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Coping with Corona: 51 weeks to go

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14 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Luzerne County; 0 new deaths

Approximately 53,000 Luzerne County voters had requested mail-in ballots by Friday, according to county Election Director Shelby Watchilla.
				The deadline to submit vote-by-mail applications for the June 2 primary is 5 p.m. Tuesday. The lobby of the county&rsquo;s Penn Place building at the corner of Market Street and Pennsylvania Avenue in Wilkes-Barre will be open until 5 p.m. on deadline day for interested voters to drop off applications.
				To put this number in perspective, a total 79,912 ballots were cast in the county during the last presidential primary in 2016. If that number remains about the same on June 2, more than 66% of voters could be casting their ballots by mail.
				Approved by state legislators last year, the new option to vote by mail with no excuse or justification required has been heavily promoted as a way to avoid safety concerns of in-person voting during the coronavirus pandemic.
				Staffers were set to work from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday processing the applications and sending out ballots, with the task resuming on Memorial Day, Watchilla said.
				Voter registration
				The county has 104,943 Democrats and 80,035 Republicans registered to vote on June 2, according to state statistics released for May 18, which was the deadline to register for the primary.
				Updates on the election plans and preparations will be presented at two virtual meetings this week &mdash; county council at 6 p.m. on Tuesday and the county Election Board at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
				Instructions on attending both meeting is posted at www.luzernecounty.org, with the council directions in <a href="https://www.luzernecounty.org/1279/Public-Meetings-Online" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">its section</a> and the election board explanation through the <a href="https://www.luzernecounty.org/1282/ABC-Meetings-Online" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">authorities/boards/commissions</a> link.
				Capital plan
				County Manager C. David Pedri&rsquo;s new proposed 2021 capital plan has been submitted and is on Tuesday&rsquo;s council agenda.
				Council has until September to adopt the plan, with or without changes, under the home rule charter.
				Pedri is proposing three new projects:
				&#8226; New flashing for all leaking windows at the county-owned Penn Place building, $100,000
				&#8226; LED highway lighting upgrade on the Cross Valley Expressway, which falls under the county&rsquo;s responsibility due to a 1976 agreement with the state, $100,000
				&#8226; Modernization of the motor system and controls of two elevators at the county prison, $350,000
				If these projects are approved, the county would have $1.34 million left in its capital projects bond.
				Pedri said the leaking Penn Place windows are causing damage, and the Cross Valley lighting and prison elevator work will address safety concerns.
				Assessment appeals
				With safety protocols in place, county property assessment appeals resumed last week.
				County Assessment Director Kristin Montgomery said the hearings usually start in April and must proceed because they have to be completed by Oct. 31 under state law.
				Aug. 1 is the deadline to file an appeal for 2021, and the county usually receives 1,200 to 1,500 such requests seeking reconsideration of assessed values annually.
				The hearings are held at the courthouse, with filers escorted to the council meeting room individually to maintain social distancing, Montgomery said. Approximately 30 to 35 hearings are scheduled each day, usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Shared surfaces are sanitized between hearings, she said.

Luzerne County mail-in ballot requests rising as deadline nears