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Dustin Johnson buries some major memories, wins the Masters

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Luzerne County tax sale figures released

Luzerne County&rsquo;s prison system &mdash; the highest department expense &mdash; is budgeted at a proposed $29.2 million next year, or about $78,000 less than 2020.
				However, the department also is projecting a $75,000 decrease in revenue, for a new proposed $1.03 million in receipts in 2021.
				This revenue decline stems from a lack of state inmates temporarily housed at the county prison, county Correctional Services Division Head Mark Rockovich told county council in his recent budget presentation.
				Under a negotiated contract, the state pays the county to house some of its inmates at the county prison when space is available, Rockovich said. Since the coronavirus pandemic hit, the state has halted that program, opting to release the inmates on probation or parole or bring the inmates back to state facilities, he said.
				Rockovich expects the program will resume in 2021, but not until at least August.
				As a result, the prison is budgeting $125,000 in revenue from the state next year instead of $200,000.
				&ldquo;We are hoping eventually we can start that again. It had been a good revenue generator for the county,&rdquo; Rockovich told council.
				COVID-19 also has impacted expenses.
				The prison is requesting $5,500 for laundry supplies, or $2,000 more, primarily for sealed bags that hold an individual inmate&rsquo;s laundry and then dissolve in hot water inside the washing machine, he said.
				All incoming inmates must now place their laundry in these bags while they are in quarantine and monitored for symptoms before their release into the general prison population, he said.
				Precautions are necessary because laundry is one of the ways the virus can spread, he said. Laundry for other inmates is placed in hampers, he said.
				On the savings side, Rockovich is cutting his $200,000 allocation for outside inmate housing in half because he does not believe as much money must be reserved to send prisoners to other facilities due to overcrowding.
				Rockovich said court officials have been working to keep inmates out of the prison system for non-violent, minor offenses, when possible, throughout the pandemic. Finding beds elsewhere also would be a challenge because counties are reluctant to accept outside inmates as they work to prevent the virus from infiltrating their facilities, he said.
				The prison also saved $302,000 this year because the county probation services department is handling pre-trial services that were provided by an outside contractor this year, he said.
				Energy efficiency projects also shaved $30,000 from the prison&rsquo;s expenses for water next year, he said.
				The correctional budget covers expenses for both the Water Street prison and minimal offenders building on Reichard Street, both in Wilkes-Barre.
				District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis also presented her budget during last week&rsquo;s virtual session.
				Salavantis is requesting $4.77 million next year, or $78,000 less. Meanwhile, she expects to bring in $1.17 million, a revenue increase of more than $43,000.
				Among the savings was a $9,000 request for meetings and conferences &mdash; half the amount allocated this year &mdash; because she forecasts less travel for contractually required meetings and conferences in the first six months of 2021 due to the pandemic.
				The county&rsquo;s proposed $154.65 million general fund operating budget does not seek a real estate tax hike next year. The document is posted under the budget/finance section at <a href="https://pa-luzernecounty.civicplus.com/Archive.aspx?AMID=56" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">luzernecounty.org</a>.
				Council has scheduled several budget discussion sessions before its budget adoption, which is scheduled for December.
				The next session, which is virtual, will start at 5 p.m. Monday with a public hearing on the proposed budget. A 5:30 p.m. work session will follow to discuss proposed spending and revenue in human services departments and a general government category. Council is set to hold a voting meeting after the budget session to consider amendments suggested by some council members.
				Directions to attend are posted under council&rsquo;s public meetings online link at <a href="https://pa-luzernecounty.civicplus.com/1279/Public-Meetings-Online" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">luzernecounty.org</a>.

Luzerne County’s prison system seeking slightly less in 2021 budget