[1:29] Pledge allegiance
>> to the flag of the United States of
[1:32] America, and to the republic for which
it stands, one nation under God,
[1:37] indivisible, with liberty and justice
for all.
[1:49] » First item on the agenda is there any
public comments or questions concerning
[1:53] today's agenda?
>> Um, 2 weeks ago I revisited Lowe. He
[1:58] told us that he would have need to hire
three people to be at full staff, and
[2:03] yet there are eight people being hired
on today's agenda.
[2:08] » Well, he probably had more
vacancies than that. I don't I don't
[2:11] know what he told you back then. I
wasn't there. Um, but we know that this
[2:15] brings it to the full contingency, which
is not is nowhere higher than what the
[2:19] man is, which I think is 87 or 89.
>> 86, I think.
[2:22] » 86. So, this just brings us to 86.
Otherwise, [clears throat] it would say
[2:25] new hire and would say new positions,
and there would be a a motion out here
[2:29] to create a new position. These are all
just um, filling vacancies. So, I don't
[2:33] know. Maybe maybe the number changed
between now and then, which is very
[2:35] possible. Um, there is turnover rate at
the jail um, due to the complexities of
[2:40] the job.
>> Sir, can you please identify yourself
[2:43] for the record, please?
>> Um, Andrea Paskin, P A S K I N.
[2:49] » Anyone else? Any other
items on the agenda?
[2:53] Seeing none, motion to approve the
September 2nd, 2026 agenda.
[2:57] » Motion.
>> Second.
[2:58] » Motion is seconded. Any questions? All
in favor?
[3:00] » Aye.
>> Motion to approve the August 19th, 2026
[3:03] meeting minutes.
>> Motion.
[3:04] » Second.
>> Motion is seconded. Any questions? All
[3:06] in favor?
>> Aye.
[3:07] » Motion to approve the August 26th, 2026
conference minutes.
[3:11] » Motion.
>> Second.
[3:12] » Motion is seconded. All in favor?
>> Aye.
[3:14] » Motion to approve the payment from the
general fund in the amount of
[3:16] $1,445,524.49.
[3:21] » Motion.
>> Second.
[3:22] » Motion is seconded. Any questions? All
in favor?
[3:24] » Aye.
>> Motion to approve the payment from the
[3:26] Act 13 transportation account in the
amount of $4,930.
[3:31] » Motion.
>> Second.
[3:32] » Motion is seconded. Any questions? All
in favor?
[3:34] » Aye.
>> Motion to approve the payment from the
[3:36] SRCP debt fund in the amount of
$280,860.75.
[3:41] » Motion.
>> Second.
[3:42] » Motion is seconded. Any questions? All
in favor?
[3:44] » Aye.
>> Motion to approve the payment from the
[3:46] debt service fund in the amount of
$2,946,401.23.
[3:52] » Motion.
>> Second.
[3:53] » Motion is seconded. All in favor?
>> Aye.
[3:56] The first motion to hire Michelle Simone
as an office assistant job developer at
[4:00] the Career Center for a 30-hour work
week effective September 9, 2026 pending
[4:06] successful drug screening results with
benefits at the 90 days. This is a
[4:10] replacement position. Pike County will
be reimbursed with
[4:13] Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act
funds.
[4:16] » Motion.
>> Second.
[4:17] » Motion is second. Any questions? All in
favor? Aye.
[4:20] Motion to acknowledge receipt of a
letter from Warden Lowe
[4:23] advising that he has hired the following
individuals with prison board approval
[4:27] as full-time correction officers for the
correctional facility for a 40-hour work
[4:31] week effective September 14, 2026 with
benefits at the 90 days.
[4:36] These are replacement positions. Anthony
Cruz, Christopher Wojnarowski, Carlie
[4:41] Echey, Samantha Cuevas, Cody Sell, Mario
Perry, Karen Barrow, Santiago Hicks.
[4:49] » Motion.
>> Second.
[4:50] » Motion is second. Questions? All in
favor? Aye. Motion to recess the
[4:54] Commissioners meeting to hold a salary
board meeting.
[4:57] » Second. [snorts]
>> Motion is second. All in favor?
[4:59] » Aye.
>> Motion to convene the salary board.
[5:01] » Motion.
>> Second.
[5:02] » Motion is second. All in favor?
>> Aye.
[5:04] » Motion to approve the August 19, 2026
salary board minutes.
[5:07] » Motion.
>> Second.
[5:08] » Motion is second. All in favor?
>> Aye.
[5:11] » Motion to set the hourly rate of
Michelle Simone at $19 per hour as an
[5:14] office assistant job developer developer
at the Career Center for a 30-hour work
[5:19] week effective September 9, 2026 pending
successful drug screening results with
[5:24] benefits at the 90 days. Pike County
will be reimbursed with Workforce
[5:28] Innovation and Opportunity Act funds.
>> Motion.
[5:30] » Second.
>> Motion is second. Any questions? All in
[5:33] favor? Aye.
Motion to set the hourly rate of the
[5:36] following individuals at $28.36
per hour as full-time correction
[5:40] officers for the correctional facility
for a 40-hour work week effective
[5:44] September 14, 2026 with benefits at the
90 days. Anthony Cruz, Christopher
[5:49] Hojnicki, Carly Etchi, Samantha Quevas,
Cody Sell, Mario Perry, Karen Barrow,
[5:56] and Shante Hicks. Motion.
>> Second.
[5:58] » Motion is second. Any questions? All in
favor? Aye.
[6:02] Motion to increase the hourly rate of
the following individuals to $39 per
[6:05] hour effective September 10th, 2026, due
to the terms of the agreement between
[6:09] Pike County and AFSCME District Council
13 for the completion of 8 years of
[6:13] service as a correctional [snorts]
officer for the correctional facility,
[6:16] Christian Campos and Barbara South.
Motion.
[6:19] » Second.
>> Motion is second. All in favor? Aye.
[6:23] Motion to increase the hourly rate of
Angelina Miller to $25 per hour
[6:26] retroactive to August 26th, 2026, in
accordance with the Children and Youth
[6:31] County Collective Bargaining Agreement
for the completion of the Foundations
[6:35] certification. Motion.
>> Second.
