In addition to addressing American Rescue Plan funding awards, Luzerne County Council is set to vote on a new union contract and fill more than 50 volunteer seats on outside authorities, boards and commissions Tuesday, according to the agenda.
The union contract is with assistant district attorneys/public defenders now working under a contract that expired the end of 2022.
Represented by Teamsters Local Union No. 401, the union had approved the county’s proposal. Council members are expected to be further briefed on the final proposal during a closed-door executive session before Tuesday’s meeting.
A resolution posted with Tuesday’s agenda said the new contract would run from Jan. 1 this year through Dec. 31, 2026. No other details were released.
In the past, the county administration has provided a summary of the proposed contract during the public meeting, before council votes.
County District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce and Chief Public Defender Steven Greenwald have both highlighted the need to address compensation for attorneys in their offices to help with recruitment and retention. They also have said they want to avoid a situation where the contract goes to binding arbitration.
The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation had emailed a letter to county council members in December expressing its “grave concern with the ongoing deterioration of indigent defense services” in the county.
The county’s court branch is seeking two outside attorneys, at $7,000 per month, to temporarily provide indigent criminal defense while the Public Defender’s Office is shortstaffed. The advertisement is posted on the Court of Common Pleas human resources section at luzernecounty.org.
Board appointments
Council has numerous board openings to fill, largely due to terms that expired the end of 2022. Citizen applicants must complete public interviews to be eligible for appointment.
In a few cases, there are not enough applicants to fill all vacant seats. Some citizens also expressed interest in multiple boards in case the one they most wanted has no vacancies.
Here is a list of the county boards with vacancies, the number of open seats in parenthesis and those currently on the eligibility list for possible appointment on Tuesday, according to county records:
• Convention Center Authority, which oversees the Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township (3) — Lynn Bartz, Donna Cupinski, Dino Galella, Joseph Long, Pat Patte and John Wilkes
• Flood Protection Authority, which oversees the Wyoming Valley Levee system (1) — James Delaney and Andrew Partash
• Housing Authority (2) — Vincent Fayock, Robert Wanyo and Rose Yarmel
• Redevelopment Authority (1) — Rick Williams
• Transportation Authority (1) — Lynn Bartz, Michael Cefalo and David Tosh
• Luzerne Conservation District (2) — Leonard Burger and John Wilkes
• Arts Advisory Board (2) —Donald Armstrong and Colleen Logan
• Children and Youth Advisory Board (15) — Robert Childs, Amy Lowell-Hart and Tyler Myers
• Community College Board of Trustees (1) — George Brown, William Lewis and Marie Roke-Thomas
• Convention Center & Visitors Bureau Board (4) — Brian Fischer, Carla Thaller and Michael Ward
• Farmland Preservation Board (2) — Blakslee Master and, possibly, Bryan McManus, who is scheduled to be interviewed Tuesday afternoon at a special meeting of council’s Authorities/Boards/Commissions committee meeting at 4:30 p.m. in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.
• Forty-Fort Airport Advisory Board (6) — Michael Berish and David Sieminski
• Planning Commission (5) — Karen Fleisher, Amy Lowell-Hart, Gary Swartz and, possibly, William Kane and Salvatore Marsico. The latter two are set to be interviewed in Tuesday’s committee session.
• Zoning Hearing Board (1) — Tyler Myers and Dave Williams
• Workforce Investment Board (2) — Michelle Mikitish and William Schabener
• Area Agency on Aging Advisory Board (3) —Mildred Passeri, Amy Lowell-Hart, Deborah Walsh and Joseph Yozviak
• Drug and Alcohol Executive Commission (1 student seat) — Tyler Myers
• Mental Health/Developmental Services Program Advisory Board (2) — Raelene Daring and Melisa Littleton
American Rescue
Council is expected to discuss federal American Rescue Plan awards at Tuesday’s work session instead of making a decision at the voting meeting, council Vice Chairman John Lombardo said Monday.
A decision on the award of $60 million to 75 outside entities that received the highest scores was originally scheduled for the voting session.
However, Lombardo said he believes most, if not all, of the 11 council members want more time to discuss options.
Councilman Tim McGinley said Monday that he and other colleagues are looking at the overall process and “hopefully will come up with a better distribution plan.”
Council members individually scored all 139 applicants through an online portal after agreeing not to collaborate with each other. After the names of entities that made the cut were released last week, some council members have been questioning the results.
Tuesday’s meeting starts at 6 p.m. at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre. Instructions for remote attendance are posted under council’s online meeting link at luzernecounty.org.