Mahoning Township's board of supervisors gave the go-ahead for a new ordinance that will grant a tax credit to emergency workers during Wednesday's meeting.

The decision is rooted in Act 172, a measure from the state's 2016 General Assembly meant to acknowledge and encourage volunteer emergency workers with incentives including tax credits. Mahoning Township currently relies on the efforts of 24 fire company volunteers and 13 ambulance volunteers."We're moving ahead on it," chairman Franklin Ruch said at the meeting. "(Solicitor) Tom (Nanovic) is going to start the ordinance."Act 172 provides two options for tax credits, an Earned Income Tax credit and a property tax credit. The board opted for the EIT credit, as it may be more applicable to newer, younger recruits who may not own a home in the area yet.Before the implementation of the credit, Nanovic will have to iron out some details for the ordinance, specifically in terms of eligibility.The original act dictates that those who wish to claim the credit must be certified as active service members, and be evaluated on the number of emergency calls they respond to, the level of training and participation in drills they maintain, how much time they invest in administrative and support services, and their involvement in other events or projects that aid their service.However, there are no strict benchmarks listed, so the township must develop its own guidelines.In addition, Ruch and the board were unclear about how the act would effect residents who volunteer outside of the township."They are residents, but they volunteer for a different fire company, and we don't know how that's going to work with the act," Ruch said.Next year, Ruch said, the board may implement changes to its ordinance to allow a choice between the EIT credit and the property tax credit. For this year, though, Nanovic and the board agreed that it would be best to work with a single strategy and learn the details before presenting multiple options.The board also gave approval for road master Nevin Frey to look into quotes for winter snowplowing. After evaluating previous years for service hours, the board decided that the township would likely require a truck and driver for about 150 hours over the course of the upcoming winter. Frey will be responsible for deciding on the truck size, which Ruch said will likely be either a 5- or 10-ton dump truck. In the event that costs exceed about $19,400, the township will have to put the job out for bid.The township's MS4, or Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, waiver and permit signing and submittal were ratified. The MS4 focuses on stormwater management through public education and outreach, public participation, illicit discharge detection and control, construction site runoff control, post-construction stormwater management in new development and redevelopment, and pollution prevention.