Luzerne County seeking applicants for new emergency services director position

Luzerne County is seeking an emergency services director to oversee the newly merged 911 department and Emergency Management Agency.

The new position is posted at $90,000 to $92,000 annually, and applications are due Jan. 19.

This manager must direct operations, budgeting/finance and personnel and carry out “the necessary phases to modify operations of both departments with changing conditions,” said the posting under the human resources department “career opportunities” section at luzernecounty.org.

Minimum qualifications include at least a decade of experience in 911, emergency management or emergency services.

The director also must be able to perform in a high-stress environment and off site in all types of weather conditions and be on-call at all times for emergencies, the posting said.

Council voted in November to consolidate 911 and EMA to improve safety and security and possibly yield savings, with the administration pointing out Luzerne County is only one of three counties in Pennsylvania that have separate 911 and EMA departments.

Lucy Morgan currently works as the county’s EMA director and has been serving as acting 911 executive director since Fred Rosencrans left for other employment the end of July. EMA Deputy Director Dave Elmore has been overseeing EMA since Morgan’s interim assignment at 911.

Located in Hanover Township, the 911 center provides police, fire and emergency medical dispatching for 175 agencies throughout the county. Based on Water Street in Wilkes-Barre, EMA must coordinate resources to prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies within the county, including floods and other weather-related disasters and a nuclear power plant disaster.

Chief public defender

County Manager Romilda Crocamo said she expects to set up interviews this week for chief public defender applicants.

Jan. 1 was the application deadline, and Crocamo said she was reviewing six applications forwarded from the county human resources department.

The position was advertised at a salary range of $100,000 to $105,000 annually.

The chief public defender is among eight division heads under the county’s home rule government structure. County council must confirm the manager’s division head nominees for hirings to take effect.

Attorney Joseph Yeager has served as interim chief public defender since Steven Greenwald’s termination in October. The office must defend low-income clients who request representation for misdemeanor or felony charges.

The office has a budget of $2.9 million this year.

Aging Agency deputy

The county has publicly posted a new deputy administrator position at the Luzerne/Wyoming Counties Area Agency on Aging.

County Budget/Finance Division Head Mary Roselle said creation of the position was warranted because the Aging Agency was the only human services department without a deputy.

Roselle was appointed budget/finance division head in November and is still simultaneously overseeing the Aging Agency, although the agency executive director opening eventually will be advertised. Roselle had worked as the agency executive director since the start of 2016.

Agency expenses are covered by state and federal funds and other income, with no county general fund contribution required, officials said.

The new deputy position is advertised at $72,000 annually, and applications are due Jan. 16. Information is posted at luzernecounty.org.

Payroll conversion

The county’s Jan. 5 payroll was processed solely through its upgraded New World Management System program, Roselle said.

Previously, the county used programs from Kronos Inc., New World and ADP to process payroll, she has said.

Council last year approved the administration’s proposal to use up to $250,000 in interest earned on federal American Rescue Plan funds for the New World upgrade because the county will save $150,000 annually by eliminating the other two contracts, officials have said.

“This will be much more efficient and cost much less to complete payroll because we will no longer have to bridge together three systems,” Roselle said.

The next phase of the conversion process will be transitioning tracking of employee time and attendance from Kronos to New World, Roselle said.

A portion of the annual savings is funding a new payroll supervisor position. The county had only one worker handling all payroll, which is “not a great safeguard,” Roselle has said.

Payroll systems coordinator Beverly Shelley has been promoted to the new payroll supervisor position, which was publicly advertised, Roselle said.

The county has now advertised the payroll systems coordinator position, which is listed at $38,085 annually, at luzernecounty.org. Applications are due Jan. 16.