Luzerne County Children and Youth trying to regain non-provisional license

Luzerne County Children and Youth is working to regain a non-provisional license, county Chief Solicitor Harry W. Skene said during last week’s county council meeting.

“Hopefully that is going to be happening very soon,” Skene said of a license restoration. “We had a very positive meeting with the state.”

Skene provided the update when announcing that council recently held a closed-door executive session to discuss matters related to the agency.

The county agency has been operating under a provisional license since August 2021.

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, which makes licensing determinations, kept the agency on a downgraded status last October but offered some praise for the agency’s efforts to address issues.

Katrina Gownley has been working as county Children and Youth administrator since February.

911 staffing

After publicly seeking proposals, the county recently entered into an agreement with Colorado-based Moetivations Inc. that provides the county with the option to receive contracted 911 emergency dispatchers on demand.

The agreement is capped at $470,889 and expires the end of this year, according to the contract. It identifies 1,608 hours of outside assistance to be provided per month.

But county 911 Executive Director Fred Rosencrans emphasized “a lot has to happen” before the county receives outside assistance. For example, outside temporary workers would have to be screened and receive training on county procedures, policies and systems, he said.

And while the AFSCME union representing 911 telecommunicators was notified as required, Rosencrans said the union must be involved in ongoing discussions about specific plans.

“It’s in its infancy,” he said.

He also stressed the outside relief would only be temporary until the county can reach and sustain adequate staffing levels.

“It is not to replace county employees and is only to provide them with relief temporarily,” said Rosencrans, who announced his resignation Friday because he has accepted a position outside county government. His last day is July 28.

While the number fluctuates, approximately half of the telecommunicator positions — 32 of 64 — were vacant as of Friday, Rosencrans said. Several new applicants are scheduled to start a training class this week, he said.

Due to the staffing shortage crisis, the department’s managers and supervisors have been assisting with emergency call-taking and dispatch.

Election Board

In response to public requests, the county’s five-citizen election board has changed its meeting start time from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Some meeting attendees argued more people could attend the meetings if they start later. County council’s regular meetings held twice a month start at 6 p.m.

The next election board meeting is scheduled for Aug. 16 at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.

Computer tracking

The county’s information technology department has started collecting employee laptops as part of a new asset management program, according to an update in the manager’s monthly division head report.

County Administrative Services Division Head Jennifer Pecora said the laptops will be checked, logged and refreshed with the latest software updates before they are returned to workers.

Laptops that show no usage activity by workers will be retained by IT so they are available to other employees as needed, Pecora said.

Interest savings

The county’s $14 million Tax and Revenue Anticipation Note for 2023 was repaid on June 13, county Budget/Finance Division Head Brian Swetz reported in the division report.

“This was repaid 17 days early, saving the county almost $24,000 in interest cost!” the report said.

Tourism

The county’s tourism office has started researching plans to create a Visit Luzerne County podcast, the division report said.

Pecora said county Tourism Executive Director Alan Stout wants to launch a podcast to highlight county attractions and upcoming events.

Arts board

The county’s new Arts Advisory Board will meet at noon Wednesday at the county’s tourism office, known as Visit Luzerne County, in the historic former train station at the corner of Wilkes-Barre Boulevard and Market Street in Wilkes-Barre.

This board was formed to “advise, encourage, stimulate and pursue the advancement of the arts” across the county, council said.

Wednesday’s agenda said board discussion topics will include a review of goals and suggestions regarding arts and cultural needs in the county.

This meeting will be in-person only because it is not at the courthouse.