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County ready for mid-term election

LEWISTOWN – County preparations have been finalized for the general election scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 6.

During Thursday’s business meeting of the Mifflin County Commissioners, Zane Swanger, director of elections and voter registration, presented an update on the county’s readiness for the mid-term election, including new voting precincts, changes in some precinct names and the latest voter registration information.

“The polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.,” Swanger reported. “The Mifflin County Courthouse lobby will be open at 7:30 p.m. for the return process. The county’s website will provide updates on the unofficial results.”

Swanger said the official voter registration for the county stands at 24,730, with 15,200 of those registered as Republicans, 6,800 as Democrat and the rest listed as “other.”

“We have had 268 new registrations as of the primary election,” Swanger added, noting the breakdown as 150 Republican, 57 Democrat and 61 others. He added there have been 100 direct party changes, with 31 switching to Democrat and 55 to Republican, along with 14 to other designations. Absentee ballots are up as well, Swanger said. He reported 286 absentee applications were sent out and 116 of those have been returned. “That’s 40 percent, which is pretty decent at this time,” he noted.

Swanger said the Brown Township voting precinct split has been approved and is in place for Nov. 6. He said many Brown Township voters have already been notified on which polling place, either the Reedsville Fire Company, 16 Firehouse Road, or Kish Valley Brethren Church, 99 Taylor Drive, they are to report to. He also said another round of notifications went out in the mail earlier this week.

Swanger said voters in Wayne Township will now report to the Tuscarora Intermediate Unit building to cast their ballots. He also noted precinct name changes in Armagh Township. What was once referred to as Old Armagh is now Armagh West and the former New Armagh is now referred to as Armagh East.

In other business Thursday, the commissioners:

¯ Approved three resolutions for the following: the appointment of Douglas Marks as Section 504 fair housing compliance officer and establishing a grievance procedure; re-stating the county’s fair housing policy and naming Chief Clerk Kathy Romig as fair housing officer; and approving the 2018 Community Development Block Grant application for funding of previously approved projects.

¯ Tabled a request by Register and Recorder Barbara Stringer to enter into an agreement with Infocon Corporation of Ebensburg to have several estate and deed books scanned and microfilmed to further review which record improvement funds will be utilized to cover the costs.

¯ Approved a request for exoneration of 2018 county real estate tax bills on two parcels located in Granville Township, one in the amount of $85.16 and another in the amount of 79 cents, for two mobile homes that have been destroyed.

¯ Approved an inmate housing agreement with Huntingdon County to house some prisoners for the period Jan. 1, 2018 through Dec. 31, 2020.

¯ Approved the 2018 State Homeland Security Grant in the amount of $472,804 to be managed by South Central Mountains Counter Terroism Task Force and shared with seven other member counties. Emergency Director Phil Lucas said the county’s share mainly goes toward first responder training and planning activities.

¯ Approved the 2019 holiday schedules for employees of the courthouse, prison and 911 center.

¯ Re-appointed Michael Krentzman to the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority for a five-year term.

¯ Appointed Michelle Fetter of Reedsville, and Christopher Wagner of Lewistown and re-appointed Cynthia Kennedy of Belleville to three-year terms on the Mifflin County Library Board.

¯ Re-appointed Donald Linn of Lewistown and James Felmlee of Lewistown, to four-year terms on the Mifflin County Industrial Development Authority.

¯ Appointed Michael Baker to fill an unexpired term on the Mifflin County Board of Assessment Appeals.

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