Sarah Risch 
Dec. 8, 1992 
Sarah Risch, A Guest At Valley Crest Nursing Home, Plains Township, Formerly 
Of Wilkes-barre, Died Tuesday At Valley Crest.

All Of Us Have A Stake In 
War On Drunken Driving 
(editorial) 
Good News From The People Who Keep Luzerne County's Statistics: The Number Of 
Drunken Driving Arrests So Far This Year Is Significantly Lower Than Last 
Year.

By CHRISTINA BINKLEY; Times Leader Staff Writer
 Wednesday, December 09, 1992 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 3A QUICK WORDS: LUZERNE COUNTY
COMMISSIONERS 





WILKES-BARRE -- The Luzerne County Commissioners on Tuesday ratified the
$128 million county budget for 1993. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 There were no surprises from earlier budget discussions. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Democratic majority commissioners Rose Tucker and Frank Crossin, who
designed the budget, voted for it. Republican Jim Phillips dissented with a no
vote. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Phillips opposed, as he did the previous year, the county's .4 percent
personal property tax, mainly on out-of-state stock and bond investments. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's very unfair on senior citizens," Phillips said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Phillips also called for further cuts in the property tax assessors office,
the election bureau and voting machine warehouse and the property and supply,
building and grounds departments. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The $128 million in 1993, includes $68.2 million for human services, $10.9
million for public safety and corrections, and $8.8 million for the courts. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Taxes will not change from their 1992 rate of 60.4 mills. A mill is $1 for
every $1,000 of assessed property value. That means a person with property
assessed at $5,000 would pay $302 in county property taxes. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The final budget is $1 million to $4 million higher than several earlier
proposals, but the increase came from state human service subsidies, said Gene
Klein, chief clerk/administrator. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It is the 11th budget that I have done and I would say probably it's the
most sound," said Klein. "Everything is coming together like a jigsaw puzzle." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The 1992 county wage freeze is over, but wage increases are not yet
cemented, Klein said. Contracts for raises with the Teamsters and American
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) unions are not
yet complete, he said, and county spending will change based on what is
negotiated. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Klein called Chief Judge Patrick Toole "key" in holding spending steady.
Toole manages seven departments with 240 employees and $12.4 million in
salaries alone. Toole manages Orphans court, district magistrates, domestic
relations, jury commissioners, general courts, juvenile detention, adult
probation and juvenile probation. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "He runs a tight, tight ship," Klein said of Toole.

With No Surprises, No Tax Hike, County's 1993 Budget Passes Republican Jim Phillips Votes Againstthe Democratic Majority's Spending Plan