The Cumberland County Commission held their monthly meeting last night by way of a conference call in according with guidelines for the COVID-19 pandemic.

Members approved a motion to make a determination on the record that meeting electronically is necessary to protect public health, safety, and welfare in light of the coronavirus.

Commissioners then considered the following resolutions:

RESOLUTION 05-2020-1 – Budget Amendment, General Purpose School Fund, Food Pantry Donation, $125. Funds were donated from private individuals to assist with the food pantry. The resolution was approved unanimously.

RESOLUTION 05-2020-2 – Budget Amendment, General Purpose School Fund, Maintenance Safety Grant, $15,900. The resolution to accept a work place safety grant to purchase roof access safety ladders was approved.

RESOLUTION 05-2020-3 – Budget Amendment, General Fund, Other Public Health & Welfare – Animal Shelter, $1,252.04. The resolution to accept funds from a private citizen to cover the cost associated with installation of an exercise area at the Animal Shelter was approved unanimously.

RESOLUTION 05-2020-4 – Budget Amendment, General Fund, Jail, $18,313. The jail has developed significant plumbing issues in the kitchen area. The cost was too significant to be covered in the jail budget so additional funding was needed.  The resolution was approved.

RESOLUTION 05-2020-5 – Budget Amendment, General Fund, $147,905.  Certain outstanding purchase orders issued in the prior fiscal year must be recognized in this fiscal year instead of having a payable set up. This was a technical correction required from the county budget audit and was approved unanimously.

RESOLUTION 05-2020-6 – To appoint members to the Cumberland County Library Board.  In an 17-0-1 vote (Commissioner Lowe abstained), Terry Lowe and Robert Schwartz was appointed for a second term of three years to begin on July 1, 2020 and to expire on June 30, 2023 and Joe Looney to be appointed to the Cumberland County Library Board for a first term of three years to begin on July 1, 2020 and to expire on June 30, 2023.

FINANCIAL REPORT

Cumberland County Finance Director Nathan Brock reported to the commission property tax collections are at 99.1% compared to 100.5% at this time last year.  Hotel/Motel tax collections are approximately 68.8% of the $817,283 budget as revised down due to last year’s collection. So far $562,649 has been received, but the COVID-19 pandemic will definitely negatively affect this line item. Prisoner boarding is at 60.6% of budget at $450,021 after nine months of revenue has been collected. Local option sales tax collections for the board of education came in at $710,630 which is $11,274 below estimated revenue. Overall, we are approximately $58,112 above the budgeted amount year to date. This is another revenue line item that will likely be significantly affected beginning with the collections shown next month. Emergency Medical Services (EMS) collections for the month were $411,202. This puts year to date collections at $4,195,902 which is $862,572 above budget year to date.