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In response to the recent discovery of life insurance provided to Luzerne County Transportation Authority board members, a county council committee voted Wednesday to check if any other outside boards are providing perks.

The decision was made by council’s Authorities, Boards and Commissions (ABC) Committee, which publicly interviews citizen applicants for council-appointed seats on 25 outside boards.

Council Vice Chairman Chris Perry, who chairs this committee, said he will immediately draft a letter inquiring about perks based on questions recommended by county Councilwoman Linda McClosky Houck.

McClosky Houck suggested asking if any compensation, benefits, pension or other perks have been provided to or are available to appointed board members, past or present.

If so, the board will be asked to identify the perk, the annual monetary value and cost, the time period it was available and a list of all current appointed board members receiving or eligible for it.

Councilman Walter Griffith had discovered the transportation authority life insurance while reviewing an authority audit and publicly announced his discovery last month.

The county home rule charter says no member of an authority, board or commission shall receive any county salary, pension or other employee benefit unless otherwise provided for in applicable law or the charter.

Transportation authority representatives say there is an applicable law — the state Municipal Authorities Act — that permits life insurance for its board members.

Still, authority board members are reviewing the perk and may end up discontinuing it due to the negative feedback from county council, officials said.

The authority spends $3,481 on the board member life insurance annually — $2,624 to provide $45,000 basic term policies for the entire nine-member board and $857 for 14 prior members to receive $10,000 policies, it has said, noting the benefit has been offered for more than 30 years.

Griffith has proposed a council ordinance saying board members that council appoints shall not receive any type of compensation, pension or other benefit for their service during or after their term.

Four of 11 council votes are required to introduce ordinances, and three council members voted with Griffith earlier this month: Harry Haas, McClosky Houck and Stephen J. Urban.

A public hearing and a majority of six votes would be required at a subsequent meeting for the ordinance to take effect. A hearing and vote are planned next week.

Some of the council members voted against the introduction because county Assistant Solicitor Vito DeLuca said he believes the ordinance would violate the charter. The charter has similar language as the proposed ordinance but includes the additional phrase allowing benefits if they are “provided for” in applicable law, DeLuca stressed.

DeLuca said the Municipal Authorities Act also applies to authorities, and that state law supersedes the home rule charter in this instance.

Griffith said he believes the ordinance is still warranted to send a message that council does not support perks.

“We need to make sure all authorities, boards and commissions understand that even if you’re allowed to do it, we don’t want you to do it,” Griffith told his colleagues.

During Wednesday’s committee meeting, Perry pointed out the home rule charter only calls for compensation to one board that oversees property assessment appeals.

He included this detail in a new question added to Wednesday’s interviews of prospective board appointees, asking applicants if they will abide by the charter. Everyone interviewed said they would.

Council members LeeAnn McDermott, Sheila Saidman and Robert Schnee serve on the ABC Committee with Perry.

Perry said he will forward all responses to the inquiry about perks to council members. He will come up with a reply deadline but said it’s unlikely all boards will answer before Tuesday’s council meeting.

Luzerne County officials surveying boards in search of perks