[0:00] That's the story.
[0:07] Thank you.
[0:14] Roll call, please, Ms. Lawrence.
[0:19] Mr. Haas.
Here.
[0:21] Ms. Krysnowsky.
Here.
[0:22] Mr. Skamitz.
Here.
[0:25] Ms. McDermott.
Here.
[0:27] Mr. Sabatino.
Here.
[0:30] Ms. Smith.
Here.
[0:31] Ms. Stevenson.
Here.
[0:33] Mr. Thornton.
Here.
[0:34] Mr. Wolovich.
Here.
[0:35] Mr. Lombardo.
Here.
[0:37] All present.
Thank you. We have three ceremonial
[0:40] proclamations prior to the beginning of
our meeting.
[0:43] First is for Luzerne County Mental
Health Awareness Month.
[0:48] Whereas mental health is essential to
everyone's overall health and well-being
[0:51] and all people experience times of
difficulty and stress in their lives.
[0:55] And whereas one in five Americans will
experience a mental health condition in
[0:58] any given year and millions more are
affected by mental health challenges of
[1:02] a loved one. And whereas Luzerne County
recognizes that mental health conditions
[1:06] are real and treatable and recovery is
possible with proper support, access to
[1:10] services and community understanding.
And whereas stigma and misconceptions
[1:14] surrounding mental illness can prevent
individuals from seeking the help they
[1:18] need and deserve. And whereas Luzerne
County is committed to building a
[1:21] culture where mental health is
prioritized equally with physical health
[1:25] and where individuals and families are
supported in seeking care without shame.
[1:29] And whereas mental health awareness
provides an opportunity to educate the
[1:32] public, reduce stigma and promote mental
well-being for all community members.
[1:37] And whereas Luzerne County acknowledges
the importance of working
[1:40] collaboratively with mental health
professionals, advocates, educators and
[1:43] community organizations to ensure access
to appropriate resources and services.
[1:47] Now, therefore, we, the Luzerne County
Council, do
[1:50] proclaim May 2025 as Mental Health
Awareness Month in Luzerne County and
[1:54] encourage all residents, schools,
businesses and community organizations
[1:58] to join in activities that promote
mental wellness, raise awareness, and
[2:01] support those affected by mental health
conditions.
[2:05] Thank you.
Who Oh, Maggie coming up to accept it.
[2:11] Would you like to say a couple words or
anything?
[2:18] All right, thank you.
Okay, next up we have a proclamation for
[2:22] Alan Stout.
Whereas Alan Stout has made significant
[2:26] contributions to the community through
his dedication, service, and commitment
[2:30] to enhancing the lives of the residents
of Luzerne County. Whereas Alan Stout is
[2:34] a 2025 inductee to the Luzerne County
Arts and Entertainment Hall of Fame. And
[2:39] whereas Alan Stout's efforts in
promoting local culture, supporting
[2:42] charitable initiatives, and fostering
community engagement have left a lasting
[2:46] impact. And whereas Alan Stout has
championed local talent through print
[2:49] journalism and radio broadcasting. And
whereas Alan Stout, as executive
[2:53] director of Visit Luzerne County, has
spearheaded local cultural events,
[2:57] including Rock'n the River and Rock'n
the Mountain. And whereas Alan Stout has
[3:01] interviewed over 40 rock and roll Hall
of Famers. And whereas it is fitting to
[3:05] proper and proper to recognize the
extraordinary contributions of
[3:09] individuals like Alan Stout, who
exemplify the spirit of community and
[3:12] service. Whereas in honor of Alan
Stout's achievement and to inspire
[3:16] others to contribute positively to our
community, we hereby declare April 22nd
[3:21] as Alan Stout Day in Luzerne County. Now
therefore, we, the Luzerne County
[3:25] Council, do hereby proclaim April 22nd
as Alan Stout Day in Luzerne County,
[3:29] encouraging all residents to recognize
and celebrate Alan's contributions and
[3:33] to commit themselves to service in their
own communities. Congratulations, Alan.
[3:48] That means you get to buy everybody
drinks.
[3:51] Good job, Alan. Good job.
Congratulations, Alan.
[3:55] Yeah. Do you Do you want to say a couple
words?
[3:57] Okay. Just make sure the mic is on.
[4:05] I don't think it's on, Alan. You got
You know how to work one of those
[4:08] things.
[4:14] Oh.
There you go.
[4:16] I'm a little overwhelmed right now. I
didn't know
[4:19] Romilda, who's on the screen, said make
sure you're at the council meeting
[4:22] tomorrow night.
Um
[4:25] I just want to say thank you so much for
this this honor. It's been
[4:30] an absolute privilege
to celebrate the arts and entertainment
[4:34] community here in Northeastern
Pennsylvania and Luzerne County for the
[4:37] past
33 years of my life. And 4 years ago,
[4:42] when the county trusted me with our
relatively new event at the time,
[4:46] Rockin' the River, which was just
starting to get its footing,
[4:49] I I took that responsibility very
seriously, and I consider it a privilege
[4:54] to oversee those shows every summer and
to work with our great team.
