Luzerne County Courthouse
                                 File photo

Luzerne County Courthouse

File photo

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Luzerne County Council unanimously approved five collective bargaining agreements Tuesday, providing certainty to approximately 600 union employees who have been working under expired contracts since the start of this year.

The contracts also provide starting salary increases and other compensation adjustments that officials hope will help retain workers and fill numerous vacancies, including openings for Children and Youth caseworkers, 911 telecommunicators and sheriff deputies.

The new agreements are with the AFSCME residual union, AFSCME court-related union and Teamsters Local 401-represented employees in Children and Youth, Mental Health/Developmental Services and the Area Agency on Aging.

Councilman Tim McGinley said he and his colleagues have had many discussions about vacancies and other issues that must be addressed in Children and Youth. He believes that new contract will “help us immensely” and thanked existing employees for their work and loyalty to the agency.

“I think this is a move in the right direction, and hopefully we can attract new people to serve,” McGinley said.

Councilman Brian Thornton concurred.

“In light of all the turmoil at Children and Youth, I want to personally thank employees who stuck around. We recognize that,” Thornton said.

Council and the administration did not follow the usual practice of publicly presenting contract highlights during the voting meeting, and there were no discussions about any contract provisions before each vote.

County Manager Randy Robertson said he plans to provide details of the changes at a post-meeting media briefing he has scheduled Wednesday with council Chairwoman Kendra Radle.

The court-related union covers sheriff deputies and clerical workers in various departments, including the civil and criminal court records, wills, deeds, public defender’s and district attorney’s offices.

Described as the “rank-and-file” contract, the residual agreement covers 911 telecommunicators, security guards and some employees in road and bridge, building and grounds, mapping, voter services and several other offices.

The three human service departments are largely or entirely funded by non-county revenue streams, officials have stressed.

American Rescue

Council also unanimously approved the hiring of Columbia, Maryland-based Booth Management Consulting to provide guidance on eligibility screening and funding administration for the county’s federal American Rescue Plan funding.

The administration has argued the outside expertise is needed to ensure complicated regulations are followed and that funding awards withstand future federal auditing.

The county still has $96.3 million in American Rescue funding not yet allocated for projects. In response to its call for pre-applications, the county has received $186.8 million in funding requests — $171.58 million from more than 100 outside entities and $15.26 million from county government departments, the administration has said.

The consulting contract is not-to-exceed $350,000 in the first year due to the high number of pre-application requests, but company head Robin Booth said the amount charged will be significantly less if council reduces the number of projects under consideration.

Council approved McGinley’s proposed contract amendment stating the cost will be reduced based on fewer funded projects.

To help with that whittling, Booth suggested council advance to seeking formal applications from outside entities requiring them to perform more due diligence demonstrating their proposals would meet federal program requirements. Formal applications also could require proof the entities would provide a match toward the project — something council members have been discussing to demonstrate commitment.

McGinley said he agrees with that approach because the number of requests is “way over the top” and will make the consulting contract too costly.

Thornton asked if Booth will assume liability if the federal government takes issue with a project eligibility determination provided by the consulting company. Booth said her company is heavily insured for any claims of incompetence but stressed she has extensive experience in federal regulation compliance and is providing American Rescue assistance to government entities throughout the country.

She also advised the county to require applicants to submit a timeline for project completion. The county must commit to an American Rescue allocation plan by the end of 2024 and spend the money by the end of 2026.

Booth said some counties and local governments are requiring recipients to complete their projects by mid-2024 to ensure the deadline is met and allow time to choose different recipients if approved ones fail to materialize as promised.

During public comment, prior county councilman Harry Haas urged council to back his previous push to use $46 million of the county’s American Rescue allocation to provide a one-time $600 rebate to approximately 77,000 owner-occupied primary residences.

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