WESTMORELAND COUNTY RETURNS PART OF FEDERAL GRANT

Westmoreland County has returned nearly three-quarters of a federal grant meant to pay for mobile backups for the county’s 911 dispatch system.  The Trib reports that bookkeeping errors impacted the $529,000 project to purchase the portable dispatch units that would be used if public safety services was forced to evacuate their operations center in Hempfield Township.  Public Safety Director Roland Mertz said the county erroneously believed it could draw from the funds to pay the bills as the project continued, but later determined that process did not meet the government’s requirements for how the money could be spent.  While the county is returning over $339,000, the county can reapply for it.