[4:59] And to last year also take help take
those shows to Hazleton. So, um I just
[5:04] want to say thank you from the bottom of
my heart. I used to come into this
[5:06] building
all the time when I was a little boy. My
[5:09] grandmother worked in the cafeteria
downstairs. And um
[5:13] my grandfather used to come and pick her
up from work, and I would run in to to
[5:18] let her know that we were here for the
ride. And I'm talking about 1974 or 75.
[5:24] I was
7, 8 years old.
[5:27] And I always marveled at this building.
And so, to receive this honor here
[5:31] today, I'm
you know, I'm sure she's Hopefully,
[5:34] she's proud. And I I thank you all very
much. Thank you.
[5:43] Thank you, Alan.
Thank you, Romilda.
[5:46] It's an absolute honor to have you as a
an employee of Luzerne County.
[5:51] All right, our final proclamation for
the evening is for Kaylary Santos
[5:56] from the 911 center.
Whereas 911 telecommunicators serve as
[6:00] the first responders, the first first
responders, providing critical
[6:04] life-saving assistance and guidance in
times of emergency and are a vital link
[6:07] between the public and emergency
services. And whereas on Sunday, April
[6:11] 13th, 2025, Luzerne County 911
telecommunicator Kaylary Santos
[6:16] demonstrated exceptional
professionalism, composure,
[6:20] assisting a caller through a child birth
emergency using a murder emergency
[6:23] medical dispatch protocols. And whereas
Kaylary provided clear and effective
[6:28] instructions not only during a
high-stress medical situation, but also
[6:31] did so in Spanish, ensuring language was
not a barrier to care and showing a
[6:36] profound commitment to serving all
members of our community. And whereas
[6:39] her swift action, calm demeanor, and
accurate guidance directly contributed
[6:44] to a successful outcome and exemplify
the highest standards of emergency
[6:47] response service. And whereas
each telecommunicator has exhibited
[6:52] compassion, understanding, and
professionalism during the performance
[6:55] of their job. Now, therefore, we Luzerne
County Council do hereby recognize and
[7:00] commend Luzerne County 911
telecommunicator Kaylary Santos for her
[7:04] extraordinary service and dedication and
extends heartfelt gratitude for her her
[7:08] role in safeguarding the health and
well-being of Luzerne County residents.
[7:12] Congratulations, Kaylary.
[7:29] All right, thank you, everybody.
[7:32] Okay, do we have any deletions from the
voting session agenda?
[7:36] Is there a motion to adopt the agenda?
So moved.
[7:38] Second.
All in favor?
[7:40] Aye.
Opposed? Agenda's adopted.
[7:43] We have one public comment slip from
Thomas B. Widlick.
[7:48] Oh, this is on
Oh, never mind. I apologize. This is for
[7:51] a non-agenda item.
Okay. We'll get back to you at the end
[7:55] of the at the end of the voting.
Anybody for public comment on agenda
[8:00] items only?
[8:04] Anybody? Anybody on the Zoom?
[8:09] All right, hearing none. Is there a
motion to approve the minutes of the
[8:12] April 8th, 2025 voting session?
So moved.
[8:15] Second.
Motion in a second. All in favor?
[8:18] Aye.
Opposed?
[8:20] Minutes are approved.
Number one, motion to adopt the
[8:23] resolution authorizing the county
manager to execute a contract with
[8:26] Pennsylvania Economy League for the
preparation of a strategic plan and
[8:29] five-year financial plan.
Second.
[8:32] There's a motion in a second. Roll call.
[8:36] Mr. Haas?
Yes.
[8:38] Ms. Krysinski?
Yes.
[8:39] Mr. Lisgavage?
Yes.
[8:41] Ms. McDermott?
Yes.
[8:42] Mr. Perry?
Yes.
[8:44] Mr. Sabatino?
Yes.
[8:46] Ms. Smith?
Yes.
[8:48] Ms. Stevenson?
Yes.
[8:49] Mr. Thornton?
Yes.
[8:51] Mr. Wlodyka?
Yes.
[8:52] Mr. Lombardo?
Yes.
[8:53] Unanimous.
Number two, motion to introduce
[8:55] ordinance amending Article 6
Administrative Code in accordance with
[8:58] Home Rule Charter of Luzerne County,
Pennsylvania.
[9:00] So moved.
Second.
[9:02] There's a motion and a second.
Roll call.
[9:06] Ms. Krysinski?
Yes.
[9:08] Mr. Lisgavage?
Yes.
[9:10] Ms. McDermott?
Yes.
[9:11] Mr. Perry?
Yes.
