[1:29] Pledge allegiance >> to the flag of the United States of

[1:32] America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God,

[1:37] indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

[1:49] » First item on the agenda is there any public comments or questions concerning

[1:53] today's agenda? >> Um, 2 weeks ago I revisited Lowe. He

[1:58] told us that he would have need to hire three people to be at full staff, and

[2:03] yet there are eight people being hired on today's agenda.

[2:08] » Well, he probably had more vacancies than that. I don't I don't

[2:11] know what he told you back then. I wasn't there. Um, but we know that this

[2:15] brings it to the full contingency, which is not is nowhere higher than what the

[2:19] man is, which I think is 87 or 89. >> 86, I think.

[2:22] » 86. So, this just brings us to 86. Otherwise, [clears throat] it would say

[2:25] new hire and would say new positions, and there would be a a motion out here

[2:29] to create a new position. These are all just um, filling vacancies. So, I don't

[2:33] know. Maybe maybe the number changed between now and then, which is very

[2:35] possible. Um, there is turnover rate at the jail um, due to the complexities of

[2:40] the job. >> Sir, can you please identify yourself

[2:43] for the record, please? >> Um, Andrea Paskin, P A S K I N.

[2:49] » Anyone else? Any other items on the agenda?

[2:53] Seeing none, motion to approve the September 2nd, 2026 agenda.

[2:57] » Motion. >> Second.

[2:58] » Motion is seconded. Any questions? All in favor?

[3:00] » Aye. >> Motion to approve the August 19th, 2026

[3:03] meeting minutes. >> Motion.

[3:04] » Second. >> Motion is seconded. Any questions? All

[3:06] in favor? >> Aye.

[3:07] » Motion to approve the August 26th, 2026 conference minutes.

[3:11] » Motion. >> Second.

[3:12] » Motion is seconded. All in favor? >> Aye.

[3:14] » Motion to approve the payment from the general fund in the amount of

[3:16] $1,445,524.49.

[3:21] » Motion. >> Second.

[3:22] » Motion is seconded. Any questions? All in favor?

[3:24] » Aye. >> Motion to approve the payment from the

[3:26] Act 13 transportation account in the amount of $4,930.

[3:31] » Motion. >> Second.

[3:32] » Motion is seconded. Any questions? All in favor?

[3:34] » Aye. >> Motion to approve the payment from the

[3:36] SRCP debt fund in the amount of $280,860.75.

[3:41] » Motion. >> Second.

[3:42] » Motion is seconded. Any questions? All in favor?

[3:44] » Aye. >> Motion to approve the payment from the

[3:46] debt service fund in the amount of $2,946,401.23.

[3:52] » Motion. >> Second.

[3:53] » Motion is seconded. All in favor? >> Aye.

[3:56] The first motion to hire Michelle Simone as an office assistant job developer at

[4:00] the Career Center for a 30-hour work week effective September 9, 2026 pending

[4:06] successful drug screening results with benefits at the 90 days. This is a

[4:10] replacement position. Pike County will be reimbursed with

[4:13] Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funds.

[4:16] » Motion. >> Second.

[4:17] » Motion is second. Any questions? All in favor? Aye.

[4:20] Motion to acknowledge receipt of a letter from Warden Lowe

[4:23] advising that he has hired the following individuals with prison board approval

[4:27] as full-time correction officers for the correctional facility for a 40-hour work

[4:31] week effective September 14, 2026 with benefits at the 90 days.

[4:36] These are replacement positions. Anthony Cruz, Christopher Wojnarowski, Carlie

[4:41] Echey, Samantha Cuevas, Cody Sell, Mario Perry, Karen Barrow, Santiago Hicks.

[4:49] » Motion. >> Second.

[4:50] » Motion is second. Questions? All in favor? Aye. Motion to recess the

[4:54] Commissioners meeting to hold a salary board meeting.

[4:57] » Second. [snorts] >> Motion is second. All in favor?

[4:59] » Aye. >> Motion to convene the salary board.

[5:01] » Motion. >> Second.

[5:02] » Motion is second. All in favor? >> Aye.

[5:04] » Motion to approve the August 19, 2026 salary board minutes.

[5:07] » Motion. >> Second.

[5:08] » Motion is second. All in favor? >> Aye.

[5:11] » Motion to set the hourly rate of Michelle Simone at $19 per hour as an

[5:14] office assistant job developer developer at the Career Center for a 30-hour work

[5:19] week effective September 9, 2026 pending successful drug screening results with

[5:24] benefits at the 90 days. Pike County will be reimbursed with Workforce

[5:28] Innovation and Opportunity Act funds. >> Motion.

[5:30] » Second. >> Motion is second. Any questions? All in

[5:33] favor? Aye. Motion to set the hourly rate of the

[5:36] following individuals at $28.36 per hour as full-time correction

[5:40] officers for the correctional facility for a 40-hour work week effective

[5:44] September 14, 2026 with benefits at the 90 days. Anthony Cruz, Christopher

[5:49] Hojnicki, Carly Etchi, Samantha Quevas, Cody Sell, Mario Perry, Karen Barrow,

[5:56] and Shante Hicks. Motion. >> Second.

[5:58] » Motion is second. Any questions? All in favor? Aye.

[6:02] Motion to increase the hourly rate of the following individuals to $39 per

[6:05] hour effective September 10th, 2026, due to the terms of the agreement between

[6:09] Pike County and AFSCME District Council 13 for the completion of 8 years of

[6:13] service as a correctional [snorts] officer for the correctional facility,

[6:16] Christian Campos and Barbara South. Motion.

[6:19] » Second. >> Motion is second. All in favor? Aye.

[6:23] Motion to increase the hourly rate of Angelina Miller to $25 per hour

[6:26] retroactive to August 26th, 2026, in accordance with the Children and Youth

[6:31] County Collective Bargaining Agreement for the completion of the Foundations

[6:35] certification. Motion. >> Second.

