Luzerne County Courthouse

Luzerne County Courthouse

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Randy Robertson said he is still on track to start his work as Luzerne County government’s new manager on June 13.

Robertson said he has an in-processing meeting as a new employee that morning.

Several county council members also said the county manager’s office has been scheduling in-person, one-on-one meetings with each council member in subsequent days at Robertson’s request.

“The wheels are in motion,” Robertson said.

Election Board

The five-citizen county Election Board is scheduled to hold a special meeting at 9 a.m. Monday to certify the May 17 primary election results.

The meeting is at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre, with instructions for a remote attendance option posted under council’s Authorities, Boards and Commissions (ABC) online meetings link at luzernecounty.org.

The final unofficial results are posted under the election bureau page.

Ethics commission

The county ethics commission will meet twice this week.

Its first meeting is at 3 p.m. Monday in the courthouse to review and accept or reject proposals from outside attorneys.

The commission increased the compensation for outside attorneys because there is urgency to fill the positions. At least three complaints submitted to the commission cannot be opened until independent contracted attorneys are hired and assigned those cases, members said.

Under the council-adopted ethics code, the commission must appoint a panel of three attorneys who are not employed by the county to handle the initial stage of complaint investigations. These attorneys must be selected through a public request for proposals and appointed on a rotating basis as complaints are lodged, the code says.

Two of the three outside attorney slots had been filled after a similar recruitment problem in 2017, but both have left.

The old pay rate for each attorney was $140 per hour for up to $21,000 per year. The commission recently agreed to raise the compensation to $225 per hour with a cap of $25,000.

The commission’s second meeting will be at 3 p.m. Friday, June 10, also in the courthouse.

Audit

Council’s Budget, Finance and Audit Committee will meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday to discuss the status of the county’s 2021 audit.

Bakertilly is completing the audit, which is due June 30 under the charter.

The committee meeting is at the courthouse, with remote attendance instructions posted in council’s online meeting link at luzernecounty.org.

Pension fund

The county Retirement Board, which oversees the employee pension fund, will hold a work session at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the courthouse.

Prison elevators

Bids are due Wednesday for the replacement of both elevators at the county prison on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre.

County council had voted earlier this year to earmark up to $1.53 million in American Rescue Plan funding to repair prison roof leaks and replace the outdated fire security system and elevators.

Some elevator repairs had been completed after a fifth-floor elevator door swung open at the base in 2016, resulting in the deaths of a correctional officer and an inmate. However, the elevator motor system and controls must be updated, largely because replacement components are now difficult to find, county Correctional Services Division Head Mark Rockovich has said. The elevators are in constant use for the transport of meals, laundry and inmates heading to court appearances and treatment, he has said.

Information on the work and other county bids and request-for-proposals is posted under the county purchasing department page at luzernecounty.org.

Reach Jennifer Learn-Andes at 570-991-6388 or on Twitter @TLJenLearnAndes.