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County early retirement

October 9, 2008

Exits will save $1.8M

Savings expected to come from 127 county employees accepting early-retirement incentive packages.

By Steve Mocarsky smocarsky@timesleader.com
Staff Writer
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Officials expect Luzerne County will save at least $1.8 million in 2009 with the acceptance of an early-retirement incentive plan by 127 county employees.

And those savings could increase to about $5 million if the county institutes a hiring freeze – a possibility that will be discussed today at the county commissioners’ work session, said Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla.

Human Resources Director Doug Richards late Wednesday afternoon released the final list of employees who will participate in the early-retirement incentive.

Tuesday was the final day for employees who initially accepted the plan to withdraw their acceptance, and county officials refused to release the name of anyone who accepted the offer until Wednesday.

The incentive was offered to 368 eligible employees.

Richards had said in May that the county would save about $5.5 million in payroll and health-care costs if all 368 employees retired and were replaced by new workers at entry-level wages.

He came up with that number by totaling the gross salaries of the 368 employees – which came to $14.8 million – and subtracting replacement employee costs, leaving a net savings of $4.2 million. He pegged the health-care savings at $1.3 million because the county is self-insured and older employees tend to cost more in health benefits.

Petrilla said Wednesday the county could see “a substantial savings if we don’t hire anyone back, and I believe that number is close to $5 million.”

“Obviously, some key administrative positions are going to need to be filled. But we can’t just say we’re going to place ads for 110 people. It’s just not cost-effective at this time,” Petrilla said.

The county sorely needs any savings it can muster. Tom Pribula, the new budget/finance chief, has estimated there will be a deficit of approximately $16 million this year. County officials are awaiting a decision from Court of Common Pleas Judge Ann Lokuta on whether the county will be allowed to borrow money to cover the deficit.

While Commissioner Greg Skrepenak has blamed the deficit on Petrilla and Commissioner Steve Urban failing to implement programs to realize greater revenue, Urban has said he publicly pointed out instances of revenue “padding” over the previous two years. And Petrilla has said former budget/finance chief Sam Diaz repeatedly assured her that the 2008 budget was sound when she questioned him about it after Urban publicly called the spending plan a “shell game.”

Petrilla said she wants all departments to cut spending by 20 percent for 2009 “so we don’t end up in the same boat next year.”

She said the commissioners today will discuss in executive session “how we’re going to handle personnel issues. … We need to have meetings with all the department heads.”

The early-retirement incentive was offered to employees who were at least 55 years old and had at least 10 years of county employment or who had 30 years of service, regardless of age.

Participating employees will see their pension increased to a level reflecting a 30-percent increase in their number of years of county service. For example, an employee with 20 years of service will receive a pension that reflects 26 years of service.

The Times Leader previously reported that some county notables, including Deputy Chief Clerk Bill Brace, prison Warden Gene Fischi and Solicitor Jim Blaum, intended to take the retirement package. They did not withdraw their names from the list by Tuesday’s deadline.

Brace, who retired in 2001 as Wilkes-Barre city clerk/administrator with a $42,000 annual pension, earns $56,650 as county deputy chief clerk. He used his military service to attain eligibility since he falls short of the county’s 10-year service requirement.

Brace was appointed a state registrar with the Bureau of Vital Statistics by Calvin B. Johnson, M.D., secretary of the state Department of Health and is one of six registrars in the county. He can earn a maximum of $60,000 per year and must pay all expenses out of that.

Fischi opted to accept the incentive after efforts to secure a contract that would guarantee his job failed.

Fischi said he wanted to remain as warden, but uncertainty regarding the degree of support for his retention, coupled with the generous financial incentive being offered, prompted him to apply for early retirement.

The contract would have assured Fischi and Deputy Warden Sam Hyder continued employment for five years unless “good cause” was shown to terminate them. That good cause determination would be made by a three-member arbitration panel, not the prison board.

Fischi and Hyder have come under fire in the past year as several controversies erupted, including the revelation that prison food contracts had been piecemealed in violation of bidding policies, and the admitted misuse of county debit cards by Hyder.

Some other notable employees who will retire by the end of the year include public defenders Patrick Flannery and Gerald Wassil, attorney John Eichorn and Joseph O’Hara, longtime tipstaff of Court of Common Pleas Judge Mark Ciavarella.

