Luzerne County adds 24 new workers in January

Luzerne County government added 24 new employees in January, while four prior workers were rehired, according to the latest monthly personnel report.

Ten of the new workers are prison correctional officers hired at $19.05 per hour to fill vacancies that have accrued, the report said: Brandon Adams, Justin Dolman, Keith Gilligan, Joy Henry, Ashley Lyons, Eric Masters, Lindsey Place, Jonathan Rivera, Christopher Rodriguez, and Alec Todd.

The other new employees, their positions and hourly compensation, the report said, are: Molly Banks, court judicial assistant, $24.78; Stacy DeAngelis, 911 PSAP supervisor, $25.64; Liam Frederick, Treasurer’s Office clerk 3, $15; Irakli Gjergji, court law clerk, $43.34; Laura Hatem, Children, Youth and Families (CYF) caseworker 1, $20.91; Bradley Keeler, Budget and Finance senior accountant, $26.37; Karissa Kross, solicitor executive secretary, $20.51; Kathleen Lockman, Area Agency on Aging senior center director 2, $21.39; Edward Macrae, District Attorney’s Office gun violence reduction agent, $35.90; Lauren Moritz, Controller’s Office internal auditor, $20.51; Ann Pedana, courts executive secretary, $31.08; Theresa Porter, Aging Agency case aide 2, $17.16; Mikayla Sofchak, DA’s Office clerk 2, $15.53; and Madison Wickkiser, Magisterial District Court clerk 5, $17.61.

The four rehired workers, their positions, and hourly compensation are: Tyler Gates, assistant public defender, $36.69; Sara Kolmansperger, Magisterial District Court clerk 5, $17.61; Landon Leshko, part-time assistant district attorney, $42.45; and Caitlyn Tallarico, court law clerk, $43.34.

Departures

Ten workers resigned in January, the report said. They are: Amanda Adams, DA’s Office administrative assistant; Jamie Greech, court administrative trial specialist; Jessica Hart-Shover, Veteran Affairs administrative assistant; Stephen Hughes, sheriff deputy; Nicole Litostansky, court executive secretary; Hope Littzi, CYF clerk typist; Erik Miller, court law clerk; Amy Newhart and Veranda Brown Stritzinger, CYF caseworker 2s; and Yanceys Nunez Santos, CYF caseworker 1.

Transfers

Seven employees changed positions through the internal merit hiring process, the report said.

These workers, their new positions and hourly compensation: Mark Keyes, detective, $35.90; Brittany Sarosky, courts executive secretary, $31.08; Carly Snyder, CYF caseworker 2, $23.33; Cheryl Sobeski-Reedy, court law clerk, $43.34; Sean Patton and Marie Richardson, corrections officers, $19.05; and Aria Wight, court administrative trial specialist, $20.88.

Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge

County Council is set to vote Tuesday on a formal agreement with Modjeski and Masters Inc. to perform design and engineering for the county-owned Nanticoke/West Nanticoke Bridge over the Susquehanna River.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo closed the bridge in March 2025 after engineers performing an inspection found further deterioration and section loss of primary, load-carrying components. The alternate route is the Route 29/South Cross Valley Expressway crossing, officially called the John S. Fine Bridge.

Totaling 2,072 feet, the bridge connects Nanticoke and the West Nanticoke section of Plymouth Township. The crossing was constructed in 1914 and last rehabilitated in 1987.

County Council selected Modjeski and Masters Inc. as the engineer in August 2025.

In addition to $10 million in federal funding allocated through the state for this project, the county has access to a $55 million casino gambling fund established for county infrastructure. Because federal funding is involved, the engineer must first develop three options for the bridge, officials said.

The contract with Modjeski and Masters would be capped at $1 million. A copy of the proposed agreement is posted in the agenda packet at luzernecounty.org.

Tuesday’s meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre. Instructions for the remote attendance option will be posted in council’s online public meetings section at luzernecounty.org.

Purchasing, new division

Council will hold a public hearing on a proposed purchasing policy update at 5:45 p.m. before voting on the matter at the 6 p.m. meeting.

Another public hearing is set for 5:50 p.m. to seek comment on a proposed new economic development division, which is also scheduled for a council decision during the voting meeting.

Council won’t be voting on a proposed immigration resolution that prompted significant public comment earlier this month. Council Chairman Jimmy Sabatino said he checked with his colleagues, and there was “no appetite to put this particular resolution on the agenda for a vote.”

Public comment

Council is also set to vote Tuesday on a policy change for emailed public comments.

Instead of publicly reading each email during meetings, the proposed change would require council to publicly announce the names of the senders and post copies of the emails to the online agenda.

The change was prompted by an influx of emailed comments — some similar templates recommended by advocacy groups online.

Citizens will still have an opportunity to voice public comments in person and through the remote platform during meetings.

Introduced by Councilman Chris Belles, the proposal said it “preserves the reasonable opportunity for residents or taxpayers of Luzerne County to participate in County Council meetings and recognizes that reading all written correspondence is unreasonable and not required or provided by the Pennsylvania Sunshine Act.”

State of the county

Crocamo will present the required annual state of the county address to council in the work session following Tuesday’s voting meeting.

County zoning

The county GIS, Planning and Zoning Department scheduled a public forum from 5 to 7 p.m. on March 5 in the county courthouse for residents to learn more about a draft county zoning ordinance amendment that would regulate data centers.

Department representatives and county attorneys will be on hand to provide information and answer questions.

If approved, the ordinance will take effect in 20 municipalities that rely on county zoning instead of handling it on their own: the boroughs of Avoca, Courtdale, Dupont, Duryea, Hughestown, Jeddo, Laflin, New Columbus, Pringle, Warrior Run, West Wyoming, and Yatesville, and the townships of Conyngham, Fairmount, Hunlock, Huntington, Lake, Newport, Ross, and Union.

“The growing need for this ordinance is evident in the amount of data center proposals that are appearing across the county,” Dan Reese, county GIS, Planning and Zoning director, said in the announcement. “We want to hear from residents about the county’s plan to regulate the centers and make sure their concerns are addressed.”

The draft is under review by the county administration and county Planning Commission. County Council approval is necessary for the amendment to take effect. A copy of the draft is posted in the GIS, Planning and Zoning section at luzernecounty.org.