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Luzerne County Council unanimously approved a no-tax-hike 2021 budget Tuesday that beefed up the reserve.
				A cushion to cover emergencies that can&rsquo;t be tapped without council approval, the reserve will increase from a proposed $247,200 to $698,132 under the plan.
				Council chose not to use its $451,000 in cuts to reduce the budget because the amount taxpayers would save &mdash; about $2 on a $100,000 property &mdash; would not be noticed.
				As it stands, the $154.65 million general fund operating budget will keep taxes at 6.1696 mills, which equates to a payment of $616.96 on a $100,000 property.
				Councilman Walter Griffith proposed most of the cuts that contributed to the increased reserve, including elimination of non-union raises. Hours were spent reviewing cuts at meetings in recent weeks. Many of Griffith&rsquo;s suggestions did not obtain majority support, and Griffith withdrew some based on additional information.
				One of the proposed cuts rejected Tuesday involved non-union wages for the election bureau, which were budgeted at $106,500 to cover compensation for the election director and deputy director.
				Griffith suggested a $3,500 reduction. Councilman Harry Haas wanted to cut more: $5,000.
				Nobody seconded the proposal from Haas. Eight council members rejected Griffith&rsquo;s amount.
				Councilwoman Sheila Saidman said she supports keeping the allocation the same, citing Tuesday&rsquo;s announcement that Election Director Shelby Watchilla is resigning.
				Watchilla was hired last December at $64,500. Her predecessor, Marisa Crispell, had been paid $54,096.
				County Manager C. David Pedri told council he plans to advertise the position at a range of $59,000 to $64,500, which would not exceed the current compensation.
				Recruitment may be a challenge, Pedri said, because more than a dozen counties are currently seeking election directors and deputies due to a statewide exodus.
				&ldquo;Hopefully we&rsquo;ll get someone good. I&rsquo;m competing with a lot of other counties to get an election director,&rdquo; Pedri said.
				Griffith said he believes council should cap the director position at $60,000 and require the manager to find money elsewhere in the budget if he believes a higher salary is warranted.
				Council Chairman Tim McGinley argued the manager&rsquo;s stated range is reasonable to provide flexibility based on the qualifications of applicants.
				The only spending cut proposed by Griffith and approved by a majority Tuesday was $1,000 for election office supplies.
				During discussion on a Griffith&rsquo;s proposed $21,600 cut for one budget line in the information technology department, Information Technology Director Mauro DiMauro said the uncut allocation provided already left his department about $8,000 short due to contract pricing.
				In response, a council majority rejected Griffith&rsquo;s cut and approved McGinley&rsquo;s proposal to increase the allocation by $8,000.
				Council also unanimously approved the administration&rsquo;s $150,000 in budgetary savings that is possible because the county will be spending less on the tax revenue anticipation loan due to a low interest rate attributed to its strengthened fiscal position.
				Councilwoman Linda McClosky Houck celebrated that achievement, saying it stems from years of fiscal recovery work.
				&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just so impressed with all of us,&rdquo; said McClosky Houck, who has been serving on council since the January 2012 implementation of home rule.
				McGinley said council spent many meetings over the last two months to come up with a &ldquo;very fair and balanced&rdquo; budget for 2021.
				&ldquo;There was a lot of work and a lot of effort,&rdquo; McGinley said.
				Saylorsburg resident Jason Carr, who owns property in the county, thanked Haas and Griffith for suggesting reductions. He advised council to continue working to bolster the reserve, saying $698,132 is &ldquo;paltry&rdquo; for a budget the county&rsquo;s size.

Luzerne County Council unanimously OKs no-tax-hike budget