Commissioners postpone Liberty Hookup help, adjust CDBG $$ / By Martha Knight

SMETHPORT—Allocations for several community development block grants (CDBGs) were adjusted by the McKean County Commissioners at their meeting Monday morning, as funds left over from some projects were reassigned to others.

In 2011 CDBG adjustments, $48,300.86 was added to amounts to be used for paving projects on Riley Road and Fosterview Drive in Foster Township. $444.10 will go to Kane Borough for Recreation improvements.

Those funds were freed up from projects in Hamilton Township, Mt. Jewett Borough, Foster Township and Kane Borough.

Similar reallocations were approved for 2012 CDBG funds, where Keating Township, Liberty Township and Lafayette Township sewer lateral installation assistance for low and medium income homeowners had unexpended balances or could be reduced.

The $94,746.53 freed up was reallocated to the paving projects in Foster Township.

In one reallocation, commissioner chairman Joe DeMott explained, funds will not be used in the fiscal year for which they had been intended, but will be supplied in the 2015 CDBG period. He was referring to a sewer extension project in Liberty Township, which will not be completed until next year, so homeowners qualifying for hook-on assistance will still be able to apply, but a year later than had been expected.

Housing rehabilitation “HOME” grants originally targeted at very low income homeowners, 65 years of age or older, will be available to a more broadly defined group, according to another grant revision approved by commissioners. The area covered was that of the Keating Township sewer project.

Originally the 2012 grant could be tapped by seven homeowners, but only two applied. New criteria will allow the aid to go to homeowners at least 50 years of age, with low to moderate incomes.

The various revisions had been recommended by the McKean County Housing and redevelopment authorities.

Jim Herzog of Smethport made another in a series of presentations to the commissioners, in the public comments portion of the meeting, continuing his crusade for changes in the commissioners’ and assessment office’s handling of use value calculations applied to some Clean and Green (C&G) properties.

Herzog gave the commissioners  copies of a C&G booklet the county had provided landowners some years back, noting that Al Pingie had been on the board of commissioners then as well as now.

Referring to one portion of the booklet, Herzog quoted, “The intent of the Act was to encourage property owners to retain their land in agricultural or forestland use, and to provide some tax relief to land owners.”

Herzog then said, “My question to you, how can it be called tax relief to a forest owner when his $94 fair market value is assessed at $280? Would anyone like to explain this conundrum?”

Herzog said the booklet is very informative, but “if the statements are correctly used, it would be even better.”

Herzog mentioned that he had sought a writ of mandamus that would have called for the county to apply a decision that had set his forest reserve use value to $94, to 99 other forest reserve owners, for tax year in question. Denied at the McKean County Court of Common Pleas Level, the matter has been appealed to Commonwealth Court.

“In the wonders of the legal system, a preferential assessment becomes a penalty assessment,” Herzog declared, likening the reasoning he has encountered in his crusade to “Alice and Wonderland” thinking.

The commissioners declined to comment or answer Herzog’s questions.

Approval was given to a maintenance agreement with Karpinski’s Office Systems, Coudersport, covering two copy machines in the Adult Probation office, for $240 per machine per year.

Also approved was a payment to the Area Transportation Authority (ATA) in the amount of $15,255, representing their budget allotment for the current quarter.

Real estate tax exemptions were authorized for 183.85 acres of Pennsylvania Game Commission land in Lafayette Township, and for .04 acre at 85 Congress Street in Bradford, owned by Downtown Bradford Revitalization and acquired for blighted property redevelopment.

Ken Baldwin was appointed to the Headwaters R C & D Council.

The commissioners adopted resolutions proclaiming May Child Abuse Prevention Month and the week of April 27 through May 3 Childhood Cancer Awareness Week in McKean County.