Crawford County commissioners approve $4.13 million in bills, ratify contracts and emergency hires; retirement board delays COLA

Crawford County commissioners on Nov. 26 approved more than $4.13 million in bills and a series of routine contracts and ratifications, while the county retirement board voted not to increase a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for retirees at this time.

The board authorized payment of $4,130,432.86 for the period ending Nov. 25, 2025, and approved a slate of vendor contracts and maintenance agreements. Items approved at the full session included a maintenance and supply agreement with Hagan Business Machines for courthouse copier service; two five-year Thomson Reuters subscriptions for law library print materials (one at $81.66 per month with a 4% annual increase; a second at $3,176.07 per month with a 4% annual increase); and several non-budgeted emergency repairs at the correctional facility.

Correctional facility ratifications included a $366.92 payment for emergency refrigeration repairs to the kitchen cooler, $893.65 to HRI Commercial Food Services for dishwasher repairs, and $2,980 to Canada Security for replacement of two restricted-housing cameras damaged by an inmate. The board also ratified a courthouse remodeling invoice for Courtroom No. 3 for $2,646.21 and a housing-rehab payment of $23,972.93 to QRS Construction for homeowner #031 under the whole-home repair program.

Finance staff presented two scheduled Judicial Center loan payments to Erie Bank — $292,789.07 on the 2016 loan and $414,837.71 on the 2015 loan — and the board approved a contract with the county’s auditors (referred to in the record as mayor Dussell/our auditors) to conduct single audits for the next four years.

The planning office requested several program payments tied to workforce and housing initiatives: reimbursement to vote heating and cooling for two HVAC reimbursements totaling $3,200 (funded from whole-home repair), a $720 training-wage reimbursement associated with workforce and retention (identified in the record as a FERC instruction reimbursement), and payout No. 3 to Genesis Roofing and Construction for $52,625 for work at the Meadville Central Fire Station funded from Meadville CDBG funds. The board approved those items on roll calls.

On personnel matters, the salary board ratified an emergency hire in the correctional facility: Christine Bell was added as a correctional officer effective Nov. 17, 2025, at $17 per hour. In the retirement board meeting, members approved withdrawing the retirement of Christine Mahler as requested and authorized payment of GRS invoice #497286 for November 2025 actuarial services ($2,304) from the retirement checking account.

The retirement board also reviewed an actuary’s estimate that implementing a COLA would add about $1.8 million in liabilities, to be funded over five years — roughly $449,931 annually added to the county’s annual required contribution (ARC). After discussion, a motion to defer increasing the COLA was made and carried by voice vote; the board did not adopt a COLA at this meeting.

Commissioner Seeley, in a period of commissioner comments, noted that the county had certified the municipal election results and thanked voter services staff for their work. The board closed with routine adjournments. The county has scheduled a work session for Dec. 3 and a full session for Dec. 10.

What was decided: the board approved the listed payments, contracts and ratifications; the salary board ratified an emergency correctional hire; and the retirement board voted against adopting a COLA at this time.

What comes next: routine follow-up and financial processing for the approved payments and contracts; no further action on a COLA was scheduled at this meeting.