Luzerne County Council starts scrutinizing budget

Luzerne County Council started picking apart the proposed 2023 budget Tuesday, spending most of a nearly three-hour session on the judicial services and records division.

County council is free to make changes before the Dec. 15 budget adoption deadline. Overall, the proposed budget would increase real estate taxes 6.75%, which equates to $55 more annually for the average property assessed at $132,776.

Approximately $7.1 million in additional revenue or cuts would be needed to avoid a tax hike, the administration said.

Judicial services and records covers the deeds/wills, sheriff’s, coroner’s and clerk of courts/prothonotary offices in addition to the county record storage facility in Hanover Township.

Mary Dysleski, manager of the deeds/wills offices, presented first, with a budget that would bring in $2.2 million and spend $561,249.

Revenue is up $36,700, largely due to higher receipts from realty transfer tax, state realty tax and inheritance tax, she said.

However, the expense side also is proposed to rise $40,800, mostly for union raises required in the collective bargaining agreement.

Her request to increase mileage reimbursement from $125 to $500 prompted Councilman Tim McGinley to ask why a county vehicle is not used for conferences and training.

County Manager Randy Robertson said no vehicles have been purchased during his first four months on the job, and he’s been working to shift available vehicles to departments with a higher operational need. He’s looking at ways to purchase future vehicles at reduced costs but said he first wants to “rightsize” the county fleet.

McGinley also questioned a proposed increase in the meetings/conferences line, which would rise from $4,300 to $5,500.

Citing the proposed tax increase, McGinley suggested scaling back conference requests, saying he believes that is an area that can be cut without hurting daily operations and public service.

Robertson said he understood one of his missions was to increase professionalism in staff, and he firmly believes the benefits of training and networking with counterparts across the state will far outweigh the cost. As with all requests, the final decision will be up to council, he added.

Rising request

Noting it was his tenth budget presentation as county sheriff, Brian Szumski plowed through a proposal that seeks $3.2 million in expenditures, which is a 17% increase. His office’s revenue is projected to grow from $950,550 to $1 million.

Most of the spending increase — $335,467 — would cover a range of equipment and security needs, including the replacement of magnetic door locking systems, new Tasers, ballistic helmets and protective shields known as rifle plates.

These shields are needed because bulletproof vests won’t stop rifle rounds, he said. The department also needs $55,000 to purchase contractually-mandated ballistic vests for deputies, he said.

“I ask my guys to go running toward gunfire,” Szumski said, citing a national rise in mass shootings. “I want to make sure deputies are properly protected.”

He is seeking $9,000 more to cover rising ammunition costs and more training for new employees. Szumski told council the price of ammunition is “through the roof” and challenging to acquire due to supply issues.

An additional $5,000 is needed to beef up the hiring process for deputy sheriffs, he said. While a required criminal background check is performed, he believes there should be pre-employment physical and drug testing and more due diligence.

“I think it’s incredibly inappropriate for us not to do it as a law enforcement agency,” Szumski said.

Councilman Gregory Wolovich Jr. asked the sheriff if federal American Rescue Plan funding can cover some of the one-time equipment purchases to reduce the impact on the general fund operating budget.

Szumski said some American Rescue funds have been requested, but the administration said these items were kept in the budget because council has not yet made a decision on how the federal funds will be allocated.

Councilwoman LeeAnn McDermott asked if any sheriff-related fees can be raised.

Szumski said most are regulated by the state, and the county already has the highest fees among counties for those that are discretionary.

Councilman Stephen J. Urban encouraged the sheriff to start billing the election bureau for election-related work performed by sheriff deputies, saying the cost may be covered by a new state election integrity grant.

At the urging of Robertson, Szumski also detailed statistics on staff turnover. The sheriff said more than 100 deputies have left employment during the past five years, describing the turnover as “unbelievable.” Approximately 58% left after less than a year in the position, he said, stressing law enforcement agencies across the country are wrestling with recruitment and retention.

Attracting deputies is more difficult when area warehouses are paying more for positions that involve less stress, he reiterated.

On the revenue side, Szumski has budgeted a $60,000 increase in revenue from mortgage foreclosure sales next year, saying sales are starting to pick up and attract more third-party buyers.