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

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

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

• The Clean Water Community Action Plan 2025 Coordinator’s grant application to the PA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) in the amount of $100,000.

• The grant request for the implementation of the 2025 action plan from the DEP in the amount of $492,447.

• An amendment to a subgrantee agreement with the South Williamsport Borough Community Development Block Grant funds for 2021, which transfers funds from the Habitat for Humanity acquisition in the amount of $41 $956 to the North Central Sight Services Readiness and 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 $103,000 grant to the West Branch Drug and Alcohol Abuse Commission for a program at the county jail.

• A subgrantee agreement with United Way of Lycoming County 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 confirmatory 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 individuals have been hired for full-time positions: Rion Withers, correctional officer at the prison, union position, $20 per hour; Thomas Fuller, recycling worker at Resource Management, $14.50 an hour; Ben Uccello, equipment operator at Resource Management, $18 an 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, juvenile probation officer, compensation policy correction, $81,140 per year.

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