Fayette County
Commissioners ponder ‘zero cost’ contract The Fayette County commissioners will consider awarding a “zero cost” contract to a national firm to help reduce the county’s phone bills.
Commissioners unanimously agreed at Tuesday’s agenda meeting to consider a contract for phone monitoring services with Abilita, a telecommunications and technology consulting firm with offices across the country, at no cost to the county at Thursday’s regular meeting.
Controller Sean P. Lally said many companies called to inquire about the zero cost contract, but Abilita was the only one to respond to the request for proposals.
“I got many calls,” Lally said.
Abilita would keep 35 percent of any savings they found for the county for four years and 50 percent of any overages they find, he said.
In May, when the commissioners authorized Lally to seek proposals for phone service auditing, he said the county spent $340,000 for all telecommunication services in 2009.
Another motion concerning the controller’s office that the commissioners agreed to consider Thursday would amend the county’s contract with a Harrisburg firm for an accounting and auditing manager.
Lally requested that the contract with Susquehanna Group Advisors be amended to include auditing and account manager training, Government Accounting Standards Board training and other training. He said those services are outside the scope of the existing contract.
The county would have to pay the manager $150 an hour with the total amount not to exceed $16,500.
Lally said a lot of work and training, which is more in-depth than he anticipated, has to be done this year.
In an unrelated matter, the commissioners agreed to consider a recommendation from the planning commission to create a land-use zoning overlay of the Mon-Fayette Expressway interchange in Springhill Township.
Sara Rosiek of the office of planning, zoning and economic development said the county would have to advertise for bids for a consultant to create the overlay.
Commissioner Angela Zimmerlink said hiring a consultant was not budgeted and a cost estimate is needed. She asked Rosiek to look for grant money to cover the cost.
Vicites said the overlay is needed regardless of whether grant money is available to accelerate development around the interchange.
The commissioners agreed to consider another request from the planning and zoning office.
Rosiek asked the commissions to approve a proposed Act 167 storm water management plan that was presented at a June 24 hearing.
She said each municipality in the county must approve a storm water management ordinance after the state Department of Environmental Protection approves the county’s plan.
For Fayette Area Coordinated Transportation (FACT), the commissioners agreed to consider a maintenance agreement for a park-and-ride facility in North Union Township and to advertise for proposals for the purchase and installation of bus shelters at various locations.
FACT Director Lori Groover-Smith said the proposed maintenance agreement between the county, township and the state Department of Transportation calls for the township to handle snow removal from the 100-parking-space lot at the intersection of Pittsburgh Road and the Expressway.
PennDOT would provide and install the shelter and the county would pay the electric bill for lighting and clean trash from the site, she said.
Vicites said the site is a good location for a park and ride for county veterans who ride FACT buses to Pittsburgh for medical appointments.
Regarding the bus shelters, Groover-Smith said she didn’t have the complete list of where they would be installed, but some of the locations would be Dunbar, Uniontown Hospital, Fayette County Housing Authority senior citizen high-rise apartments and Connellsville.
The commissioners also agreed to consider:
n Ratifying an $116,467 grant application to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency to continue operating the Fayette County Treatment Court from Oct. 1 this year through Sept. 30, 2011.
n Offering evening programs to teach candidates and others how to fill out campaign finance expense reports in August.