[6:37] » Motion is second. All in favor? Aye. Motion to increase the hourly rate of

[6:41] Kaylee Gentleman to $25 per hour retroactive to August 26th, 2026, in

[6:47] accordance with the Children and Youth County Collective Bargaining Agreement

[6:50] for the completion of the Foundations certification. Motion.

[6:53] » Second. >> Motion is second. All in favor? Aye.

[6:56] Motion to adjourn the salary board. >> Motion.

[6:58] » Second. >> Motion is second. All in favor? Aye.

[7:00] Motion to reconvene the Commissioners meeting.

[7:02] » Motion. >> Motion is second. All in favor? Aye.

[7:06] Motion to authorize the chairman to execute the Pike County Highmark

[7:09] Traditional Indemnity Benefit Plan Documents and Summary Plan Description

[7:12] effective January 1st, 2021, as we stated

[7:16] as we stated January 1st, 2026. >> Motion.

[7:19] » Second. >> Motion is second. All in favor? Aye.

[7:23] Motion to execute the Children and Youth Needs Based Budget Fiscal Year 2027-2028

[7:27] Certification Statement on behalf of Children and Youth Services.

[7:30] » Motion. >> Motion is second. All in favor? Aye.

[7:34] Motion to execute the contract for professional services between Michael

[7:37] Church and the County of Pike on behalf of the Children and Youth Services.

[7:40] » Motion. >> Motion is second. All in favor? Aye.

[7:44] Motion to execute the >> for professional services between

[7:47] Preventive Aftercare Incorporated and the County of Pike on behalf of the

[7:50] Children and Youth Services. >> Motion.

[7:52] » Second. >> All in favor?

[7:54] » Aye. >> Motion execute the contract for

[7:58] professional services between Action Holistic Wellness Center and the County

[8:02] of Pike on behalf of the Children and Youth Services.

[8:04] » Motion. >> Second.

[8:05] » Motion and second, all in favor? >> Aye.

[8:08] » Motion to authorize the chairman to execute the lease agreement from the

[8:10] Atlantic Tomorrow Tomorrow's office. >> Motion.

[8:14] » Second. >> Motion and second, all in favor?

[8:16] » Aye. >> Motion to approve the Affordable Housing

[8:18] Fund payment voucher in the amount of $13,949

[8:22] payable to the Delaware River Associates on behalf of the Office of Human

[8:26] Services. >> Motion.

[8:27] » Second. >> Motion and second, all in favor?

[8:29] » Aye. >> Aye.

[8:30] » Motion to approve the following Human Service payment vouchers on behalf of

[8:33] the Office of Human Service, Fair in the amount of $1,720,

[8:37] and Human Service Development Fund in the amount of $528.

[8:41] » Motion. >> Second.

[8:42] » Motion and second, all in favor? >> Aye.

[8:44] » Motion to authorize the chairman to execute the work order from Experimental

[8:48] Wetland Services Incorporated for the Winona Falls Road over Big Bushkill

[8:52] Creek proposed superstructure replacement project.

[8:55] » Motion. >> Second.

[8:56] » Motion and second, all in favor? >> Aye.

[8:58] » Motion to authorize the chairman to execute the proposal from Rinaldi Land

[9:01] Surveying for the Winona Falls Road over Big Bushkill Creek proposed

[9:05] superstructure replacement project. >> Motion.

[9:07] » Second. >> Motion and second, all in favor?

[9:09] » Aye. >> Motion to approve the fiscal year 2026

[9:12] first and second quarter payment from Pike County Emergency Medical Service

[9:15] Matching Grant Fund to the Matamoras Borough in the amount of $12,500.

[9:20] » Motion. >> Second.

[9:21] » Motion and second, all in favor? >> Aye.

[9:24] » All right, under miscellaneous, as every meeting we have the Penn State Extension

[9:26] calendar of events. The next item we're we're announcing cuz

[9:30] we want everyone in the county to take part of that, and that is the time

[9:33] capsule that the county is is it the 200th celebration of the 250th. So,

[9:38] the title of it is and it's called

[9:41] » was an arrogant black >> And it's a message to the future. So,

[9:46] these posters will be distributed to the townships. And And you know, we're

[9:49] asking the townships to take part in this, but we don't want it to just be

[9:53] government and and businesses and and churches. We want it to be individuals

[9:59] in our community who explain what they believe Pike County is, you know, why

[10:02] they came here, the message to the future. Um I think it could be a fun

[10:05] project and it will all be stored here in the county and be opened in 50 years

[10:09] when none of us will be here. I settled

[10:11] around the room for a moment. I don't want to make false statements.

[10:15] Um maybe. Maybe. I don't know. All right, you might still be here.

[10:19] » Yeah. >> Um yeah, maybe. Um but really, I I

[10:23] really urge everyone to take a look at what we have on our website to do it and

[10:27] send in what you think is important for that message cuz I think it's it I'm a

[10:31] historian at Penn State. I think those type of things are so important for

[10:34] future generations to see what is that we were facing in 2026 and

[10:39] what it is that maybe is not even important in 2076. As we can understand,

[10:44] there's things that are not important from 1976.

[10:48] I'm asking people to give us pictures, papers. Don't put it on flash drives.

[10:52] Don't put it on anything like that cuz they may not have the equipment cuz I

[10:55] will defy anybody in here to go home and find an eight-track player in the

[10:58] basement. Okay? Now, yeah, you have one, Sam. I put money on somebody before and

[11:03] I lost the bet. But it's just more fun when you open up

[11:07] something like this where you actually have documents. You have things that you

[11:11] can read and you can see as opposed to let's find the CD player or whatever um

[11:16] to read this. So, um I'm just every month I'm going to every meeting I'm

[11:20] going to put um keep on promoting this cuz I think it's a really fun thing. Um

[11:24] we're asking for everything to be returned by November 30th and then

[11:27] there'll be a sealing of it here in the office on December 31st thereabout. Um

[11:33] and it's going to be kept, as I've said in the meetings, above ground. We're not

[11:37] burying it. Um burying time capsules causes all sorts of other issues to

[11:40] occur with the contents. And also, in 50 years, somebody will forget where you

[11:44] even buried it, right? Where it will be mounted in our office here. We have a

[11:49] design to put it in the wall, and in 50 years, the sitting commissioners

[11:54] can open it up and and see what it is that we told them

[11:57] that was so important in 2026. Then they laugh and say, "Well,

[12:01] that ain't important anymore." So, on that note,

[12:04] um the next two announcements we have on here is the two senior expos that are

[12:08] coming up. One by Jeff Olsomers, um that's September 18th, 2026, in the

[12:13] Dingman firehouse. And the other is Charles Probst, uh September 25th, which

[12:18] is going to be in the Bushkill Outreach Center.