[9:12] Mr. Sabatino?
Yes.
[9:14] Ms. Smith?
Yes.
[9:16] Ms. Stevenson?
Yes.
[9:17] Mr. Thornton?
Yes.
[9:19] Wlodyka?
Yes.
[9:20] Mr. Haas?
Yes.
[9:22] Mr. Lombardo?
Yes.
[9:23] Unanimous.
Number three, introduction of ordinance
[9:25] amending the 2025 fiscal year budget for
Luzerne
[9:32] Oh, it's I'm sorry. It's It's
automatically introduced because it's
[9:35] for manager Carl Kimmell. I apologize.
Thank you for introducing that.
[9:39] Okay.
Thank you, manager Crocamo.
[9:42] All right. That was a record timing.
[9:46] All right, is there any public comment
on non-agenda items?
[9:52] We have uh Mr. Wildrick, Thomas
Wildrick.
[9:56] Mhm.
[10:04] I'm not as eloquent as Mr. Stout, so I
had to write down what I would like to
[10:08] say here today to you council members.
So, just as an introduction, uh my name
[10:13] is Thomas Wildrick. I am a resident of
Swoyersville.
[10:16] And for the record, I'm a licensed
funeral director here in Luzerne County,
[10:20] as well as a concerned taxpayer.
I am standing here before you this
[10:25] evening.
And at this time, I'm going to ask my
[10:28] fellow colleagues who are present to
please stand because I'm also speaking
[10:32] on their behalf. So, if my fellow
colleagues would stand.
[10:37] The reason I am standing before all of
you here
[10:41] is in regard to the county manager's
choice of hire for the position of
[10:44] county coroner.
After home rule came into effect,
[10:50] I, I know, along with many of my
colleagues,
[10:53] I was hopeful that
those hired to county positions, such as
[10:57] coroner, would be thoroughly vetted.
Unfortunately, I, along with my fellow
[11:02] colleagues, feel that proper vetting was
not conducted in the hiring process for
[11:07] this position.
In a recent news article, it was brought
[11:11] to light of an incident that occurred in
Pittston involving the newly hired
[11:16] coroner.
However,
[11:19] this was not the only time our now hired
print
[11:23] in newspaper print for issues stemming
from his from his employment as an
[11:27] officer of the law and EMT paramedic.
Yesterday, I sent you the council
[11:34] members an email with a PDF file
containing these other published
[11:38] articles for your review.
If you haven't had a chance to review
[11:44] these articles,
I at the very least would ask you to
[11:47] allow me
to read off the headlines of some of
[11:51] those articles and I don't know if that
is proper to do here in this meeting or
[11:54] not.
You can As long as you're being
[11:57] respectful, you can continue to read
your remarks.
[12:00] In 2005,
an article headlined "Secret Service
[12:04] Agent Alleges Cop Misconduct." In 2006,
there were five headlines.
[12:10] "West Pittston Cop's Job Eliminated."
"West Pittston West Pittston Cop Fired
[12:15] After Fracas."
"Part-time West Pittston Police Officer
[12:19] Is Fired After an Incident With Another
Cop." "Wyoming Council Fires Same Cop
[12:24] Cut Last Week By West Pittston."
And "Pics Allegedly Show Cops Under 21
[12:31] Females Drinking."
In 2010,
[12:35] an article "Judge Completely Rebuts
Cop's Firing Claim."
[12:40] An article entitled, excuse me,
Furthermore, on the vetting process in
[12:45] this hiring, the press release that the
county manager set out sent out stated
[12:50] that our newly hired coroner attended
Luzerne County Community College with
[12:54] studies in mortuary science.
Let me clarify that one does not study
[13:00] mortuary science at Luzerne County
Community College.
[13:05] The curriculum at Luzerne County
Community College is in pre-mortuary
[13:09] science.
Otherwise, the core subjects to get one
[13:13] accepted to mortuary school.
Your time is up, sir.
[13:16] Okay.
Yeah, you If you want to come up and and
[13:19] speak again at the end of the work
session, you're more than welcome to.
[13:22] stop it right there.
All right, thanks. Anybody else for
[13:24] public comment?
[13:27] Public comment non-agenda items.
Anybody on the zoom?
[13:33] Is there a motion to adjourn?
Motion.
[13:35] Second.
All in favor?
[13:37] Aye.
Opposed? Meeting's adjourned. Do you
[13:39] want to just go right into the work
session? Is that okay?
[13:42] All right.
[13:45] Yeah, it's only six It's 6:16, so can't
All right, I'd like to call the uh work
[13:50] session to order.
We had the pledge of allegiance and a
[13:53] moment of silence. Roll call, Miss
Lawrence.
[13:56] Mr. Haas?
Yes.
[13:58] Miss Krishnowsky?
Here.
[14:00] Mr. Lescavage?
Here.
[14:01] Miss McDermott?