[6:37] » Motion is second. All in favor? Aye.
Motion to increase the hourly rate of
[6:41] Kaylee Gentleman to $25 per hour
retroactive to August 26th, 2026, in
[6:47] accordance with the Children and Youth
County Collective Bargaining Agreement
[6:50] for the completion of the Foundations
certification. Motion.
[6:53] » Second.
>> Motion is second. All in favor? Aye.
[6:56] Motion to adjourn the salary board.
>> Motion.
[6:58] » Second.
>> Motion is second. All in favor? Aye.
[7:00] Motion to reconvene the Commissioners
meeting.
[7:02] » Motion.
>> Motion is second. All in favor? Aye.
[7:06] Motion to authorize the chairman to
execute the Pike County Highmark
[7:09] Traditional Indemnity Benefit Plan
Documents and Summary Plan Description
[7:12] effective January 1st, 2021, as we
stated
[7:16] as we stated January 1st, 2026.
>> Motion.
[7:19] » Second.
>> Motion is second. All in favor? Aye.
[7:23] Motion to execute the Children and Youth
Needs Based Budget Fiscal Year 2027-2028
[7:27] Certification Statement on behalf of
Children and Youth Services.
[7:30] » Motion.
>> Motion is second. All in favor? Aye.
[7:34] Motion to execute the contract for
professional services between Michael
[7:37] Church and the County of Pike on behalf
of the Children and Youth Services.
[7:40] » Motion.
>> Motion is second. All in favor? Aye.
[7:44] Motion to execute the
>> for professional services between
[7:47] Preventive Aftercare Incorporated and
the County of Pike on behalf of the
[7:50] Children and Youth Services.
>> Motion.
[7:52] » Second.
>> All in favor?
[7:54] » Aye.
>> Motion execute the contract for
[7:58] professional services between Action
Holistic Wellness Center and the County
[8:02] of Pike on behalf of the Children and
Youth Services.
[8:04] » Motion.
>> Second.
[8:05] » Motion and second, all in favor?
>> Aye.
[8:08] » Motion to authorize the chairman to
execute the lease agreement from the
[8:10] Atlantic Tomorrow Tomorrow's office.
>> Motion.
[8:14] » Second.
>> Motion and second, all in favor?
[8:16] » Aye.
>> Motion to approve the Affordable Housing
[8:18] Fund payment voucher in the amount of
$13,949
[8:22] payable to the Delaware River Associates
on behalf of the Office of Human
[8:26] Services.
>> Motion.
[8:27] » Second.
>> Motion and second, all in favor?
[8:29] » Aye.
>> Aye.
[8:30] » Motion to approve the following Human
Service payment vouchers on behalf of
[8:33] the Office of Human Service, Fair in the
amount of $1,720,
[8:37] and Human Service Development Fund in
the amount of $528.
[8:41] » Motion.
>> Second.
[8:42] » Motion and second, all in favor?
>> Aye.
[8:44] » Motion to authorize the chairman to
execute the work order from Experimental
[8:48] Wetland Services Incorporated for the
Winona Falls Road over Big Bushkill
[8:52] Creek proposed superstructure
replacement project.
[8:55] » Motion.
>> Second.
[8:56] » Motion and second, all in favor?
>> Aye.
[8:58] » Motion to authorize the chairman to
execute the proposal from Rinaldi Land
[9:01] Surveying for the Winona Falls Road over
Big Bushkill Creek proposed
[9:05] superstructure replacement project.
>> Motion.
[9:07] » Second.
>> Motion and second, all in favor?
[9:09] » Aye.
>> Motion to approve the fiscal year 2026
[9:12] first and second quarter payment from
Pike County Emergency Medical Service
[9:15] Matching Grant Fund to the Matamoras
Borough in the amount of $12,500.
[9:20] » Motion.
>> Second.
[9:21] » Motion and second, all in favor?
>> Aye.
[9:24] » All right, under miscellaneous, as every
meeting we have the Penn State Extension
[9:26] calendar of events.
The next item we're we're announcing cuz
[9:30] we want everyone in the county to take
part of that, and that is the time
[9:33] capsule that the county is is it the
200th celebration of the 250th. So,
[9:38] the title of it is and
it's called
[9:41] » was an arrogant black
>> And it's a message to the future. So,
[9:46] these posters will be distributed to the
townships. And And you know, we're
[9:49] asking the townships to take part in
this, but we don't want it to just be
[9:53] government and and businesses and and
churches. We want it to be individuals
[9:59] in our community who explain what they
believe Pike County is, you know, why
[10:02] they came here, the message to the
future. Um I think it could be a fun
[10:05] project and it will all be stored here
in the county and be opened in 50 years
[10:09] when
none of us will be here. I settled
[10:11] around the room for a moment.
I don't want to make false statements.
[10:15] Um maybe. Maybe. I don't know. All
right, you might still be here.
[10:19] » Yeah.
>> Um yeah, maybe. Um but really, I I
[10:23] really urge everyone to take a look at
what we have on our website to do it and
[10:27] send in what you think is important for
that message cuz I think it's it I'm a
[10:31] historian at Penn State. I think those
type of things are so important for
[10:34] future generations to see
what is that we were facing in 2026 and
[10:39] what it is that maybe is not even
important in 2076. As we can understand,
[10:44] there's things that are not important
from 1976.
[10:48] I'm asking people to give us pictures,
papers. Don't put it on flash drives.
[10:52] Don't put it on anything like that cuz
they may not have the equipment cuz I
[10:55] will defy anybody in here to go home and
find an eight-track player in the
[10:58] basement. Okay? Now, yeah, you have one,
Sam. I put money on somebody before and
[11:03] I lost the bet.
But it's just more fun when you open up
[11:07] something like this where you actually
have documents. You have things that you
[11:11] can read and you can see as opposed to
let's find the CD player or whatever um
[11:16] to read this. So, um I'm just every
month I'm going to every meeting I'm
[11:20] going to put um keep on promoting this
cuz I think it's a really fun thing. Um
[11:24] we're asking for everything to be
returned by November 30th and then
[11:27] there'll be a sealing of it here in the
office on December 31st thereabout. Um
[11:33] and it's going to be kept, as I've said
in the meetings, above ground. We're not
[11:37] burying it. Um burying time capsules
causes all sorts of other issues to
[11:40] occur with the contents. And also, in 50
years, somebody will forget where you
[11:44] even buried it, right? Where it will be
mounted in our office here. We have a
[11:49] design to put it in the wall, and
in 50 years, the sitting commissioners
[11:54] can open it up and
and see what it is that we told them
[11:57] that was so important in
2026. Then they laugh and say, "Well,
[12:01] that ain't important anymore."
