CLEARFIELD – The Clearfield County Commissioners approved a resolution to pay its local funding match to the Area Transit Authority (ATA) at Tuesday’s regular meeting.
The ATA operates under a fiscal year; the funds are for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2015, said Commissioner Joan Robinson-McMillen, chair.
The commissioners, according to Robinson-McMillen, have held off on the resolution, which has already been approved by other ATA member counties.
“We have been working very hard with ATA to address some concerns in regards to service for the amount of funding they receive,” she said. “I feel confident that we’re moving in the right direction.”
She said the commissioners have engaged in discussions with the ATA director and route coordinator. Their discussions, she said, focused on the addition of routes beyond those that “just ride around the Clearfield area.”
According to Robinson-McMillen, the commissioners would like to see the ATA’s mass transit services become more accessible to everyone in the county, including those in the outlying communities.
She said they would like to establish a route to enable people in Houtzdale to come to Clearfield and from there transfer to DuBois. She said on other days, they would like to have routes bringing people in from Kylertown and Burnside areas.
“We are, according to Act 44, required to give $141,472 to mass transit; of that, $124,603 goes to the ATA,” she said. “It’s my opinion that it’s quite a big chunk of change if we are not servicing all of the areas of the county.”
Commissioner John A. Sobel said the county’s relationship with the ATA has been painful the past few years. But, like Robinson-McMillen, he believes it’s headed in the right direction to the credit of both the ATA and the commissioners.
He noted the commissioners engaged the ATA also due to the reconfiguration of healthcare in Clearfield County with Penn Highlands. He said the commissioners would like to have ATA provide bus routes to and from Penn Highlands DuBois.
“It’s been important to this board to work with the ATA to identify the consumers of need in the outlying areas of the county,” said Commissioner Mark B. McCracken. “Those are important efforts with the changing dynamics of our county.”
The commissioners noted that the ATA has been very cooperative and they are hopeful to receive new route proposals from the ATA.
In other business, Solicitor Kim Kesner reported he’d engaged in a meeting with Jennifer Wooster, the county’s assessment director, and members of the Assessment Appeals Board regarding the Wal-Mart appeal.
Prior to the end of last year, the commissioners approved filing an appeal regarding the Assessment Appeals Board’s decision on the Wal-Mart assessments, he said.
At that time, Kesner said he advised the commissioners that he had a conflict in that he normally represents the commissioners and the Assessment Appeals Board.
He said the commissioners subsequently elected to hire independent counsel who prepared and filed an appeal. Among the purposes of his recent meeting, he said, was to notify the Assessment Appeals Board of his conflict.
He said that he advised the Assessment Appeals Board that it does have the right to independent counsel. However, he said the Assessment Appeals Board wished to retain him as counsel for the Wal-Mart matter.
He said the commissioners must grant consent for him to represent the Assessment Appeals Board. The commissioners proceeded to vote and approve for Kesner to represent the Assessment Appeals Board in the Wal-Mart matter.
The Wal-Mart appeal is currently pending at this time, said Kesner.
