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D2 girls volleyball: Delaware Valley sweeps Valley West in 4A title game

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Beyond the Byline: Great costumes, lots of fun at Victory Sports Halloween Dance

<p>Compared to 2013, Luzerne County&#8217;s proposed 2019 budget funds 50 more employees, county Manager C. David Pedri told council Tuesday.</p><p>Council members Linda McClosky Houck and Harry Haas had requested the tally as part of budget discussions, in part because the administration has created positions since last year&#8217;s budget adoption.</p><p>There were 1,510 positions in 2013, and the proposed budget contains 1,560, Pedri said.</p><p>The count for years in between, according to Pedri: 2014, 1,506; 2015, 1,521; 2016, 1,501; 2017, 1,529; and 2018, 1,546.</p><p>Haas has said staffing was cut from 1,620 to around 1,430 due to &#8220;painful&#8221; layoffs in the first two years of the home rule government, which took effect in January 2012.</p><p>Pedri said the lower figure did not count part-time positions.</p><p>The county had a &#8220;full-time equivalent,&#8221; often called an fte, of 1,453 in 2013, compared to 1,507 in next year&#8217;s proposed budget, he said. That&#8217;s an increase of 54.</p><p>County Controller Michelle Bednar and Correctional Services Division Head Mark Rockovich also presented their budget requests Tuesday.</p><p>Bednar&#8217;s proposed budget would increase from $271,682 to $276,180, or $4,500, because she is seeking a new $5,000 allotment in case she needs an independent legal opinion during audits.</p><p>Pedri said he supports the request, citing an instance this year in which the county law division and controller&#8217;s office disagreed over the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino&#8217;s payment of hotel tax on complimentary rooms. Controller&#8217;s office access to an outside opinion could have been &#8220;very helpful,&#8221; he said.</p><p><strong>Prison request</strong></p><p>The administration&#8217;s proposed budget seeks $28.5 million for correctional services, which covers both the Water Street correctional facility and minimal offenders building on Reichard Street, both in Wilkes-Barre. After various cuts and additions are factored in, it is a net increase of $174,279.</p><p>Rockovich said he reduced some staffing-related expenses due to the retirement of veteran employees, allowing new ones at lower salaries. He also cut two correctional officer positions, with a third eliminated union position replaced by a new non-union one.</p><p>McClosky Houck asked if he will still meet minimum manning requirements, and Rockovich said, &#8220;Absolutely.&#8221;</p><p>Some utility expenses also decreased due to efficiencies, he said.</p><p>The increases include a 4-percent hike for food, which will rise from a combined $925,000 to $965,000 for both facilities.</p><p>Under the proposal, the overtime earmark will increase from $1.1 million to $1.3 million at the prison and from $105,000 to $125,000 at the minimal offenders building.</p><p>The growth stems largely from the need for more supervision and escorting of violent offenders and inmates with mental health issues and health conditions requiring hospital care, Rockovich told council.</p><p>Council Chairman Tim McGinley asked Rockovich if he can reduce his $275,000 request for housing inmates outside the county, which is the same amount earmarked this year.</p><p>Approximately $37,000 was spent on outside housing in 2017, and this year&#8217;s bills totaled about $43,000 through Oct. 5.</p><p>&#8220;So it looks like your costs have been well below what you anticipate,&#8221; McGinley said.</p><p>Rockovich said he expects to spend more than $100,000 this year, noting he must currently house a juvenile offender in another facility at $300 per day. Juveniles charged as adults can&#8217;t be mixed with adults under state law, and housing them inside the prison is difficult because the smallest prison block sleeps a dozen, he has said.</p><p>&#8220;If we have a situation where we need to move inmates out, we have to do it immediately,&#8221; Rockovich said in support of the $275,000 outside housing request.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Luzerne County Correctional Facility </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/web1_lccf01-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Luzerne County Correctional Facility </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Jennifer Learn-Andes</p><p>jandes@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Luzerne County staff size comparisons released