The Lycoming County commissioners recently approved a $1.3 million Pennsylvania Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement grant agreement with the state Housing Finance Agency.

Jenny Picciano, community development/lead planner, said the grant will be used for 11 projects designed to address affordable housing issues in the county. Some of the grantees include the American Rescue Workers, Asbury Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, Lycoming-Clinton Joinder Board, Sojourner Truth Ministries, STEP and the YWCA, she said.

In other actions, the commissioners awarded a bid for the compensation study to CBIZ Compensation Consulting in the amount of $114,995. The commissioners also approved:

• The 2025 Community Clean Water Action Plan coordinator grant application fo the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for $100,000

• The 2025 action plan implementation grant application to DEP in the amount of $492,447

• An amendment to a subrecipient agreement with South Williamsport Borough’s Community Development Block Grant funds for 2021, which moves funds from Habitat for Humanity Acquisition in the amount of $41,956 to North Central Sight Services readiness, skills development program

• The annual Vertiv agreement with E-Plus in the amount of $7,380

• A three-year subscription renewal with Netwrix in the amount of $38,874 for data security

• A grant award pf $103,000 for West Branch Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission for a program at the county jail

• A sub-recipient agreement with the Lycoming County United Way in the amount of $195,505

• An emergency management performance grant agreement for 2024 in the amount of $60,498

• An amendment to an agreement with Geo Drug Testing for a price increase of 45 cents per test for confirmation testing

Kenneth Smith, Sam Aungst, Jeff Passerrello and Joseph Miller were approved as members of the county’s Emergency Planning Commission.

Under personnel, the following people were hired for full-time positions: Rion Withers, correctional officer at the prison, a union position, $20 per hour; Thomas Fuller, recycling laborer at Resource Management, $14.50 per hour; Ben Uccello, equipment operator at Resource Management, $18 per hour; Megan Strassner and Adam Malek, telecommunicators I at the 911 Center, $19.66 per hour each; Mark Miller, communications supervisor at the 911 Center, a transfer, $27,667 per year; and Mathew Yonkin, chief juvenile probation officer, a compensation policy correction, $81,140 per year.

The next commissioners’ meeting will be at 10 a.m. Oct. 31 in the Commissioners’ Board Room, 3rd floor, Third Street Plaza, 33 W. Third St.