Potter County Commissioners approved a settlement agreement that will settle litigation and allow for a prominent downtown property to be returned to the tax rolls.
The grand structure on South Main Street formerly known as the Adelphia Operations building, owned and maintained for years by the Potter County Redevelopment Authority, has in recent years been leased by Zito Media, with an option to buy. The building has been difficult to sell due to “the structure’s enormous size and the corresponding cost of making improvements to make them suitable for sustained economic viability.”
The redevelopment authority previously filed suit against the county, believing the set valuation of the property—currently $3.629 million—is too high and asking for a decrease in order to sell the building. As part of the settlement, the assessed value will remain the same.
According to the settlement agreement, the redevelopment authority may now offer the building for sale, with a tax incentive package to incrementally increase the annual tax payment due until the new property owners are paying the full amount after six additional years.
In the first year (2019), the tax payment will be 14.28 percent of the assessed value, with an incremental increase each year until the full assessment is paid in 2025.
No taxes have been collected from the building for a number of years. The structure has been part of the Keystone Opportunity Zone program, which eliminates certain taxes in exchange for job creation. The program expires in 2019, and through this settlement, taxes will be collected beginning in 2019.
About 40 employees were housed in the building when Zito Media first began leasing it; the number has increased to approximately 100.
Approval was given for funding disbursement for the county’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds. Community Development Director Jennifer Rossman delivered her recommendation to split funding between two requests received by the county. Austin Borough will receive $60,000 for a standby stationary emergency generator for use at the sewage treatment facility. Galeton Borough will receive $181,500 to be put toward a multi-phased upgrade required at their sewage treatment facility. Funding from the county’s 2018 CDBG allotment and approximately $80,000 in unused funds from the Genesee Water System upgrade project are being utilized this year. CDBG projects in Genesee and Shinglehouse of approximately $1 million each are being completed currently.
Commissioner Paul Heimel reported on a recent meeting of the Potter County Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB) in which members came to a consensus on the priorities for 2019. CJAB will continue working on a pre-trial diversion program and community re-entry services for the Potter County Jail; continue a partnership with the national Data-Driven Justice Initiative to measure effectiveness and outcomes of criminal justice strategies; collaborate for early education programs to identify and address the rise in juvenile antisocial behavior/mental health and criminal activity; develop transitional/halfway housing for offenders with an increased focus on skills training and employment needs; and partner with the national Stepping Up Initiative to address mental health issues.
“I commend the CJAB membership and particularly the Potter County court system for working together toward these important criminal justice reforms. That includes a tremendous amount of cooperation between the judge, the district attorney, jail management, Potter County Human Services, defense counsel, the probation department and many others,” said Heimel. “These are the folks that administer justice and it’s our job to support these initiatives with the resources we control.”
The county’s CodeRED program agreement was renewed, providing a reverse-911 emergency notification service for residents of Potter County to warn about natural disasters, weather emergencies and other risks to public safety.
“This system can deliver critical information to thousands of individuals within minutes,” said Potter County Department of Emergency Services (DES) director Glenn Dunn.
The service is provided by OnSolve. Residents are invited to visit www.pottercountypa.net and click on the CodeRED logo to enroll their contact information. The process takes less than one minute to complete.
Resolution #7 was passed for the tax and revenue anticipation note, allowing the county to borrow up to $1 million in funding while awaiting local tax payments. Similar arrangements are made annually by the Potter County, and most counties across the state. The funds this year can be borrowed at a 2.75 percent interest rate through Juniata Valley Bank, which submitted the most favorable terms to the county out of four participating banks.
An agreement with UGI to relocate a service gas line at the Potter County Jail was approved at a cost of $2,350.
An agreement was renewed between the Potter County Sheriff’s Office and Domestic Relations for law enforcement services through September 2019. The agreement allows sheriff’s department personnel to respond to any emergencies that may occur at the domestic relations office, as the two offices are located close to each other and the department could likely respond more quickly than state police.
Agreements were approved with Dickinson Center Inc. for annual license requirement of programs provided for this year; with Davis-Ulmer for inspection of fire alarms at the 911 building ($370/year), courthouse ($725/year), Mapleview Building ($370/year), and modular trailers ($400/year); the OnSolve LLC Contract for CodeRED at a cost of $3,900; and KOS Inc. for copier services.
Steven Achre has rescinded his resignation as a case worker II with Potter County Human Services, effective Oct. 9.
The next meeting of the Potter County Commissioners will be held at 11 a.m. Oct. 25 at the Gunzburger Building in Coudersport.
