Luzerne County Government

By Jennifer Learn-Andes jandes@timesleader.com
Luzerne County Reporter
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Luzerne County commissioners will meet in executive session next week to determine if any disciplinary action will be taken against Chief Public Defender Basil Russin for his acceptance of additional on-call pay, county Commissioner Chairwoman Maryanne Petrilla said Friday.

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Petrilla confirmed that Public Defender’s Office union members have also filed a grievance seeking the on-call pay that had been paid to Russin.

Petrilla declined to say what disciplinary options may be discussed, saying it’s a personnel matter. County minority Commissioner Stephen A. Urban has publicly called for Russin’s termination.

Russin said Friday that he has not been informed of any disciplinary action.

He repaid $27,749.60 in on-call payments on Wednesday. The county will recoup the remaining $15,946 from the state, federal and local government, officials said. That’s the amount of money that had been withheld for taxes and contributed by the county for Social Security and Medicare.

Russin said he agreed to return the on-call pay to the county because he learned that it should not have been paid, though he stressed that he had received authorization from a superior before accepting the $495-per-week stipend. He declined to name the superior.

County officials said the money must be repaid because the salary board did not authorize any payments above Russin’s $52,178 salary. Russin is also a non-union worker, and only union workers are allowed to receive on-call pay as part of their collective-bargaining agreements, officials said.

The $43,695 in gross payments covered on-call pay from 2008 through 2010. Commissioners stopped the payments two weeks ago, when they were alerted by the budget/finance office.

Russin has said he started collecting the stipend because he must respond to office matters at night and on weekends when people are arrested.

It’s unclear if the matter will come up at the next county commissioner meeting, which is at 10 a.m. Wednesday in the commissioners’ meeting room at the county courthouse.

Jennifer Learn-Andes, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 831-7333.