So, on that note,
[12:04] um the next two announcements we have on
here is the two senior expos that are
[12:08] coming up. One by Jeff Olsomers,
um that's September 18th, 2026, in the
[12:13] Dingman firehouse. And the other is
Charles Probst, uh September 25th, which
[12:18] is going to be in the Bushkill Outreach
Center.
[12:21] Did you have anything you wanted to
speak about that, um Jill? And I know
[12:23] » I have flyers here.
>> Okay. Flyers are here. Okay. So, um
[12:28] that's all I have. So, next we have is
pressing public comment.
[12:32] » I would like to speak.
>> Okay.
[12:34] » One thing.
I guess I'll stand over here.
[12:37] » Huh?
[12:41] » [clears throat]
[12:45] » Good morning, commissioners. Good
morning, everyone here. I'm Sheryl
[12:49] Glenn. I'm a resident of Delaware
Township, and I'm here to advocate for
[12:53] additional ballot drop boxes in Pike
County ahead of the November 3rd
[12:58] election.
Many Pike County voters have expressed
[13:01] the need for additional drop boxes
outside the one that we presently have.
[13:07] Voting should be made more accessible to
the elderly and handicapped in our
[13:11] county, as well as the voting population
at large.
[13:15] For a county as vast as Pike County,
with its 46,000 registered voters, one
[13:21] ballot box is not sufficient.
A lone ballot box poses difficulty for
[13:26] many in our community. The location of
the present ballot drop box here at the
[13:31] administration building makes it easy
for residents of Milford, Matamoras,
[13:36] Shohola, and Westfall to cast their
ballots. But, what about the additional
[13:41] nine townships?
Lehman and Lackawaxen voters have to
[13:46] travel, and I'm being very conservative
here, an hour and half round trip in
[13:51] order to cast their ballot. Not to
mention the cost of gasoline.
[13:55] Casting a ballot should not cause
difficulty, but be made as easily and
[13:59] securely as possible.
At this moment in time, the United
[14:03] States Postal Service does not exude
confidence that one's ballot will be
[14:08] delivered on time. In fact, some people,
and I'm included, are worried that
[14:13] ballots will not be delivered at all.
When one considers the immense area of
[14:19] Pike County, there should be more than
one ballot box to cover the entire
[14:23] county.
Monroe County has seven drop boxes.
[14:27] Lackawanna has six. Luzerne has two and
is considering three additional before
[14:33] election day.
I know that asking to cover 13 townships
[14:38] is a lot to ask in so short of period of
time.
[14:41] » [snorts]
>> However, maybe we can start with two.
[14:44] One in the south and one to the north.
They could be housed in secure township
[14:49] buildings that have 24-hour surveillance
and locking safes.
[14:54] This would be three, which would include
the one here at the administration
[14:58] building.
Going forward, we could add more to
[15:01] cover more townships, but adding two
would be a great start.
[15:06] Voting should be encouraged and made
accessible without undue burden to all
[15:12] eligible voters. I am asking the Board
of Elections to consider increasing the
[15:17] number of voting ballot drop boxes in
Pike County before the November 3rd
[15:21] election for the ease and accessibility
to the treasured right to vote.
[15:27] Thank you for your attention.
>> Thank you.
[15:29] » Thank you, Sharon.
>> Do you want
[15:32] Do you want to respond to
>> So, I will respond to this and we
[15:36] responded to this other years. Um,
I think people have
[15:39] viable way many different options to
vote. And while voting is a right, it is
[15:44] also a responsibility to make sure that
you can determine where it is and how
[15:49] you vote. Um, I'm just going to read you
something cuz I knew you were coming for
[15:52] this and um,
we I disagree. I don't think that we
[15:56] need more drop boxes. I did notice in
one Monroe County, but they're all in
[15:59] libraries. There's There's only one in a
municipal building and that's in Middle
[16:04] Smithfield.
To lay this on to our municipal
[16:07] officials um, in offices that are not
always manned, I think in some cases is
[16:13] going to add even more question about
who has [snorts] possession of the
[16:16] ballots. The ballots have to always be
in the in the custody of the Board of
[16:21] Elections. Sending people to each one of
these units, we would have to send them
[16:25] in my mind, this is me and I think Ron
agrees, we have to send them daily. We
[16:29] can't leave ballots laying in a box in
an office someplace in Pike County. So,
[16:34] you know, I'm going to just read you
some things I put together on this and
[16:37] this document outlines our position
regarding additional ballot drop boxes
[16:40] in Pike County.
Our objective is to ensure elections
[16:43] remain accessible, secure, transparent,
and worthy of the public's confidence
[16:48] while recognizing the practical
realities of administering the elections
[16:52] in rural Pennsylvania in Pike County,
I'm sorry.
[16:55] Pike County provides a secure ballot
return location. Pike County maintains a
[16:59] secure ballot drop box inside the
courthouse, inside the county
[17:02] administration building.
The drop box is under the supervision of
[17:06] the Pike County Board of Elections. The
lobby is staffed by the Pike County
[17:09] Sheriff. So, we know, as we all know,
you're not allowed to be dropping off
[17:13] somebody else's ballot. So, when we put
these ballot boxes in some other
[17:17] location, who's going to monitor them?
Who's going to sit there? Nobody in the
[17:20] townships is going to do that, and I
would not expect them to be the ones
[17:23] responsible to determine whether
somebody brought in one ballot, two
[17:27] ballots, three ballots, or four ballots.
There is a There is I'm just going to be
[17:31] There's a number of drop boxes. And
they're post and they're mailboxes.
[17:35] The The obligation of us as voters is if
you get your ballot, and I think the
[17:39] ballots are sent out I believe the end
of September.
