WELLSBORO - The Tioga County commissioners were questioned Tuesday about what they intend to do with the money the county receives from the lease of 329 acres of county-owned land to East Resources Inc., a natural gas company drilling in the Marcellus Shale.
The questioning started with Leon Kocher of Covington Township, who asked the commissioners if they were going to bring the decision to the floor for a vote on what to do with the $493,500 the county received for its lease.
Kocher also wanted to "set the record straight" in reminding the commissioners that he had asked to see the lease before it was signed and was told by the commissioners at their Feb. 9 meeting that he would be able to.
However, during the commissioner's meeting at Antrim on Feb. 23, Kocher noted that Commissioner Sue Vogler answered a question from John Kesich of Millerton concerning if they had made the lease public before it was signed, by saying "no one asked to see it."
"It's the people's money and I'd like to see it set aside and a quarterly report on how it will be spent," Kocher said.
Vogler said she didn't feel it was necessary to add another "layer" of accountability on how the money will be handled. She also said it has yet to be decided what it will be used for, just that it will go into the general fund.
She also told Kocher he could see the lease by following the "Right to Know" procedures set up at the courthouse under the Sunshine Law.
Kesich said he wanted to see the money split up amongst all the taxpayers and a check issued to each one.
"I can tell you right now that is not going to be considered," Commissioner Mark Hamilton said. "I think we can find other ways to use that money to benefit the taxpayers."
Kocher added to his questioning by asking, starting with Commissioner Erick Coolidge, if the commissioners had privately leased any of their property to East. Coolidge said he had, but it was a long-standing lease from the 1960s, to another company that then was traded to East.
"Not once in my term in office have we not been forthright and wide open with the public," Coolidge said.
Kocher asked Coolidge not to "take it the wrong way" and added that he only is concerned "there could be a breaking of rules when you have a relationship with a gas company or any company and you are not eligible to vote."
"You mean like a conflict of interest?" Vogler said. "We were elected to represent the people of Tioga County and I think we have done that."
Vogler also said she owns a "small amount" of property leased to East, and Hamilton said he is the beneficiary of a trust fund containing money from a gas lease on property owned by his father, but he doesn't own any leased property.
Nick Lalic of Mainesburg said he would like to see the money used to help county veterans, referring to a cutback in the Veteran's Affairs office last year.
"Some people think that since he lost his assistant, Tim (Cleveland) hasn't been able to keep up with the work," Lalic said.
Cleveland is the director of the county's Veteran's Affairs office.
Vogler responded that the downsizing was "difficult" but "necessary," and "extra help for Tim is not out of the realm of possibility."
Coolidge said it wasn't an easy decision to lay off 31 people in the department of human services last year either, but that it is "a harsh reality" for the commissioners in order to "address fiscal issues."
Lalic also wanted to know why the commissioners decided to buy a building for District Judge James Carlson without discussing it publicly and also how much it would cost to renovate the building.
The commissioners did not address the question.
The next commissioners meeting will be an "on the road" meeting at 7 p.m. March 25 at the Westfield Borough building.
