Schuylkill County Commissioners approved a series of spending measures, contracts, and financial agreements during their board meeting last Thursday.
The Public Works Department received approval for a three-year elevator maintenance contract with Reading Elevator Service of Reading. The agreement costs $15,756 annually and covers maintenance for the three passenger elevators at the Schuylkill County Courthouse from November 2025 through November 2028.
Commissioners also approved a $6,427.20 expenditure from the Records Improvement Fund to purchase a microfiche scanner for the Courts and Archives. The Records Improvement Fund Committee previously endorsed the purchase.
At the county prison, officials approved a $16,838 contract with McClure Company of Wilkes-Barre to repair a leaking radiant heating pipe in F Block. The work runs through Dec. 31, 2025.
In 911 Communications, the board approved a contract with Environmental Research Institute, Inc., of Redlands, California, for GIS mapping maintenance at a cost of $14,032 for the period of Jan. 4, 2026, through Jan. 3, 2027.
The county also renewed two leases under Engineering and Real Estate. The lease for the Schuylkill Haven Senior Center at the Schuylkill Haven Recreation Center will cost $1,901.88 per month through December 31, 2030. A second lease for the Pottsville Nutrition Center at 201 N. Centre St. will cost $3,950 per month for the same term.
The most extensive group of financial actions involved the Children and Youth Services office, which received approval for several agreements setting rates for foster care, residential treatment, and shelter care for the coming fiscal period. Commissioners approved an amended contract with TEGNA Broadcast Holdings (WNEP-TV) at a yearly cost of $32,760 for commercial advertising.
They also authorized six agreements with care providers for the period of July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2026. The approved per-diem rates include:
Pressley Ridge, Pittsburgh
• Level 1 foster care: $64.92
• Level 2 foster care: $109.85
• Traditional foster care: $89.30
• CRR services: $116.81
• Homeplaces residential services: $583.02
Bethany Children’s Home, Womelsdorf
• General residential: $453.48
• Intensive residential: $550.00
• Independent living: $721.16
• Shelter care: $550.00
• Supervised independent living: $768.47
• Transitional living: $711.95
Delaware County Emergency Youth Academy, Chester
• Community-based shelter care: $368.50
CHOR Youth and Family Services, Reading
Foster Care:
• Traditional/Level 1: $111.28
• Specialized/Level 2: $146.44
• SFC/Level 5: $271.50
• Safeguards foster care for children with sexualized behaviors: $237.98
Residential Services:
• Clemente Residential Treatment: $491.35
• Mathom House Residential Program: $600.65
• Easton Manor Residential Program: $641.66
Counseling & Evaluation Services:
• Lehigh Valley in-home services: $92.78
• Polygraph testing: $509.25 per unit
• Psychological evaluation: $2,625 per occurrence
Woods Services, Langhorne
• Autism/intellectual disabilities programs starting at $1,166.00, with higher-level intensive programs including:
– Challenging Behaviors Intensive: $920.00
– Challenging Behaviors: $625.00
– Psychiatric residential treatment: $1,425.00
County of Berks
• Shelter care: $540.90
• Independent living with a medical liaison: $668.52
• One-on-one supervision: $668.52
County Administration received approval for a four-year renewal of its auditing contract with Zelenkofske Axelrod LLC. Annual costs increase 2.5% per year, totaling $375,365 across the contract term from 2025 through 2028.
Under Human Resources, Commissioners approved updated occupational health and screening rates from Lehigh Valley Health Network. They also approved a $30,000-per-year agreement with Truveris, Inc., which will provide reporting and analytics related to the county’s pharmacy benefits beginning in 2026. The board also renewed life, accidental death and dismemberment, and long-term disability coverage with One America.
The board also approved the submission of a grant application by the Drug and Alcohol office to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency for FY 2025–2026. The proposal seeks funding for justice-system responses to substance use disorder.
Finally, Commissioners approved authorizing investment, checking, and savings accounts with Fidelity D&D Bancorp under the county’s investment policy.
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