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County council approves $3K settlement for former 911 employee

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Man accused of child rape in Hazleton, Butler Twp.

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; The law firm the city&#8217;s financial adviser wants to hire to assist with the possible sale of the sewer system is willing to cut the city a break and defer its monthly $2,250 retainer until mid-January.</p><p>The firm of Dilworth Paxson LLP is well-versed in the specialized legal work necessary to pursue monetization of the system and has worked with PFM Financial Advisors in the past, PFM managing director Scott Shearer told city council Tuesday at its work session.</p><p>The law firm is aware of the city&#8217;s financial problems and that the funds to pay the retainer were not budgeted this year, Shearer said. &#8220;They were willing to defer the first five or six monthly payments until Jan. 15 of next year,&#8221; he said.</p><p>As further enticement to approve the contract, Shearer added the firm is willing to forgo any pay for hours worked above the retainer if the sale of the system falls through.</p><p>&#8220;Overall, we think it&#8217;s a good proposal for the city to entertain,&#8221; he said.</p><p>The hiring of Dilworth Paxson is on the agenda for council&#8217;s public meeting Thursday night.</p><p>PFM already has told the city it would not charge for its services if no deal is reached on the sewer system.</p><p>The city maintains the sewer lines that transport sewage from neighboring municipalities to the Wyoming Valley Sanitary Authority treatment plant in Hanover Township, but does not charge for the use. In the recovery plan it&#8217;s developing, PFM has pitched the sale of the sewer system or a partnership as a possible revenue source for the cash-strapped city. Wilkes-Barre has entered the state&#8217;s Early Intervention Program for municipalities on the verge of financial collapse.</p><p>When asked by Councilman Bill Barrett how soon a deal on the system could be reached, Shearer said bids could be received by next summer. But before then, he said, the value of the system has to be determined, bid documents drafted and bids put out in early spring 2018. The goal is to have information that can be used to formulate the 2019 budget, said Shearer.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jerry Lynott</p><p>jlynott@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jerry Lynott at 570-991-6120 or on Twitter @TLJerryLynott.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Law firm willing to offer a payment delay to Wilkes-Barre