The Lycoming County commissioners have actually been damned on social networks and swamped with e-mails from irritated constituents after offering 3 cats in the county’s land fill workplace expulsion notifications.
But the problem is a bit more intricate, according to Commissioner Rick Mirabito, who waded into the “cat fight” to explain the factor behind the commissioners’ demand that the cats discover other houses.
“We all love cats. We all love dogs and any other pets,” Mirabito said at the commissioners’ weekly conference.
“The problem is that we are also a public facility that is a place of employment. While it would be great if everyone could just come to work however they wanted to — whether it means that people who want to come in pajamas can come in pajamas or if people want to come and bring their pets, they could bring their pets — there is a problem with people who have allergies,” Mirabito said.
The cats in concern had actually been abandoned and were embraced by workplace employees at the land fill about 5 years earlier, according to social networks posts. The employees bear the cost of the animals, not the county, it was kept in mind in the posts.
The post was upgraded Thursday to state 2 workers have actually chosen to include the cats to their own households.
“An issue developed because we had an employee with such a severe allergy to the cats that the employee couldn’t go in the facility,” Mirabito said.
“They couldn’t do the job the taxpayers were paying them to do,” he included.
The decision to have the cats eliminated was made a number of months earlier, Mirabito explained, however obviously that was not interacted to the cat caretakers who specified that they were offered 72 hours to transfer their furry good friends.
“It isn’t some big bad commissioners who are trying to be mean to cats. It’s really about being able to have a public space where anybody can come, including employees,” Mirabito said.
“I hope the public will understand that sometimes we have to make decisions that aren’t always pleasing,” he said.
It was kept in mind that the commissioners had actually received 40 e-mails about the cat problem.
The commissioners authorized an arrangement of sale with the Pennsylvania College of Technology for 3 parcels — one on West Third Street surrounding to the transfer station; one at 3314 Wahoo Drive for the brand-new county coroner’s center; and 64 acres on Fritz Station Road near the golf course.
The arrangement likewise consist of the dedication by the county to extend public water to the college’s Schneebeli Earth Science Center on Allenwood Camp Lane and the underwriting by the county of the purchase of 2 brand-new Penn College squad car, according to Pat Marty, the college’s Chief Government & International Relations Officer, who spoke at the conference, applauding the general public personal collaboration in between the county and the college.
Other actions by the commissioners, approval was offered to modifications to subrecipient arrangements with the Williamsport Municipal Water Authority and the Williamsport Sewer Authority. Re-designating American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds so that the $500,000 allocated would be dispersed $400,000 to water and $100,000 to sewage system rather of being similarly divided.
They authorized an ARPA non-profit grant of $12,900 to Garrett Cochran Post 1 American Legion, and an ARPA water and sewage system grant of $80,000 to the DuBoistown Borough Cochran Avenue Utility Line Replacement task.
Other actions consisted of approval of:
• The 2023-24 medical support transport program involvement grant arrangement and guarantee of compliance; the quote for an election stove for the jail to Sam Tell & Son Inc., for $23,249
• A modification order with EnviroCan Systems Inc., in the quantity of $19,000 for demobilization and mobilization work at the land fill
• An arrangement with Monitoring Control and Compliance Inc., for gas work at the land fill
• A dangerous products emergency situation action arrangement with Eagle Towing and Recovery Inc.
• An change to a subrecipient arrangement with Cummings Township for an extension to a play area task
• A modification order with Elijah LLC for a timeline extension
• An information licensing package quote with Melillo Consulting in the quantity of $22,604.
Under workers, the commissioners authorized filling the following positions at the rates of pay noted:
• Ronald Weaver, full-time replacement innovation professional in the Information Technology Department, $22.39 per hour
• Robert Paulhamus and Zachary Baylor, full-time replacement correctional officers I at the jail, $20 per hour
• Kevin Rossman, part-time brand-new position correctional officer I at the jail, $20 per hour.
The next commissioners’ conference will be at 10 a.m. Thursday, July 27, in the Commissioners’ Board Room, very first flooring Executive Plaza, 330 Pine St.
