HOLLIDAYSBURG — Blair County commissioners voted Thursday to adopt a hazardous mitigation plan replacing the outdated version that led to a controversy over management of the Blair County Planning Commission and a pending request for the state to examine the planning commission’s operations.

Commissioners Chairman Dave Kessling said Thursday that he would “happily approve” the countywide plan that took effect May 26 and will be in effect through May 25, 2031.

Because the prior plan expired in February 2025, the state was declining to award select grants to local municipal entities for lack of a current hazardous mitigation plan.

It was also alleged that if the county experienced a disaster, its access to state and federal disaster relief funds would be jeopardized for lack of an updated plan.

When meeting Thursday, commissioners Amy Webster and Laura Burke joined with Kessling in approving the hazardous mitigation plan that’s also being circulated to municipal leaders for review and adoption.

The lack of an updated plan came to light in February after commissioners sent a letter to four planning commission members and asked them to resign.

At a subsequent hearing in March, planning commission member Todd Lewis protested the request in light of his short tenure.

While commissioners subsequently allowed Lewis to stay on the board, it was revealed during Lewis’ hearing that commissioners were fielding complaints about the outdated plan and that planning commission Executive Director Dave McFarland repeatedly promised in 2025 that the plan would be updated. McFarland, who didn’t attend Lewis’ hearing, later referred to staff changes and shortages, his health and medical leave and the federal government’s shutdown as factors contributing to the slow progress on the task.

At a May 28 meeting where the Blair County Planning Commission voted to accept McFarland’s resignation and approved a severance agreement, it was also revealed that McFarland had been on leave since April 6.

Also on May 28, Kessling, Webster and Burke signed a letter to be filed with the state, asking for an on-site evaluation and detailed assessment of the planning commission’s operations.

The letter also included a review of the planning commission’s finances and fiscal sustainability.

“The purpose of this review is to better understand how the planning commission is currently functioning within its existing structure and to identify any areas of concern that may be impacting performance, service, delivery or long-term effectiveness,” the commissioners’ letter states. “We are particularly interested in receiving objective, professional recommendations regarding potential improvements to personnel organization, financial management practices and structural alignment with best practices in county planning operations.”

Mirror records show the Blair County Planning Commission was created in 1964 by the county and its 24 municipalities — the City of Altoona, eight boroughs and 15 townships — as an independent advisory board expected to meet regularly and weigh in on transportation, housing and additional issues that crossed municipal boundaries.

In the years after it was created, the Blair County Planning Commission took on the role of transportation planning as the Altoona Metropolitan Planning Organization. It also became the agency that regularly reviewed subdivision and land development plans, as submitted by municipal governments to meet their obligations.

Blair County Planning Commission Regional Planner MacKenzie Caron said Wednesday that the state has not yet advised the planning commission office about a time frame for the anticipated evaluation. But from earlier conversations with a DCED representative, Caron said there’s an expectation that the state will come through with the assistance.

“I think we’ll be in good shape to work with them,” she said.