COUDERSPORT — Potter County commissioners heard recommendations Thursday concerning the use of $175,000 in Community Development Block Grant funding earmarked for the county.
CDBG funding, while very useful to counties and municipalities, has specific guidelines for implantation, limiting the scope of projects that can be funded through these entitlement funds.
Bill Siegel, of SEDA-Council of Governments, and Jennifer Rossman, the county’s community development director, have worked with townships and boroughs to identify projects that need funding and would fall within the CDBG guidelines.
Two projects have been identified for funding: emergency sewage treatment plant repairs for the village of Roulette and improvements to the wastewater treatment system in Galeton Borough. Based on the limited amount of available funding, it was recommended to commissioners not to split the payout between the two projects, but to choose one to receive funding this year and one to receive next year’s anticipated funding.
While CDBG funding was reportedly on the chopping block at the federal level, an outpouring of support from community and county leaders has swayed lawmakers and federal fiscal agents to take a second look at the cuts. The Potter County commissioners were told changes would not be likely for several years, regardless of the outcome.
Commissioners are reviewing the information provided, and additional communication and investigation is planned to determine which project should be funded in which year.
Commissioner Paul Heimel reported that the county will continue to increase its involvement with the national Stepping Up Initiative, aimed at more effective handling of criminal cases involving individuals suffering from mental illnesses.
“A high proportion of individuals who are being charged with crimes are victims of alcoholism, other drug addiction, mental illness, or, in many cases, co-occurring disorders of both addiction and mental illness,” Heimel said. “Potter County now has both a Drug Treatment Court and a DUI Treatment Court, and establishment of a more comprehensive system to deal with those who have mental health issues is a logical progression.”
County Human Services Director Jim Kockler and Heimel serve as liaisons for the Stepping Up initiative, have worked with President Judge Stephen Minor, Jail Warden/Sherriff Glenn Drake and Deputy Jail Warden Angela Milford on conferences and disseminating information, and Solicitor Tom Shaffer has been brought in to review county procedures from a legal standpoint.
“The overarching goal is to determine which individuals are suffering from mental illness through diagnosis, put in place a system whereby those who meet certain criteria could qualify for more advanced care to address their issues, and make other adjustments that would have the effect of reducing criminal activity/recidivism, reducing incarceration expenses, and enhancing public safety,” Heimel said.
He noted that one of the greatest advantages to participating in Stepping Up is the ability to engage with officials from other counties, both rural and urban, where similar reforms have already been implemented.
“I have personally connected without about a dozen of these people and expect to expand my network so that our local team can assess their practices and experiences,” Heimel said. “This will likely alert us to mistakes that may have been made and lessons learned by some of these early adopters.”
In other news:
• Commissioners are seeking a candidate to fill the newly created criminal justice resources coordinator position; the new hire will be charged with implementing and monitoring data collection, analysis and reporting systems to ensure any programs or initiatives launched in Potter County continue to benefit residents, both as participants and taxpayers.
• Commissioners have been in communication with Holly Komonczi, the new director of the Pennsylvania Lumber Heritage Region. Komonczi stated that she is working to implement a new five-year plan developed through the guidance of a number of stake-holders who held meetings to steer LHR into the future. Komonczi will pursue an idea that came out of a stakeholders meeting that seeks to develop a William Penn character/identity that could be used to boost the branding and marketing for the LHR.
• Commissioner Susan Kefover highlighted updated information on Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and Narcotics Anonymous (NA) meetings held across the region. The new list was compiled by Drug and Alcohol Abuse Services Director Colleen Wilbur and is available to Potter County residents.
• Commissioners Doug Morley and Kefover commended Heimel on his earning of the Commissioner of the Year award from the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP). Heimel expressed his appreciation of their support of his activities while working on behalf of the county.
“Our board functions very well for the benefit of county residents because each of us brought different backgrounds, skill sets and interests to the board when we all arrived at the same time in 2008, and we’ve been supportive of each other, so this award is more of a recognition of that than of individual achievements,” Heimel said.
The next meeting of the commissioners is at 11 a.m. August 31 at the Gunzburger Building in Coudersport.
