Luzerne County’s Ethics Commission has two outside attorneys needed to process pending complaints.
At least three complaints submitted to the commission cannot be opened and processed until independent contracted attorneys are hired and assigned those cases, members have said.
The council-adopted ethics code requires the commission to appoint a panel of three attorneys who are not employed by the county to handle the initial stage of complaint investigations, with cases assigned to the outside attorneys on a rotating basis.
Two of the three outside attorney slots had been filled after a similar recruitment problem in 2017, but both had left.
Three attorneys submitted proposals in response to the new request, and the commission hired two Monday after discussing the matter in closed-door executive session — Attorney Daniel J. Nawrocki of Wilkes-Barre and Attorney Sidney D. May of Dallas.
The commission also received a proposal from Attorney Shelley L. Centini but did not act on appointing her Monday.
Nawrocki and May will receive $225 per hour, with a maximum cap of $25,000 per year.
The old pay rate for each attorney was $140 per hour for up to $21,000 per year. The commission recently raised it to help with recruitment.
The commission will meet again at 3 p.m. Friday in the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre.
Serving on the commission are county Controller Walter Griffith, county District Attorney Sam Sanguedolce, county Acting Manager Brian Swetz and council-appointed citizen board members Diane Dreier and Thomas Mosca, who serves as board chairman.