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Bus driver was in the right place at the right time

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Butler Township unveils plans for municipal building

Luzerne County Council Chairwoman Linda McClosky Houck has proposed increasing the salary of the next county manager by as much as $50,000.Several citizens have pointed out the current compensation of $110,000 may be too low to attract the best applicants, McClosky Houck told her council colleagues during a budget work session earlier this week.&#8220;The thought, I think, is that the salary may need to be more attractive now that we&#8217;re not a brand new government and people have had a chance to see how we work,&#8221; she said.A new manager will be hired in 2016 because Robert Lawton has resigned effective Dec. 31 after nearly four years as the first non-interim manager under the home rule government.Councilman Rick Williams said McClosky Houck&#8217;s proposal is &#8220;probably pretty wise.&#8221;Councilman Harry Haas said he has no problem with a range but hopes the county is able to attract qualified contenders at the lower end. He acknowledged the challenge, saying an area school district with a budget a quarter the size of the county&#8217;s, is seeking a superintendent for $130,000 to $150,000.County manager positions routinely pay $150,000 or more across the country, according to public postings.Haas also jokingly said the council also should budget funds for a bullet-proof vest for the next manager, a reference to the often fiery atmosphere encountered by those filling county leadership posts.McClosky Houck urged her colleagues to consider the manager compensation before Tuesday&#8217;s vote on the 2016 budget.Aside from the looming budget deadline, a decision on the manager salary range must be made for on outside citizen committee to proceed with the recruitment and screening of manager applicants, she said.A salary up to $160,000 may be &#8220;high or where we need to be,&#8221; McClosky Houck said.The home rule charter says the manager&#8217;s salary cannot exceed the elected district attorney&#8217;s compensation, which is budgeted at $178,800 in 2016, or be less than 55 percent of the district attorney&#8217;s salary, or $98,300.A budget for the manager search and selection process also was discussed this week, with McClosky Houck proposing $5,000 for advertising.Councilman Tim McGinley said the county budgeted around $35,000 to recruit and select the first manager in 2011. He suggested budgeting about $18,000 this time for position advertising and expenses to bring finalists here for interviews and other costs.The other council members did not propose different suggested amounts during the work session.<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Jennifer Learn-Andesjandes@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</shirttailMeta></div>

Compensation increase proposed for Luzerne County’s next manager