Here.
[14:02] Mr. Perry?
Here.
[14:04] Mr. Sabatino?
Present.
[14:05] Miss Smith?
Here.
[14:07] Miss Stevenson?
Here.
[14:08] Mr. Thornton?
Here.
[14:10] Mr. Wolovich?
Here.
[14:11] Mr. Lombardo?
Here.
[14:12] All present.
Thank you.
[14:14] Any additions or deletions from the work
session agenda?
[14:17] Mr. Chairman?
Yes.
[14:18] I don't know if it's appropriate to um
talk about the request from Wright
[14:21] Township about like we talked about
earlier with all of council got it about
[14:25] their 5K and also the C-CAP
resolution regarding um they'd like
[14:30] affidavit support that uh Luzerne County
all got that same email on the feed.
[14:35] That um
um we have our our constables are
[14:38] independent contractors.
So, they're just looking for some
[14:41] affirmation on that.
Okay.
[14:44] Would Would you like to add something to
the agenda to that effect?
[14:47] I I think we just have a brief
discussion on it like we talked about I
[14:50] don't know if I think it needs
necessarily council approval, but I
[14:52] think we should all be aware of it this
which is out there. I don't know if
[14:56] that's appropriate.
It's up to you. If you want to add
[14:58] something to the agenda, that's fine.
St. Jude's in the in the C-CAP
[15:01] resolution regarding constables.
Okay, discussion regarding St. Jude's 5K
[15:04] and then discussion regarding the C-CAP
constable
[15:07] Yes.
uh litigation.
[15:08] affidavit
affidavit, sorry.
[15:09] That's it.
Okay. That'll be number seven and eight
[15:12] then.
Thank you.
[15:13] Okay. Any further additions or
deletions?
[15:17] Is there a motion to adopt the agenda?
Second.
[15:21] All in favor?
Aye.
[15:22] Opposed? Motion is adopted.
Okay.
[15:26] Uh budget reports.
[15:34] Do we have Do we have There
All right.
[15:44] Thank you. Um
included in your packet are your budget
[15:47] reports for the month of March. The
first report is the revenue report. Our
[15:51] revenue earned is currently at 13% of
budget or $21,950,000.
[15:57] Our current year tax collections at the
end of March are at 13.6 million, which
[16:01] represents 11% of the current year tax
revenue budget. So, that's about a month
[16:05] of collections, about 5 and 1/2 weeks
actually.
[16:08] Um expenses are at 26,412,438
or 17% of budget. Next, you have the
[16:15] listing of your budget transfers
followed by the accounts payable detail.
[16:19] The last report is the treasurer's
report showing a cash balance of
[16:22] 125,768,558
[16:25] at the end of March. The cash balance at
the end of February was 120,041,088.
[16:32] The interest that we've earned for the
month of March is 415,538.37.
[16:37] Of that, ARPA accounts were 251,187.65.
[16:42] So, our year-to-date total interest is
1,115,0884.
[16:48] Our ARPA cash balance still sits at
42,087,405.
[16:53] We've earned ARPA interest year-to-date
um for the first 3 months of 598,307.
[16:59] And our ARPA interest earned in total is
8.4 million.
[17:03] Does anyone have any questions about the
reports?
[17:06] Any questions for Ms. Roselle?
All right. Thank you very much.
[17:12] Moving on, discussion regarding the
ordinance regarding resolution
[17:15] committing a local match match for state
operating assistance to Hazleton Public
[17:19] Transit.
[17:22] Is Mr. Sharp here?
[17:25] He should be on by Zoom.
He indicated he would be on by Zoom.
[17:30] Mr. Sharp, are you on the Zoom?
[17:35] Yeah.
[17:40] Uh Ralph is the name.
[17:48] Mr. Sharp, you can try uh unmuting
yourself now.
[17:53] We should be able to hear you.
[17:59] Hello.
There you are.
[18:02] Okay. Um good evening. Um my name is
Ralph Sharp. I'm the director for
[18:07] Hazleton Public Transit.
Um I am here once again this year
[18:11] requesting our local match um from uh to
receive our uh state operating funds of
[18:18] 2,835,157
[18:21] dollars
in order to uh receive these funds to
[18:25] help us operate
in uh Luzerne County, we need a local
[18:29] match of 229,000
778 dollars. I did submit the uh
[18:36] paperwork from our local city council um
requesting uh
[18:42] our local match also.
[18:47] All right. Uh
are there any questions for Mr. Sharp?
[18:51] Mr. Wilovich?
Uh I was just wondering if for the
[18:52] resolution if we could also carbon copy
the state representative and the state
[18:56] senator for the area.
Absolutely. Yeah, we can add that before
[19:00] we pass it in the next meeting.
Any other questions for Mr. Sharp?
[19:05] Any other discussion?
I have the annual question if I could,
[19:07] Mr. Chair.
