MIDDLEBURG — Snyder County saved more than $40,000 last year by replacing two employees with a GIS company contract, and the commissioners are looking to continue those savings in 2011.
They approved on Tuesday a $56,000 contract with GIS Tech Solutions Inc. to provide on-site GIS support services to the county.
While developing the 2010 budget, the commissioners eliminated the director and clerical position for the county’s GIS project. The work instead was to be completed, through a contract, by this company, formerly named Pocono GIS. They were expecting to save at least $30,000.
Commissioner Joe Kantz said the contract went up about $2,000 to $3,000 this year, but the company also is doing more work.
GIS Tech Solutions provides such services as validating residential addresses for 911 records and merging assessment records. An online map at snydercounty.org displays information such as municipal boundaries, location of school districts, zip codes and flood plains in the county.
Kantz said much more can be offered through the service. He personally would like to see the map include a regularly updated layer for land set aside for agricultural preservation.
Also on Tuesday, the commissioners approved attorney agreements for the public defender’s office for 2011. The contracted agreements remain the same as last year, with Bob Steinberg as the assistant public defender at $1,833 a month and two attorneys who will be on hand to take cases when conflicts arise, such as when a public defender knows someone on trial or there are co-defendants in a particular case. The two attorneys contracted again this year, at the same rates, are Rachel Wiest-Benner at $1,633 a month and Jim Best at $2,033 a month.
According to Commissioner Malcolm Derk, if the conflicts counsels were not contracted, attorneys would have to be brought in at an hourly rate when these situations occur, and that cost could be high.
The positions were put in place by former Judge Harold Woelfel several years ago, the commissioners said.
In other business, it was announced that the three commissioners, who are running for election, will be replaced by the following on the county election board: Harvey Kreamer Jr. for Derk, Earl Ferster for Kantz and Richard Bickhart for Peggy Chamberlain Roup.
The commissioners announced a deadline of 3 p.m. Feb. 14 for people interested in submitting bids to buy a 1995 Jeep Cherokee Laredo and a 1997 Dodge Ram 1500 SLT Laramie. Kantz said they are no longer used by the county.
The truck had been used for the West Nile virus program, which has been eliminated by the state, and the Jeep was used for tax assessment and GIS.
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Snyder County saves $40,000
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