[17:42] You have a month to get those into the
mail. Now, if you decide to hold onto
[17:47] that ballot and wait until 2 days before
election day, well, I'm just going to
[17:51] say shame on you. You should have mailed
it sooner. Or, you have another choice.
[17:55] You can go to the polling place, and you
can give it to them, and you can vote.
[17:58] You can come down here and deliver it.
Um
[18:02] Elec- Election security is our
responsibility, and I don't feel that
[18:06] these boxes give the security to these
um ballots.
[18:10] The townships
13 municipalities, and whether we view
[18:13] Lackawaxen or whatever, I don't even
know if these offices, and maybe
[18:16] Lackawaxen is, and maybe Lehman are open
20 are open every day.
[18:21] Um
Well, I just don't think that it's
[18:24] practical solution to do this.
Um
[18:27] They already have multiple ways to vote.
Think about this. 10 years ago, you had
[18:30] one way to vote.
You had to go to the polling place, or
[18:33] you had to apply for a absentee ballot
for a viable reason. They have opened
[18:39] this up so that you can get mail-in
ballots. I do not believe that doing
[18:43] this is going to all of a sudden make
people people want to vote. I think
[18:46] people are voting already. Um
So, our position is um
[18:51] is that we're going to just stay with
the way we are. We're going to have the
[18:54] drop box here.
And we're going to just have people They
[18:58] can early vote. That's the other thing
they can do. They can come here on a
[19:01] certain date. They can start to early
vote. So, there's a lot of convenient
[19:04] ways for them to vote. Um
and I know the post office has its warts
[19:08] and bubbles, but I don't think it's that
big. If you get your ballot in in time,
[19:13] I mean you have a month to get your
ballot back in.
[19:16] I would think that you have a
responsibility to do that.
[19:21] So, I
That's our That's our positions on this.
[19:26] » Well, when you say our, do you mean you
and Ron?
[19:28] » Yeah.
>> Okay. So, I would like to answer and
[19:30] thank you, Shell, for coming in and
registering your opinion. I agree I
[19:34] agree with you. I think that mail-in
voting is only going to increase. I
[19:39] think that when you consider the vast
um
[19:43] corners of the county and how far people
have to travel at now four 450 a gallon
[19:47] in gas, I think that when you look
[snorts] at the instability of our
[19:51] postal service, which is very
unfortunate, but that's what we're
[19:54] dealing with. I think that when you look
at the increase in mail-in voting by all
[19:59] political parties,
all political parties,
[20:03] our role as the Board of Elections
should be to do all that we can to
[20:07] provide access
to vote.
[20:11] And that's in any way
taxpayer, resident, registered voter
[20:17] should want to do it. You must think
about people with disabilities. You must
[20:20] think about people with lesser means.
You must think about people that have
[20:24] different work schedules. And sometimes
these things do not all align with
[20:29] some of the things that you mentioned.
So, I say and I believe that it is our
[20:34] right, it is our duty, and it is
possible if we have the will.
[20:40] » Well, they don't have to drive an hour
and a half. You can drive to your poll.
[20:44] As you've done for many years, all of us
in this room are old enough to know that
[20:48] on election day, we took the time on
election day until 8:00 at night and
[20:52] drove to the polls.
People have been using absentee ballots
[20:56] for since 1931.
People that were viable
[21:00] applied for it. So, and there was never
an issue with it. We didn't hear from
[21:03] people with absentee ballots back then,
however many of them that we should make
[21:08] it more convenient to drop it off. They
applied for an absentee ballot and they
[21:11] mailed it. The military gets absentee
ballots. So, you know, this hour and a
[21:15] half drive, that's only if you want to
go drop your ballot off. You have a
[21:18] choice.
Go to the polls.
[21:23] » Yeah, I'll I'll say that I I appreciate
you coming in and and reading reading
[21:27] your statement, but I do concur
um with Matt that um I am always
[21:32] concerned about the security of each and
every ballot. And that is a a
[21:36] responsibility that we don't take
lightly, and I don't believe we have the
[21:40] ability to [clears throat] do that with
the additional drop box around town, my
[21:44] opinion.
Thank you, Sheriff.
[21:46] » Yeah, thank you for coming in.
Any other topic?
[21:50] » Yeah, Fred Weber, Fred Weber, Milford
Borough. Um just a quick question. How
[21:54] big is this time capsule? Can it fit a
small body or something?
[21:57] » Well, it could because the the proposal
is I have it designed that it could be
[22:02] cuz it could be a lot of documents.
The maximum size can be 24 in deep, 24
[22:09] in wide, and 8 ft long.
>> Well, 8 ft long?
[22:12] » So, you could fit it.
>> [laughter]
[22:14] » After losing a little weight
[clears throat] first, but yeah.
[22:16] » No, it's going to be on a concrete
floor, so you don't have to worry.
[22:20] » So, uh
one other point that that may not be for
[22:23] this meeting, but I know you're chairman
of the Pike County Economic Development
[22:26] Authority. And I would ask that, you
know, I'm I'm really really
[22:31] happy that you guys videotape this and
then upload it to YouTube on the same
[22:35] day. It just makes it really really
good. We're talking about convenience
[22:38] and people wanting to know what's going
on um with decisions are being made. I
[22:41] think this is really really important.
And I would ask that you do the same
[22:45] thing for the Pike County Economic
Development Authority, which you chair,
[22:49] uh that those also be taped and uploaded
to YouTube. Um it's a very important
[22:54] meeting as far as the development of the
county. And it's uh at the unfortunate
[22:59] hour of 8:00 a.m., so even I can't make
it. I think you did that on purpose, but
[23:02] uh
>> It's always been that.
[23:03] » Yeah. I'm
>> Had nothing to do with you, Fred. We had
[23:05] it at 8:00 a.m. for years, but thanks
for thinking you were special.
[23:08] » Exactly. I I did think I was special on
that.
[23:10] » I know you did.
>> But, I'm glad you knocked that down, so.
[23:14] Um
the other thing uh with the videotape, I
[23:17] wasn't able to make the last meeting,
but it really
[23:22] I'm so glad it was videotaped cuz
I was looking at it and I got to the end
[23:27] comments and I had to rewind it three
times because a resident compared our uh
[23:33] correctional facility to Dachau.