[12:21] Did you have anything you wanted to speak about that, um Jill? And I know

[12:23] » I have flyers here. >> Okay. Flyers are here. Okay. So, um

[12:28] that's all I have. So, next we have is pressing public comment.

[12:32] » I would like to speak. >> Okay.

[12:34] » One thing. I guess I'll stand over here.

[12:37] » Huh?

[12:41] » [clears throat]

[12:45] » Good morning, commissioners. Good morning, everyone here. I'm Sheryl

[12:49] Glenn. I'm a resident of Delaware Township, and I'm here to advocate for

[12:53] additional ballot drop boxes in Pike County ahead of the November 3rd

[12:58] election. Many Pike County voters have expressed

[13:01] the need for additional drop boxes outside the one that we presently have.

[13:07] Voting should be made more accessible to the elderly and handicapped in our

[13:11] county, as well as the voting population at large.

[13:15] For a county as vast as Pike County, with its 46,000 registered voters, one

[13:21] ballot box is not sufficient. A lone ballot box poses difficulty for

[13:26] many in our community. The location of the present ballot drop box here at the

[13:31] administration building makes it easy for residents of Milford, Matamoras,

[13:36] Shohola, and Westfall to cast their ballots. But, what about the additional

[13:41] nine townships? Lehman and Lackawaxen voters have to

[13:46] travel, and I'm being very conservative here, an hour and half round trip in

[13:51] order to cast their ballot. Not to mention the cost of gasoline.

[13:55] Casting a ballot should not cause difficulty, but be made as easily and

[13:59] securely as possible. At this moment in time, the United

[14:03] States Postal Service does not exude confidence that one's ballot will be

[14:08] delivered on time. In fact, some people, and I'm included, are worried that

[14:13] ballots will not be delivered at all. When one considers the immense area of

[14:19] Pike County, there should be more than one ballot box to cover the entire

[14:23] county. Monroe County has seven drop boxes.

[14:27] Lackawanna has six. Luzerne has two and is considering three additional before

[14:33] election day. I know that asking to cover 13 townships

[14:38] is a lot to ask in so short of period of time.

[14:41] » [snorts] >> However, maybe we can start with two.

[14:44] One in the south and one to the north. They could be housed in secure township

[14:49] buildings that have 24-hour surveillance and locking safes.

[14:54] This would be three, which would include the one here at the administration

[14:58] building. Going forward, we could add more to

[15:01] cover more townships, but adding two would be a great start.

[15:06] Voting should be encouraged and made accessible without undue burden to all

[15:12] eligible voters. I am asking the Board of Elections to consider increasing the

[15:17] number of voting ballot drop boxes in Pike County before the November 3rd

[15:21] election for the ease and accessibility to the treasured right to vote.

[15:27] Thank you for your attention. >> Thank you.

[15:29] » Thank you, Sharon. >> Do you want

[15:32] Do you want to respond to >> So, I will respond to this and we

[15:36] responded to this other years. Um, I think people have

[15:39] viable way many different options to vote. And while voting is a right, it is

[15:44] also a responsibility to make sure that you can determine where it is and how

[15:49] you vote. Um, I'm just going to read you something cuz I knew you were coming for

[15:52] this and um, we I disagree. I don't think that we

[15:56] need more drop boxes. I did notice in one Monroe County, but they're all in

[15:59] libraries. There's There's only one in a municipal building and that's in Middle

[16:04] Smithfield. To lay this on to our municipal

[16:07] officials um, in offices that are not always manned, I think in some cases is

[16:13] going to add even more question about who has [snorts] possession of the

[16:16] ballots. The ballots have to always be in the in the custody of the Board of

[16:21] Elections. Sending people to each one of these units, we would have to send them

[16:25] in my mind, this is me and I think Ron agrees, we have to send them daily. We

[16:29] can't leave ballots laying in a box in an office someplace in Pike County. So,

[16:34] you know, I'm going to just read you some things I put together on this and

[16:37] this document outlines our position regarding additional ballot drop boxes

[16:40] in Pike County. Our objective is to ensure elections

[16:43] remain accessible, secure, transparent, and worthy of the public's confidence

[16:48] while recognizing the practical realities of administering the elections

[16:52] in rural Pennsylvania in Pike County, I'm sorry.

[16:55] Pike County provides a secure ballot return location. Pike County maintains a

[16:59] secure ballot drop box inside the courthouse, inside the county

[17:02] administration building. The drop box is under the supervision of

[17:06] the Pike County Board of Elections. The lobby is staffed by the Pike County

[17:09] Sheriff. So, we know, as we all know, you're not allowed to be dropping off

[17:13] somebody else's ballot. So, when we put these ballot boxes in some other

[17:17] location, who's going to monitor them? Who's going to sit there? Nobody in the

[17:20] townships is going to do that, and I would not expect them to be the ones

[17:23] responsible to determine whether somebody brought in one ballot, two

[17:27] ballots, three ballots, or four ballots. There is a There is I'm just going to be

[17:31] There's a number of drop boxes. And they're post and they're mailboxes.

[17:35] The The obligation of us as voters is if you get your ballot, and I think the

[17:39] ballots are sent out I believe the end of September.

