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$5 fee to start in October

Lycoming County commissioners unanimously passed an ordinance enacting a $5 fee per vehicle registration countywide to begin Oct. 1 during their meeting Thursday.

The fee is meant to help the county repair up to 40 structurally deficient municipal bridges, depending on which municipalities choose to participate in the bridge bundling program, and each $5 paid will be matched by the state. The program will cut engineering costs exponentially by using the same designs for like-bridges and is optional for municipalities. Those that opt out will have to take financial responsibility for their own bridges.

Commissioner Jack McKernan said the commissioners recently attended a township supervisors meeting and took a poll of those in attendance — he said “well over the majority” seemed in favor of the program.

In another effort to save money, Transportation Supervisor Mark Murawski said an assessment was done on the municipal bridges that qualify for the program — 10 were found to be unnecessary in that they see very little use and removing them would not cause much, if any, inconvenience.

The county will give the respective municipalities the option to have them demolished on the state’s dime, he said, but will not foot the bill for replacement should the municipalities choose to keep those bridges.

Further, Murawski said another 55 bridges across the county are within five years of being declared structurally deficient. Without taking action on the current 40, the county will soon have closer to 100 bridges with which to deal.

“It’s a lot worse than I ever thought,” Murawski said. “I’m ready to get going. We’re not going to let grass grow.”

By August, the county should know which municipalities plan to participate. The fee will go into affect Oct. 1 and the first check containing the state match should come Dec. 1, Murawski said. A competitive bid process will be held in the fall to hire an engineer and designing will begin in early 2018.

Glenn Williams, a resident of Old Lycoming Township, attended the meeting to voice his opposition of the fee. Williams told the commissioners, “it may seem like just $5 to you,” but those little fees keep adding up for the senior citizens who live primarily off of social security.

The commissioners told Williams they’re “very sensitive” to the plight of seniors in the county, and enacting this fee will be the cheapest option for taxpayers in the long run. Plus, if the fee seems ineffective, the commissioners have the option of repealing it.

“This is the best way to spend your money,” Commissioner Tony Mussare said.

McKernan added that he would like to speak with state legislators about the possibility of lowering registration costs for seniors statewide, as Williams mentioned vehicle registration is free for seniors in Florida.

Todd Lauer, of Jersey Shore, said he is all for the increase and the commissioners are “right to do this.” Likewise, Jim Dunn, of Armstrong Township, thanked the commissioners for the bridge bundling program.

In other business, the commissioners:

• Approved a loss prevention grant in the amount of $15,000 from the county’s insurance program to go toward five automated external defibrillators, new video surveillance at the transfer station and replacing nine bullet-proof vests.

• Approved a change order to the Emergency Watershed Protection to allow the addition of 100 feet to the Slacks Run stream bank at a cost of $6,500 to be funded by the state.

• Approved the following personnel items: Andrew J. Lutz as a part-time replacement Pre-Release driver at $12.96 per hour effective June 19, not to exceed 1,000 hours annually; Stephanie M. Tribble as a full-time interim chief domestic relations officer at $71,605 annually, effective June 25; Mark A. Phillips as full-time replacement custodial worker at $10.84 per hour, effective June 26; Thomas Krajewski as full-time replacement community and economic development planner at $39,034 annually, effecting June 18; and Austin J. Dailey as full-time replacement subdivision land development administrator at $35,290 annually, effective June 18.

Commissioners McKernan, Mussare and Rick Mirabito were present. The next meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

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