>> Yeah.
[23:35] » And and I am really happy that you
challenged that uh as the commissioners
[23:40] and uh Mr. Farley as the solicitor. I
mean, that is just outrageous to think
[23:45] that our correctional facility be
compared to a place where 40,000 people,
[23:50] over 40,000 people, lost their lives,
were gassed, shot, and starved to death.
[23:56] And here in our correctional facilities,
you got a choice of ramen noodles and
[24:00] you can make phone calls. I mean, this
is just absolutely absurd. And I'm glad
[24:04] you challenged it and
those type of comments and comparisons
[24:08] always need to be challenged. Thank you.
>> Thank you, Fred.
[24:11] » Thank you.
>> Anyone have anything else?
[24:13] » Hi. My name is Eleanor Spear and I'm
Delaware Township. I actually would I'm
[24:18] here to get some clarification as
opposed to asking questions.
[24:22] Um
in May, you guys gave a contribution to
[24:25] Habitat for Humanity for $75,000.
And in the little article I saw, it said
[24:30] that you do this
in 6 months. So, my first question is,
[24:34] do you do this every 6 months? Do you
And do you give every 6 months to
[24:39] Habitat for Humanity?
>> It does. It comes out of a
[24:42] um
Act 131 189 139.
[24:46] » 139.
>> So, this is recording of documents in
[24:50] the
the recorder of deeds office to record
[24:52] of deeds. Any documents that are
recorded in the county and the statute
[24:55] [clears throat]
states that the only thing we can do
[24:57] with that money for is for housing
initiatives. So, that is why Habitat for
[25:00] Humanity qualifies.
Um you saw some funding here that comes
[25:04] out I don't know some funding comes out
for rental assistance also. That's the
[25:08] only thing we can use those funds for.
It's dealt through the Human Services
[25:11] Department. Um
>> Okay, is there any other organization
[25:16] that perhaps
should be soliciting for these funds?
[25:20] Because Habitat is quite stable. I don't
claim I love Habitat to do what it's
[25:26] doing,
but it's it's quite stable. And I am
[25:29] just wondering at $75,000 every 6
months, they've already gotten a grant
[25:33] with LSA grant for $150,000. Is there
any other organization that maybe you
[25:38] could reach out to and ask them to apply
for this money?
[25:40] » If there's housing if there's housing
initiatives in this county,
[25:45] um Rob Rueger who runs our unit he does
reach out to them cuz he has other
[25:48] access to other funds. I know that there
was a grant program just put in recently
[25:53] to help businesses um develop
some housing initiatives for employees
[25:59] because those in those individuals
there's there's a tough time in this
[26:03] county for affordable housing. So, he
has reached out for that. So, um yeah,
[26:07] we we can look at that. But, Habitat so
you understand
[26:10] um that
that fund was created back in like 1992
[26:14] whenever Habitat was uh created um they
started the fund that. So,
[26:19] but I want to say that there's it's a a
vast source and a bottomless well. It's
[26:24] not, but it is it does generate a lot of
money every quarter because you can
[26:29] imagine every time somebody goes into
the courts and records a document
[26:32] whether it's $5 a deed or whatever, it
there's a percentage or there's a fee
[26:37] that's attached to that that goes in
there. I don't know if Tommy probably
[26:39] knows
>> Act 137.
[26:41] » Act 137 probably $15 or something.
Yeah, yeah. We will we'll look at all
[26:46] that.
>> But, I just I'm just
[26:48] I would appreciate it if if you
>> And if you know of any
[26:51] » I was about to ask do you know of any?
yeah, I talked to a few people and I'm
[26:55] trying to get the word out there as
well. This is a lot of money for one
[26:59] organization. Who is doing good work?
Understood. I hear what you're saying.
[27:03] Yeah, but it had I don't believe it can
be individuals, but that would be
[27:06] something for the
but we have funds for individuals so you
[27:09] know, we have vast amounts of money for
individuals for housing rehab
[27:14] that many times we struggle
in giving it out because and it's not so
[27:19] much that we can't find people
the
[27:22] the regulations and the owners
requirements that the homeowner has to
[27:25] get to and sometimes the house is in
such a deplorable condition.
[27:29] It needs to meet a certain standard
before you can put I'll just say the
[27:32] roof. Can't put a roof on a house that
has a bad electrical system. You have to
[27:35] find something and the
requirement is you can't spend over
[27:39] 25,000. So if you have a house that's in
really bad shape in this day and age
[27:43] unfortunately $25,000 doesn't go very
far anymore. So but we work at it. But
[27:47] if you have other
organizations, please tell us who they
[27:51] are.
So I take take it what you're looking
[27:53] for and I want to make sure that I
understand what you're looking for. I
[27:56] take it what you're looking for is some
type of
[27:59] review, some application open period, a
process where organizations submit
[28:05] something. That or or at least more
communication so that people know if
[28:08] this is available
so that it's not going just to one
[28:12] organization as good as it is.
There might be more people out there who
[28:16] could use this money if it's available.
Correct and I'm
[28:20] I figure that's what you were saying,
but what I'm thinking is it would still
[28:22] require a process that we may not
absolutely. So so if that would assuming
[28:28] that you know, as long as there's
agreement there will be right. There
[28:32] will be a process, right? It's available
to people. I just think that
[28:36] there's a lot of older people in the
community who've been here a long time
[28:39] who might need this help. So we can get
the word out. Tom, we'll let Tom do some
[28:43] research, but I I don't want to mislead
you. This fund is not for
[28:48] a family to apply for.
That's a different fund. There are funds
[28:51] out there that Right? Right? By my
understanding. But I don't want to
[28:54] mislead people to think that this this
fund is for that. Tom Tom can do the
[28:58] research on He has many times cuz
sometimes it sits with
[29:02] There was a time with 1.2 or 1.3 million
dollars in there.
[29:07] Um so
>> where we need more communication
[29:08] » Right. But what I'm saying is that
>> He's trying to tell you that it was an
[29:12] extremely restricted
>> Yeah, extremely. But not to individuals.
[29:16] » But that's and that's also for
construction, correct?
[29:19] » Not for individuals.