[17:42] You have a month to get those into the mail. Now, if you decide to hold onto

[17:47] that ballot and wait until 2 days before election day, well, I'm just going to

[17:51] say shame on you. You should have mailed it sooner. Or, you have another choice.

[17:55] You can go to the polling place, and you can give it to them, and you can vote.

[17:58] You can come down here and deliver it. Um

[18:02] Elec- Election security is our responsibility, and I don't feel that

[18:06] these boxes give the security to these um ballots.

[18:10] The townships 13 municipalities, and whether we view

[18:13] Lackawaxen or whatever, I don't even know if these offices, and maybe

[18:16] Lackawaxen is, and maybe Lehman are open 20 are open every day.

[18:21] Um Well, I just don't think that it's

[18:24] practical solution to do this. Um

[18:27] They already have multiple ways to vote. Think about this. 10 years ago, you had

[18:30] one way to vote. You had to go to the polling place, or

[18:33] you had to apply for a absentee ballot for a viable reason. They have opened

[18:39] this up so that you can get mail-in ballots. I do not believe that doing

[18:43] this is going to all of a sudden make people people want to vote. I think

[18:46] people are voting already. Um So, our position is um

[18:51] is that we're going to just stay with the way we are. We're going to have the

[18:54] drop box here. And we're going to just have people They

[18:58] can early vote. That's the other thing they can do. They can come here on a

[19:01] certain date. They can start to early vote. So, there's a lot of convenient

[19:04] ways for them to vote. Um and I know the post office has its warts

[19:08] and bubbles, but I don't think it's that big. If you get your ballot in in time,

[19:13] I mean you have a month to get your ballot back in.

[19:16] I would think that you have a responsibility to do that.

[19:21] So, I That's our That's our positions on this.

[19:26] » Well, when you say our, do you mean you and Ron?

[19:28] » Yeah. >> Okay. So, I would like to answer and

[19:30] thank you, Shell, for coming in and registering your opinion. I agree I

[19:34] agree with you. I think that mail-in voting is only going to increase. I

[19:39] think that when you consider the vast um

[19:43] corners of the county and how far people have to travel at now four 450 a gallon

[19:47] in gas, I think that when you look [snorts] at the instability of our

[19:51] postal service, which is very unfortunate, but that's what we're

[19:54] dealing with. I think that when you look at the increase in mail-in voting by all

[19:59] political parties, all political parties,

[20:03] our role as the Board of Elections should be to do all that we can to

[20:07] provide access to vote.

[20:11] And that's in any way taxpayer, resident, registered voter

[20:17] should want to do it. You must think about people with disabilities. You must

[20:20] think about people with lesser means. You must think about people that have

[20:24] different work schedules. And sometimes these things do not all align with

[20:29] some of the things that you mentioned. So, I say and I believe that it is our

[20:34] right, it is our duty, and it is possible if we have the will.

[20:40] » Well, they don't have to drive an hour and a half. You can drive to your poll.

[20:44] As you've done for many years, all of us in this room are old enough to know that

[20:48] on election day, we took the time on election day until 8:00 at night and

[20:52] drove to the polls. People have been using absentee ballots

[20:56] for since 1931. People that were viable

[21:00] applied for it. So, and there was never an issue with it. We didn't hear from

[21:03] people with absentee ballots back then, however many of them that we should make

[21:08] it more convenient to drop it off. They applied for an absentee ballot and they

[21:11] mailed it. The military gets absentee ballots. So, you know, this hour and a

[21:15] half drive, that's only if you want to go drop your ballot off. You have a

[21:18] choice. Go to the polls.

[21:23] » Yeah, I'll I'll say that I I appreciate you coming in and and reading reading

[21:27] your statement, but I do concur um with Matt that um I am always

[21:32] concerned about the security of each and every ballot. And that is a a

[21:36] responsibility that we don't take lightly, and I don't believe we have the

[21:40] ability to [clears throat] do that with the additional drop box around town, my

[21:44] opinion. Thank you, Sheriff.

[21:46] » Yeah, thank you for coming in. Any other topic?

[21:50] » Yeah, Fred Weber, Fred Weber, Milford Borough. Um just a quick question. How

[21:54] big is this time capsule? Can it fit a small body or something?

[21:57] » Well, it could because the the proposal is I have it designed that it could be

[22:02] cuz it could be a lot of documents. The maximum size can be 24 in deep, 24

[22:09] in wide, and 8 ft long. >> Well, 8 ft long?

[22:12] » So, you could fit it. >> [laughter]

[22:14] » After losing a little weight [clears throat] first, but yeah.

[22:16] » No, it's going to be on a concrete floor, so you don't have to worry.

[22:20] » So, uh one other point that that may not be for

[22:23] this meeting, but I know you're chairman of the Pike County Economic Development

[22:26] Authority. And I would ask that, you know, I'm I'm really really

[22:31] happy that you guys videotape this and then upload it to YouTube on the same

[22:35] day. It just makes it really really good. We're talking about convenience

[22:38] and people wanting to know what's going on um with decisions are being made. I

[22:41] think this is really really important. And I would ask that you do the same

[22:45] thing for the Pike County Economic Development Authority, which you chair,

[22:49] uh that those also be taped and uploaded to YouTube. Um it's a very important

[22:54] meeting as far as the development of the county. And it's uh at the unfortunate

[22:59] hour of 8:00 a.m., so even I can't make it. I think you did that on purpose, but

[23:02] uh >> It's always been that.

[23:03] » Yeah. I'm >> Had nothing to do with you, Fred. We had

[23:05] it at 8:00 a.m. for years, but thanks for thinking you were special.

[23:08] » Exactly. I I did think I was special on that.

[23:10] » I know you did. >> But, I'm glad you knocked that down, so.

[23:14] Um the other thing uh with the videotape, I

[23:17] wasn't able to make the last meeting, but it really

[23:22] I'm so glad it was videotaped cuz I was looking at it and I got to the end

[23:27] comments and I had to rewind it three times because a resident compared our uh

[23:33] correctional facility to Dachau. >> Yeah.

