BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – The Jefferson County Commissioners heard from a Rossiter man who had plenty to say on the state of the nation.
Sam Serian – who operates a real estate company in Jefferson County and says that he own hundreds of properties in Indiana and Jefferson counties – said he prays for this country every day.
“You can tax people out of their homes, but you won’t have the money to tear them down,” Serian said. “I feel disgraced, so many empty businesses, the Pantall Hotel, the only place to get money is in international gambling.”
“Our fastest growing industry is prisons, it’s disgraceful. Put ‘em on parole, you’d save hundreds of millions of dollars. Spending billions on special education is a pure waste of money,” Serian said.
“And, the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, 28 years invading countries, butchering and killing, what have we got out of it. I could talk for an hour, but I appreciate you listening to me,” Serian said.
Commissioner Jack Matson thanked Serian.
“Thanks for coming and participating in democracy,” Matson said. “We must balance our budget; we’re not like the federal government, we can’t spend more than we have. We anticipate the state continuing to make cuts, and we’ll continue to make it work.”
In other business, the commissioners said they are still allocating $155,000.00 to the DuBois Regional Airport.
According to published reports, Clearfield County’s contribution is only $75,000.00.
The commissioners also approved three grant applications that the Hotel Tax Committee submitted.
They included $1,500.00 to the Weather Center in Punxsutawney for billboards, $1,500.00 to the Jefferson County History Center for Summerville historical signs, and $1,605.00 to the History Center for 2018 brochures and distribution.
County Treasurer James “Moon” VanSteenburg reported his office issued deer hunting licenses to nine service members during extended hours the day after Thanksgiving and the two days following, and two more on December 1.
VanSteenburg also said 2018 dog and fishing licenses are available.
The jail board also met, and Jefferson County Jail Warden Tom Elbel said the jail’s out-of-county inmate population for 2017 will improve the county’s bottom line.
“It’s at least double what I anticipated,” Elbel said.
The county, which currently has 14 inmates from other counties housed at the facility in Pine Creek Township, is paid $55.00 per person, per day for the out of county inmates.
The commissioners will meet again at 10:30 a.m. on Tuesday, December 19. The meeting was moved from December 26.
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