>> No, I know. I know. I'm saying for the
[29:22] nonprofits though it's for home
construction.
[29:25] » It was to generate home construction or
something. So it's got It's a very
[29:29] limited goal.
>> Well, look at it and they did it in the
[29:32] '90s with Margaret and
Leslie Margaret Jones and Johnny Frank.
[29:36] And at the same time he was very active
and she was with Habitat. So it
[29:40] developed into a nice program. So what
you keep saying is it's solid. It's
[29:44] solid because of the way it was set up
in the '90s and it continues to be
[29:48] solid. I think he's up
kind of like
[29:50] » 30 years?
>> 30 years 35 years.
[29:52] » But it has to meet that specific
standards. And I I don't think there's
[29:55] anybody that I know of in this county
in this county right now who
[29:59] » [clears throat and cough]
>> meets the requirements. You could find
[30:02] one or someone thinks they can, great.
But recognize it's not like a free bee.
[30:06] It's set up through the state to use
those particular funds for Habitat.
[30:12] » Okay.
>> Thank you.
[30:13] » Thank you.
>> You know what?
[30:15] » Well, I just Just Just take me I'm
sorry. I'll let you speak. We did fund
[30:18] something 3 years ago. We funded a
housing study of PASS.
[30:22] For Pike Autism Support Services, right?
They qualified under that. And if you go
[30:26] to them, they have a
a whole village concept that they've
[30:29] designed and that was paid for I think
it was somewhere in the range of $75,000
[30:33] almost the same number
to pay consultants and they have the
[30:37] whole design done where they paid for
engineers. Now obviously this thing is a
[30:41] major project. It's going to take
millions to build it, but they're on
[30:45] that path now to raise the funds. So,
there are organizations that it just hit
[30:49] me that past was one who qualified for
this.
[30:52] And they got it. Yeah.
>> My name is Martha Raymond. I also live
[30:57] in Delaware Township. I I just have a
question clarification on your remarks.
[31:02] You said it was important that there be
an individual who verifies
[31:06] each ballot that comes in.
Who is that person?
[31:11] » The sheriff is sitting out here. If he
sees you coming in with more than one
[31:14] ballot,
>> he stops you and asks you.
[31:17] » He also has a camera on it.
>> at the signature.
[31:19] » No, no. He doesn't No, no, no. He
doesn't do that. He just makes sure that
[31:21] you're only coming in with one ballot.
And if you're coming in with two, so we
[31:25] we're clear, he does not deny you. He
tells you you need to go downstairs and
[31:30] see the Board of Elections. He won't let
you put them in the box.
[31:33] » So, then you go down there. That's not
full verification.
[31:35] » No, but when you go to
No, but when you go downstairs, what
[31:38] they confirm is they confirm You can
drop off somebody else's ballot. You
[31:42] have to have a signed affidavit by that
person to drop off their ballot. He
[31:45] makes They downstairs in their meeting
in their office, they confirm that you
[31:49] have that.
>> For each ballot that comes in?
[31:51] » No, if you have more than one.
>> Okay, but you don't know if
[31:54] » He does.
>> if there is one if there's one, you
[31:57] don't know the verification of that
particular one.
[32:01] If there's one ballot, no one's checking
whether that's the verification signed
[32:06] or
>> No. Well, well
[32:08] » No, no, no.
>> It's right down to
[32:10] » The election board is they do the proper
procedure and they scan it and make sure
[32:13] the number is right.
>> two?
[32:15] » Tell me every every one is scanned to
make sure
[32:18] » What I
>> their ballot
[32:19] » What I think Martha's saying is if
they're going to the drop box here and
[32:21] they're putting in one ballot, you don't
know if it's their ballot
[32:24] » Oh, absolutely. We're hoping that you're
being truthful, but we can't do that.
[32:27] » Right.
>> And so, but at the same time, we can't
[32:29] do that.
>> But
[32:31] » But that you need to take
>> That's the situation if there was a
[32:33] ballot box some located somewhere else.
>> We But we're more concerned about you
[32:38] dropping off more than one ballot. We
can't tell whether you're dropping off
[32:41] somebody else's, but you are on the
camera. And I will just bring up an
[32:43] instance of this.
>> set That's a subset of a larger ballot
[32:46] set.
>> Yes. Remember what happened in Monroe
[32:48] County? A sitting county commissioner
who voted one day her ballot, and the
[32:53] next day was shown dropping off another
ballot, and she's on camera, and she was
[32:56] dropping off her husband's, and she got
dinged for it. That is the problem. You
[32:59] only, you know, I mean, this is all of
us. We're supposed to be honest and
[33:03] truthful about what we're doing when we
vote. You're right, somebody could play
[33:06] the game, but if you have one ballot and
you bring it in here, you should be
[33:09] bringing just your own. Not some
And And that's a state law.
[33:12] » No, I'm saying I'm not I'm not arguing
it's not. I'm just saying that's a
[33:16] subset of what may happen with this
particular issue.
[33:19] » we have a responsibility of that. That's
what the Board of Election does, to make
[33:22] sure that this the law is followed and
and it's secure voting, so.
[33:27] » Okay. Along those lines, I This has been
going on for many years with um
[33:32] You had mentioned when it started. I
don't remember when, but many years
[33:36] we've had drop boxes in
many states.
[33:40] And
there's been study after study, and
[33:43] there hasn't been these problems that
you're talking about. One One example,
[33:47] yes, is out there, but the percentages
for overall have been so minuscule that
[33:53] is it really worth taking them all out?
>> But it's then of the logistics problem.
[33:58] Because somebody has to go every day and
pick up those ballots. And it has to be
[34:03] somebody in the Board of Elections. We
can't just authorize a sheriff's deputy
[34:06] to do this. And
I [clears throat]
[34:08] I'm sorry. I I know
you're I'm just going to be honest.
[34:12] You're not going to convince me. There's
There's There's opportunities for people
[34:15] to vote. There's plenty of
opportunities. More opportunities than
[34:18] we had 10 years ago, right? So, now we
[clears throat] have a responsibility as
[34:22] citizens of this country to make sure
that we get our vote in, whether it's on
[34:26] Election Day, whether it's coming here
earlier. And that's I think that is It's
[34:30] time for people to be able to vote.
