Luzerne County workers/retirees select board representative

Luzerne County employees and retirees recently selected county Chief Deputy Sheriff Eugene Gurnari as their representative on the county retirement that oversees the employee pension fund, according to county Pension Coordinator Richard Hummer.

Gurnari was among six employees who received 10 or more nominations to be placed on the ballot.

The home rule charter added a pension participant seat in response to past arguments that employees and retirees should have a voice in the fund’s management.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo, county budget/finance division head Mary Roselle, council chairman John Lombardo and council vice chairman Brian Thornton also serve on the board.

Retired county sheriff deputy John Evanchick Jr. had served as the employee/retiree representative since the 2012 start of home rule, but he did not seek another term.

The pension plan covers nearly 3,700 employees, vested prior workers and retirees.

Election Board

The county’s five-citizen election board will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday (March 6) in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.

April 23 primary election voters are reminded to check their registration status at pavoterservices.pa.gov. Any voters with questions about their registration may contact the election bureau at 570-825-1715 or by emailing elections@luzernecounty.org.

April 8 is the registration deadline to vote in the primary.

Manager town hall

Crocamo will hold a public town hall meeting at 5 p.m. Thursday (March 7) at Nanticoke City Hall, 15 E. Ridge St.

This is the first of several meetings Crocamo will be hosting at various locations throughout the county to accept public questions and comments about county matters and provide updates, she said.

Strategic plan

The county is seeking proposals from qualified entities interested in completing a five-year financial plan and strategic management planning program proposal.

Responses are due at 4 p.m. March 11, according to the purchasing department solicitation at luzernecounty.org.

Crocamo said the administration has been in communication with the state Department of Community and Economic Development over the past few months to discuss the need for an updated financial plan. The county is seeking grant funding to help cover the cost, she said.

The strategic plan would be part of a second phase and focus on implementation of the fiscal recommendations and include an asset management plan, she said.

Energy study

The county has been working with the U.S. Department of Energy to secure funding for energy efficiencies, Crocamo said during the manager’s annual “state of the county” address last week.

To date, the federal agency has allocated $287,000 to the county, Crocamo said. The county will be applying for additional funds in late April to help pay for technical assistance identifying and prioritizing county government projects, she said.

Union contract

County council unanimously voted last week to approve a union contract memorandum altering the starting salary for public defender’s office investigators.

The reclassified position will start at $35,414 this year and $35,664 in 2025, the memorandum said.

Crocamo said Chief Public Defender Joseph Yeager requested the change to make the compensation more in line with the job responsibilities.