SMETHPORT — The McKean County Commissioners approved a resolution Tuesday in which the county becomes the lead agency and local recipient agency responsible for the distribution of United States Department of Agriculture foods through The Emergency Food Assistance Program, TEFAP.
According to this agreement, the county will be responsible for determining the eligibility of households to participate in TEFAP and distributing USDA foods only to those households in the designated service area and allowing the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture to conduct reviews and monitor progress to determine compliance with the program’s purposes.
In a related item, the commissioners OK’d issuing a memorandum of understanding with six county food distribution locations to participate in the TEFAP and State Food Purchase Program, SFPP. They are the Bradford Salvation Army, Bradford YWCA and food pantries in Kane, Port Allegany and Smethport, as well as The Friendship Table in Bradford, which has been added this year to receive some funding.
The county receives approximately $60,000 annually and distributes most of these funds to the food pantries for ordering food.
McKean County will continue to participate in the Medical Assistance Transportation Program with the approval of the necessary resolution at this meeting.
As the grantee of this funding the county assumes full responsibility for assuring that non-emergency medical transportation services are provided to eligible Medical Assistance recipients who require such services.
Also adopted by a 3-0 vote was the Language Access Plan certification agreement for the McKean County Redevelopment Authority as part of the Emergency Solutions Grant. To meet the minimum needs of the authority’s identified limited English proficiency population, all pertinent communications and notices must be written in the various languages that the authority has identified.
In other business, numerous personnel items were approved. Bradford attorney Tony Clarke, LeRoy “Butch” Schaffer, Richard Kallenborn and Nancy Rathbun were reappointed to four-year terms on the McKean County Planning Commission.
Commissioners accepted the resignation of Amy Agular, effective June 1. She was employed in the prothonotary’s office.
Hired through the PA State/Local Internship Program through Workforce Solutions were interns Gabrielle Neubert, GIS, in the planning commission office and Jennifer Amsler in the Good Growing Gardens program.
Corey Cochran and Matt Bailey were approved as summer assistants in the 3G program.
Many Department of Human Services contracts were OK’d, including one for Bradford attorney Stan Pecora Jr. as mental health review officer.
During the commissioners’ comments part of the agenda, Carol Duffy reminded county residents, “It’s very, very important, very, very important to complete the 2020 census forms.” Filling out these forms can be done online, in person or via telephone. Congressional apportionment and federal funds distributions are just two of the many impacts accurate census data can have.
Chairman Thomas Kreiner noted the commissioners’ June 23 meeting at 10 a.m. will be conducted via telephone conference.
