Lycoming County’s HR department to see changes
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The county's Salary Board, composed of the Lycoming County Commissioners and a member of the controller's office voted on several items that would restructure the Human Resources Office at the county. The vote took place during this week's commissioners' meeting.
"We're going to be moving in a different direction with that," said Commissioner Scott Metzger referring to the elimination of the director of human resources position and changing the title to senior human resources business partner.
"This individual will also be assisting the director of administration on bigger projects, plus, the Head Procurement Officer, Mya Toon, on specific projects to try to assist both of them and their workloads while overseeing the HR department on main projects," Metzger said.
"It's a much more involved position going forward and we really feel this is something that's moving the HR department in a different direction," he added.
Other actions taken within the HR department included eliminating the part-time human resources business partner position, which was added at last week's meeting; retitling the benefits specialist position to senior benefits specialist; and retitling the human resources generalist to senior human resources generalist. Both positions also had reclassified pay grades.
The reason given for retitling and reclassifying the pay grades for the benefits specialist and the human resources generalist, is that the positions have evolved over the past few years resulting in additional duties.
"As new commissioners sitting here, we felt that there was some new direction needed in the HR department," Commissioner Marc Sortman said. "We got some qualified people there that are handling additional responsibilities and that is change. It's not a change just to give increases in wages out, but increases in responsibility do deserve some increases in wages."
The votes were not unanimous with the three commissioners -- Metzger, Sortman and Mark Mussina -- voting yes and Nikki Gottschall, deputy controller, voting no.
In other business, under personnel, the commissioners approved Scott Henry as a part-time assistant county detective at $29.58 per hour; and William Miller as a full-time EMS program manager in the department of public safety, at $48,952 per year.
Other actions taken by the commissioners included approving an amendment with the West Branch Regional Authority for extension of a project utilizing 2020 CDBG (Community Development Block Grant) funds; a budget revision certification in the amount of $36,005 in CDBG funds reallocating the funds from STEP's Homes in Need program to the regional sewer lateral rehabilitation project; a subrecipient agreement with the West Branch Regional Authority in the amount of $42,672 in CDBG funds reallocating the money from the completed Brook Street project to the regional sewer lateral rehabilitation project; payment of all outstanding 2023 legal ad notices with the Sun-Gazette; all 2024 legal ad notices with the Sun-Gazette; an agreement with National Medical Services Inc., doing business as NMS Labs in an amount not to exceed $250,000 for expert consultation and forensic laboratory services for the District Attorney's Office; certification of county funds for the 2024 Agricultural Land Preservation Program in the amount of $62,126; an amendment to an agreement with Kevin Raker Construction to extend the agreement for general construction services in the bridge bundling program; an amendment to an agreement with Bassett Engineering Inc. to also extend engineering services related to the work done by Raker; and a residual waste disposal agreement with Andritz Inc.
The commissioners approved the appointment of the following persons to three-year terms on the Lycoming Library Board; John Confer, James V. Brown Library; Dennis Correll, Dr. W. B. Konkle Memorial Library; Diane Eck, Jersey Shore Public Library; Diane Schneck, Muncy Public Library; Larry Stout, Montgomery Area Public Library and Mussina.
The next commissioners' meeting will be at 10 a.m. Jan. 25 in the Commissioners' Board Room, first floor Executive Plaza, 330 Pine St.