The Lycoming County commissioners continue with their plan to streamline the number of positions on the TDA (Table of Distribution and Allowances) with a number of positions again being eliminated.

However, in the process, Natalie Steppe, veterans service officer, spoke up during the commissioners’ meeting this week to point out that the position in her office that the commissioners voted to eliminate was open because the former director, Mike McMunn, had retired earlier this year.

The position of Veterans Affairs assistant was on the agenda to be eliminated and had received the commissioners’ approval to take it off the TDA, but Steppe told the commissioners that someone had been interviewed and was on the point of being offered the position.

The commissioners seemed to be unaware of that and at first seemed prepared to rescind the elimination of the position, but then decided to put that on the Salary Board agenda for next week’s meeting.

“The only reason that was open was because Mike retired. It took a while to get the job posted,” Steppe said.

“We had a person ready to say, ‘Hey, we want to give you this job.’ It was a veteran that had 10 years at another county, and then it came out the same day that we were on a freeze. So it wasn’t that this position has been open for months and we are able to do our job without that third position,” Steppe explained.

“Our veterans are waiting a month, a month and a half to get in for a scheduled appointment right now, so we are struggling with only two VSOs (Veterans Service Officers) and not having that third position. And I know they said that they would take a look at each department, so I understand other positions have been free for months, and nobody’s been in there. But that’s the only reason our position was open, was because Mike retired and … the same day we had an interview with our gentleman, we were told that we were on a freeze,” she added.

The commissioners voted to remove the following positions from the TDA: Controller’s Office — deputy controller; Prothonotary’s Office — criminal processing clerk; District Attorney’s Office — part-time project coordinator, five central processing officer positions, central processing assistant director and four special detective-DUI positions; Courts — two part-time tipstave positions; Adult Probation — EBP coordinator position; Domestic Relations — part-time investigator; Juvenile Probation — juvenile probation officer and clerk IV positions; DPS/EMS — clerk III and regional field coordinator; Facilities Management — two maintenance I positions and two custodial worker positions; Human Resources — two HR support specialist positions; RMS — Transfer Station truck driver; RMS — two recycling laborer positions; and Soil Conservation — resource conservation tech position.

The commissioners explained at last week’s meeting that open positions needed to be removed from the TDA because, as long as they were there, they would be included on the list when benefits are determined.

They also said that, after the new year, if any department head feels that a position needs to be reinstated, they could appeal to the commissioners to do that.

The elimination of the open positions is in advance of the 2026 budget reveal, which the commissioners announced will occur at a special meeting at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Commissioners’ Board Room, third floor, Third Street Plaza, 33 W. Third St.