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Recruitment efforts to fill positions at the Lycoming County Prison have resulted in the hiring of 10 new full-time corrections officers I relief since July out of the 108 applicants for the jobs, according to a report from the county's Human Resource Department. The report was presented at this week's commissioners meeting.
Understaffing at the prison has been an ongoing issue which resulted in female inmates being transferred to other county prisons last week. The problem has increased mandatory overtime for current employees.
At the last commissioners meeting, an increase in the starting pay rate for corrections officers of $1.90 brought that amount to $20 in order to attract applicants. Current employees were also given the increase to support staff retention. The commissioners had also approved hiring 10 part-time corrections officers to alleviate the mandated overtime.
Of the total number of applicants reported, 24 applied after the rate increase.
On the agenda this week, under personnel, the commissioners approved the following conditional offers of employment at the prison, subject to the successful completion of a background check and all other employment conditions: Monica Laird, sergeant, full-time promotion, $24.29 per hour; Danell Dymeck, Daniel Gabbard, Dalton Shank, full-time corrections officers I relief, each at $20 per hour; Terri Leonard, LPN, full-time replacement, $30 per hour; and Zachery Miller, part-time corrections officer I relief, $20 per hour.
Other personnel items included Taylor Cashner, part-time resident supervisor at the Pre-Release Center, $15.95 per hour; Charlene Matlack, full-time clerk III in the sheriff's office, $14.44 per hour; and Taylor Paulhamus, promotion to assistant public defender, $53,543 per year.
In another action related to county employees, the commissioners approved a revision to the tool allowance policy which changes the monthly allowance to $150 and the maximum yearly allowance to $1,800. The change in policy takes effect Jan. 1.
Two Memorandums of Understanding between the county and West Branch and Alcohol were approved with the funding coming from Act 198 funds derived from fees assessed on offenders. One MOU refers to juvenile probation clients and the other to adult offenders.
A total of $70,000 in Act 13 funds were approved for Hiawatha Inc. Those funds are derived from impacts from natural gas drilling. The funds were requested while details for a grant monitoring agreement are worked out.
In approving the funds, the commissioners praised the Hiawatha as an asset to the community and to people visiting the area.
Six items related to Resource Management Services were approved by the commissioners. They include the upcharge of $14,672 for a new F-55 weld truck from Sunbury Motors; a one-year extension with no increase to an agreement with Counsil's Appliance, which handles the removal of freon from white goods at the landfill; the purchase of a new Volvo haul truck from Highway Equipment & Supply Company at a cost of $584,128; an amendment to an agreement with Quality Air Mechanical Inc., with about a $15 increase; and a Minor Solid Waste Permit Modification application to the Department of Environmental Protection. All of these items are funded through landfill revenues.
The 2023 fee schedule for the Landfill and the Transfer Station was approved with increases in some areas. According to Jason Yorks, RMS director, the plan is to have the new schedule out to haulers and customers by the end of the month, so there will be two months before it goes into effect.
Approval was also given to the following items: an amendment to a subrecipient agreement with South Williamsport Borough for 2018 Community Development Block Grant funds to extend it to Dec. 15 and to add the Center for Independent Living air conditioning contract; an amendment to an agreement with Rogers Uniform LLC, renewing it for an additional year; and approval of the submission of the 2023 West Nile Virus grant application to the Department of Environmental Protection.
The next regular meeting of the commissioners will be at 10 a.m. Nov. 3, at the Commissioners Board Room, first floor Executive Plaza, 330 Pine St.