Sunday, January 13, 2008

Salary board shuffles jobs

April 19, 2006

By Pat Litowitz
New Castle News


The Lawrence County Salary Board engaged in addition, subtraction and criticism yesterday.

Hearing the pleas of row officers and county department heads, the board attempted to address the problem of increasing workloads and shrinking staff sizes. It had to balance those concerns against taxpayers tired of hearing the words “pay raise.”

The final tally looks something like this: 10 added positions, seven eliminated jobs and two pay raises.

If the departments involved work together as promised, the overall effect on the county budget is expected to be negligible. Preliminary figures peg the increase at approximately $6,000.

“For all the stuff we’re talking about, it’s not really a lot of money,” Commissioner Ed Fosnaught said after the meeting.

Citing a ripple effect created by an expanded county judiciary, the prothonotary’s office, sheriff’s department and district attorney sought and received additional employees and, in the case of the sheriff’s department, $2,000 raises for two employees.

“I know it’s a budget crunch,” Sheriff Perry L. Quahliero told the board, made up of the three commissioners, county Controller Mary Ann Reiter and a row officer. “We do so many more sheriff’s sales.

“I have a deputy working in the office that needs to be on the road.”

In the case of the sheriff’s department, the added expenses will be paid through funding generated by the department. For example, the office is seeing an increase in money collected through serving warrants.

Reiter agreed with Quahliero that his staff will be able to cover the costs.

District Attorney John Bongivengo agreed to eliminate two full-time assistant district attorney positions, which had not been funded this year. In exchange, his office will hire two part-time assistant district attorneys.

They will be paid through money received from court-ordered forfeitures and by applying for grants.

Prothonotary Helen Morgan had a tougher time acquiring a full-time clerk-typist. Her request had to be placed to the agenda, and she did not have a prepared resolution for the board. When it became clear she would not obtain the two positions she sought, Morgan said she would settle for one.

“I’m short-handed,” she said. “I’m answering the phone because we don’t have anyone.”

Morgan said that with four common pleas judges and one visiting judge, her office’s work has increased significantly. She also noted that two employees are off because of health issues.

While acknowledging the situation, Commissioner Steve Craig was unhappy with her approach.

“We cannot keep doing this,” he said. “There never seems to be an end.

“Someone has got to speak for the taxpayers.”

Morgan countered that her department pays for itself, and that she would increase fees to cover the costs involved.

“I was going to raise the fees,” she said. “When I raise the fees, you take the money and don’t give it back.”

When Morgan was granted a full-time worker in a 3-2 vote, Craig told her not to come back asking for more employees.

Prior to the session, New Castle resident Ed Olasz expressed his displeasure.

“I cannot afford higher taxes,” he said. “We’re going to have to sell our properties.

“Give me some money. I need it.”

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