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<p>Luzerne County Manager C. David Pedri must find $4,500 in the new 2020 budget to cover higher compensation he provided to the new election director.</p><p>Pedri recently promoted human resources business partner Shelby Watchilla to the county election director position vacated by Marisa Crispell.</p><p>Crispell had been paid $54,096, and Watchilla will receive $64,500, Pedri decided.</p><p>However, Councilwoman Linda McClosky Houck pointed out before last week&#8217;s budget vote that Pedri had requested $60,000 for the election director compensation next year, leaving a $4,500 shortfall.</p><p>&#8220;Where are you getting it?&#8221; McClosky Houck asked.</p><p>Pedri suggested a budget amendment to add the $4,500.</p><p>Council Chairman Tim McGinley said a council member would have to make a motion for such an amendment.</p><p>Councilman Rick Morelli made the motion, but after a pause it became clear none of the 10 other council members would provide a second needed to bring the matter to a vote.</p><p>&#8220;Hearing none, the motion fails,&#8221; McGinley said.</p><p>Morelli asked what happens next.</p><p>McGinley said council has decided, through the lack of a second, that it is unwilling to provide more than $60,000 for the position.</p><p>&#8220;It becomes the manager&#8217;s issue to fund that,&#8221; McGinley said.</p><p>To keep the compensation intact and avoid approaching council for the additional money again, Pedri must transfer the $4,500 from another area within the administrative services division budget, McGinley said.</p><p>In addition to the election office, this division covers human resources, mapping/GIS, purchasing, information technology, licensing and liability/property insurance.</p><p>The county&#8217;s home rule charter requires the manager to notify council and the controller in writing within five days after a transfer is made. Transfers also are posted on the budget/finance page at <a href="https://pa-luzernecounty.civicplus.com/Archive.aspx?AMID=60" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">www.luzernecounty.org</a>.</p><p>Identifying funds to transfer is a sensitive situation because council made numerous cuts to reduce a proposed 5% tax hike to 3.25% and may question why surplus funding would still be available to cover a transfer.</p><p>Pedri could not immediately be reached for comment on his plan. The administration is discussing the possibility of monitoring the division for a possible funding source later in the year when that budget line becomes low.</p><p>The manager would have to seek council approval to transfer the $4,500 from the contingency reserve, which will contain about $470,000 next year.</p><p>The election director position had been advertised at $55,000 to $65,000 annually.</p><p>Under home rule, council members cannot prohibit the manager from creating positions or increasing compensation, but they can convey sentiment through their budgeting.</p><p>In the 2019 budget, council eliminated funding for an election services associate position that Pedri had created and filled in 2018.</p><p>Some council members had criticized the manager&#8217;s decision to add the job after council had declined to include funding requested for it in the 2018 budget. Pedri had noted no council members raised objections when he sent them a notice of his plans to create the position.</p><p>Without another funding source, the worker was furloughed at the end of 2018.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Luzerne County Courthouse </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/web1_TTL101719Luzerne-County-Courthouse1-7.jpg</photo0><caption0>Luzerne County Courthouse </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 election director salary questioned during budget vote