Commissioners approved establishing an operating reserve fund.

By Mary Grzebieniak

Commissioners approved establishing an operating reserve fund.

MERCER, Pa. — The head of the Mercer County Veterans’ Advisory Council said the group will move into its new headquarters near the courthouse “as quickly as possible.”

At their meeting Thursday, county commissioners approved leasing the old warden’s residence on South Diamond Street to the group for $1 annually. The lease will automatically renew each year unless either party opts out within 30 days of the end of the year.

Jim Bailey, council commander, said members will go through the building to see what is needed and take care of matters such as insurance before moving in.

He said the building will give county veterans a meeting place as well as a headquarters for a telephone to be installed so volunteers can schedule the Disabled American Veterans medical van, which transports veterans for medical services. Bailey said right now he uses his own cell phone for this purpose.

In addition, county veterans groups that don’t have posts will each be given a space in the building with a desk and filing cabinet. Bailey said he also hopes to have a room where veterans can gather to play cards and socialize.

Commissioners said the advisory council, which takes in all veterans’ groups in the county, is responsible for the building’s interior maintenance, windows and doors. The county will maintain exterior walls and the roof and pay utilities since the building is on the same service as the old county jail that is used for storage.

In other matters, commissioners approved establishing an operating reserve fund and transferring $1.08 million into it from the general fund.

They said this will provide greater continuity in funding vital government services, support county operations in times of fiscal distress and develop fiscal resources to meet long-term needs.

The money for the operating reserve fund comes from leftover funds from 2007. Although county Fiscal Director John Logan had projected the general fund would break even in 2007, the final accounting showed that revenues actually exceeded expenses by $1.09 million. All but $10,000 of that extra money will go into the reserve fund. The remainder will go into the general fund, he said.

Logan explained after the meeting that while the county previously has put some surplus money into the capital reserve fund, there are limitations on that fund’s use.

He said the operating reserve fund makes the money more available for unanticipated expenses such as a recent notice from the state that it overpaid the county $35,000 for Children and Youth Services in 2005. He said the capital reserve fund currently has $3.8 million, and no major capital expenses are anticipated in the immediate future.

Commissioners also named Gordon Davis, Brian Durniok, Angela Palumbo, Dominic Vadala and Mark Wasser to three-year terms and Bruce Denniston and Robert Powell to two-year terms on the Workforce Investment Board. The board is a joint effort with Lawrence County.