The five-person board of directors has been formed for the Butler County Infrastructure Bank, and municipalities can begin working on their applications for low-interest loans.

The county commissioners on Wednesday approved the board members, who will oversee the lending of funds to municipalities for infrastructure projects.

The bank contains $500,000 from natural gas drilling impact fees received by the county.

The board will be comprised of Mark Gordon, the county chief of economic development and planning; Scott Andrejak, the county's chief clerk; consultant Michael Musser, who has experience forming an infrastructure bank in Dauphin County; and one representative each from the county Industrial Development Authority and the county General Authority.

Gordon explained that the authorities have experience in providing financing for municipal projects.

He said the General Authority handles tax exempt bonds for public entities and the Industrial Development Authority provides loans to small businesses in danger of closing or to preserve jobs.

“Their presence in (the infrastructure bank) would allow some level of collaboration across the county,” Gordon said.

He added that the advent of the infrastructure bank could drive economic development for transportation and other projects.

Commissioner Kevin Boozel said he is proud of the fact that the commissioners worked hard to get the appropriate individuals on the board.

“We made sure they were aware of the intent of the county and how they need to operate together,” Boozel said.

He said the commissioners' work stretched beyond the infrastructure bank and into various boards throughout the county.

“Since the past year-and-a-half, we've really dug into our 27 or 28 boards that we approve and discovered some who didn't really want to be on that board,” Boozel said.

Commissioners Chairman Leslie Osche said graduates of the Leadership Butler County program should be tapped more often for board memberships.

“As a graduate of that program many years ago, it's a valuable resource for us,” she said.

Osche said on Thursday that board member candidates should be qualified for the position and understand their responsibilities and requirements on the board rather than being chosen for political reasons or their associations with those choosing them.

“I've watched too many organizations in the county fall apart because of poor governance,” Osche said. “We're unwilling to see that happen again.”

Municipalities can begin submitting loan applications in December, according to Gordon.