[23:35] » And and I am really happy that you challenged that uh as the commissioners

[23:40] and uh Mr. Farley as the solicitor. I mean, that is just outrageous to think

[23:45] that our correctional facility be compared to a place where 40,000 people,

[23:50] over 40,000 people, lost their lives, were gassed, shot, and starved to death.

[23:56] And here in our correctional facilities, you got a choice of ramen noodles and

[24:00] you can make phone calls. I mean, this is just absolutely absurd. And I'm glad

[24:04] you challenged it and those type of comments and comparisons

[24:08] always need to be challenged. Thank you. >> Thank you, Fred.

[24:11] » Thank you. >> Anyone have anything else?

[24:13] » Hi. My name is Eleanor Spear and I'm Delaware Township. I actually would I'm

[24:18] here to get some clarification as opposed to asking questions.

[24:22] Um in May, you guys gave a contribution to

[24:25] Habitat for Humanity for $75,000. And in the little article I saw, it said

[24:30] that you do this in 6 months. So, my first question is,

[24:34] do you do this every 6 months? Do you And do you give every 6 months to

[24:39] Habitat for Humanity? >> It does. It comes out of a

[24:42] um Act 131 189 139.

[24:46] » 139. >> So, this is recording of documents in

[24:50] the the recorder of deeds office to record

[24:52] of deeds. Any documents that are recorded in the county and the statute

[24:55] [clears throat] states that the only thing we can do

[24:57] with that money for is for housing initiatives. So, that is why Habitat for

[25:00] Humanity qualifies. Um you saw some funding here that comes

[25:04] out I don't know some funding comes out for rental assistance also. That's the

[25:08] only thing we can use those funds for. It's dealt through the Human Services

[25:11] Department. Um >> Okay, is there any other organization

[25:16] that perhaps should be soliciting for these funds?

[25:20] Because Habitat is quite stable. I don't claim I love Habitat to do what it's

[25:26] doing, but it's it's quite stable. And I am

[25:29] just wondering at $75,000 every 6 months, they've already gotten a grant

[25:33] with LSA grant for $150,000. Is there any other organization that maybe you

[25:38] could reach out to and ask them to apply for this money?

[25:40] » If there's housing if there's housing initiatives in this county,

[25:45] um Rob Rueger who runs our unit he does reach out to them cuz he has other

[25:48] access to other funds. I know that there was a grant program just put in recently

[25:53] to help businesses um develop some housing initiatives for employees

[25:59] because those in those individuals there's there's a tough time in this

[26:03] county for affordable housing. So, he has reached out for that. So, um yeah,

[26:07] we we can look at that. But, Habitat so you understand

[26:10] um that that fund was created back in like 1992

[26:14] whenever Habitat was uh created um they started the fund that. So,

[26:19] but I want to say that there's it's a a vast source and a bottomless well. It's

[26:24] not, but it is it does generate a lot of money every quarter because you can

[26:29] imagine every time somebody goes into the courts and records a document

[26:32] whether it's $5 a deed or whatever, it there's a percentage or there's a fee

[26:37] that's attached to that that goes in there. I don't know if Tommy probably

[26:39] knows >> Act 137.

[26:41] » Act 137 probably $15 or something. Yeah, yeah. We will we'll look at all

[26:46] that. >> But, I just I'm just

[26:48] I would appreciate it if if you >> And if you know of any

[26:51] » I was about to ask do you know of any? yeah, I talked to a few people and I'm

[26:55] trying to get the word out there as well. This is a lot of money for one

[26:59] organization. Who is doing good work? Understood. I hear what you're saying.

[27:03] Yeah, but it had I don't believe it can be individuals, but that would be

[27:06] something for the but we have funds for individuals so you

[27:09] know, we have vast amounts of money for individuals for housing rehab

[27:14] that many times we struggle in giving it out because and it's not so

[27:19] much that we can't find people the

[27:22] the regulations and the owners requirements that the homeowner has to

[27:25] get to and sometimes the house is in such a deplorable condition.

[27:29] It needs to meet a certain standard before you can put I'll just say the

[27:32] roof. Can't put a roof on a house that has a bad electrical system. You have to

[27:35] find something and the requirement is you can't spend over

[27:39] 25,000. So if you have a house that's in really bad shape in this day and age

[27:43] unfortunately $25,000 doesn't go very far anymore. So but we work at it. But

[27:47] if you have other organizations, please tell us who they

[27:51] are. So I take take it what you're looking

[27:53] for and I want to make sure that I understand what you're looking for. I

[27:56] take it what you're looking for is some type of

[27:59] review, some application open period, a process where organizations submit

[28:05] something. That or or at least more communication so that people know if

[28:08] this is available so that it's not going just to one

[28:12] organization as good as it is. There might be more people out there who

[28:16] could use this money if it's available. Correct and I'm

[28:20] I figure that's what you were saying, but what I'm thinking is it would still

[28:22] require a process that we may not absolutely. So so if that would assuming

[28:28] that you know, as long as there's agreement there will be right. There

[28:32] will be a process, right? It's available to people. I just think that

[28:36] there's a lot of older people in the community who've been here a long time

[28:39] who might need this help. So we can get the word out. Tom, we'll let Tom do some

[28:43] research, but I I don't want to mislead you. This fund is not for

[28:48] a family to apply for. That's a different fund. There are funds

[28:51] out there that Right? Right? By my understanding. But I don't want to

[28:54] mislead people to think that this this fund is for that. Tom Tom can do the

[28:58] research on He has many times cuz sometimes it sits with

[29:02] There was a time with 1.2 or 1.3 million dollars in there.

[29:07] Um so >> where we need more communication

[29:08] » Right. But what I'm saying is that >> He's trying to tell you that it was an

[29:12] extremely restricted >> Yeah, extremely. But not to individuals.

[29:16] » But that's and that's also for construction, correct?

[29:19] » Not for individuals. >> No, I know. I know. I'm saying for the

[29:22] nonprofits though it's for home construction.