>> I understand, but we have made it easier
[34:36] as a government body.
>> And we have. Made it We don't need to
[34:39] make it any easier in my mind. We
already have plenty of ways for people
[34:41] to vote.
Without putting an onerous workload on
[34:45] our Board of Elections, having people
question Well, we'll question you in
[34:49] this thing of who's dropping off
ballots. That just puts even more
[34:52] suspect, which we don't need any more in
our society, of whether our elections
[34:56] are actually
um
[34:58] honest and that they're not being
manipulated, right? We already read this
[35:02] every day in the paper. I'm not saying I
buy into that stuff, but just doing one
[35:05] more step like this just adds more to
that. Um and I think it's ample ways for
[35:10] people to vote.
>> In your experience, have you found that
[35:13] there's been more problems over the
years that you've been in?
[35:15] » Not here.
We have no problems in my town.
[35:17] » But But there were other
drop boxes other years.
[35:20] » Never. We've never had more than one
drop box. It's always been a drop box
[35:23] there.
>> Okay. Um
[35:26] so, the whole time there's been drop
boxes, it's only been one?
[35:28] » Correct.
>> In the city.
[35:29] » Correct.
>> And you find that that works?
[35:31] » Yeah.
Satisfies the needs.
[35:34] » Well, you don't know who didn't vote.
>> Yeah, we don't know who didn't vote. Cuz
[35:38] there's a lot of people who
>> Yeah.
[35:41] Okay.
>> Anyone else?
[35:43] » I have one.
>> Yeah.
[35:45] » Again, I'll do the questioning. My
question is, you were quoted as saying
[35:49] you didn't consider a cost analysis of
the
[35:53] detention center. And I wonder why that
is, um given that DHS funding
[35:59] you can't depend on it extending from
one administration to the next. And when
[36:04] this one is gone, what's to keep them
saying
[36:07] we don't have money to to meet that
need, and they don't detain people
[36:12] legally or illegally. You can debate
that.
[36:15] But for the benefit of the county, since
it's a a 30-year existing situation,
[36:22] that's plenty of time to plan for what
could happen. And I wonder why you're so
[36:28] resistant.
>> We're not resistant and we are doing a
[36:33] study. Um,
we misspoke the last time because it's
[36:36] part of a larger study that we have
um put in place for the county that's
[36:41] has started already.
>> And the name of that study is?
[36:44] » Um, what does it stand for? It's stand.
>> What does it stand for?
[36:49] » Strategic, um
>> Strategic management?
[36:52] » They actually analyze They're going to
analyze every department.
[36:54] » of PA.
>> Um, in the budget in the county budget.
[36:57] » Did you say ED funded study of overall
county
[37:01] um finances?
>> And I did say ED.
[37:03] » EDC is Economic Development or DC?
>> DC.
[37:08] » [clears throat]
>> Thank you.
[37:10] » Anyone else?
>> Sorry. Are there time limits on these
[37:13] studies?
>> Well, this is this is funded by the
[37:16] state. This thing could take
>> It'll probably be a year, I would say.
[37:21] » Yeah. They said it was a good
>> It's about 9 months to be
[37:23] » I just wondered because some are open
ended.
[37:27] » Scott?
>> Yes, my name is Scott Fein, Milford
[37:29] Township.
In regards to Mr. Weathers' statements
[37:32] about the correctional facility, I
retired there after 24 years as the CEO.
[37:37] And for that place to be compared to a
concentration camp is both greatly
[37:40] unfair
and false. And it's an affront to the
[37:44] face of the people who work 24/7
to maintain
[37:48] a safe and secure facility, which it is.
They receive
[37:53] nutritious meals,
health care. They have access to due
[37:57] process through video court with an
immigration judge. I know it. I lived
[38:00] it.
And thank you, Mr. Weather, for pointing
[38:03] that out.
>> And I'll I'll just
[38:06] and respond to both comments by saying
anytime that someone is kept imprisoned
[38:13] for a civil offense
in a criminal situation without any
[38:18] guarantee of due process, it's the first
step that it takes.
[38:23] And you can say that you have the nicest
illegal detention center in the United
[38:27] States. And the fact is, it's still
illegal.
[38:32] If you violate the law,
then
[38:36] » I am a criminal alien. They are
illegally entering into our into our
[38:40] country. That's a crime.
>> It's a civil crime. It is a civil crime.
[38:44] » It's
illegal to detain under the laws. The
[38:48] federal government has the laws in
regards to that. All we are is the
[38:52] holder of federal government telling us
these people are detained under the
[38:57] laws.
>> Then you are complicit.
[38:59] » No, ma'am. We're just doing our
>> are complicit. And you make money by
[39:02] being a
>> Yes, ma'am. Very much so. And if we
[39:04] didn't do it, some other county would do
it. So, I think
[39:07] I think the commissioners have a
fiduciary duty to take the contract.
[39:11] We've got $2 million a month to this
county, saving millions of dollars in
[39:16] taxes for the elderly. I would flip it
around and tell
[39:20] if they didn't take this contract, I
think they'd be more liable for not
[39:24] doing the proper thing for this county.
>> I hear
[39:27] » Because we keep having this discussion,
I will say again,
[39:32] I wish that we did not have this
agreement. I wish we never had this
[39:35] agreement. But we've had it for 30
years. And because we've had it for 30
[39:38] years, the residents rely upon the
reduced property taxes based on this
[39:43] agreement. Whether we like it or not,
>> [clears throat]
[39:45] » whether we like the situation or not,
my role here, my role here,
[39:51] is to be the fiduciary for the county
and the county taxpayers. However, my
[39:57] request for the study
was to make sure that we could figure
[40:02] out a path out of it, right?
So,
[40:06] without that knowledge,
it's just it's a wasted argument, quite
[40:11] frankly. And you're welcome to continue
to have it. I'm simply saying until we
[40:15] get the data, until we get the numbers,
and I'm sure there are other people out
[40:18] there crunching their own numbers,
right? And that's fine.