Mr. Haas?
[19:08] Uh hey, Mr. Sharp. Good to good to um
speak with you. But just again
[19:12] You, too. the um um
because the HPT goes into neighboring
[19:17] counties, we've talked about this
before, about $20,000 of um costs we
[19:21] estimated has lines into Carbon and
I believe it's Google counties. So I
[19:26] know Mr. Sabatino was talking about that
last week. We're working on that. Um
[19:31] what are the odds we can secure that
extra funding before
[19:34] the match is is due?
Well well since since since last year
[19:38] when I came before city county council
asking for a local match, I I've been
[19:43] working and trying and looking for
avenues in, but every year it's just
[19:49] I I I don't get
I'm not making any leeway with it to to
[19:53] obtain those funds. I'm I'm being
honest.
[19:56] Mr. Sabatino, you want to just talk
about your conversations that you had
[19:59] with Carbon County Commissioners?
Um at C-CAP I did speak with one of the
[20:03] Carbon County Commissioners and they he
is open to contributing over the next
[20:09] couple years and ramping up to I think
their their part of the match is about
[20:13] $8,000.
Um County Manager Crocamo is going to be
[20:16] meeting with them and she'll discuss
that the details with them.
[20:20] Yeah, we have meetings set up uh
actually
[20:25] one is because we share a bridge with
Carbon County
[20:29] and
that bridge is in dire need of repair.
[20:34] Uh
so we'll we'll be meeting with them on
[20:36] that and
uh we'll also be
[20:40] with the Carbon County Commissioners uh
to maybe do some joint
[20:46] work when it comes to
our 911 and emergency response. I did
[20:52] reach out to uh Commissioner Safranko
yesterday
[20:59] uh actually
indicating to him that if Carbon County
[21:02] needed any assistance
uh
[21:05] for because of the fires
that we would
[21:09] be more than willing to to assist. I
know EMA reached out to them.
[21:14] So, we're developing a very strong
relationship with Carbon County.
[21:19] And I think that they will start
contributing
[21:24] to this fund. I have not reached out to
any of the commissioners from Schuylkill
[21:32] County.
But, I'm hoping to to do that as well.
[21:37] But, we're making
some headway with Carbon County. I think
[21:42] we bordered
bordered Carbon County and uh
[21:46] I think it's time that we reach out and
we collaborate. And I I think that
[21:52] they're open to that.
I I have the exact dollar values from
[21:58] the local match that we are looking for,
which is 229,778.
[22:03] Luzerne County portion is 205,191.76.
[22:09] Carbon County is 20,450.24
and Schuylkill County is 4,136.
[22:24] All right, thank you, Mr. Sharp. Any
other questions?
[22:27] Oh, Mr. Thornton.
Yeah, Mr. Santino, I think a few minutes
[22:31] ago you said it was
I had the numbers flipped for the
[22:33] counties.
Oh, okay.
[22:34] Yeah.
So, 20,000 is probably correct for
[22:37] Carbon.
Correct.
[22:38] Thank you.
Yeah.
[22:39] Okay. Any other questions?
I think
[22:42] I have a comment and a question if I
could, Mr. Chair. First of all, thanks
[22:45] for Mildura for offering help to Carbon
County. That was a that was a strange
[22:48] thing. I saw that fire on the news. That
was a class act offering our our help.
[22:51] And secondly, that I really appreciate
you dialoguing with our neighbors cuz
[22:55] that just makes good governance for all
our people.
[22:57] And um
I know there's an administrative
[23:00] conference coming up. I don't know if
management's going to attend to that,
[23:02] but I fully support that 100%. Might be
a good venue to do that as well.
[23:06] Um
and the question just flew out of my my
[23:09] brain. Um but that happens often.
What's that?
[23:12] I am a
uh
[23:14] that conference
Councilman Haas.
[23:17] Wonderful. I encourage that 100%.
Um
[23:22] All right. We'll save some time. Thanks,
Mr. Chairman.
[23:25] That's okay.
They they have privilege in for that.
[23:29] Fourth coffee for the day. Try
Any other questions from council
[23:32] members?
All right. Thank you, Mr. Sharp. We
[23:34] appreciate it.
Thank you.
[23:37] All right. Next up, discussion regarding
resolution committing a local match for
[23:40] state operating assistance for the
Luzerne County Transportation Authority.
[23:44] Mr. Fiume.
[23:47] Make sure the mic is on.
[23:51] Button on the side.
[23:57] Thank you. Good evening, everyone. I'm
Bob Fiume, executive director of the
[24:01] Luzerne County Transportation Authority.
I'm also here requesting our local match
[24:05] for fiscal year 2025-2026.
[24:09] So, under section 1513
of title 74 of the PA codes, we receive
[24:16] approximately
uh
[24:19] $8,678,868
[24:23] in operating money from Pennsylvania
Department of Transportation. So, under
[24:28] Act 89 of 2013, we're required to match
that with local match. Right now, this
[24:34] match that I'm requesting from the from
the council is $871,609.
