Lehigh County Commissioners agreed to support the 2023 allocation plan at their June 28 meeting.

Chairman Geoff Brace said since December 2022, discussions between the board and the administration have been ongoing.

“What comes to you this evening is not binding in the traditional sense of a plan,” Brace said. “This is more of a framework to say to the administration to go forward and help promulgate the legislation that will be brought to us to enact different parts of this.

“It continues to place a premium on mental health, human services and community-based activities.

“It has a couple of housing and homelessness-related services and represents two years worth of framed activity by the county to continue to build services we hope demonstrate their value and their affect in the community and can be in one shape or another incorporated into our regular operations as they bring savings to taxpayers as a result of their implementation.”

Bill sponsor Commissioner Ron Beitler commented.

“This isn’t spending any money,” Beitler said. “At this point, this is approving a road map that is the result of a lot of hard work by a lot of people to come together with this.

“Each individual item, when the time comes, will be brought before this board for a vote before any funds are expended.”

In other matters, the board voted to accept the 2022 financial statements, which had been presented to the finance committee before their meeting.

Commissioners also voted to extend the county’s contract with Zelenkfoske Axelrod to provide auditing services for fiscal year Jan. 1 to Dec. 31, 2023.

A motion to convey the board’s intent regarding comprehensive medical, dental, mental health and related services to inmates in custody of the county department of corrections led to a discussion about the balance of fiscal responsibility while ensuring the county’s inmates receive the best medical care possible.

“The reason why I’m voting yes is because we have a responsibility,” Commissioner Antonio Pineda told his colleagues. “This service contract ends at the end of next month.

“And, that does not give us the time to fully explore further options in relation to this.

“It’s irresponsible for me to not approve of this because there is no real avenue of exploring a new contract without not having the services that are required and are needed in our jails for the inmates and the people who are there.”

A subgrant to Lehigh Valley Baseball LP for commonwealth funds under the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program passed a first reading.

Beitler explained.

“This is our stadium,” Beitler said. “This is a lot of the conversation we had when we were awarding COVID money to the IronPigs.

“We don’t want to have an empty stadium that the county owns, so whatever we are going to do to support the IronPigs is a good thing.

“Our role in this is largely procedural.

“It’s a state program. It’s state money.”