Forest County commissioners on Wednesday approved the purchase of laptops and portable printers to be used by county employees in the event they need to work from home.
The laptops, software and printers will be funded with county CARES money.
The county will contribute $2,725 of the CARES money toward laptops and software for the Human Services operations in order to keep the department mobile during the coronavirus pandemic.
The probation department will also be reimbursed using COVID-19 grant funds for the purchase of several laptops and three portable printers.
In addition, the county will use CARES money to buy six laptops and six portable printers at a cost of $9,298.
The laptops with enable county staff to work remotely when needed.
“The laptops and printers will be more secure than using a home computer and printers,” Commissioner Bob Snyder said.
The panel also approved an estimate from Apel Electric Inc. in Knox to replace and install new parking lot lights at the courthouse at a cost of $17,410.
The commissioners also hired Timothy Nease as a full time sheriff’s deputy.
Nease is a retired police chief from the Pittsburgh area.
The commissioners appointed Greg Geyer, Vicky O’Neal and Blaine Kuhn to the county tax appeal board for the 2020 assessment appeals.
