Luzerne County mail ballot drop box schedule posted

Luzerne County’s two mail ballot drop boxes will be available starting Monday for interested May 20 primary election voters, according to an online election bureau posting.

The locations inside county-owned buildings and hours of availability are:

• Penn Place Building lobby, 20 N. Pennsylvania Ave., Wilkes-Barre — weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

• Broad Street Exchange Building, 100 W. Broad St., Hazleton — weekdays from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The county will stop accepting ballots at the Hazleton box at 4 p.m. May 19. The Penn Place box will be available until 8 p.m. on Election Day.

A box also is set up inside the election bureau on the second floor of the Penn Place Building.

Approximately 18,000 county voters have requested mail ballots to date, said county Election Director Emily Cook.

Mail ballots must be physically in the election bureau by 8 p.m. on May 20, and postmarks do not count.

New drop box

The standard mailbox-style drop box used in past elections will be available inside the Hazleton building.

The box in the Penn Place Building lobby in Wilkes-Barre will have a camera and other added security features because the county is participating in a pilot program.

The election bureau prepared and posted a video about the new drop box on the election page at luzernecounty.org.

Study commission

The county’s Government Study Commission will meet at 6 p.m. Thursday in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.

The seven-citizen commission is drafting a revised county home rule charter for voters to consider in November.

A link to attend the meeting remotely will be posted under council’s online meeting section (scroll down) at luzernecounty.org.

Department merger

County council unanimously voted last week to introduce an administrative code ordinance necessary to consolidate the county Mapping/GIS Department with Planning and Zoning.

The ordinance will require a public hearing and majority council approval at an upcoming meeting to take effect. Council’s next scheduled meeting is May 13.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo said the merger would enhance decisions related to planning and development.

Proclamations

Council presented a proclamation last week to 911 telecommunicator Kaylary Santos for assisting a caller in active labor on April 13. The child was born before emergency responders arrived, and it was the county 911’s first case of a telecommunicator providing emergency medical childbirth instructions in Spanish.

Visit Luzerne County Executive Director Alan K. Stout also received a proclamation because he has been named a 2025 inductee to the Luzerne County Arts and Entertainment Hall of Fame.