Mahoning Township's board of supervisors discussed implementing a tax credit for emergency workers at Wednesday's meeting, but several important details must be worked out before it can get the ball rolling.

Act 172 allows for the board to provide a 20 percent real estate tax credit and/or a fixed amount Earned Income Tax credit for any volunteer fire and ambulance workers in the township. The credit would be provided to workers who meet the eligibility requirements, and would come as a rebate after filing taxes."I see it as a reward for the people that do a service for our community. I'm in favor of it," Supervisor Robert Slaw said.One of the major roadblocks for the credit revolved around eligibility standards, which the board would have to set in place.Chairman Franklin Ruch, along with the other board members, questioned setting a requirement that any emergency worker claiming the credit would have to respond to a certain percentage of calls within a year. Ruch, in particular, brought up the fact that the township receives the bulk of its emergency calls during the daytime, while many volunteers are unable to respond due to work.The act could also mean a significant increase in record keeping for the township, though the fire company currently maintains some of the necessary records."It gives Mark (Ebbert, the fire chief) more work, it gives Natalie (Haggerty, board secretary-treasurer) more work, it gives the tax collector more work, and it's all on our agenda," Ruch said. "But, I am definitely interested in this."In order to develop a more thorough set of requirements for the act, the board requested that Ebbert collect some information about the township's volunteers before proceeding."We would like him to put together a list of criteria that he thinks we should use, so that we would have a starting point. He would know better than we do when it comes to what works," solicitor Thomas Nanovic said.Other businessScott Klotz was approved for a position as a planning commission member. Klotz will fill out the remainder of Shawn Haggerty's term, which expired when Haggerty left the township.The fire company requested permission to pursue a Local Share Account grant to purchase a new brush truck. The board will pay the $100 application fee for the department.