Butler Eagle photo

Polling places and voting machines for seven newly created voting precincts were approved at the county commissioners’ meeting Wednesday, Aug. 30.

The action came after the county election bureau received court approval Tuesday to create seven new precincts in five townships.

The election board approved the new polls during the commissioners’ meeting.

Adams Township Precincts 4 and 5 were among the newly created precincts. The Precinct 4 polling place will be the township municipal building and the Precinct 5 poll is the Treesdale Community Center. The new precincts give the township five precincts.

The Precinct 2 poll, which used to be the municipal building, was moved to the LifePointe Alliance Church.

The new Connoquenessing Township Precinct 2 polling place will be the Pennsylvania National Guard Armory. The township used to have one precinct.

In Cranberry Township, Precincts West 7 and West 8 are new. West 7 voters will cast their ballots at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and West 8 voters will vote at the Victory Family Church. The township now has 11 precincts.

The West 6 polling place was moved to Lifeway Baptist Church.

Jackson Township’s precincts increased from one to two, and the new Precinct 2 polling place is Rock Lake Community Center.

In Middlesex Township, the number of precincts increased from two to three. The polling place for the new Precinct 3 is Crossway Community Church.

The new polls will have new voting machines and other equipment that the commissioners agreed to buy at a cost of $105,475 from ES&S.

Election bureau director Chantell McCurdy said the new equipment is compatible with the county’s existing voting equipment, which is also from ES&S.

The commissioners ratified several personnel moves including the hiring of Beau Sneddon as warden of the county prison at a salary of $103,659.

Ryan Markey was hired as a law clerk for newly appointed Common Pleas Court Judge Maura Palumbi, a former assistant public defender, at an annual salary of $68,063.

James Spriesterbach was hired as an assistant public defender to replace Palumbi at an hourly pay rate of $36.24.

Gerald Markle was hired as a detective in the district attorney’s office at an hourly pay rate of $22.80 to work with school districts in the county to address fighting and drug use.

The commissioners also reappointed Gretchen Clark and Warren Dixon to the Tri-County Workforce Development Board and reappointed Carolyn Paulsen and Larry Krause to the housing authority board and the redevelopment authority board.

This story was updated Aug. 31, to reflect that the name of Jackson Township’s new Precinct 2 polling place is Rock Lake Community Center. A previous version of the article had said it was Rock Lane Community Church.