If the last three elections are any indication, Luzerne County Council candidates will need at least 20,000 votes to land one of six open seats in Tuesday’s general election.
Under the county’s home rule structure, voters fill either five or six council seats every two years.
In 2021, the vote tally for the five winners was higher than ever, ranging from 26,610 to 31,314 votes for the five winners.
John Lombardo, who is now council vice chairman, received 31,314 votes in that race, setting a record high.
Here are the vote ranges for winners in the other council races after home rule’s 2012 implementation, according to analysis of publicly posted election results:
• 2019 (6 seats), 22,950 to 28,588
• 2017 (5 seats), 20,138 to 21,415
• 2015 (6 seats), 19,487 to 23,892
• 2013 (5 seats), 17,226 to 18,980
Division head
The county received seven applications for the vacant budget/finance division head position, according to the county human resources department.
County Manager Romilda Crocamo said she is reviewing the three highest-ranked applications and expects to conduct interviews this week.
The position is advertised at an annual salary range of $115,000 to $125,000, and applications were due Oct. 27.
Mary Roselle, executive director of the Luzerne/Wyoming Counties Area Agency on Aging, has been serving as interim budget/finance division head since Brian Swetz left in August to accept a new position as Wilkes-Barre’s finance officer. Swetz had received $98,263 in the county division head position.
The compensation increase will be funded through the elimination of a staff accountant position, officials said.
Council must confirm the county manager’s division head nominee for a hiring to take effect.
Proposed hotline
During a recent work session, several county council members expressed initial support for Councilman Matthew Mitchell’s proposed creation of a hotline to assist municipalities with issues stemming from an increase in absentee landlords.
According to a proposed hotline creation resolution that may be adopted at an upcoming meeting, properties owned and/or operated by absentee landlords often have increased property code violations and issues due to the landlords “not being present to maintain the properties.”
The hotline would allow citizens to voice concerns about properties owned and/or operated by absentee landlords in their neighborhood.
“Whereas, in doing so, open lines of communications will be established for Luzerne County to communicate with and aid its local municipalities and share information regarding these properties to the benefit of all citizens,” the proposed resolution said.
Mitchell told his colleagues the data collected can be coordinated with the county’s blighted property committee when council appoints a citizen member needed for that panel’s reactivation.
Outside allocations
The county’s proposed 2024 budget, which does not contain a real estate tax increase, includes several ongoing outside allocations at the current dollar amounts, Roselle told council during a budget work session.
These allocations, according to the budget/finance office:
• Luzerne County Community College, $6.19 million
• Penn State Extension, $249,131
• Mountain Council of Governments, $5,000
• Luzerne Conservation District, $20,000
• Luzerne County public library system, $945,000
• County Transportation Authority, $753,309
• Hazleton Transit, $208,415
• Institute for Public Policy and Economic Development, $15,000