[24:40] I think we're at about 11% local match.
Every transit agency in the state
[24:45] eventually is going to reach 15%.
So, it goes up gradually till you um get
[24:50] to the 15%. So, my request is for
$871,609.
[24:55] That will match our operating money and
allow us to continue to operate through
[24:59] this next fiscal year.
[25:03] All right, thank you. Any questions?
Any questions?
[25:05] I think this is my question, Mr.
Chairman. If you'd like to me, so sorry
[25:08] everybody.
Oh, that's okay.
[25:09] So, I know in a few years ago, we used
some ARPA funds for the match that
[25:14] particular year. I don't think I know
that's not available now, but it's a
[25:17] question more for Romilda. Romilda, any
hidden pots out there of money that we
[25:22] have to take from the general fund to
provide the match for HPTN Luzerne
[25:25] County?
LCTA?
[25:29] None that I'm aware of.
Thank you.
[25:33] Mr. Chairman.
Okay.
[25:35] Any other questions?
[25:38] All right.
Okay, thank you everybody.
[25:39] Thank you very much.
Okay, next up we have discussion
[25:42] regarding the resolution acknowledging
the name change of the opioid fund
[25:45] recipient Always Believe Recovery to
True North Recovery of NEPA.
[25:51] Um I
requested that this be on our agenda,
[25:56] uh mostly because
so the the um
[26:00] the the mission statement is the same
for the organization. It's the same
[26:04] organization,
um but one of the things that did change
[26:07] was not only just the the name, so
people are aware that it's the same
[26:10] organization just going by a different
name, but they also changed their uh tax
[26:14] ID number, um their EIN.
Uh so I I I kind of figured to be on the
[26:18] safe side, we should just
re- like recommit like recommit these
[26:22] funds just to the it's the same
organization just obviously there's a
[26:26] new EIN number, uh new technical name,
but it's it's the same organization.
[26:31] We're just I guess recommitting the
the funding. That's all.
[26:35] Question, Mr. Chairman.
Yeah, go ahead.
[26:38] Mr. Wolowicz first, sorry. He raised his
hand.
[26:40] I was wondering if there's any
additional paperwork that needs to be
[26:42] done from that organization to make sure
that they're in line with the former
[26:45] agreement.
Uh
[26:48] is there somebody from Go ahead.
[26:57] Hi, my name is uh Chris Cooley and I was
hired to uh manage the project through
[27:02] the development stage uh of this. Once
we got the
[27:06] uh a grant agreement, we saw the minor
modifications that had to be done. And
[27:10] as um
uh John had indicated, it's the same
[27:14] mission statement uh same project uh and
they purely just they meaning the owners
[27:20] uh decided to uh just change names from
a marketing uh point of view. And that
[27:24] and that was really it.
[27:27] Okay.
Any other questions?
[27:29] Ms. McDermott, are you sure? You good?
Okay.
[27:33] Okay. Okay.
Thanks.
[27:34] So when I I actually do have a question
cuz the EIN number, that was a little
[27:38] confusing to me as to why that had to
change. Um was it just
[27:42] just because the name had to change so
the EIN had to change as well?
[27:44] They Yeah, they just created a whole new
entity. So new entity
[27:47] I'm not super familiar with that
process.
[27:49] new entity
EIN.
[27:50] Okay. That's all they did.
All right. Okay.
[27:52] Thank you.
Okay. No problem.
[27:54] All right. Any other questions from
council members?
[27:58] All right. Thank you.
You're welcome.
[28:00] Number five, discussion regarding the
resolution adopting changes to existing
[28:03] cooperation agreement pertaining to the
redevelopment assistance capital program
[28:06] grant on behalf of Change Academy Lake
of the Ozarks.
[28:13] Sparich.
[28:17] There was a request um the consultant is
here as well. But any RCAP that passes
[28:22] through the county um the county is the
applicant, the entity receiving the RCAP
[28:26] funds is the subrecipient or the
subgrantee. And we always put a
[28:29] cooperation agreement in place and the
office of the budget came back um in the
[28:33] agenda submittal, they had three
changes. The second bullet I did not
[28:37] agree with because that language has
been included in all of the cooperation
[28:40] agreements. So they did come back um and
suggest uh
[28:45] new language. The sub the subgrantee
will reimburse the grantee local
[28:49] municipality for any ineligible expenses
for which the grantee local municipality
[28:54] reimburses the state. So,
you know, if if council is okay with
[28:59] that and our solicitor's office is good,
then we would just ask that the changes
[29:03] be made and a new cooperation agreement
be signed.
[29:06] I don't know if you have any questions
regarding the project cuz this was done
[29:09] a few years ago.
Attorney Skin.