[29:25] » It was to generate home construction or something. So it's got It's a very

[29:29] limited goal. >> Well, look at it and they did it in the

[29:32] '90s with Margaret and Leslie Margaret Jones and Johnny Frank.

[29:36] And at the same time he was very active and she was with Habitat. So it

[29:40] developed into a nice program. So what you keep saying is it's solid. It's

[29:44] solid because of the way it was set up in the '90s and it continues to be

[29:48] solid. I think he's up kind of like

[29:50] » 30 years? >> 30 years 35 years.

[29:52] » But it has to meet that specific standards. And I I don't think there's

[29:55] anybody that I know of in this county in this county right now who

[29:59] » [clears throat and cough] >> meets the requirements. You could find

[30:02] one or someone thinks they can, great. But recognize it's not like a free bee.

[30:06] It's set up through the state to use those particular funds for Habitat.

[30:12] » Okay. >> Thank you.

[30:13] » Thank you. >> You know what?

[30:15] » Well, I just Just Just take me I'm sorry. I'll let you speak. We did fund

[30:18] something 3 years ago. We funded a housing study of PASS.

[30:22] For Pike Autism Support Services, right? They qualified under that. And if you go

[30:26] to them, they have a a whole village concept that they've

[30:29] designed and that was paid for I think it was somewhere in the range of $75,000

[30:33] almost the same number to pay consultants and they have the

[30:37] whole design done where they paid for engineers. Now obviously this thing is a

[30:41] major project. It's going to take millions to build it, but they're on

[30:45] that path now to raise the funds. So, there are organizations that it just hit

[30:49] me that past was one who qualified for this.

[30:52] And they got it. Yeah. >> My name is Martha Raymond. I also live

[30:57] in Delaware Township. I I just have a question clarification on your remarks.

[31:02] You said it was important that there be an individual who verifies

[31:06] each ballot that comes in. Who is that person?

[31:11] » The sheriff is sitting out here. If he sees you coming in with more than one

[31:14] ballot, >> he stops you and asks you.

[31:17] » He also has a camera on it. >> at the signature.

[31:19] » No, no. He doesn't No, no, no. He doesn't do that. He just makes sure that

[31:21] you're only coming in with one ballot. And if you're coming in with two, so we

[31:25] we're clear, he does not deny you. He tells you you need to go downstairs and

[31:30] see the Board of Elections. He won't let you put them in the box.

[31:33] » So, then you go down there. That's not full verification.

[31:35] » No, but when you go to No, but when you go downstairs, what

[31:38] they confirm is they confirm You can drop off somebody else's ballot. You

[31:42] have to have a signed affidavit by that person to drop off their ballot. He

[31:45] makes They downstairs in their meeting in their office, they confirm that you

[31:49] have that. >> For each ballot that comes in?

[31:51] » No, if you have more than one. >> Okay, but you don't know if

[31:54] » He does. >> if there is one if there's one, you

[31:57] don't know the verification of that particular one.

[32:01] If there's one ballot, no one's checking whether that's the verification signed

[32:06] or >> No. Well, well

[32:08] » No, no, no. >> It's right down to

[32:10] » The election board is they do the proper procedure and they scan it and make sure

[32:13] the number is right. >> two?

[32:15] » Tell me every every one is scanned to make sure

[32:18] » What I >> their ballot

[32:19] » What I think Martha's saying is if they're going to the drop box here and

[32:21] they're putting in one ballot, you don't know if it's their ballot

[32:24] » Oh, absolutely. We're hoping that you're being truthful, but we can't do that.

[32:27] » Right. >> And so, but at the same time, we can't

[32:29] do that. >> But

[32:31] » But that you need to take >> That's the situation if there was a

[32:33] ballot box some located somewhere else. >> We But we're more concerned about you

[32:38] dropping off more than one ballot. We can't tell whether you're dropping off

[32:41] somebody else's, but you are on the camera. And I will just bring up an

[32:43] instance of this. >> set That's a subset of a larger ballot

[32:46] set. >> Yes. Remember what happened in Monroe

[32:48] County? A sitting county commissioner who voted one day her ballot, and the

[32:53] next day was shown dropping off another ballot, and she's on camera, and she was

[32:56] dropping off her husband's, and she got dinged for it. That is the problem. You

[32:59] only, you know, I mean, this is all of us. We're supposed to be honest and

[33:03] truthful about what we're doing when we vote. You're right, somebody could play

[33:06] the game, but if you have one ballot and you bring it in here, you should be

[33:09] bringing just your own. Not some And And that's a state law.

[33:12] » No, I'm saying I'm not I'm not arguing it's not. I'm just saying that's a

[33:16] subset of what may happen with this particular issue.

[33:19] » we have a responsibility of that. That's what the Board of Election does, to make

[33:22] sure that this the law is followed and and it's secure voting, so.

[33:27] » Okay. Along those lines, I This has been going on for many years with um

[33:32] You had mentioned when it started. I don't remember when, but many years

[33:36] we've had drop boxes in many states.

[33:40] And there's been study after study, and

[33:43] there hasn't been these problems that you're talking about. One One example,

[33:47] yes, is out there, but the percentages for overall have been so minuscule that

[33:53] is it really worth taking them all out? >> But it's then of the logistics problem.

[33:58] Because somebody has to go every day and pick up those ballots. And it has to be

[34:03] somebody in the Board of Elections. We can't just authorize a sheriff's deputy

[34:06] to do this. And I [clears throat]

[34:08] I'm sorry. I I know you're I'm just going to be honest.

