Luzerne County may alter residency requirement for future top administrators

Luzerne County Council is set to consider altering a residency requirement for top administrators that took effect in 2016.

The county manager, eight division heads, prison deputy warden, sheriff and heads of emergency management and 911 are subject to the policy, which requires those hired to establish residency within six months of their employment.

An ordinance on Tuesday’s council voting agenda for possible introduction would waive the residency requirement for existing employees promoted to these positions if they already have at least five years of continued county employment.

The ordinance would require introduction by at least four of 11 council members to advance to a public hearing and vote at a future meeting, when majority approval would be necessary for passage.

According to the proposed personnel code amendment ordinance:

Council has an interest in assuring management personnel will be readily physically accessible when their division or department is experiencing emergency or critical situations and ensuring that all employees “share a commitment to investing in the future of Luzerne County.”

“Despite the foregoing, Luzerne County also believes that a residency requirement has hindered the recruitment, selection and retention of candidates for the aforementioned positions in county government,” it said.

County Manager Romilda Crocamo said she believes all experienced workers should be eligible for consideration, including ones residing beyond the county line.

“This an issue the administration is asking county council to contemplate as a possibility to expand the applicant pool for future positions that may become vacant,” Crocamo said.

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

Residency approval

A council majority had approved the residency requirement after weeks of debate in March 2016.

It was a 6-5 vote.

Those in support at that time: Edward Brominski, Kathy Dobash, Robert Schnee, Eileen Sorokas, Stephen A. Urban and Jane Walsh Waitkus.

Voting no were Eugene Kelleher, Tim McGinley, Rick Williams, Linda McClosky Houck and Harry Haas. Haas currently serves on council.

Some council supporters argued the requirement would ensure top managers have a personal investment in the jurisdiction where they are employed through residential property rental or ownership.

Those in opposition cited concerns about the potential loss of qualified applicants.

One citizen argued it takes less time to drive from the county courthouse in Wilkes-Barre to adjacent Lackawanna County than it does to reach center city Hazleton in this county. Another citizen advocated using a radius around the county seat instead of the county boundary lines, saying the county should be more accepting of outsiders.

Sorokas said she was a lifelong county resident and believes the county has residents “intelligent enough to run a department correctly.”

“I’d like to see our own people get chosen for the job,” she said at the time.

Approximately a year later, the five council members who had voted against the residency requirement pushed for an ordinance repealing it.

Williams had argued it’s not good government to reject highly qualified applicants who live a short distance across the county border.

Then-county Manager C. David Pedri had agreed, saying the policy shrinks the applicant pool. Pedri had said there were instances in which prospective applicants with strong resumes were excluded from consideration because they could not meet the residency requirement.

Haas had said the restriction has “hurt us at the county level.”

Arguments were also made that technological advances can provide a prompt connection for some critical situations, though not for emergencies that require an immediate physical response.

However, the majority six originally supporting the residency requirement did not alter their stance, prompting the repeal ordinance to fail. They said it should remain in effect because residency demonstrates a commitment to the county and may strengthen job performance.

Walsh Waitkus had said she wanted to reserve the positions for qualified and educated county residents she believes are often “overlooked.”

Schnee had concurred, saying there are many talented people in the county that should be hired over someone outside.