[29:15] So,
if the state take money back,
[29:19] we would pay and then they'd have to pay
us back?
[29:22] I we would have them pay directly. I
mean, they would pay us. We wouldn't
[29:25] take it from our county coffers from any
of our funds.
[29:28] Okay. It says that in the agreement that
they
[29:30] It It maybe the check would have to come
from the from us, but but
[29:36] provide that.
Okay. What if the subgrantee doesn't
[29:40] have money?
Well, do you want to answer those
[29:43] questions?
[29:49] Good evening. Yeah, I believe the
subgrantee does possess the money. They
[29:54] paid for this project in full. Um it was
over a million dollars and then they're
[29:58] just being reimbursed for that. So,
Sir, can you just state your name?
[30:01] I'm Eric Trautman. I work for Benesch.
We're the engineering consultant.
[30:05] great.
Yeah.
[30:07] Okay. Any questions?
[30:11] All right. Okay. Thank you very much.
All right. Next up, we have discussion
[30:16] regarding resolution to renew the lease
for the city for magisterial district
[30:19] court 110404.
[30:24] Mr. Highmarsh.
Yes, sir. Mr. Chair. Hi. Good evening,
[30:29] Council.
Uh you're we're once again here to
[30:34] update an expired lease for one of our
magisterial districts.
[30:38] Uh the district court of 11104.
Uh we're looking to extend the expired
[30:45] lease by 2 years at a
a modest increase in rent. The city of
[30:50] Pittston has housed the magisterial
district office for many, many years and
[30:55] they've continued to make improvements
uh
[30:58] in the facilities
themselves, including some security
[31:02] enhancements
for the MDJ.
[31:06] So, we respectfully request that you
vote in favor of extending the lease.
[31:11] Any questions?
[31:13] All right. Thank you very much.
Next up, discussion regarding the 5K run
[31:19] and the shutting down of the road.
Absolutely.
[31:22] Yeah, go ahead.
Yeah, I I got to just rule that. I mean,
[31:24] we all got Sperrazza's email. I think
it's just a managerial thing, but
[31:29] um just to
make sure we approve the 5K race that
[31:32] St. Jude's is going to have in South
County.
[31:34] Yeah. Manager Carole Krumo, is that
something that I I I don't think it has
[31:38] to go through council, but is that
something that your office would need to
[31:41] approve?
Uh yes.
[31:44] It wouldn't have to go through council.
And just so that council and everyone is
[31:49] aware, it's uh
safer with the road shut down for for
[31:54] the uh
for the race. They will have race
[31:57] officials there
and uh
[32:03] Any questions?
Yep. Thanks, Ms. Carole Krumo. Thanks,
[32:05] Mr. Chair, about that. The second one,
everybody, you got an email. I think it
[32:09] was just yesterday and I appreciate
Sharon printing out um the contents of
[32:12] it. It was from CCAP and it's a there's
a two-ply. It's a memorandum just to
[32:17] explain what what they're looking for.
Um those of you who have attended CCAP
[32:21] gatherings before, there's strength in
numbers. When we have issues with the
[32:25] state, CCAP is a wonderful I found a
wonderful organization to really help us
[32:28] navigate some difficult waters sometimes
and also just
[32:32] um help us out on the ground, just in in
the act of governing. So, what what this
[32:36] is asking us to do, they need 25% of
counties to sign an affidavit
[32:41] just to
affirm that we have we designate our
[32:44] constables as independent contractors
just like we do on election day with our
[32:48] poll workers. They're a component of the
of the elections board there locally.
[32:53] So, that's how they're paid and that's
all they're really asking for us to sign
[32:56] this to get that out to Frank Mazza, I
think is the point person with that Mr.
[33:00] Chair. And again, you all received the
email. Just wanted to
[33:04] It looks like manager we can do this as
well. Carmella, does I don't know if you
[33:07] got a chance to look at that, but it
seems like from his email time is more
[33:12] of the essence even though the
memorandum's dated 2016. There's
[33:16] something with Adams County that I think
they need it because of of some kind of
[33:19] legal action, but I thought we could we
could be very neighborly and and get
[33:23] that on the way.
I can get that out. Yes.
[33:27] All right. Thank you, ma'am. Thank you,
manager Carmella. Any other questions
[33:30] regarding this?
[33:33] All right. Record time tonight.
Public comment.
[33:38] Sir, you want to go back up and finish
your comments, Mr. Weidlich?
[33:41] All right.
Make sure this is on.
[33:47] There you go. There you go.
So, just continuing where I left off.
[33:51] Now to my final point in the hiring of
the county corner, I wish to clarify
[33:57] for everyone that he is not a licensed
funeral director.
[34:00] He may be associated with the funeral
home and serves as president, but he
[34:04] never received formal education in
mortuary science,
[34:08] which includes in my own opinion educate
most valuable thing in my opinion
[34:12] education on the laws surrounding the
funeral industry.
