Following the approval of a resolution involving a $50 million bond for Lycoming College, the Lycoming County Commissioners wanted to assure taxpayers that their tax dollars are not going to finance this and that all debt is the responsibility of the college.

Ann Pepper, representing the Lycoming County Authority, said that it was a “conduit issue.”

“Which means it issues indebtedness on behalf of eligible organizations and corporate companies which allows their interest income to be taxed except to the bondholders,” Pepperman explained, at this week’s commissioners’ meeting.

The authority had been approached by the college for the issuance of a bond issue in the maximum amount of $50 million. The bond will be used for various projects at the college and also to pay off previous bonds/

A representative from Lycoming College, Jennifer Mariacher, president of finance and administration and the chief financial officer, told the commissioners that the bond funds will be used primarily for campus improvements in the form of the construction and renovation of existing housing for students, such as installing air conditioning; as well as adding new programs, such as sports management and exercise science, a Master’s degree program in Education and restarting the nursing program.

The approval of the resolution came during a TEFRA (Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act) hearing in the meeting.

“Under that statute, if you have a municipal authority…you can issue bonds on behalf of a qualified education institution, hospitals…and in the hands of the bondholder, the interest that they get on their bonds is tax incentive, so it’s a tax code requirement, that the county’s role is simply to say this is a project that benefits our county,” Pepperman said.

“You have to get approval from somebody within the territory where the college is located who would look at it and say yes, we think this will benefit the college.,” she said.

All indebtedness is the college’s responsibility, which has to pay it off.

“All costs are paid by the college,” Pepperman said.

In other business, the commissioners approved: an agreement with Martz Technologies related to the Resource Management Services (RMS) equipment to be paid through operating expenses; agreements with Penn Power Group and Bergey’s Truck Centers for maintenance of specific vehicles at the landfill to be paid from operating expenses; an agreement with IamResponding and MyLocalSafetyPrograms in the amount of $3,368 for the Department of Public Safety to be paid from 911 tariff funds; an agreement with Marc Drier, Esq. for legal services or on the Board of Viewers on an as needed basis to be paid through operating expenses; an agreement with Dr. Richard Dowell to provide neuropsychological services at $180 per hour to be paid out of operating expenses; an agreement with Pinnacle Vending Group to place vending machines in various county departments with the county receiving a 24 percent commission; an outside agency request from JUMP (Juvenile Uplifting Mentoring Program) in the amount of $10,000 funded by grants; and an agreement with Paul D. Connor, PhD. for expert services for the Public Defender’s Office for the Troy Bailey death penalty case. The commissioners also approved several agreements related to the county’s technology department. They included agreements with: Intellichoice Inc. for software at $7,441 to be paid through operating expenses; GovAI Software Solutions LC for APO services funded through grants; a subscription renewal with CDWG for software in the amount of $4,267 paid through operating expenses; a three-year licensing agreement with SHI International Corporation in the amount of $191,761 annually paid through operating expenses; and three-year Volume Licensing Agreement with SHI International Corporation in the amount of $39,299 annually paid through operating expenses.

The commissioners voted to accept the Commonwealth Financing Authority Grant Agreement in the amount of $1,250,000 for the multimodal for the River Walk extension and to accept the third amendment to the Department of Community and Economic Development MAP grant agreement.

An amendment to the agreement with Larson Design Group in the amount of $25,642 related to a bridge project in McIntyre Township was approved. This will be funded through liquid fuels.

Under personnel, the commissioners approved filling the following positions at the pay rates listed: Kristin Perez, full-time operations and communications center administrator in Public Safety, $49,486 per year; and Vladimir Wilkins, full-time recycling laborer in Resource Management, $14.50 per hour.

The next commissioners’ meeting will be at 10 a.m., June 18 in the Commissioners’ Board Room, 3rd floor, Third Street Plaza, 33 West Third St.