[34:12] You're not going to convince me. There's There's There's opportunities for people

[34:15] to vote. There's plenty of opportunities. More opportunities than

[34:18] we had 10 years ago, right? So, now we [clears throat] have a responsibility as

[34:22] citizens of this country to make sure that we get our vote in, whether it's on

[34:26] Election Day, whether it's coming here earlier. And that's I think that is It's

[34:30] time for people to be able to vote. >> I understand, but we have made it easier

[34:36] as a government body. >> And we have. Made it We don't need to

[34:39] make it any easier in my mind. We already have plenty of ways for people

[34:41] to vote. Without putting an onerous workload on

[34:45] our Board of Elections, having people question Well, we'll question you in

[34:49] this thing of who's dropping off ballots. That just puts even more

[34:52] suspect, which we don't need any more in our society, of whether our elections

[34:56] are actually um

[34:58] honest and that they're not being manipulated, right? We already read this

[35:02] every day in the paper. I'm not saying I buy into that stuff, but just doing one

[35:05] more step like this just adds more to that. Um and I think it's ample ways for

[35:10] people to vote. >> In your experience, have you found that

[35:13] there's been more problems over the years that you've been in?

[35:15] » Not here. We have no problems in my town.

[35:17] » But But there were other drop boxes other years.

[35:20] » Never. We've never had more than one drop box. It's always been a drop box

[35:23] there. >> Okay. Um

[35:26] so, the whole time there's been drop boxes, it's only been one?

[35:28] » Correct. >> In the city.

[35:29] » Correct. >> And you find that that works?

[35:31] » Yeah. Satisfies the needs.

[35:34] » Well, you don't know who didn't vote. >> Yeah, we don't know who didn't vote. Cuz

[35:38] there's a lot of people who >> Yeah.

[35:41] Okay. >> Anyone else?

[35:43] » I have one. >> Yeah.

[35:45] » Again, I'll do the questioning. My question is, you were quoted as saying

[35:49] you didn't consider a cost analysis of the

[35:53] detention center. And I wonder why that is, um given that DHS funding

[35:59] you can't depend on it extending from one administration to the next. And when

[36:04] this one is gone, what's to keep them saying

[36:07] we don't have money to to meet that need, and they don't detain people

[36:12] legally or illegally. You can debate that.

[36:15] But for the benefit of the county, since it's a a 30-year existing situation,

[36:22] that's plenty of time to plan for what could happen. And I wonder why you're so

[36:28] resistant. >> We're not resistant and we are doing a

[36:33] study. Um, we misspoke the last time because it's

[36:36] part of a larger study that we have um put in place for the county that's

[36:41] has started already. >> And the name of that study is?

[36:44] » Um, what does it stand for? It's stand. >> What does it stand for?

[36:49] » Strategic, um >> Strategic management?

[36:52] » They actually analyze They're going to analyze every department.

[36:54] » of PA. >> Um, in the budget in the county budget.

[36:57] » Did you say ED funded study of overall county

[37:01] um finances? >> And I did say ED.

[37:03] » EDC is Economic Development or DC? >> DC.

[37:08] » [clears throat] >> Thank you.

[37:10] » Anyone else? >> Sorry. Are there time limits on these

[37:13] studies? >> Well, this is this is funded by the

[37:16] state. This thing could take >> It'll probably be a year, I would say.

[37:21] » Yeah. They said it was a good >> It's about 9 months to be

[37:23] » I just wondered because some are open ended.

[37:27] » Scott? >> Yes, my name is Scott Fein, Milford

[37:29] Township. In regards to Mr. Weathers' statements

[37:32] about the correctional facility, I retired there after 24 years as the CEO.

[37:37] And for that place to be compared to a concentration camp is both greatly

[37:40] unfair and false. And it's an affront to the

[37:44] face of the people who work 24/7 to maintain

[37:48] a safe and secure facility, which it is. They receive

[37:53] nutritious meals, health care. They have access to due

[37:57] process through video court with an immigration judge. I know it. I lived

[38:00] it. And thank you, Mr. Weather, for pointing

[38:03] that out. >> And I'll I'll just

[38:06] and respond to both comments by saying anytime that someone is kept imprisoned

[38:13] for a civil offense in a criminal situation without any

[38:18] guarantee of due process, it's the first step that it takes.

[38:23] And you can say that you have the nicest illegal detention center in the United

[38:27] States. And the fact is, it's still illegal.

[38:32] If you violate the law, then

[38:36] » I am a criminal alien. They are illegally entering into our into our

[38:40] country. That's a crime. >> It's a civil crime. It is a civil crime.

[38:44] » It's illegal to detain under the laws. The

[38:48] federal government has the laws in regards to that. All we are is the

[38:52] holder of federal government telling us these people are detained under the

[38:57] laws. >> Then you are complicit.

[38:59] » No, ma'am. We're just doing our >> are complicit. And you make money by

[39:02] being a >> Yes, ma'am. Very much so. And if we

[39:04] didn't do it, some other county would do it. So, I think

[39:07] I think the commissioners have a fiduciary duty to take the contract.

[39:11] We've got $2 million a month to this county, saving millions of dollars in

[39:16] taxes for the elderly. I would flip it around and tell

[39:20] if they didn't take this contract, I think they'd be more liable for not

[39:24] doing the proper thing for this county. >> I hear

[39:27] » Because we keep having this discussion, I will say again,

[39:32] I wish that we did not have this agreement. I wish we never had this

[39:35] agreement. But we've had it for 30 years. And because we've had it for 30

[39:38] years, the residents rely upon the reduced property taxes based on this

[39:43] agreement. Whether we like it or not, >> [clears throat]

[39:45] » whether we like the situation or not, my role here, my role here,

[39:51] is to be the fiduciary for the county and the county taxpayers. However, my

[39:57] request for the study was to make sure that we could figure

[40:02] out a path out of it, right? So,

[40:06] without that knowledge, it's just it's a wasted argument, quite

[40:11] frankly. And you're welcome to continue to have it. I'm simply saying until we

[40:15] get the data, until we get the numbers, and I'm sure there are other people out

[40:18] there crunching their own numbers, right? And that's fine.

