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Hughesville to tackle combining wards in 2019

HUGHESVILLE — The borough will consider combining its two wards in an effort to save costs for a mandatory update of voting machines with federal mandates, according to Solicitor Ryan Tira.

Tira said by 2020, all voting machines must be updated.

Because of this, Forrest K. Lehman, the Lycoming County director of elections and registration, asked Hughesville to consider combining the borough’s two wards into a single one, which will allow the county to buy less machines.

“The machines cost about $10,000 and so each one they can eliminate saves the county (money),” Council President Walter Reed said. The borough uses four machines, but would along need one if the wards combined, he said.

Mayor Rick Smith mentioned that it is getting difficult to find and pay people to run the voting machines. He said having less machines, would be less people to pay which would save money.

Councilman Dan Cale asked if any ordinances would need to change, specifically regarding which ward a councilperson is from. Tira said this would “simplify things.”

Reed admitted he was interested in hearing the opinion of the public regarding this issue.

Council will address the issue again at its February 2019 meeting.

In another matter, a $127,000 state grant was accepted by the borough to help fund erosion damage along Muncy Creek.

“It is a quarter of what we need now,” Smith said.

Reed said an agreement was made between the borough, Wolf Township, the Hughesville Water Authority and members of the Hughesville Camp Meeting Association to solve the creek’s erosion problems.

Smith said an engineer estimated it would cost $418,000 to put riprap on the creek to prevent further deterioration. Reed said these repairs would protect a borough pump house and the northeast end of the borough. He added that $100,000 from each organization, along with the state grant, would be enough to complete the repairs.

The Camp Meeting Association has committed funding to the project as well, Reed said.

The borough has met with representatives from Federal Emergency Management Agency for assistance, but still are awaiting a response.

The borough also has asked for the involvement of the Lycoming County Commissioners, Reed said.

Smith added that at 10 a.m. Oct. 17 the four groups affected by Muncy Creek will meet with the Army Corps of Engineers as well as the state Department of Environmental Protection.

“We’re getting to the point where something needs to be done, and if we don’t do something soon it’s gonna be next spring before anything can be done and it might be too late,” Reed said.

In other business, the borough council discussed the wording of a food truck ordinance that was drafted by Tira. Questions arose about how far food trucks could park from brick and mortar restaurants, concerns about safety on Main Street as well as the food trucks interaction with private properties.

Councilwoman Brenda Smith was concerned that the wording could be problematic for food trucks in use on the Lycoming County Fairgrounds.

Tira agreed to continue to work on the draft of the ordinance.

“I will make these revisions. That’s the purpose of this discussion,” Tira said.

Council members in attendance were Cale, Reed, Brenda Smith Jerry Daugherty, Todd McCowan and Andrew Mook.

The next borough council meeting will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 at 147 S. Fifth St.

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