Butler County will reimburse nearly $2,000 to seasonal county park staff for their required background clearances.

Commissioners voted on Wednesday to pay $47.50 each to 41 employees who work at Alameda Waterpark and as camp counselors.

Gary Pinkerton, director of parks and recreation, said that a change in the law this year required employees to get an FBI clearance in addition to a criminal-background check and child abuse clearance, which increased the cost for employees by $27.50.

Pinkerton said this is a lot of money for summer employees making minimum wage. Additionally, he said employees who work a few summers in a row need to get new clearances every year because they technically halted their employment at the end of the season.

Commissioner Bill McCarrier, board chairman, said legislators should look at this requirement to make it more employee-friendly.

“It ought to be good for two or three years rather than having to do it every year,” McCarrier said.

Commissioner Jim Eckstein said the reimbursement is a good idea to attract good employees.

“Good lifeguards are hard to find,” Eckstein said.

Pinkerton noted that some lifeguards at the park stay for several summers in a row.

Commissioners also:

• Approved 27 contracts for CYS and juvenile probations services, which cover placement of children and counseling. The terms of the contracts run from July 1 to June 30, 2016. CYS director Charlie Johns said that nine contractors asked for cost increases this year, which he said were approved by the state.

• Issued a proclamation in recognition of Paul Gaudino, who retired after 44 years of hosting the “Paul Gaudino Family Fitness Show,” filmed in Butler. He soon will move to Florida.

Gaudino, 80, started hosting the show in 1971, and holds the Guinness World Record for having the longest running television fitness show in the world. He said he was “honored and thrilled” to receive the proclamation. He said he wanted to quit the show many times, but was encouraged by many people and continued to do it.

Butler Mayor Tom Donaldson also declared Wednesday to be Paul Gaudino Day.

• Approved a rock salt agreement with Cargill for the 2015-16 winter season. The county will pay $69.29 per ton of salt, which is a savings of $10 per ton compared to 2014-15.

• Heard a report on a bid opening for the construction of a prefabricated restroom at Winfield Township Community Park. The two bids were $182,239 from Freedom Enterprises of Cranberry Township and $174,572 from Fred L. Burns of Shippenville. Pinkerton asked for the bids to be tabled until the township can meet. He said that all funds for the project come from a state grant.

• Appointed 11 people to the newly forming Tri-County Workforce Development Board.

Those appointed were Neil Ashbaugh of Oberg Industries, Doug Bartosh of Unimach Manufacturing, Warren Capenos of Wall Rose Mutual Insurance Company, Scott Docherty of CID Associates, Melisse Maser of Butler Health System, Vance Smith of the Eagle Media Corp., C. Scott Campbell of Butler County Community College, Paul Reinert Sr. of Joint Apprenticeship Training IBEW Local 5, Art Cordwell of the Butler City Redevelopment Authority, Gail Steck of the state Office of Vocational Rehabilitation and Linda Schell of the state Bureau of Workforce Development Partnership.

• Gave permission for the district attorney’s office to apply for the 2016 DUI Task Force Grant from the state. The $25,000 grant runs from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30, 2016, and pays for the cost of municipal police departments to participate in the county’s DUI task force.

• Authorized the human services department to submit its 2015 Emergency Solutions Grant application for $380,492. The money would be used for homelessness prevention, rapid rehousing and renovations to the Victim Outreach Intervention Center’s housing facilities.

• Approved a 2-year “demand response” proposal from Direct Energy, in which the company would inform the county of stresses in the electrical grid and the county would respond by reducing electrical consumption. John Campbell, director of county facility and operations, said this could save the county $38,000 over two years.

• Approved a grant reallocation agreement with the state Housing Finance Agency to put $300,000 in the PA Housing Affordability and Rehabilitation Enhancement Fund toward the county Affordable Housing Enhancement Project, which will build new affordable housing units and rehabilitate others, and toward the county Affordable Housing Rental Assistance Program, which will assist certain people with housing.

Commissioners also approved submitting applications for $250,000 for an owner-occupied residential rehab program in Center and Oakland townships, and $25,000 for a rental counseling program.