C. David Pedri reviewed some of the highs and lows in his first year as Luzerne County manager and was peppered with more than an hour’s worth of questions and feedback from five citizens during a Thursday night public forum.
The July 18 death of 25-year-old county prison corrections officer Kristopher D. Moules was “extremely tragic and one we will never forget,” Pedri said during the two-hour public gathering at the courthouse in Wilkes-Barre, which is required annually by the county’s home rule charter.
A criminal investigation concluded the prison’s fifth-floor elevator door immediately gave way at the base when inmate Timothy Darnell Gilliam Jr., 27, fell backward and hit the elevator door, pulling Moules with him. Both men died.
In addition to sparking elevator inspections, the deaths prompted changes to make the Water Street prison safer for both workers and inmates, including the addition of pepper spray in all control booths and the formation of a task force to identify ways to reduce overcrowding, Pedri said.
Another low was the state’s recent decision to keep the county’s Children and Youth agency on its third provisional license, said Pedri, describing the situation as a “major issue for me personally.” State law allows a maximum of four consecutive provisional certificates, the state has warned.
In an effort to avoid another provisional license when this one expires in March, the administration is trying to fill about 40 vacant caseworker positions and zeroing in on case-documentation requirements that have been identified as deficiencies, he said. Pedri also said he might approve a four-month consulting contract with an entity that helped another county restore its license after multiple provisional downgrades.
On the plus side, Pedri said the administration was instrumental in the completion of the first on-time county audit since home rule was implemented in January 2012.
The council’s passage this week of a 2017 budget that increased revenue through a 4 percent tax hike and permanent elimination of the homestead tax break for primary residences will help the county’s efforts to obtain an investment-grade credit rating that could help refinance some remaining high-interest debt, he said.
Pedri predicted the 2016 audit will be completed by the charter’s June 30 deadline and show the county ended this year with a surplus. The county’s workforce of 1,400 is smaller than it was years ago, he said, citing a past count of 2,300 employees.
The county is “close” to restoring its credit rating and fiscal stability, he maintained.
“I don’t know if we’ve turned the corner, but I’d like to say we have our foot out,” he said.
Pedri also handed out a report and rattled off progress made this year by selling unused county property, repairing the courthouse grounds, and increasing the use of technology to reduce paper and “snail mail.”
He also defended county employees, saying they work hard and don’t sit around with their “feet up.”
Among the many topics raised by attendees:
• Rich Sorokas, husband of Councilwoman Eileen Sorokas, said he believes more focus should be placed on reducing spending to help residents, because county government “appears like it’s greedy,” particularly in light of the tax hike and raises for some non-union employees based on a “flawed” compensation study by an outside consultant.
Pedri replied, “Every single thing we do here is for the Luzerne County citizens, so I completely disagree with you.”
• Ed Gustitus aired multiple complaints, including his frustration that taxpayers must foot the bill for higher costs at the prison and other departments due to the opioid epidemic.
Pedri said the county continues to offer treatment options and promote use of the opioid overdose antidote Naloxone, but the struggle persists because heroin is now readily accessible at $2 a bag. He reiterated that the son of his close friend died from an overdose after completing treatment and appearing to get his life back on track, and he said many families now have “a story like that.”
• Brian Shiner said his calls to county offices usually end up in voice mail, and he noted that the county website does not contain employee contact information. He also said he is troubled by the administration’s reliance on outside consultants, saying more work should be handled in-house to reduce costs.
Pedri said he will review the employee accessibility complaint and indicated specialized outside expertise is sometimes needed.
• Ed Chesnovitch said employees have too many parking spaces in the rear courthouse lot and argued more should be reserved for customers, as they would be at a private business. Pedri said the administration is working on a new parking plan.
• John Newman said the county tax collection system, which relies primarily on elected collectors, should be re-evaluated in an attempt to boost collection rates.
Pedri said the overall collection rate for county taxes is around 88 percent, compared to a past rate in the “low 80s.”
