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<p>The Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority&#8217;s separation from Luzerne County government was not a good idea and should be reevaluated, an official said Tuesday.</p><p>Richard Adams, chairman of the authority &#8212; which oversees the Wyoming Valley levee system &#8212;said the agency&#8217;s only steady revenue stream is a fee on levee-protected properties, which would not generate enough to cover a costly major repair of the 16-mile flood control system along the Susquehanna River.</p><p>&#8220;The numbers just do not work if we have a major issue here,&#8221; Adams said.</p><p>The subject came up because authority board member Kevin O&#8217;Brien suggested the authority try to start building a sinking fund to cover emergency repairs. He cited some examples of problems that could occur, such as a blown transformer that would cost about $50,000 or a pump station motor that would run around $200,000 to $300,000.</p><p>Although the authority has $513,505 in a restricted capital fund, O&#8217;Brien said this money is generally set aside for smaller-scale work, such as equipment replacement and work required by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to keep the levee certified, such as an upcoming inspection of all pipes that run through the levee.</p><p>Adams said a single emergency repair could cost the authority $1 million or more.</p><p><strong>Standalone entity</strong></p><p>The authority&#8217;s break from the county became official around 2016, when it moved out of a county-owned building into its own leased space in Plains Township.</p><p>Then-county manager Robert Lawton thought a separation was in the county&#8217;s best interest, and a council majority at the time did not attempt to stop it.</p><p>Instead of the past practice of reimbursing the county for office space, staff, insurance and other support services, the authority is now a standalone entity with a roughly $1.8 million budget, officials said. The county&#8217;s only direct role is appointing the five citizen authority board members.</p><p>It&#8217;s unclear what type of financial arrangement could be pursued with the county, which has a dwindled capital fund and is facing its own costly projects, including the purchase of paper-trail voting machines and a 911 emergency radio upgrade.</p><p>Prior commissioners had implemented the levee fee when the authority was still under the county&#8217;s fold to relieve pressure on the county&#8217;s general fund operating budget. If the levee fee went away, the county would have to figure out how to cover authority expenses.</p><p>O&#8217;Brien questioned the idea to pursue more county involvement, saying he has a 2012 letter from Lawton divesting the county from the authority.</p><p>Adams said that doesn&#8217;t mean it was the &#8220;right thing.&#8221;</p><p>Authority board member William Hardwick urged the administration to explore whether any insurance could be secured to cover major levee equipment or components, saying that could be more cost efficient than &#8220;setting up a huge reserve fund.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Pedri&#8217;s response</strong></p><p>County Manager C. David Pedri, who was not at the meeting, said Tuesday he is open to discussions to &#8220;reinvigorate the relationship&#8221; between the county and authority, although he stressed any change in the structure or partnership would have to be approved by county council.</p><p>Regardless of what happens, Pedri said the county will continue to provide all available resources during flooding.</p><p>&#8220;It makes so much more sense to work together,&#8221; Pedri said.</p><p>In other business Tuesday, the authority hired Hazleton area attorney Christopher Slusser as authority solicitor. He will be paid $450 per month to handle meetings and other routine matters and $90 per hour for any additional work. The prior solicitor was paid $900 per month and $90 for additional work, the authority said.</p><p>The authority board also asked the administration to explore the cost of adding security cameras atop the levee and in parking lots.</p><style>
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<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Flood-Anniversary-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">A view of the Susquehanna River contained by the Wyoming Valley Levee during record flooding in 2011. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/web1_Flood-Anniversary-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>A view of the Susquehanna River contained by the Wyoming Valley Levee during record flooding in 2011. </caption0><photoCredit0>File photo </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 involvement in Wyoming Valley Levee system debated