[34:17] I along with my fellow colleagues
in the industry
[34:22] have in the past come to county council
meetings to raise concern over a funeral
[34:27] director or an employee of a funeral
home serving in the role of county
[34:30] coroner. And let me just specify, not a
deputy coroner,
[34:35] the role of county coroner, the head the
head role.
[34:39] Let me share this following opinion with
you all.
[34:44] The county coroner
should not be a funeral director, nor
[34:48] should the coroner have or had any
affiliation or employment with the
[34:52] funeral home.
It leads to a protect a potential
[34:55] conflict of interest as recommendations
may be made by the coroner to use a
[35:01] funeral home in which there is an
affiliation. Now, I understand ethics
[35:04] clauses are most likely signed by all
deputies and the coroner, but I just
[35:09] needed it to make that point clear.
So, given that the newly highly hired
[35:14] coroner
is an unlicensed employee and serves as
[35:17] president of a funeral home,
who is to say that he will not be
[35:22] filtering business
in his direction or into the direction
[35:27] of one of his friends?
After all, in the Eyewitness News
[35:32] interview, he walked around his funeral
home of employment, sat at a desk with
[35:35] the reporter with the name of his
funeral home smack-dab on the computer
[35:39] screen.
To close my time here,
[35:43] I would ask that you, the county council
members,
[35:47] please have a meeting with the county
manager. I don't know exactly how that
[35:51] works, but I think you need to re-review
this with with the county manager, and I
[35:55] thank you all for your time here today.
Thank you.
[36:01] Anybody else public comment in the
audience?
[36:06] We have a hand up on the Zoom, Mark.
[36:13] Mr. Chairman, this is Mark Rabo,
Hazleton speaking. Can you hear me?
[36:16] Yes, we can.
[36:20] This is in regards to
uh what was
[36:23] uh approved last week by the Board of
Elections, the souped-up, as I call it,
[36:28] the souped-up drop box, the Runbeck drop
box, whatever you want to call it. Uh
[36:33] drop box, the modified drop box.
Uh
[36:37] it's not about whether, you know, the
the same debate that's been going on for
[36:42] since 2020 about the legitimacy of drop
boxes. This is about the liability issue
[36:48] to the county
in regards to this purchase.
[36:52] As I made clear to the election board
and to the bureau at last week's
[36:57] meeting, I would hope that the council
and especially the county manager and
[37:02] the office of law
would look at putting a uh since this is
[37:06] a pilot program and this machine has not
been certified, and this is an important
[37:11] point, Mr. Chair.
This the machine, the Runbeck drop box,
[37:16] has not been certified by the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania nor the
[37:20] Department of State. So, therefore,
since this is a pilot program, I
[37:26] strongly suggest that I urge and plead
with the council and the manager and the
[37:30] office of law to put an indemnification
clause in the agreement with Runbeck, so
[37:37] that way it would hold harmless the
county of Luzerne in case anything
[37:42] happens with this machine with regards
to chain of custody or liability issues
[37:48] that would would come from this purchase
of this uh modified drop box. That's all
[37:54] I ask, Mr. Chairman. Thank you very much
and have a good evening.
[37:57] Thank you, Mr. Rebo. Any other public
comments?
[38:00] Anybody else on the Zoom? Anybody in the
audience?
[38:03] Uh Mr. Thornton has something he would
like to say.
[38:05] Very
very brief. Thank you.
[38:09] County Council has no purview or
authority over the election board. I
[38:12] realize that and uh I just want to state
my uh disappointment in the election
[38:17] board in their decision to go forward
with this newfangled high-tech drop box.
[38:22] I'm against them. I've been against them
from the very beginning. I thought
[38:25] during COVID they were necessary and
that was fine. But, um,
[38:29] I don't understand how they're really
more secure because in this day and age,
[38:34] people wear masks all the time, medical
masks. It's accepted in society. People
[38:38] could wear a mask going to that dropbox.
Nobody will know who they are and I
[38:42] don't understand how the same person
can't go back every 2 days or every 3
[38:46] days and drop another ballot. I don't
know who would even know to stop them.
[38:51] Uh, they can't be identified with a a
medical mask and a hoodie on. Uh, but I
[38:55] do know this, if people had a vote in
person,
[38:59] that person cannot go to the machine and
vote and then get it back in line and
[39:02] vote a second time and then get back in
line and vote a third time. However, uh,
[39:06] I I think it's very possible with these
dropboxes and I'm just voicing for the
[39:11] uh, sake of everybody here that I'm
against them. Thank you.
[39:14] Thank you, Mr. Thornton.
All right. Is there a motion to adjourn?
[39:18] Second.
All in favor?
[39:20] Aye.
Aye.
[39:20] Opposed? Meeting's adjourned. Thank you
very much, everybody.