Luzerne County citizens invited to apply for manager search committee

Luzerne County Council is now publicly seeking citizens to serve on the new manager search committee.

The posting is on council’s page at luzernecounty.org.

An outside committee must be convened due to Randy Robertson’s resignation after five months in the top post.

Under the county’s home rule charter, the search committee must seek, screen and interview manager applicants and “recommend the candidates it believes are the most qualified” to council for its consideration.

The only charter-stated requirements for search committee members are that these citizens “possess relevant qualifications, knowledge, and/or experience in the search for, recruitment of, and identification of qualified candidates for county manager or related positions.”

Interested citizens will have until 4:30 p.m. Dec. 19 to submit applications.

Council plans to publicly interview applicants on Jan. 3 and select three on Jan. 10.

Applicants must submit a resume and cover letter to council clerk Sharon Lawrence at the courthouse, 200 N. River St., Wilkes-Barre, 18701, or by email at sharon.lawrence@luzernecounty.org.

All applications received, including resumes, will become public record, the posting says.

Election Board

The volunteer, five-citizen election board will hold a special meeting at 1 p.m. today in the courthouse to determine and approve additional compensation to Nov. 8 general election poll workers for putting in additional hours from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

A shortage of paper for the ballot marking devices at polling places prompted the county to resort to the extreme measure of keeping all polling places open an extra two hours.

Monday’s meeting is at the county courthouse on River Street in Wilkes-Barre, with instructions for remote attendance posted under council’s authorities/boards/commissions online link at luzernecounty.org.

Council meeting

Council will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday at the courthouse, with instructions for remote attendance posted under council’s online meetings link at luzernecounty.org.

In addition to voting on budget-related amendments, council is scheduled to adopt a resolution regarding a “matter from executive session.” A closed-door executive session is scheduled at 5 p.m., the agenda says. No further details were available, and the agenda said there will be a handout.

Opioid funding

A discussion about opioid funding is scheduled during Tuesday’s work session, which follows the voting meeting.

County Drug and Alcohol Administrator Ryan Hogan has said his agency is heavily involved in determining how the county will use opioid litigation settlement funding in accordance with standards.

The county is expected to receive $25.4 million in compensation from litigation against opioid manufacturers and wholesale distributors spread out over the next 18 years, officials have said.

Hogan has said the county received its first $1.04 million allocation in September and was set to receive another $1.8 million this month.

According to the county’s new division head report, the county had 139 confirmed drug overdose deaths through November and another 23 pending the results of toxicology testing.

American Rescue

Council also is scheduled to talk about a proposal to use an estimated $10 million of the county’s remaining $94.3 million in federal American Rescue Plan funding for some form of public relief, possibly through the Commission on Economic Opportunity (CEO).

Council had tentatively planned to allocate up to $60 million of the remaining funds for outside awards and retain $17.9 million for the county government projects.

That would leave $16.36 million for other purposes, such as a relief program for residents.

Initially some council members had pitched an idea to provide a stimulus check, but questions were raised about how the county would establish and verify eligibility parameters countywide.

Suggestions to provide relief for elderly and/or low income property owners struggling with weatherization and heating expenses prompted some council members to reach out to CEO, which already offers such a program but has a waiting list due to high demand, some council members had said.