County contributes to road projects
The county is providing $250,000 from the fee it added to state vehicle registration fees to five municipal road projects that cost $2.8 million.
At their meeting Wednesday, the county commissioners voted to provide $50,000 to each of the projects from the $5 fee the commissioners added to the state’s vehicle registration fee under Act 89 beginning in 2018.
The projects are a culvert replacement at the intersection of Center and Breakneck streets in Callery; creation of an emergency access road and sidewalk in Jackson Township; rehabilitation of Yellow Creek Road in Muddy Creek Township; replacement of traffic lights and signage at the intersection of Route 8 and Airport Road in Penn Township; and installation of storm sewers and a guardrail, and widening of Keister Road in Slippery Rock Township.
Commissioner Kevin Boozel said the money being provided will help the municipalities meet their project funding match requirements.
“These five projects have a total of $2,855,000. So by us having the $250,000, they’re receiving over $1.2 million in grants with these projects,” said Kevin Gray of the county planning department.
He said the county contacts municipalities and asks them to apply for money for road projects from the Act 89 fund, and five applications were received this year.
According to the county’s latest Act 89 report, which covers 2022 and was filed in February 2023, the fund contained $3.9 million.
In unrelated business, the commissioners approved two resolutions committing $70,245 and $34,890 in matching funds to the Butler Transit Authority for operating or capital expenses from July 1 this year to June 30, 2025.
The resolutions are needed for authority grant applications. The county receives $24,890 from Butler Township, Jackson Township, Center Township and Evans City toward the $34,890 match.
The commissioners also granted permission to the planning commission to advertise for and hold a public hearing before its April 17 meeting on proposed amendments to the ordinance governing the decommissioning of solar and wind energy systems.
The amendments would require owners or operators to file decommissioning plans that include removal of all equipment and hazardous materials, and site restoration, and post a decommissioning bond that covers the total decommissioning cost.
The planning commission will then seek the commissioners’ approval of the amendments at their April 27 meeting.