[40:21] You can't operate from just emotion. We
have to have facts. And once we have
[40:26] those facts, then you can make You know
what I mean? Like an informed path
[40:30] forward. But just say end the agreement
end the agreement, it's like
[40:34] My role here
I'm not talking just to you, ma'am. I
[40:37] want you to understand I'm not talking
to you. I'm speaking generally that
[40:42] my role here, whether I like it or not,
is to manage the funds of the county,
[40:46] right? And to make sure that we're
solvent, and to make sure that it's an
[40:50] attractive and affordable place to live.
I despise what's happening.
[40:55] But
I also know that there are a lot of
[40:59] people in that facility
that aren't there just for civil
[41:02] reasons.
They've done some horrible things.
[41:07] » That's true.
>> And so I'm just saying
[41:10] » Let's all just take a breath.
>> And let these facts come forward. If
[41:14] something were to happen at that
facility that goes against everything, a
[41:18] whole large group of people, some of
some who sat in this room,
[41:22] took a tour, right?
There were no arguments about how it
[41:26] looked, what was going on, how the
inmates were treated. There were inmates
[41:29] literally walking outside among us,
sitting outside among us. And anytime
[41:34] someone could have inquired, "Are you
okay? Are you eating three times?" You
[41:37] know what I mean? And like I'm not
trying to be facetious. There was
[41:40] opportunity to have any question
answered. Warden and the assistant
[41:44] warden spent 3 hours with [snorts] the
group.
[41:48] Ma'am,
it's not directed to you. I'm I'm really
[41:51] speaking to the county cuz this is
recorded, right?
[41:55] All I'm saying is you cannot like what's
going on, but still have an obligation
[41:59] to do a job. And right now, I don't like
that that's going on, but my duty here
[42:06] are all of you.
And until we know how much increase
[42:10] you're going to pay in property taxes,
should we decide to end it, a new board,
[42:14] whomever, or even a new administration
comes in on the federal level and says,
[42:18] "We're done with this across the board."
We just don't have it in Orange County.
[42:22] We saw it happen in New York State
because of state law.
[42:25] We still have an obligation to unwind
responsibly. Yanking that contract away
[42:30] and just shoving, you know, 30 to 40% of
a property tax increase, I don't think
[42:35] that's fair and I don't think it's wise
and I don't think it's prudent as a
[42:38] county commissioner to do.
That's all I'm saying. And I have to
[42:43] find that balance and I'm asking,
hopefully, that some of you out here who
[42:47] feel strongly, you have every right to,
and in some cases you have every reason
[42:50] to.
But, we have to find the balance, that's
[42:53] all.
>> All I'm asking for is what is the time
[42:56] frame on finding a balance? I mean,
>> We just said we just said we just said 9
[43:01] months to a year.
>> Okay.
[43:03] » So, I think I'm just going to be You
just did the study.
[43:06] It's a $13 million deficit in our
budget. You know, and I'm just going to
[43:09] tell you because this Scott Brodeur
brought this up on another side. You
[43:12] went up there [clears throat] and you
toured this. This has been going on for
[43:14] 35 years. I'm going to say it as I've
said it in other meetings. Four years
[43:17] ago, you could care less what was going
on at that jail
[43:21] because four years ago there was a
contract with just as many detainees.
[43:24] Eight years ago, there was a contract,
people were in here complaining about
[43:28] it. 12 years ago, no one was in here
complaining. So, let's just connect the
[43:32] dots to who's in the White House. Okay?
No, no, wait.
[43:35] » They're not getting due process.
>> No, no, they were all getting due
[43:37] process. And I know this for a fact that
I won't tell you why. That is not true.
[43:41] That is not true. Keep This is not true
and
[43:45] No, it's not.
And that jail and then to come here last
[43:48] week and I'm just going to repeat again
and attribute this place to be Dog Pound
[43:52] after you went there and visited. No,
no, I know you didn't, but group People
[43:56] that were with you did. And that's
insulting to us and you know what, Fred,
[43:59] you're going to speak and then, you know
what, the meeting's over. I'm not
[44:02] discussing this every meeting. There's a
study, the count the county depends on
[44:06] this. We have for 35 years and you know,
in 35 years there'll still be detainment
[44:11] of illegal aliens in this country and
then going to need to be held someplace.
[44:15] Fred, go ahead.
>> So, [clears throat]
[44:18] to that point, I I love the selective
outrage. Where was everybody in 2008 to
[44:23] 2016?
Of the 5.1 million people deported by
[44:29] the Obama administration, 76%
did not receive due process. No
[44:35] hearings, no nothing. They were shipped
out and nobody said a word. Nobody had
[44:39] the little placards down there on Broad
Street and and
[44:42] uh by the Dimmick stapled to a stick
saying, "Hey, no due process, fascism,
[44:47] Nazis." Unbelievable. Concentration
camp. I mean, it's just unbelievable.
[44:53] Here you are, 4 years, you got You hate
the guy in the White House, so now it's
[44:57] a problem.
You weren't there for 5.1 million people
[45:02] that were shipped out of here with no
due process.
[45:05] » no idea what people did or didn't do.
Now,
[45:09] » Well, you weren't here, so you know
what?
[45:11] » All I'm going to say to that is
[45:15] we have to operate from information.
We have to operate from information, you
[45:21] guys.
We need a The county needs a contingency
[45:24] plan regardless of what sides you're
what side you are on regarding this
[45:29] issue. The county should have a
contingency plan in case anybody pulls
[45:33] the plug on it. We can't just operate
that it always be here because we can't
[45:37] say that.
>> It's been here for 35 years.
[45:40] » Correct, but 36 years can come and for
whatever
[45:45] reason, it's no longer in place. The
agreement is only as good as the
[45:49] signature and the date and the and the
terms. So, we have 2 years.
[45:53] We know for a fact we'll have guaranteed
funds for 2 years. We can't guarantee
[45:57] beyond that.
I want a contingency plan. That's it.
[46:01] » And that's what I'm asking for the
camera, when and if they can do it.
[46:05] » I'm telling you what the commissioner
just
[46:07] said. Taxes are going up six mills.
There it is. I don't I
[46:10] » And it's existed for 35 years. So, if
you were really interested in something
[46:14] different, you would do something
different.
[46:16] » Motion to adjourn.
We're not going to get anywhere on this
[46:19] We don't agree.
Thank you, everyone.
[46:21] » Thank you.