Lycoming County controller’s request to move staff back to controller’s office voted down by commissioners
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Seeking to recreate the positions in her office that were transferred to the Office of Budget and Finance by the commissioners earlier this year, Krista Rogers, county controller, said, "it's time to restore the controller's powers according to state law."
"To that end," Rogers told the Lycoming County Commissioners at their meeting Tuesday. "I'm introducing a motion at salary board to recreate the positions in the controller's office that were illegally transferred to the budget office in April."
"This will restore Lycoming County government operations under Pennsylvania county code," she added.
In a statement released after the meeting, Rogers cited a ruling against the commissioners by Senior Judge John Leete, Potter County, relating to the lawsuit, emergency injunction and contempt charges filed by the commissioners against Rogers.
"The commissioners legal interpretations of Pennsylvania law is an absolute overreach for power without merit," Rogers' stated.
"Lycoming County taxpayers are left with no checks and balances allowing the commissioner to create a financial system ripe for fraud, theft and misuse of county tax dollars," Rogers contended in her statement.
Responding to Rogers request to recreate the positions in her office Commissioner Rick Mirabito prefaced his comments with "I don't necessarily concur with the description you had of the results of the court."
"But I think that the system that is in place now is working. We are not having the problems that we had before in terms of errors in payroll, accounts payable and the general ledger," Mirabito said.
"Therefore, I think at this time, it would not be prudent to move them back," Mirabito added.
At Tuesday's meeting, Rogers stated that the salary board does not have the authority to transfer positions, which she said was what the commissioners did. She noted that when the positions were transferred, the commissioners had indicated that it would temporary.
"There is not training being done. The positions have not been filled. There have been errors," Rogers said.
In a conciliatory tone, she added, "We can work together. As I have stated before, there is no reason for the contention that existed to create a scenario that costs the county taxpayers money in the courts."
"In all fairness, you say we can work together, but when we asked to have people brought down for training, you wouldn't bring them down," Mirabito said.
In a vote by the salary board on whether to return the positions to the controller's office, Rogers was the lone yes vote. Mirabito and commissioners Tony Mussare and Scott Metzger voted no.