Luzerne County Council is set to vote Tuesday on a legal settlement stemming from a 2023 county female prison inmate death, the agenda said.
The county would pay $150,000 toward the $300,000 settlement with the estate of the deceased inmate, Mercedes L. Alaimo, the agenda said. The estate is administered by Holly Baldwin.
Alaimo’s estate had threatened to file litigation in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania against the county and prison inmate medical services provider WellPath LLC alleging violations stemming from her February 2023 suicide, the agenda said.
Earlier this month, a council majority had approved another $300,000 settlement tied to a prison inmate suicide. That settlement was with Kristen LaSalle’s estate to end litigation her estate had threatened to file in federal court related to her January 2023 suicide. The county agreed to pay half, while the remainder was to be covered by WellPath.
Tuesday’s council meeting is at 6 p.m. in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre, followed by regular and budget work sessions. Instructions to attend remotely are posted under council’s online meetings section at luzernecounty.org.
Law office
Tuesday’s meeting includes introduction of a budget amendment ordinance transferring $600,000 to the county law division.
The division’s request said the extent of new litigation and settlements is difficult to predict when the budget is drafted.
It was again “plagued” with election litigation costing nearly $400,000 in 2024 in addition to the two prison settlement cases, the agenda said.
After introduction, ordinances require a public hearing and majority vote at a future meeting to take effect.
Condemnation
Council may vote on a resolution approving the initiation of condemnation proceedings against Midway Center LLC, the agenda said.
Midway Center owns land in Wyoming borough adjacent to the county-owned Wyoming Valley Airport that is “required for approach protection necessary for airport operations,” the proposed resolution said. It said “circumstances have arisen” warranting the county’s initiation of eminent domain proceedings.
If council does not pass the resolution, the airport “will not be able to operate appropriately,” the agenda said.
Sterling parkade
The voting agenda also includes a decision on whether council will cancel a $2 million federal American Rescue Plan Act allocation for a parkade at the former Hotel Sterling site in Wilkes-Barre.
There’s an urgency for council to confirm plans for all outstanding American Rescue awards because council will be significantly limited in how it can reprogram the original funds after Dec. 31, officials have said.
Council had earmarked the parkade funds to the Wilkes-Barre’s Industrial Development Authority.
Authority representative Larry Newman had said an entity that may provide $1 million in funding toward the $4.5 million project would be meeting in mid-November, and he asked council to wait until the Nov. 26 meeting so he could provide a more definitive answer on whether the project can be completed within the deadline.
Inmate food service
A three-year prison inmate food service contract renewal also is on Tuesday’s voting agenda.
The county had switched to an outside contract with Florida-based Trinity Services Group Inc. in 2023 to reduce expenses.
Trinity provides food at a per-meal cost and oversees the prison kitchen.
With that contract expiring at the end of this year, the administration publicly sought proposals from vendors in August. Trinity submitted the lowest qualifying bid, county Correctional Services Division Head James Wilbur told council during a work session earlier this month.
The expense varies but is approximately $1 million annually, Wilbur had said.
Opioid projects
Tuesday’s work session includes discussion about earmarking $1.56 million in opioid litigation settlement funds for a range of work recommended by the county’s Commission on Opioid Misuse and Addiction Abatement, which was created to make recommendations to county council.
The $1.56 million must be spent or committed by the end of this year. The latest figures indicate the county should receive approximately $23 million over 18 years from the state’s settlement against opioid manufacturers and wholesale distributors.
The proposed recipients, according to the agenda: Always Believe Recovery, $581,037; Hanover Area School District, $32,348; Wyoming Seminary, $495; Volunteers of America, $121,800; Luzerne County Community College All One Recovery Educational Institute, $250,000; Children’s Service Center — Robinson Counseling Center, $380,044; and The Wright Center, $198,337.
Budget presentations
The last portion of the work session will include proposed 2025 budget presentations from the public defender, correctional services and the courts.