Lebanon County Commissioners act on environmental, beautification projects

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

Lebanon County Commissioners unanimously agreed Thursday to release over $200,000 in grant funding for 10 environmental and beautification projects throughout the Lebanon Valley.

That was one of two separate moves made concerning environmental enhancements at the March 19 meeting. 

Commissioners also voted to approve a letter of support for a Lebanon County Conservation District project at the Alexander Schaeffer Farm in Heidelberg Township to benefit water quality throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Marcellus Shale grants

A total of $202,232 of an available $250,000 was earmarked for 10 projects across the Lebanon Valley through Marcellus Shale grant funding, which commissioners provide to local grant applicants every two years.

Those dollars are given to counties across the commonwealth as part of Act 13, which was passed by the state legislature in 2012 through a fee that’s placed on natural gas wells, according to county administrator Jamie Wolgemuth. 

Although Lebanon County has no gas wells, it still receives a portion of those fees annually to use for local environmental and beautification projects, according to county officials.

“This is afforded annually, however, you have decided to wait for every other year so you can accumulate a little bit and have more of an impact with grant amounts,” Wolgemuth said. 

Before the vote was taken, LebTown asked about the funding formula for each project since the amount distributed to applicants varies. It was noted that the recommended amount for a project is based on “a formula that also contains a cap.”

Wolgemuth explained that projects are eligible for up to half of the project cost, to a maximum of $25,000.

The projects include the conservation district installing a super gage to help determine water quality trends of Swatara Creek and replacement of playground equipment at South Hills Park in South Lebanon Township and at two parks in South Londonderry Township. The maximum amount of $25,000 will go to the water gage project, which is estimated to cost just under $200,000.

Faith Bucks, chair of South Londonderry Township supervisors, thanked commissioners for granting $25,000 toward the $51,500 cost to upgrade and replace playground equipment at Squire and Londonderry Village parks.

Wolgemuth told LebTown after the meeting that Marcellus Shale grant funding is only released upon receipt of project-related invoices from the applicants. He believes applicants have two years to complete their projects.

Stream and floodplain restoration

Commissioners agreed to send a letter of support to the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation seeking Small Watershed Grant funding for the conservation district’s efforts “to construct a wetland, stream, and floodplain restoration” at a historic site in Heidelberg Township, which is located within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

The plan, according to the letter, is to restore 2,646 linear feet of the headwaters at Hammer Creek and more than 5.5 acres of floodplain and historic natural wetlands lost to anthropogenic impacts. 

The goal is to remove legacy sediment to return the site to pre-settlement conditions and create vital habitat while improving groundwater recharge, nutrient processing, floodplain function, and overall stream health.

“The proposed design includes floodplain wetlands with seasonal inundation hydrology that will provide high-quality habitat for shorebirds, wading birds, waterfowl, and a variety of migratory species during spring and fall migration. Woody debris and other natural structures will be incorporated to enhance habitat complexity and support reptiles, amphibians, and other floodplain-dependent species. The restored floodplain is specifically designed to spread floodwater across the floodplain and improve floodplain storage capacity. These elements will strengthen ecological resilience while reducing downstream erosion and sediment transport,” the letter states.

It also notes that the project advances the goals of Phase 3 of Pennsylvania’s Chesapeake Bay Watershed Implementation Plan by “achieving meaningful pollutant reductions through a collaborative partnership” and aligns with DEP’s Hammer Creek Headwaters Alternative Restoration Plan. The letter did not contain information about the total amount requested, projected cost, or when the project is slated to begin.

ICE 287(g) agreements 

During public comment, John Rose of Swatara Township asked commissioners to consider passing a resolution that would strongly discourage county law enforcement agencies from signing 287(g) agreements.

In Lebanon County, the sheriff’s office, district attorney’s office, and Cornwall Borough, Lebanon County Regional, and South Lebanon Township police departments have signed onto the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s 287(g) program.

The agreement is a formal contract between ICE and local or state law enforcement agencies authorizing local officers to perform specific immigration enforcement duties, effectively acting as “force multipliers” for federal deportation efforts. The agreements, authorized by Section 287(g) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1996, enable local police and sheriff’s deputies to identify, detain, and process individuals for potential deportation.

On March 5, members of the protest group Mondays with Meuser presented a resolution to commissioners to discourage local law enforcement from assisting with non-criminal immigration enforcement actions. 