Early retirees

The following Luzerne County employees have accepted the county’s early retirement incentive plan:

Assessor

Barbara Lussi, John A. Schumacher, field investigators; Ann Marie T. Paddock, administrative assistant; Ellen Petyo, clerk I; Phyllis Temarantz, clerk II

Children & Youth Services

Charlene Aben, Marcia Barnes, Rozanne Ciavarella, social service coordinators; Maryann Rinaldi, administrative officer; Donna Vrhel, CPS intake supervisor

Commissioners

Bill Brace, deputy chief clerk

Controller

Joseph Stobodzian, auditor

Courts

Joseph O’Hara, tipstaff for Judge Mark Ciavarella; Frank J. Glazenski, tipstaff for Judge Chester Muroski; Ann Marie Mathis, jury room; Ruth L. Wasiluk, chief court reporter

District Attorney

John M. Hlivia, detective; Sharon A. Prokopchak, receptionist

District Court

Romaine Ren, Nancy Rothenbecker, Donna Swartz, titles unavailable

Domestic Relations

Jo Ann Yanuzzi, clerk typist II

Drug & Alcohol

Martha Dempsey, clerk typist III

Elections Bureau

Catherine Dougherty, receptionist; Chester J. Kurkowski, voting machine superintendent

Human Services

John McCutcheon, personnel manager; Carlie K. Wetzel, block grant coordinator

Mapping

Joseph M. Laskowski, M. Theresa Morcavage, cadastral map specialists

Mental Health/Mental Retardation

Patricia G. Baran, Thomas P. Kokura, Raymond J. Raykovitz, program specialists; Antoinette C. Cisowski, administrator; Frank G. Lombardo, MIS director; Kathryn R. Mortimer, fiscal technician; Joseph M. Petrizzi, director of fiscal services

Planning and Zoning

John Mikiewicz, planning technician

Prison

Gene P. Fischi, warden

Probation Services

Stephen Adamchak, Stephen Wolinsky Jr., supervisors; Margaret C. Harvey, clerk typist; Linda L. Jones, administrative aide; Jerome C. Prawdzik, case manager

Prothonotary

Bernadine Oakley, clerk typist I; Margaret H. Puchalski, clerk typist II; David O. Roberts, clerk II

Public Defender

Patrick J. Flannery, Gerald J. Wassil, attorneys

Recreation

Cynthia M. Sledziewski, clerk

Register of Wills

Margaret A. Carroll, clerk

Solicitors

James P. Blaum, county solicitor; Marianne Svab, executive secretary

Treasurer

Debra J. McNulty, tax collection administrator

Veterans Affairs

Michael Meehan, Genevieve M. Nealon, clerks

Workforce Development

John T. Parini, Thomas Sinavage, employment counselors; Sharon Rampola, intake specialist

Unavailable

Departmental information was unavailable for: Andrew August, Thomas Austin, Suzanne Bealla, Linda Bottger, Lynn Brown, Francis P. Burns, Karen Camasse, Joyce Cardillo, Craig P. Davis, Judith A. Davis, Helen DePrimo, Ainslie DeYoung, C. Peter Dougherty, John C. Eichorn, Ann Evans, Josephine A. Evans, Joseph J. Gombeda, John Gorrick, Frank R. Handley, Dolores Hock, Anne Juzwiak, Oma Kapral, Michael F. Kennedy, Walter W. Kiesinger, F.J. Kratz, Malvin J. Little, Joseph Major, Ruth Malinoski, Maroun Maroun, Susan S. Martin, Gloria Migatulski, Fred R. Moran, Robert P. Moran, Janice Motovidlak, Marcia Musial, Kevin O’Brien, Michael B. Onderko, Rosemary C. Ostrosky, Eugene Padden, John Leo Padden, Bernard Panasiewicz, Viola Pechal, Felicia Perlick, Joseph John Petrikonis, Dolores Platukis, Maureen Pozzessere, Charles Purta, Anne Rappaport, James R. Reakes, Paul Richelmi, Michael Saia, Kipp J. Sebo, Phil Semenza, M.J. Stapleton, Thomas Stasko, William Sukadelski, Charles Thomas, Hugh Tracy, Aileen C. Ward, Karen Weed, William J. Weiss, Ronald Williams, Gerald Yankow, John G. Yasenchak, Lee R. Yurkavage, Albert E. Zaborney, Leonard F. Zabritski, George Zaruta and Ellen Zimich.

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