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During a packed voting agenda Tuesday, Luzerne County Councilman Walter Griffith revealed his discovery that county Transportation Authority board members past and present have been receiving authority-funded life insurance.
				Council members expressed disappointment the perk was provided and said it violates the county&rsquo;s home rule charter, which only authorizes compensation for one outside county board that oversees property assessment appeals.
				Council has an interest in the authority because the county provides an annual funding match and appoints its nine board members.
				Griffith said the authority&rsquo;s granting of insurance to its board members is &ldquo;obscene,&rdquo; particularly because the authority is arguing it wants to try to save money through a request before council to form a committee to review its potential consolidation with the County of Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS).
				A council majority agreed Tuesday to form that committee while making it clear it also should include Hazleton Public Transit, which provides transportation in the county&rsquo;s southern half. Council representatives on the committee will be announced later.
				In response to Griffith&rsquo;s inquiries about the life insurance, transportation authority Finance Director Randy Lisman sent an email to county officials stating current board members are offered a $45,000 basic term life insurance policy that costs the authority $291.60 per year for each member, or $2,624.40 for the entire nine-member board.
				There are also 14 former board members who receive a $10,000 basic term life insurance policy that costs the authority $61.20 per person annually, for a total cost of $856.80 to the authority, Lisman&rsquo;s email said.
				In total, the authority spends $3,481.20 annually to provide life insurance to current and former board members, it said.
				Griffith said he was informed the life insurance dated back to 2005 and expects the authority will end the perk now that it has been uncovered. Council Chairman Tim McGinley said he has asked the county law division to review the insurance benefits and whether they violated any ethics or other charter prohibitions.
				Later in the meeting, council appointed citizens to fill two vacant seats on the transportation authority: Thomas Bindus and Gary Polakoski.
				Other matters
				&#8226; Tax collection 
				Council postponed a decision on tax collection.
				Councilman Harry Haas urged his colleagues to delay a decision, saying council has not received all information, including a complete assessment on the savings the county could realize switching from elected collectors to in-house collection.
				Also on hold is a vote on granting requested raises to the county&rsquo;s 68 elected collectors if they continue receiving county tax payments when their next terms begin in 2022.
				Tax collector changes must be approved before prospective collectors start circulating and filing nomination petitions on Feb. 16 to appear on the May 18 primary election ballot.
				Only three of the 11 council members opposed the postponement: Robert Schnee, Matthew Vough and McGinley.
				&#8226; Tax break 
				A majority approved tax break for a $500 million project to construct five warehousing and manufacturing structures totaling 5.5 million square feet on a tract badly scarred from past coal mining and two dumps in Hazleton and Hazle Township.
				Under the break, new structures will be added to the tax rolls after 10 years, though taxes on the land must be paid throughout the decade.
				Four voted against the break, with some citing disagreement about the wording: Stephen J. Urban, Griffith, Haas and Linda McClosky Houck.
				&#8226; Charter ballot questions 
				A council majority rejected Griffith&rsquo;s proposals to place two charter-change questions on the May 18 primary ballot for voters to decide.
				The first would have changed the election board from five citizens to a seven-member body of four citizens and three county council members.
				Four council members supported putting this question on the ballot: Urban, Griffith, Haas and LeeAnn McDermott.
				Griffith&rsquo;s second question would have asked voters to allow council to hire its own solicitor instead of relying on the county law office.
				In addition to Griffith, Urban, Haas and McClosky Houck voted for the question.
				&#8226; Flood Authority 
				A majority voted to appoint Gordon Dussinger to the county Flood Protection Authority, a board of five citizens that oversees the Wyoming Valley Levee system.
				Four council members had instead supported the reappointment of past county Emergency Management Agency director Kevin O&rsquo;Brien &mdash; Urban, Griffith, Haas and McClosky Houck. Haas said the authority &ldquo;just lost a lot of wisdom&rdquo; with the departure of O&rsquo;Brien.

Insurance for LCTA board members raises questions