“That agreement requires the sheriff’s office to operate under the supervision of ICE and to bear all expenses that come because of those – obedience and cooperation. My understanding is that ICE is promising to pay very generously for that,” Rose said. “However, there’s nothing in writing. And my experience working with real estate, one area of the law, is that if it’s not in writing, it doesn’t exist. So the sheriff is operating on the basis of a promise that has been given to him about the payment.”

LebTown previously reported that funding may become a factor since participating law enforcement agencies are responsible for the lion’s share of the upfront costs associated with serving as ICE agents. 

A provision of the agreement states that “the LEA (law enforcement agency) is responsible for personnel expenses, including, but not limited to, salaries and benefits, local transportation, and official issue material used in the execution of the LEA’s mission.” All of those expenses include overtime and some training costs associated with the program.

However, the program includes financial incentives. A fact sheet provided by ICE states that LEAs may receive $7,500 for equipment per trained task force officer, $100,000 for new vehicles per agreement, and reimbursement of salary, benefits, and overtime.

Rose provided a call to action as part of his comments. 

“You said you would have a conversation with it,” he noted, referencing comments made at the March 5 meeting, “and I hope you have. But I want to ask that you reinforce that conversation with the recognition that the buck stops here financially. And so it needs to be some very serious conversation and I ask that you do that.” 

Commissioners took no action on the resolution presented on March 5 and no additional discussion followed Rose’s comments Thursday. 

4-H Proclamation

In what was a busy meeting, commissioners also presented a proclamation recognizing 4-H Week in Lebanon County from March 15 to 21. Two 4-H members talked about their experiences, and an overview of several programs was provided by adult leaders during a short presentation to commissioners.

Other business

In other business, commissioners unanimously voted to: 

• Accept the treasurer’s report, including a beginning cash balance of $2,780,803.86, receipts of $2,055,489.84, bringing the total cash to $4,836,293.70. There were expenditures of $2,046,205.01, less tax claim of $112,276.96, for an ending balance of $2,677,811.73. That includes Friday’s county payroll. 
• Make April debt payments for three general obligation bonds. The 2016 bond is $174,192.67, the 2017 bond is $23,975, and the 2021 bond is $625,136.33. All payments are due by April 15.
• Amend the agreement between the Lebanon County Department of Emergency Services and L3 Harris in the amount of $380,000 for three change orders concerning the emergency communications project, specifically regarding construction of new towers and conversion of existing towers for the P25 Phase 2 System upgrades. This brings the project cost to $13,352,290.39, according to county officials.
• Receive a Title XIX grant for the Lebanon County Area Agency on Aging of up to $22,334 from the state Department of Human Services and state’s Department of Aging for the administration of services to older adults.
• Accept fiscal year 2025-26 contract amendments for Peace of Mind Aging and Wellness specialists for physician consultant services. It was also accepted that the county is no longer working with TopTier Home Care PA, which ended service to Lebanon County on Feb. 3.
• Accept the resignation of Katelyn Fetter of Londonderry Village, effective Jan. 20, as a member of the aging agency’s advisory council. Her resignation followed her acceptance of a new position in Lancaster County. In a related matter, Christine Hartman of Community Action Partnership was named to replace Fetter, completing her term through June 30, 2028.    
• Provide hotel tax grant funding totaling $5,000 to Kind Bird Events for their Stars Hollow FallFest at the Alexander Schaeffer Farm in Heidelberg Township, and another $5,000 of a requested $6,000 to the Friends of Old Annville for Historic Old Annville Day this summer. The maximum grant amount is $5,000, and the fund’s total balance is just over $500, meaning commissioners could not have provided more funding for the event. 
• Appoint Nancy Gates, president of Visit Lebanon Valley, to the America250PA committee in Lebanon County. Gates replaces Jen Kuzo, who retired from the tourist agency in December.
• Provide a letter of support to Lebanon Transit for the bus and bus facilities grant application for a new facility.  Commissioners had already voted to provide funding.
• Implement personnel transactions through Human Resources.
• Grant real estate tax exemptions to 14 fully disabled veterans or their families. 
• Accept the minutes of their March 5 meeting. 

After the meeting was adjourned, commissioners went into an executive session to discuss personnel matters.

Next meetings

Lebanon County Commissioners meet the first and third Thursday of the month at 9:30 a.m. in Room 207 of the county municipal building, 400 S. 8th St., Lebanon. The next regularly scheduled meeting is on Thursday, April 2.

There is also a planned meeting of the Lebanon County Elections Board on April 2. Those sessions are generally convened immediately following the adjournment of county commissioners meetings.