 chairs) for $5,000; and adding vendors to the county vendor list as noted in the agenda.
The commissioners approved contract-service agreements for special public defenders for 2025 naming Janet Catina, Brian Gaglione, Don Leath and Robert Sauerman, and approved a contract-service agreement for E David Christine, Esq., as an emeritus mentor for the district attorney’s office for $10,000 for the period 01/02/2025–12/31/2025.
The board approved an amendment/extension to the contract for design and construction services with Nelson Worldwide for $30,000 (noted as a discounted fee covering roughly three months to complete punch-list and related work on the courthouse/correctional-facility project). Commissioners also approved a rate change agreement with Securitas for an armed security officer at $32.66 per hour.
Appointments and reappointments approved by the board included the reappointment of Nelly Gordon to the Carbon Monroe Pike MHDS advisory board (term to expire 12/31/27), the reappointment of Charles Garris to the Pennsylvania Northeast Regional Railroad Authority (term to expire 1/1/2030) and appointments to the Pocono Mountains Municipal Airport Authority (names listed in the motion: Robert De Niroitz, Mark Turner and Steve Webster, terms to expire 1/31/2029).
Several other administrative items were approved or ratified as listed on the agenda: acknowledgement of the annual financial report for the year ending 12/31/23; approval of contractor service agreements for solicitors to the county solicitor (listed as Weitzman and Huffman with the stated fee of $10,000 per month); and authorization for the chief clerk to advertise certain procurement items as noted.
Votes at a glance: the meeting record shows each motion was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote (the minutes record “aye” and “motion carries” for each item). No roll-call tallies or recorded dissenting votes appear in the transcript.
The meeting concluded after routine procedural items and an adjournment motion.
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