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Luzerne County Government

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November 21, 2009

County budget vote may be postponed

Luzerne County Commissioners don’t expect to agree on a proposed 2010 budget by Wednesday, which means a vote will probably be postponed until the second week of December.

November 21, 2009

Solicitor: Suspicious items link ex-HR head, N.Y. firms

Connections to two New York companies that are under investigation by federal agents were found in former Luzerne County human resources director Doug Richards’ e-mails, county Solicitor Vito DeLuca said Friday.

November 21, 2009

‘Nothing to hide,’ Skrep expects to talk with feds

As his allies fall like dominoes, Luzerne County Commissioner Greg Skrepenak said he fully expects to be called to meet with federal investigators as part of the ongoing county corruption probe.

November 18, 2009

Rendell vows county judge choice soon

WILKES-BARRE – Gov. Ed Rendell Tuesday said he expects to nominate a judge for the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas as early as the end of next week.

November 18, 2009

County’s HR boss resigns effective Dec. 4

Doug Richards has resigned from his $71,000 job as Luzerne County human resources director, effective Dec. 4. Richards has been in the job for more than four years.

November 17, 2009

County eyes jail alternative

Low-level offenders may soon report to a center every day instead of sitting in a prison cell.

November 13, 2009

Brace agrees to plead guilty

A tailored suit worth $1,500 may cost Bill Brace one of his pensions and his latest government job.

November 11, 2009

Petrilla: No mass layoffs planned

Luzerne County’s proposed 2010 budget is two weeks away from adoption, and there’s not a peep about how commissioners will close a $29 million gap.

November 10, 2009

Rule irks pay board members

Former Luzerne County controller Steve Flood and Commissioner Stephen A. Urban used to regularly block job creations and pay increases on the Salary Board, and it’s expected that Urban and Walter Griffith will do the same when Griffith becomes controller in January.

November 6, 2009

Townhouse plans linked to corruption probe now proceeding

WRIGHT TWP. – With little to show after four years, a townhouse development linked to key figures in the Luzerne County public corruption probe is on track to get approval to proceed.

October 30, 2009

Zola office rental cost comes under scrutiny

Costly district judge office leases were criticized during Luzerne County’s recent budget hearings, and county officials now have an opportunity to end one expensive rental agreement.

October 28, 2009

Boost in collection of taxes sought

Credit cards for property taxes? Bonuses for tax collectors who get the most property owners to pay their taxes?

October 25, 2009

Electorate can show strength by voting

Worn out by all the scandals in local government?

October 22, 2009

More red ink blots finances

Add another $2.45 million to next year’s Luzerne County general fund deficit, thanks to a record-high employee pension fund subsidy.

October 22, 2009

corruption notebook

SCRANTON – A federal judge has scheduled a hearing for Dec. 16 regarding Luzerne County Housing Authority board member Gerald Bonner’s motion to suppress statements he made to federal agents.

October 21, 2009

$13.5M needed for county pension fund

The taxpayer subsidy required to keep Luzerne County’s pension fund afloat will reach another all-time high – an estimated $13.5 million in 2010, county officials said Tuesday.

October 20, 2009

County may face cash flow problem

Luzerne County’s borrowing of $18 million to get through 2009 has been stalled by reluctance of a bond insurer to back the deal, which means the county could be facing a cash flow problem, county Budget/Finance Chief Tom Pribula said during Monday’s commissioner work session.

October 17, 2009

GOP attacks Petrilla, Gartley

A spokesman for the state Republican Party Friday questioned Luzerne County Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla’s recent vote to add language to the general election ballot, saying it’s an attempt “to rig the election for the corrupt Democrat Party and its candidates.”