[40:21] You can't operate from just emotion. We have to have facts. And once we have

[40:26] those facts, then you can make You know what I mean? Like an informed path

[40:30] forward. But just say end the agreement end the agreement, it's like

[40:34] My role here I'm not talking just to you, ma'am. I

[40:37] want you to understand I'm not talking to you. I'm speaking generally that

[40:42] my role here, whether I like it or not, is to manage the funds of the county,

[40:46] right? And to make sure that we're solvent, and to make sure that it's an

[40:50] attractive and affordable place to live. I despise what's happening.

[40:55] But I also know that there are a lot of

[40:59] people in that facility that aren't there just for civil

[41:02] reasons. They've done some horrible things.

[41:07] » That's true. >> And so I'm just saying

[41:10] » Let's all just take a breath. >> And let these facts come forward. If

[41:14] something were to happen at that facility that goes against everything, a

[41:18] whole large group of people, some of some who sat in this room,

[41:22] took a tour, right? There were no arguments about how it

[41:26] looked, what was going on, how the inmates were treated. There were inmates

[41:29] literally walking outside among us, sitting outside among us. And anytime

[41:34] someone could have inquired, "Are you okay? Are you eating three times?" You

[41:37] know what I mean? And like I'm not trying to be facetious. There was

[41:40] opportunity to have any question answered. Warden and the assistant

[41:44] warden spent 3 hours with [snorts] the group.

[41:48] Ma'am, it's not directed to you. I'm I'm really

[41:51] speaking to the county cuz this is recorded, right?

[41:55] All I'm saying is you cannot like what's going on, but still have an obligation

[41:59] to do a job. And right now, I don't like that that's going on, but my duty here

[42:06] are all of you. And until we know how much increase

[42:10] you're going to pay in property taxes, should we decide to end it, a new board,

[42:14] whomever, or even a new administration comes in on the federal level and says,

[42:18] "We're done with this across the board." We just don't have it in Orange County.

[42:22] We saw it happen in New York State because of state law.

[42:25] We still have an obligation to unwind responsibly. Yanking that contract away

[42:30] and just shoving, you know, 30 to 40% of a property tax increase, I don't think

[42:35] that's fair and I don't think it's wise and I don't think it's prudent as a

[42:38] county commissioner to do. That's all I'm saying. And I have to

[42:43] find that balance and I'm asking, hopefully, that some of you out here who

[42:47] feel strongly, you have every right to, and in some cases you have every reason

[42:50] to. But, we have to find the balance, that's

[42:53] all. >> All I'm asking for is what is the time

[42:56] frame on finding a balance? I mean, >> We just said we just said we just said 9

[43:01] months to a year. >> Okay.

[43:03] » So, I think I'm just going to be You just did the study.

[43:06] It's a $13 million deficit in our budget. You know, and I'm just going to

[43:09] tell you because this Scott Brodeur brought this up on another side. You

[43:12] went up there [clears throat] and you toured this. This has been going on for

[43:14] 35 years. I'm going to say it as I've said it in other meetings. Four years

[43:17] ago, you could care less what was going on at that jail

[43:21] because four years ago there was a contract with just as many detainees.

[43:24] Eight years ago, there was a contract, people were in here complaining about

[43:28] it. 12 years ago, no one was in here complaining. So, let's just connect the

[43:32] dots to who's in the White House. Okay? No, no, wait.

[43:35] » They're not getting due process. >> No, no, they were all getting due

[43:37] process. And I know this for a fact that I won't tell you why. That is not true.

[43:41] That is not true. Keep This is not true and

[43:45] No, it's not. And that jail and then to come here last

[43:48] week and I'm just going to repeat again and attribute this place to be Dog Pound

[43:52] after you went there and visited. No, no, I know you didn't, but group People

[43:56] that were with you did. And that's insulting to us and you know what, Fred,

[43:59] you're going to speak and then, you know what, the meeting's over. I'm not

[44:02] discussing this every meeting. There's a study, the count the county depends on

[44:06] this. We have for 35 years and you know, in 35 years there'll still be detainment

[44:11] of illegal aliens in this country and then going to need to be held someplace.

[44:15] Fred, go ahead. >> So, [clears throat]

[44:18] to that point, I I love the selective outrage. Where was everybody in 2008 to

[44:23] 2016? Of the 5.1 million people deported by

[44:29] the Obama administration, 76% did not receive due process. No

[44:35] hearings, no nothing. They were shipped out and nobody said a word. Nobody had

[44:39] the little placards down there on Broad Street and and

[44:42] uh by the Dimmick stapled to a stick saying, "Hey, no due process, fascism,

[44:47] Nazis." Unbelievable. Concentration camp. I mean, it's just unbelievable.

[44:53] Here you are, 4 years, you got You hate the guy in the White House, so now it's

[44:57] a problem. You weren't there for 5.1 million people

[45:02] that were shipped out of here with no due process.

[45:05] » no idea what people did or didn't do. Now,

[45:09] » Well, you weren't here, so you know what?

[45:11] » All I'm going to say to that is

[45:15] we have to operate from information. We have to operate from information, you

[45:21] guys. We need a The county needs a contingency

[45:24] plan regardless of what sides you're what side you are on regarding this

[45:29] issue. The county should have a contingency plan in case anybody pulls

[45:33] the plug on it. We can't just operate that it always be here because we can't

[45:37] say that. >> It's been here for 35 years.

[45:40] » Correct, but 36 years can come and for whatever

[45:45] reason, it's no longer in place. The agreement is only as good as the

[45:49] signature and the date and the and the terms. So, we have 2 years.

[45:53] We know for a fact we'll have guaranteed funds for 2 years. We can't guarantee

[45:57] beyond that. I want a contingency plan. That's it.

[46:01] » And that's what I'm asking for the camera, when and if they can do it.

[46:05] » I'm telling you what the commissioner just

[46:07] said. Taxes are going up six mills. There it is. I don't I

[46:10] » And it's existed for 35 years. So, if you were really interested in something

[46:14] different, you would do something different.

[46:16] » Motion to adjourn. We're not going to get anywhere on this

[46:19] We don't agree. Thank you, everyone.

[46:21] » Thank you.

September 2, 2026 Commissioners Meeting

Transcript